Roommates with a Player

Chapter Fifteen: Reunited and It Feels So Wrong (Part 2)

            “Morning, Emma!” Michelle called, beckoning me over.

            I did my best to hide my irritation that came crashing onto me.

            Everyone turned to look at me and I felt a new pair of eyes scan me over. I met them and smiled. Well well well, look who was here.

            James stood proud next to Ricky. Now that they were side-by-side and not completely wasted, I could compare the two. James had a slightly smaller build than Ricky, but he was taller. James was lean and had the body of an underwear model. He wore the traditional school uniform, which he pulled off well. His black hair was brushed and looked pretty decent, except for the small curls that protruded slightly from his neck. I zoomed in on his face, which had slight feminine attributes to it. He was clean-shaven and his emerald eyes bored into mine. A small smile grew across his face. I grinned back. James had a sleepy look to his expression, I noted.

            “Look who’s decided to join us,” Ricky interrupted my stare-down with James. “I want you to meet James.”

            Ricky eyed me, warning me not to tell the truth. He was pretending like he didn’t know about my little run-in with James before. I decided to keep my mouth shut, knowing it was probably for the best.

            “Nice to meet you, Emma.” James snickered, also playing along. His husky voice pulled me closer and I couldn’t help but blush.

            “Emma,” Michelle said. I looked at her, clearing my mind. “Ricky has to do some before-school work and so James offered to take you to school.”

            I whined. “I can just take the bus.”

            “Heavens no! I will not have my innocent, pure daughter taking the bus!” Michelle gasped. “James is a fine boy and will be more than happy to take you.”

            James smirked at me, flashing a toothy grin. I inhaled sharply through my nose.

            “Fine.” I said, surrendering.

            The truth was, I would’ve taken a ride with James even if Ricky were free. But I needed to keep my act up so I could find out what was up with James and what his words had meant on Sunday.

            Michelle clapped for joy and scampered off to take Charlie to school. I guessed Henry had already left.

            “How long have you been here?” I asked James once everything got quiet.

            “I just got here. Michelle called me up about an hour ago.” He replied, still smiling.

            “Fuck school. Let me ride with y’all.” Ricky suddenly blurted.

            “Naw dude. You really need to get that essay done. You’ve been putting it off for too long now.” James intervened. I could tell he was the more responsible one out the two. Or maybe he just wanted to be alone with me.

            “Screw you.” Ricky pouted.

            “We should get going, don’t you think?” James turned to me.

            “Uh, yeah.” I said and followed after James to the front of the house.

            I heard Ricky loudly sigh before I left the house. Poor thing.

            But my thoughts quickly left Ricky as I stepped out into the cool autumn air. It nipped at my cheeks and made me burrow deeper into my clothes. We walked a ways until we reached his shiny car. It wasn’t a truck like Ricky’s, but sleeker and smaller. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a BMW.

            He politely opened the door for me and I stepped inside. Seconds later, he was at the wheel. James quickly peeled out of the driveway and shot down the road. The warmth of the car quickly heated me. I relaxed into the seat.

            I peeked over at James who was intent on the road. His fingers flexed around the steering wheel and I watched as his arms tightened involuntarily. He was very well groomed by the look of his skin. I could smell the expensive cologne that clung to him and I sniffed at the air, trying to suck it all into my lungs.

            “So,” He said, snapping me back to reality. “Are you liking Ricky?”

            I made a sound that told James I definitely wasn’t. He heartily chuckled.

            “I could have guessed. He seems to be enjoying himself, though.”

            “Ricky? No way. He doesn’t like me at all.” I lied, trying to see if James would admit to anything Ricky had secretly said about me.

            “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions so fast. Ricky likes every girl,” He sneered. “And he’s shown quite a lot of liking to you.”

            I blushed, looking out the window. Trees and fancy houses whizzed by.

            “You’re so cute when you do that.” He noted and I glanced back to see him staring at me.

            “Shut up.” I mumbled and he laughed.

            “It’s hard to believe that I’m falling for a sophomore. I’m usually into older girls.” James commented, mostly talking to himself.

            “Would you stop saying that?” I snapped. His smile limped down into a frown. “I don’t understand what you mean when you say that. You can’t be in love with me. I’ve just met you, for God’s sake!”

            “Have you ever heard of love at first sight?” He inquired.

            “Of course I have, but-,” He cut me off mid-sentence.

            “Then you’ll understand when I say that I love you. Even though I was drunk, I picked your room to crash in for a reason. I wanted you to wake me up so we could finally meet. Watching from across the lunch room and hearing about you from Ricky just wasn’t enough anymore.”

            I was stunned. This could not be happening. First Nathan and now this? What was happening to the world?! I wasn’t even attractive! Was it because I was now a Stephens? Was it because I was being pitied upon for the death of my parents? A wolf ran across my mind and I shook my head, trying to forget the thought.

            “We’re here.” He murmured and I readied myself to bail from the car as soon as it came to a stop.

            “Thanks.” I spoke softly and reached for the door handle. The sound of the lock clicking down made me look up at James.

            “Before you run for your life, I need to ask you something,” He said, amused. “I may have freaked you out, but it’s the truth, Emma darling. And I want to get to know you more. How about we go out to dinner tonight?”

            A love confession and now a date? My mind was swimming.

            “You’re not going to unlock the car until I say yes, are you?” I darkly asked, realizing my predicament.

            James grinned. “You catch on fast.”

            I didn’t have a choice, did I?

            “Sure, why not.” I said dully and with a pleased look, he unlocked the doors.

            I bolted from the car and ran to class.

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