Chapter 3

“Are you going to help me unpack your stuff? Or are you just gonna lay there all day like a sack of potatoes?” Payton asked sarcastically while opening up my suitcase.

“I would help, but we both know that you’ve already mapped out where all my stuff is going, and if I put it in the wrong place, or don't fold it the right way, you'll lose your shit.”

I rolled over on the bed, staring at the ceiling like it had all the answers.

“Ugh, fine. But at least tell me what happened to make you so flustered earlier. I'm bored of the silence,” she whined while unfolding and then refolding my pajamas.

I sat up on the bed and crossed my legs as I prepared to tell her what had happened. Taking in a deep breath, I held it for a minute before I began.

“Well, I ran to try and catch up with you and my dad, but as I turned the corner, I smashed right into some guy that lives in the room next door.”

“Wait. Which direction was the room? Up or down?” She asked while pointing from side to side.

“Um, up. Why?”

“Because, that room has two girls living in it, not a guy.”

Placing the last of my folded pajamas in a drawer, she turned to face me.

“Are you sure? He said he was our neighbor, and then walked in there,” I replied as I sat forward on the bed.

“Yeah, I'm sure. The two girls helped us in with my stuff, and they told me they just moved in too,” she said while taking some clothes from my suitcase and hanging them in the closet.

“Hmm, I wonder why he would say that he lived there?” I asked aloud, even though the question was aimed more at myself.

“I don't know. What's his name? Because Erika said that her cousin was supposed to be helping them move in, but he bailed on them, saying he had a hangover.”

I shrugged.

“I don't know, I didn't get his name, but I guess it could be him. Anyway, he's a fucking douche. I ran into him, and he called me blind or something, then he laughed at me and tripped over my vibrator,” I said as fast as I could, hoping that she didn't hear the last bit.

She froze on the spot and burst out laughing, turning to face me and while trying her best to hold in the giggles she asked,

“He tripped over your what now?”

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“Don't even ask!”

Dragging my hand down my face, I wondered if there was any chance, I could just disappear.

“Oh no, you don't. You can't say shit like that and not give me the full story,” she said as she walked over to the bed, before sitting down. “I want the whole story, so spill.”

I rolled my eyes and scratched the back of my head.

“Fine. So, I ran into him, the box broke, sending my underwear flying through the air...”

“He saw your panties too?”

“Yes! Now do you want to hear this story or not?” I moaned at her. She nodded her head, so I continued, “Well, I was on all fours picking up my personals when I spotted my vibrator behind him.”

Her eyes grew wide and she placed her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. I told her the rest of the story, including what I'd said to him about his tiny dick, and she couldn't hold it in anymore. When we’d finally finished laughing and putting my things away, she met my eyes and hers were glistening.

“Oh hey, Erika and Gemma next door asked if we wanted to go with them to get dinner later. They said they'd already checked it out, so they could show us where to go.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds cool, what time? Because I'm starving!” I asked while poking my tummy.

“Girl you're always starving, and the amount you eat, I have no clue how you stay in shape. I have to watch everything I eat.”

“Well, for one, there is nothing wrong with a healthy appetite, and two, that's because you don't exercise at all. I told you, you can come for a run with me in the mornings, that will keep you fit,” I replied with a grin.

“Oh, hell no! You wake up at the ass crack of dawn and go running for hours. Like hell am I doing that!”

“Well, then quit complaining,” I smirked at her. “Now when are we going to eat?”

She laughed and shook her head at me, then glanced at her phone.

“Fine, I think they said around seven. It's like a quarter till, so let's go and see if they're ready. We don’t want you wasting away or anything.”

I chuckled and grabbed my phone from the bedside table, I had a text from dad saying that he was almost home, so I messaged back and told him we were going to get some food and that I would ring mom before bed. Poking the phone in the pocket of my jeans, I followed Payton out the door. We walked up the hall to the next room and she knocked on it. Standing behind her, I looked down the hall, making sure I hadn't left any panties or bras on the floor, but the coast was clear.

“Um, hello? Who are you?” I heard Payton ask when the door opened.

“You knocked on my door, so I should be asking, who the fuck are you?” He replied in a deep voice.

My head snapped around and there he was, the gorgeous blond guy from earlier, still half-naked and wearing his shades. I folded my arms in frustration. He smiled at me, showing off a huge set of dimples.

“Hey, baby. I didn’t expect to see you so soon. I thought you'd have been a bit busy with your little plastic friend.”

His tone was mocking, and I pressed my lips together in annoyance. My cheeks flushed as I rolled my eyes at him, and he chuckled. Payton turned to me.

“Is this the jerk from earlier?”

I nodded.

“Hey, that's uncalled for. You don't know me enough to call me a jerk. I might be the nicest guy you'll ever meet.”

He crossed his arms over his body and angled his chin towards his chest.

“Oh, I highly doubt that, sweetheart. Look, just tell me where Erika and Gemma are,” Payton snapped.

I loved her sass. She always stood up for herself and was never without a comeback. She didn't care what people thought of her, and always said it how it was. Payton was pretty, with long, dark-brown hair that had a beautiful wave to it. Her eyes were an unusual amber-color, and her skin a lovely olive complexion. She had large breasts, a tiny waist, round hips, and a plump ass, that made most men go weak in the knees. I always told her how jealous I was of her, but she wished she had a body like mine.

While she was only five-foot-four, I was just shy of five-foot-ten. When I was young, kids always made fun of my height, but as we got older and I began to develop in all the right places, guys soon noticed me, and the girls wanted to be me. I have a larger than average chest, am 130lbs, a lean body from running, long, blonde, wavy hair, and light blue eyes. By the time I was in high school, everyone used to call me Barbie. I hated it at first and tried to hide away as much as I could, but then the cheerleading coach saw me in gymnastics, despite my height I can flip, and begged me to join the team. Once I joined, I slowly built up my confidence and moved up the ranks. Then, when I became the captain, I attracted the attention of the hottest guy in school, and that's when Kyle and I began dating.

“Who is Erika and Genna?” He asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Gemma, asshat, and they were the girls who moved in here a few hours ago,” Payton snapped at him.

“Hey, watch your mouth, Bitch. Don’t you realize who you’re talking to?” He spat back.

“Bitch!? Seriously? I don’t care who the fuck you think you are. All I do know is that you're an asshole!” She shouted into his face while poking at his chest.

My eyes widened as she screamed at him, and I watched his features turn darker, angrier. Then, he growled, and the sound was so ferocious that she instantly backed away from him.

“Are you fucking growling at me?” Her tone sounded fierce and didn’t show any of the fear she must have felt at that moment.

“Chase, dude, it's okay. Calm down. Look, go and grab a shower. We need to get ready for the party tonight,” a brunette guy said, his tone calm as he shoved a towel and wash bag into Chase's chest.

He snarled and then stormed past Payton, knocking her to the ground. I squatted, taking Payton's arm into my hands. When Chase reached the end of the hall, he turned and grinned at me.

I scowled at him, then shouted,

“Fucking jerk!”

The brunette guy hurried to Payton's other side, effortlessly scooping her off the floor, and asked,

“Are you okay? I am so sorry about him, he's just, well, him. You'll get used to it.”

Payton looked into the guy's face and said,

“Yeah, thanks. I'm fine. Why are you friends with a guy like that?”

“Well, our parents and grandparents were friends, so we grew up like brothers, “ he replied a bit awkwardly.

“Well, I feel sorry for you. The guy is a complete asshole!”

She shook her head, almost as if she couldn’t believe how much of an asshole Chase was. I didn’t blame her. I couldn’t believe it either.

“I know, but if you don't provoke him, he can be a really nice guy. Um, anyway, the girls you are looking for are in the next hall. The housing people got the rooms mixed up. I think they're in room twenty-one,” he said sweetly as he lowered her to the ground.

She stood in a stupor for a minute before she twirled her hair around her finger. I rolled my eyes, knowing that was one of her moves when she liked someone. She didn’t even notice when I started walking away.

“Thank you, uh…what did you say your name was?”

“Oh, sorry. I'm Connor, and it's nice to meet you.”

Rolling my eyes when I realized I’d reached the end of the hall already, I turned back and called out,

“Payton, are you coming? I'm fucking starving!”

I heard her huff in irritation but hurriedly asked the guy for his number. After he gave it to her, she ran up the hall to catch me up. Linking arms with me, we made our way towards the next hallway.

“I can't believe you got a guy’s number already!” I chuckled.

“Well, I can't believe you already managed to find Murston's version of, Kyle.” Her giggle echoed down the hall.

“Oh my God, I know, right? What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm like a magnet for bad boys. I think I just need to go and live in a cave.”

Even through the chuckles, I wondered why I had such bad luck in the guy department. And when she laughed back, I couldn’t help the awful feeling that floated through my whole being.

It is my first day at college, and my plan is to avoid bad boys at all costs. I mean at least Kyle pretended to be a good guy. This jerk is a whole new level, and I have to live next to the guy.

Payton dashed down the hall and found door twenty-one. I waited at the end for her, and as I did, I felt a hand connect with my ass. The slap echoed through the hall, and I spun around just in time to see a half-naked Chase. He had a towel around his waist and nothing else, leaving very little to the imagination as he walked past me like he was in no hurry at all.

I couldn't believe the guy had the balls to just slap my ass like that. He turned around and flashed me a grin, and that was the first time I got to see his eyes. They were the most gorgeous emerald-green color, and the sparkle in them made me melt right there. With a wink, he pointed to my ass. Tilting my head in confusion, I felt my ass, finding a note in my back pocket. Taking it out, I unfolded it and started to read...

Hey beautiful,

You’re absolutely stunning. Do you want to be my date to a party tonight? Let me know, Chase xxx

I flipped it over, finding his cell number. What the hell was that? The guy treated me like crap, then he asked me out? What world did he live in? I scrunched the note and strode over to the trash can, looking back to make sure he would see me throw it away, but he had already disappeared. Where the fuck did, he go? There was no way he could have vanished that fast. My eyes roamed the halls, looking every which way, trying to find him.

“You coming, Brie?” Payton shouted, bringing me back to reality.

I hadn't even noticed her, or the other girls walking past me.

“Um, yeah, wait up!” I yelled out as I shoved the scrunched-up note into my back pocket. Still wracking my brain for answers, I ran after, Payton and our new-found friends.