**********************************************************************************************************************
BANG! I shot straight out of bed as a loud commotion sounded outside the door.
"Shit!" A woman's voice cut through the walls making me curious. I opened the door and peaked out only to see a tall, slim, model of a girl bent over a box. It looked like it had been tipped over, with clothes splayed across the floor.
As she straightened to look at me I took in her appearance. She must have been almost six feet tall, with beautiful dark skin, bright red lips, and tight curls that fell wildly around her shoulders. I couldn't help but notice she was dressed better than I ever could imagine being—especially first thing in the morning. She had on tight black leather leggings, a slightly sheer white button down, and black stilettos.
Feeling very inadequate, all I could manage to squeak out was, "Uhm... Madeline?" She responded with a sparkly white smile as she strode over to me and reached for my hand.
"Yeah sorry about the loud entrance! These damn boxes are not my friends. I kept hoping some hot guy might show up to help me but apparently college campuses are pretty quiet on Sunday mornings. Anyways! You must be Charlotte?"
I almost couldn't reply I was so shocked by her overt confidence. Somehow I managed to stutter out a response as she went back to grabbing her boxes. She seemed very friendly but I still felt overwhelmed. Meeting new people was never easy for me and I had put so much pressure on myself not to make this girl hate me. I decided to go for a run to give her some space to move in, and if I am being honest I needed a little space too.
I went back into my room, slipped on some nike shorts, an over-sized t-shirt and my runners. I rushed into the bathroom to throw water on my face and brush my teeth before saying bye to Madeline and leaving. I plugged my ear pods in as I stepped outside and stretched against a railing that ran down to trails.
Just as I was about to start my run the front doors flew open and a large group of guys came falling out. They were loud and rambunctious during the quiet morning so I stood aside and froze as they passed. They were all pushing each other and shouting back and forth as they made their way into the parking lot. More than a couple heads snapped in my direction and I averted my eyes as a chill ran down my spine. I never liked getting too much attention, especially when I was fresh out of bed, with no makeup on, and a ratty old Chargers shirt.
Once they had passed, I shook off the discomfort and ran down the path that my mom and I had walked yesterday. My worries washed away as I pumped my arms harder, propelling myself forward. My lungs burned, but my head was finally clear.
I was so zoned out as I pushed myself further and further down the path that I didn't realize someone else had joined me. I jumped as I looked up—a large man ran right next to me smirking down at me. The fright threw me off my balance and next thing I knew I was falling down onto the pavement. Pain burst through my knee as it slammed into the concrete and a whimper left my mouth when I attempted to catch myself with my hands.
"Shit Smalls! I am so sorry! Fuck... I really didn't think you would get that scared."
"Emmett?" I grumbled as I turned my music off. I looked up at the apologetic face of the guy I had met the day before. "What the heck... I thought someone was attacking me."
He threw his head back and let out a loud barking laugh, "Uhm I don't think people usually wait for you to notice them before they attack. Just a helpful hint for next time." I started to stretch my leg to assess the damage and cringed at the sharp pain that shot into my knee. "Shit girl... Do you need help back to your dorm? That looks painful."
I didn't think I had a choice but to accept help from Emmett. He seemed nice enough and there was no way I could walk all the way back alone. Nodding my head 'yes' I reached my hands out for him to grab. Instead Emmett reached one arm behind my back and the other under my knees and gently picked me up. A surprised squeak errupted from me that only further provided Emmett something to laugh at.
"Hey, I've always wanted to pull the Prince Charming act but I've never found a damsel in distress before."
"Should I point out that I wouldn't have been in distress if you hadn't found me?"
"I'd really rather you didn't."
Smiling, I relaxed. "Well, alright then. I won't."
Being around Emmett was surprisingly easy, even given our close quarters. He kept his hands respectfully still and didn't hold me too close to his body. He walked slowly down the path, chatting easily and pointing out buildings as we passed by. I contributed a small, "hmmm" or, "oh really" every once in a while and that seemed to satisfy him just fine.
As we rounded a corner I heard my name being called from a distance. I looked over Emmett's shoulder and saw Archer running towards us shirtless, with a pair of red shorts hanging around his waist and a scowl on his face. Emmett turned around as well and seemed to recognize Archer right away.
"Oh hey Johnson! How's it going man?" Archer didn't immediately respond and instead just stared back at Emmett with a raised eyebrow and down-turned lips. "Oh it's Emmett? I'm the freshman wide receiver? We've been training together all summer..." The last sentence was muttered under his breath but I heard it and giggled at his sass.
Archer completely ignored everything Emmett said and instead turned to me, making way too much direct eye contact for my liking he asked, "Why is this guy carrying you?"
"Oh well... I fell when I was running," I said weakly as I gestured to my scraped up and bruising knee. "Emmett offered to help me get back to my dorm."
"Hand her over Rookie. I'll take it from here."
"Wait what?" Before I could give Archer a big ol' no thank you he picked me up out of Emmett's arms and settled me against his bare chest.
"Oh okay... If you're good Smalls then I guess I'll see you around?" I weighed my options. I tried to decide if I could handle being dramatic enough to make Archer give me back. Of course, I couldn't. So instead, I gave Emmett a smile and a small wave as Archer spun around and started towards my dorm.
Archer kept shuffling and readjusting his hold on the back of my thighs while he strode confidently. My senses were thoroughly overwhelmed. his rough hands were so hot on my skin it felt like they would leave burn marks. His muscles rippled against my side as he walked, and a woodsy smell mixed with mint invaded my nose.
This was so far past any Archer-appropriate interaction I didn't know how to act. I could only stare ahead and keep my face blank as we silently approached my building.
"Sooo... Do you think it was smart to go running alone when there was barely anyone around?" Archer's voice shook me out of my thoughts. Did I think it was smart? Excuse yourself...
"Well I mean I was running on University property in broad daylight. So yeah I don't exactly think it was dumb."
"I'm just saying maybe you should stick to the gym or workout in your room or something." He responded gruffly. I finally made eye contact as we exited the elevator, and a scowl overtook my face. It didn't help that he stared back at me with a frown etched between his full brows like he was judging me.
"Well, I'm just saying maybe you could mind your own business. I'm not a child and I am perfectly capable of going running alone."
"Yeah it's not my business when I'm carrying your ass home," He snipped back with an eye roll as we approached my door.
"You didn't have to carry my... butt home actually because I was fine before you showed up and man handled me!" I must have raised my voice a little higher than I meant to because the door swung open and Madeline stood there staring at Archer and I.
"Jesus girl... I couldn't find a man to carry my boxes but you found one to carry you? The world is not fair." I gave her a small, forced laugh as Archer strode past her to put me down on the couch. I avoided his eye contact as he bent low to place me gently down on the cushion. Our faces were only a few inches apart before he straightened and stepped back against the wall.
Madeline ran into the bathroom yelling about a first aid kit so we were left alone. I didn't get angry often but when I did, I had a hard time with the guilt afterwards. I couldn't help but regret how loud my voice had gotten as I avoided his stare. I mean the guy was carrying me... But he was also treating me like a child! Making the decision to hold my resolve I looked up at him and tried my hardest to keep my face calm.
"You can go now I'm sure Madeline and I can handle it from here."
He stared back at me for a moment as though he was considering his response to me. Ultimately though, he ran his eyes down my body to my knee as though he was confirming to himself that I was really fine. Then with a curt nod he turned around and walked out of the dorm.
"Alright girl! Roommate to the rescue! Oh dang... where did the hot boy go?" Madeline stopped briefly as she realized it was just us before pouting and moving to sit on the table across from me. Laying out the antiseptic and bandages she began to assess and treat my knee without me even technically asking for her help. I appreciated the easy relationship she seemed to be offering and I hoped we could actually get along this year.
"So who was the guy anyway? It seemed like you knew each other... Is it a friendly scenario?" The way she said friendly made me realize she meant something a little more intimate than friendship.
"Oh g-gosh no! That was Archer. He's just my brother's friend," I exclaimed with a slight blush. There was no way I'd be getting friendly with Archer. Or anyone for that matter.
"Damn... All my brother's friends are pimply little shits. I mean they're also fourteen." I laughed as she added wistfully, "God some people really do have it all. You get to see that guy on a regular basis?"
"No not at all. We barely see each other actually. He only helped me because I'm sure he feels some kind of loyalty to my family, but trust me he won't be around again."
"Hmmm whatever you say girl. Anyways I am exhausted from unpacking so I was going to order pizza and binge some Netflix. You down?" I got a little nervous at her offer. So far Madeline seemed really easy to talk to but could I handle a whole day? Once the food was ordered it would be rude to go to my room if I got uncomfortable.
C'mon Charlotte... put your big girl panties on. I realized in this moment, I needed to try. I needed to put myself out there and try to step out of my comfort zone. I mean I had only been here for a day and I already survived more social interactions than usual. I was on a freaking roll! So I took a deep breath, smiled, and offered to order the food on my app.
The rest of the afternoon was spent watching movies and chatting with Madeline. Our movie tastes seemed to be pretty compatible. We started with a cheesy romance before moving on to a Disney movie and then ended the night watching documentaries about serial killers. Madeline seemed to realize that I was a bit unsure about myself because she kept the conversations light. We talked about our majors and upcoming school events.
Apparently a lot of people were already talking about the Pep Rally before our first home game. Surprisingly, Madeline invited me to go with her right away. I assumed she would already have real friends to go with, but she called herself a, "Lone wolf" and insisted that she would stick by my side the whole time.
This was normally an event that I would refuse to go to, especially without Brit and Kayla as buffers next to me. But in the spirit of breaking out of my comfort zone I hesitantly agreed. I mean how bad could it be? There would be so many people there I'm sure I could float around in the background as usual.
Later that evening, I laid in bed with wet hair from my shower and texted my parents goodnight. Yes, I do know how lame I am thank you... I ended up enjoying my day with Madeline so much that I hadn't really had time to stress that school started tomorrow.
To appease the powers that be I figured it was a good idea to send out a prayer for a successful first day. Please let me make it to all of my classes on time, not get lost, and not get called on by any of my professors. My stomach swirled with nerves and excitement as I went to sleep mentally going over the map of campus that I had been memorizing for months now.
**********************************************************************************************************************
What kind of Wattpad reader are you! Do you enjoy short snappy chapters or longer "book length" chapters?
If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote or comment! :)
—E.I.M