The Jock by J.L. Beck Page 0,13
I will follow through. No matter the shit people talked.
A few minutes later, the professor comes out of his office, and class starts. I can still hear whispering behind me or maybe no one’s whispering, and I’m just so used to the sound, I’m hearing things. Either way, it makes it impossible for me to focus, and I end up missing half of the professor’s lecture because I can’t get my mind to shut down.
When class is dismissed, I’m more than ready to escape the confines of the room. For the first time since coming here, I don’t want to be in the classroom. I want to be alone, in my dorm, with my thoughts, and my books, and away from prying eyes.
Shoving up from my chair, I grab my stuff and cradle it to my chest. Once I’m outside, I can stuff the books in my bag. Other students move about the room, and I slip out into the walkway, at the same time, a girl in the row in front of me does.
Instead of turning and walking down the walkway like a normal person would, she turns and runs right into me. Lowering her shoulder, she intentionally slams into mine, jarring me backward. Pain radiates across my shoulder, and I lose my grasp on my books as I grab onto the table to steady myself, so I don’t fall on my ass in front of everyone left in the room.
“Watch it, Ice Queen,” she sneers, wrinkling her nose as she tosses her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.
What the fuck?
She’s obviously heard the rumors, and I wouldn’t doubt she’s one of Cage’s many one-night stands. Still, it doesn’t give her a reason to be a raging bitch. Shaking my head, I drop down to my knees and ignore the snickering as she greets her friends somewhere behind me. I want to say something, but I bite my tongue, there isn’t any point in saying something to someone like that. I’d rather not bring more attention to myself.
As I gather my two books up, I crawl a few feet forward to grab my pens and notebooks that skidded across the carpet. My cheeks burn, and embarrassment coats my insides. Out of nowhere, a pair of Nike shoes appear in front of me. Lifting my gaze, I see a slim, but fit and attractive guy picking up two of my pens and a notebook.
Leaning down, he hands them to me with a dazzling smile on his face. I take them from him, ignoring his smile and attractiveness and push up off the floor, wiping a sweaty palm over my thigh. My stomach tightens, and it feels like everyone is staring at me.
“Hey, I know you. You’re…” he taps his sharp chin as if he’s trying to remember what he wants to say while narrowing his gaze. “Ice Queen! You’re the girl that poured a beer on my best friend, Cage’s head.” He lets out a low chuckle. “That was fucking funny as hell. I don’t think I’ve ever met a chick that turned him down. You’re special or something. Immune to his swagger. I like it.”
“My name’s Blair,” I snap, tired of being called something that I’m really not. Looking up at the guy, recognition takes root. Blonde hair, angular face with sharp blue eyes. He’s tall, an athlete. He was standing behind Cage at the party with some other guy.
The guy frowns, and his gaze softens a fraction “Sorry,” he apologizes sheepishly. “My name’s Evan.”
I clutch my books to my chest. “Is it really that insane that I turned Cage down?”
His white teeth flash through his parted lips. “Honestly, no. You see him for the douchebag he really is, while other chicks see him as some athletic god that they can use to get somewhere, all without realizing they aren’t actually going anywhere but his bedroom.”
I almost snort. I’d rather chew on broken glass than sleep with Cage. Yes, he was attractive, in a way you couldn’t ignore, but the fact he slept with anything with a vagina made me off-limits to him.
“Well, I’m not interested in him. Hence why I poured a beer over his head. Unfortunately, doing that has gotten me a lot of unwanted attention.”
“It’ll pass. As for Amanda, she’s just a bitch.” His gaze slips past me and to where the Amanda chick is standing with her friends, probably staring daggers into my back.
“That much is obvious,” I say beneath my breath.
“It’s okay, she’s just