▍𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍
𝐈 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 ! e. y
007. 爱 ᠈ 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝖿𝗅𝗒𝖾𝗋𝗌 . ❫
YOU COULD FEEL EREN'S EYES GLANCING AT YOU ON OCCASION as he sat across from you. Every glimpse he took felt like a struggle against your will to lunge over the square table and gauge his eyes out.
Why would he join a poetry club? You always thought his thing was debating and basketball. Now, all of a sudden he was interested in the same passion as you?
Sure, he visited during the club fair. But, according to Deena, he wasted her time, asking bullshit questions the entire time and leading her to believe he wasn't actually interested at all.
He was interested in you, though. Maybe too much, because he was taking every opportunity from the conversation to have you at least respond to him. You had learned in the past year (the year people realized you were attractive) that men could not take hints. You hated those kinds of men—or boys, really.
"Nahh, Nancy gotta leave that boy alone. That's my bitch or whatever, but it's Jancy or nothing," Deena stated firmly.
"Steve been stuck with them kids for three seasons, though. They need to free my nigga," Connie said.
You shook your head, fidgeting with the AirPod in your ear, "Nah, 'cause everyone's eating that shit up. I'm eating that shit up. I wanna see him on his babysitting shit."
"You like that?" Eren took the chance to speak, rocking his chair back and forth.
"People that are good with kids?" you rephrased without looking at him, instead pretending to be intrigued with the slideshow passing on the projector. "Yea, I like that shit."
"Aye," Deena started, throwing her hands up, "Steve is hot! Objectively hot."
"I heard that," you snorted, nodding your head as you dapped her up in agreement. You could hear the guys kissing their teeth and knew they were about to start their hating.
"Y'all just like his hair, be honest," Connie shook his head.
"He ain't all that," Eren shrugged. "I mean, I'm good with kids. It's not that big of a deal."
"Right. He's coo, but I could beat a Demogorgon ass any day."
You gave Deena a look as the guys continued rambling, which she responded with a laugh.
"The nigga got nice ass hair, though," Connie muttered before correcting himself, "For a white boy."
Eren gave him a look to which Connie mean-mugged.
"What? ... I'm not complimenting yo fuck ass manbun, bro."
"Fuck you."
"Fuck you!"
"And you get no bitches."
Connie immediately paused and gave him a knowing look—the kind where you don't blink for a few seconds just to let the other person's words settle in their own mind.
It must have settled quickly because after a few seconds passed, Eren kissed his teeth and looked away. "Wow, okay-"
"Don't fucking talk to me about getting bitches, nigga." Connie's eyes remained wide, even as he slowly began laughing at his friend. "I got bitches, worry about yo damn self."
You snorted, shaking your head as you side-eyed Deena who's eyes were suddenly drilling Connie, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Oh, you got bitches?" Deena raised a single brow, managing to bring Connie out of his side conversation.
His lips puckered into an "o" while he tried to suppressed his smile—though it wasn't really funny. You supposed he finally remembered that the girl he was talking to was sitting right there.
"Not like that-"
"Nah, nah. It's all good," Deena shrugged, clearly not taking it too seriously. "I just recalled you saying you 'don't even got hoes,' and you 'don't even be messin' around like that.'"
You immediately laughed. "Man, that's a damn lie!"
"He has like one hoe tops," Eren disagreed.
"Shut up, damn," he shot at the two of you.
"I got hoes too, though, so it's all good," Deena shrugged.
Deena had known Connie for as long as you had. They were two peas in a pod, constantly going to parties together, eating at the same table, and oftentimes having the same classes. Between Connie's on-and-off relationship, and Deena's inability to be tied down, they never entertained the thought of each other—until now.
You shook your head and looked away from the table whose conversation had become warped around Connie and Deena, leading Eren to sneak a few more glances at you. You tried not to notice his eyes as they panned up and down your upper body, clearly taking in the tight crop top that peaked at your bralette underneath. His eyes seemed to linger on your exposed collarbone before they met yours over his thoughtfully raised eyebrows.
The nerve of this guy never failed to baffle you.
Desperate to avoid a one-on-one conversation, you quickly looked away and fished out your phone. Your fingers swiped without direction until you opened a random e-book on Kindle, AirPods still plugged in your ears. For what felt like hours, you skimmed through the bunches of letters and words, unable to stay focused. You had little to no idea of the plot but continued tapping through every few minutes to seem too occupied to conversate.
In a way, you were occupied. Occupied with trying to figure out this man's motive.
Was he here because you were? Was he carrying out some kind of dare from his lame-ass friends? Was he still trying to "check you out," as he said at the library? No matter what it could be, all scenarios made you gag.
But time continued to pass with no remorse and you found yourself bored, instead wondering when the Orientation would finally begin.
Your fast-paced thoughts came to a slow stop once you noticed Deena scooting her chair back from the corner of your eye, Connie doing the same from across her.
Catching your eyes watching her, Deena gave you a sorry look and said, "We'll be right back."
"Don't kill each other while we're gone," Connie snickered and threw an arm around Deena (which she threw off) as they walked away.
Quickly realizing they had left you alone at the table with Eren, you followed their retreating figures with piercing eyes. They dared not look back, nearly shivering at the mere feeling of your laser-like stare. They had walked up to the Club Leader who dropped a few stacks of paper in each of their arms and motioned to the door, curving her index finger as if to give direction.
Once they disappeared out of the room, you looked reluctantly at Eren who held the side of his face with his hand, elbow on the table, as he stared blankly at you.
"Finally found the balls to look at me? I was starting to think you were scared."
You felt your pride twitch at his words, a brow rising.
"Ain't much to look at."
"Is that your way of saying I ain't your type, [l/n]?" He frowned.
Sighing, you crossed your legs and dragged your eyes up and down his upper body, deciding to humor him just this once and pay close attention to the changes he'd gone through since high school.
He didn't seem as high-spirited for one.
And his hair was longer, too.
He wore it in a loose ponytail, short strands of disheveled hair framing his face, but not hiding the tints of emerald green that blazed his sleep-deprived eyes—the kind you'd write poems about, clouded by dark red rings.
A thin chain dangled around his neck while an old-school wifebeater draped loosely down his torso, revealing the mouth-watering dips forming at his collarbones. Just the right amount of faded ink rode down his toned arms—a red and black masterpiece that complemented perfectly the ruggedly handsome face which held a soft yet concrete jaw and spartan shoulders; strength was rooted in every line on this man's body.
Yea, you liked what you saw on the outside.
But you knew that on the inside, he was an egotistic asshat.
Therefore, you spent little time sizing him up before gunning at his eyes once again.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," you answered his question. "I'd ask about your type, but seeing as you can't look away from my breasts, I already have my answer."
You watched Eren's lips curl into smirk, eyes flickering with amusement. "Yup," he said popping the 'p'.
'As I thought. He's still a pig.'
"Stop," you ordered bluntly and clicked your phone back on to continue pretend-reading.
But you could hardly do that.
Your leg began to bounce under the table as he stared at you. You were still trying to read, but unable to concentrate with his eyes burning a hole in your face. He wasn't even trying to hide his intention of staring, which infuriated you further as you continued to ignore him.
You knew you were hot but damn.
Clenching your jaw, you mentally cursed yourself for showing up so early for the Orientation.
Inhaling a deep breath and releasing the air through your nose, you closed your eyes. "Could you stop staring? It's making me uncomfortable."
"Sorry, sorry," he sighed and stretched his arms out. "It's hard when sitting in front of someone so stunning."
'Yea, I know,' you thought and looked up from your phone to see a smile on his face.
However, his face fell as he watched your thumb repeatedly hit the up volume button on your phone, your eyes returning to the screen. The tamed drums of Kendrick Lamar's Purple Hearts blasted into your ears.
The sound of the brunette kissing his teeth was inaudible. Within seconds, you saw his figure standing up from the corner of your eye. You followed his movements from your peripheral vision until he snuck around to the seat beside you and slid into it.
His whole body was turned towards you, arms propped on his thighs as he clasped his ringed fingers together and looked at you, leg brushing against yours and causing your eye to twitch.
'God, what did I do?'
Your right ear was suddenly empty, a hand brushing against your ear, and you veered your eyes to see Eren plugging the AirPod into his own ear.
He hummed approvingly as Summer Walker's voice spurred from the earbud.
Scowling, you didn't give him to enjoy the song, roughly snatched the pod from his ear with an unamused expression masking your face. "You're so fucking annoying."
"I was just wondering what had you ignorin' me," he said with a smile.
Again, you disregarded his words and grabbed hold of the end of his oversized jacket. Mumbled curses groused from your glossed lips as you began wiping the AirPod with the cloth.
"... What the fuck are you doing?"
"Getting your earwax off my shit."
"Stop?"
You let go of his jacket and plugged the bud back into your ear.
"You're extra as shit," he huffed and sunk deeper into his seat, looking away from you as you continued reading.
His eyes then fell on the paper on the table in front of you and he picked it up. "What's this?"
You sighed without looking at him. "Leave me the fuck alone."
Eren ignored your words and skimmed through the colorful paper, the words "fundraiser" and "black student union" sticking out most significantly. "I didn't know we had a club like this here," he muttered to himself.
You side-eyed him. "Unless you plan on goin', put it down. You'll crinkle it."
Again, he ignored your words. Or perhaps he hadn't heard you, too intrigued with your name that had been printed at the bottom as vice president.
"You're vice president of this?"
A drawn-out groan left your lips, your eyes rolling to the ceiling. "God- yes, that's what it fucking says, doesn't it?"
"Fucking dope," he said, nodding his head. To him, it seemed like you grew more and more attractive by the day. "This your first time doing this? The fundraiser I mean."
"Fifth. People never show up."
"Weird. Everyone likes stuff like this. Skating. Maybe you should advertise more," he said before smirking. "I could help you out, [Y/n]."
Your nose wrinkled at his words. Something about receiving help from the boy who had, on multiple occasions, jabbed ignorant comments at you didn't sit right with you. A scoff left your lips, followed by low chuckles. "Please."
Eren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and slight irritation. "What do ya mean? I'm trying to help you."
"Aww. Mmm," you pretended to pout, laying a hand on your chest before your face went cold again. "No, thank you."
Eren's lip curled upward. "How do you expect people to show up when you don't even know how to promote this?"
"Oh, shut the hell up," you shot, irritation building up at your core. "I know how to promote. You act like there weren't posters taped all over the building last semester. You should consider that maybe people just don't give a shit."
"Oh, really," he said, before pressing his lips into a thin line. He looked away from the scowl on your face and turned his body towards the circular table behind them.
Just like every table in the large room, there was a max of four chairs, each occupied. "Yo," Eren called to the group.
They turned at his voice.
"Yea?" one of the guys at the table said with a dark eyebrow raised, awaiting Eren's reply.
Eren grabbed the flyer from the table and held it up for them. "Anyone of you heard of this event?" Eren asked, eyes bouncing from person to person as they scanned through the paper.
"No, I haven't," the same guy answered.
"Looks really cool, though," a blonde girl spoke up, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "I haven't gone skating in a while. Sounds fun."
The other two nodded in agreement, muttering things along same the lines.
Eren looked back at you with a smug look on his face. You remained brick-faced.
"Interesting." Eren smiled back at the group before passing the paper to the first guy who spoke. "It's for a good cause. Spread the word, yea?"
After receiving a nod, Eren turned back in his seat, letting his back hit the chair. As expected, when his eyes slid over to you, yours were in slits.
"See, people don't even know about your event. So, let me help you get the word out."
'Touché. Even though they're just four people out of thousands, touché.'
"It's for a good cause, huh?" You sat your phone on the counter and clasped your hands together on your lap before looking back at Eren, now more relaxed. "How did you get into this university, anyway?"
"I drove, dumbass."
"You got one more time."
"Sorry, sorry," he snorted and dragged a hand down his face. "I just don't get what that has to do with anything?"
"If you actually want me to accept your help, you'll answer." You shrugged.
"Shouldn't you be begging me for help?" You gave him a look and he sighed, picking a strand of hair out of his ponytail and letting it fall on his forehead. "If you must know, I worked my ass off, just like everyone else here."
"Oh, just like everyone else?" You hummed and pulled your hands apart, slipping them under your thighs. "I heard your parents' company sponsors this school and that they're great friends with the dean."
Eren immediately rolled his eyes at those words.
"I also heard that because of that, you were promised a scholarship, as long as you remained an impressive athlete."
"Why do you even know all that?"
"It's not a secret if you don't make it one."
He mumbled unrecognizable words, placing his elbow on the table and pulling off his hair tie so he could run his hands through his tresses. "You don't know shit about my parents or their company," he muttered out, "so what's your point?"
Your eyes remained hard as steel. "That you had an extra push to get in—a big one at that, just like most of the rich kids here. Or, rich white kids I should say. Meanwhile-"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not done," you said, causing his jaw to tighten. "This school's been called out repeatedly for discriminating against black applicants. They tried blaming it on the department, but it's happened so many times now that there's no excuse. I'm not tryna downplay your efforts to get here, even though you undoubtedly have an advantage, I'm just informing you on what you don't know. Lots of people of color work just as hard, but Columbia discredits them. That's one of the main reasons for our club."
Eren continued running fingers through his scalp, eyes on the table. Of course, he understood how far privilege had gotten him and others, even if his life wasn't as well-off as it seemed. What he wasn't aware of was the claims being made against the school.
"Didn't know that." He looked back at you, letting his hand fall on the table. "But me being white doesn't mean I can't help you out."
You gave him one last look before turning back to your phone and muttering, "No. But you not knowing anything about our club does. If your motives are in the wrong place, how am I supposed to depend on you?"
Sure, having him help out with promotions would probably help out a lot; Eren wasn't as social as he was in high school, but he could be if he wanted to. You knew that. But, you held too much pride to accept his help. Especially with how he'd been acting lately.
You knew he was just trying to help, but for what? For brownie points with you? So he could get closer to you?
Fuck no.
If anyone was going to give you tips, they'd be well informed on what the fuck your club was for and they'd better care, too.
And maybe it did have to do with your grudge towards Eren, but you'd still be damned.
Eren knew by the tightening of your jaw that you were done with the conversation, but before he could even contemplate speaking again, the club leader's voice rang through the library, followed by the approaching footsteps and laughter of Connie and Deena.
So, he stood up from Deena's seat and walked back to his own, his concrete eyes remaining on you.
—— ik, i suck at updating
btw, the claims on
columbia aren't true to life.