Over the next week, Justin helped with my history paper and tutored me in Biology. We stood together scanning the grade board outside the professor’s office. My student number was three spots from the top.
“Third highest test grade in the class! Nice Em!” he said, squeezing me. His eyes were bright with excitement and pride, and an awkward feeling made me take a step back.
“Thanks, Justin. Couldn’t have done it without you,” I say, pulling on his t-shirt.
He tosses me over his shoulder in one swift movement, making his way through the thick crowd behind us. “Make way! Move it, people! Let’s make some room for this poor women’s hideously disfigured, ginormous brain! She’s a fucking genius!”
I giggle at the amused and curious expressions plastered on all of my classmates face.
As the days went by, we fielded the persistent rumors about a relationship. Justin’s reputation helped to quiet the gossip. He had never been known to stay with one girl longer than a night, so the more times we were seen together, the more people understood our relationship that was strictly platonic. Even with the constant questions about our involvement, the stream of attention Justin received from his co-eds didn’t recede.
He continued to sit next to me in History and eat with me at lunch. It didn’t take long to realize I had been wrong about him. I soon found myself defensive toward those who didn’t know Justin the way I did.
In the cafeteria, Justin sets a can of orange juice in front of me.
“You didn’t have to do that. I was going to grab one,” I tell him, shrugging my jacket off my shoulders.
“Well, now you don’t have to,” he says, flashing the deep set dimple on his right cheek.
Logan snorts,. “Did she turn you into a cabana boy, Justin? What’s next, fanning her with a palm tree leaf, wearing a speedo?” he taunts.
Justin shoots him a glare, and boy if looks could kill Logan would be dead right now. “You couldn’t even fill a speedo Logan, Shut the hell up.”
“Easy Emilie, I was only kidding.” Logan says, holding his hands up in surrender.
“Just… don’t talk about him like that,” I tell him, frowning.
Justin’s expression was a mixture of surprise and gratitude.
“Now I’ve seen it all. I was just defended by a girl.” He says, standing up. Before he left with his tray, he offered one more warning glare to Logan, and then walked outside to stand with a small group of fellow smokers outside the building.
I try hard not to watch him while he’s out there talking and laughing but fail miserably. Every girl in the group subtly competes for the space next to him, and Cara shoves her elbow into my ribs when she notices my attention is elsewhere.
“Whatcha lookin’ at, Emilie?”
“Nothing. I’m not looking at anything.”
She rests her chin on her hand and shakes her head. “They’re so obvious. Look at the redhead. She has run her fingers through her hair more times than she has blinked. I wonder if Justin gets tired of that.”
Tyler nods. “He does. Everyone thinks he’s this asshole, but if they only knew how much patience he has dealing with every girl that thinks she can tame him… He can’t go anywhere without them bugging the daylights out of him. Trust me; he’s much more polite than I would be,”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t love it,” Cara says, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek.
Justin is just finishing his cigarette outside the cafeteria when I pass him. “Wait up, Em. I’ll walk you.”
“You don’t have to walk me to every class, Justin. I know how to get there on my own.”
Justin was easily sidetracked by a girl with long black hair and a short skirt. She walks by, smiling at him. He follows her with his eyes and nods in the girl’s direction, throwing down his cigarette.
“I’ll catch up with you later, Emilie.”
“Yeah,” I say, rolling my eyes as he jogs to the girl’s side.
Justin seat remains empty during history, and I find myself a bit irritated with him for missing over a girl he doesn’t even know. The professor dismisses us early, and I hurry across the lawn, aware that I was to meet Carder at three to give him a notebook he had forgotten at my place. I look at my watch and quicken my pace.
“Emilie?”
Matt jogs across the grass to walk beside me, “I don’t think we’ve officially met,” he says, holding out his hand, “Matt Johnson.”
I take his hand and smile. “Emilie Benson.”
“I was behind you when you got your Bio test grade, congratulations,” he smiles, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.
“Thanks. Justin helped, or I would’ve been at the bottom of the list, trust me.”
“Oh, are you guys…?” he trails off.
“Friends.”
Matt nods and smiles. “Did he tell you there’s a party at the House this weekend?”
“We mostly talk about Biology and food.”
Matt laughs, “That sounds like Justin.”
At the door of Bradley Hall, Matt scans my face with his big green eyes. “You should come, it’ll be fun.”
“I’ll talk to Cara about it. I don’t think we have any plans.”
“Are you guys like a package deal or something?” he says, laughing.
Heat floods to my face, “We made a pact this summer. No parties solo.”
“Smart.” He nods his head in approval and my embarrassment diminishes.
“She met Tyler at orientation so I haven’t really had to tag along with her much. This will be the first time I’ve needed to ask her, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to come.” I inwardly cringe. Not only was a babbling, I’d made it obvious that I didn’t get asked to parties.
“Great. I’ll see you there,” He says. He flashes his perfect million dollar smile with his square jaw and naturally tan skin, turning to walk across campus.
I watch him walk away; he was tall, fit and clean-shaven, with a pressed dress shirt and jeans that hung at his waist just right. His wavy dark blond hair bounced when he walked.
I bit my lip, flattered by his invitation.
“Now he’s more your speed” Carder says in my ear.
I jump, startled but quickly regain my composure. “He’s cute, huh?” I ask, unable to contain my grin.
“Hell, yes. In that preppy, ‘I wanna save the world’ kind of way,”
“Carder!” I cry, smacking him on the shoulder.
“Do you have my notebook?”
“I do,” I say, pulling it out of my back pack. He lights up a cigarette, held between his lips, and aimlessly flips through pages of his regained possession.
“Thanks for bringing this, I really needed it.” He says, looking back down at me, he takes another drag. “Good thing Bradley’s boilers are out. You’ll need a cold shower after getting ogled by that tall drink of water.”
“The dorm doesn’t have hot water?” I wail.
“That’s the word on the street,” Carder says, sliding his backpack over his shoulder. “I’m off to Algebra. Tell Cara I say not to forget me this weekend.”
“I’ll tell her.” I grumble, glaring up at the antique brick walls of our dormitory. I stomp up to my room, pushing through the door, and let my back pack fall to the floor.
“No hot water,” Cassy mumbles from her side of the desk,
“So I heard.”
My cell phone buzzes and I click it open, reading a text from Cara cursing out the boilers. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.
*A/N oh my goodness, a little bit of jealousy was put into the chapter kind of. Uhm so I realize this fan fiction is slow moving with their relationship but I promise you when they get together you'll love it, sorry for the wait. please vote and comment guys! I'm gonna start updating based on votes and comments... the more there are the faster the update! Thanks so much guys ily - Abby x*