Kiss To Forget (Blairwood University #2) - Anna B. Doe Page 0,15

doesn’t take me long to wrap up everything in Cup It Up, and close for the evening. The night is chilly so I wrap my scarf tightly around my neck, making sure to cover the lower half of my face, as I walk across campus to Moore’s.

The bar is a local student hangout. They have really tasty food, cheap drinks, big screens, and pool tables, so it’s not surprising that the place overflows with students all the time.

Although it’s late January and freezing outside, there are still people mingling around.

In ten minutes, I’m entering the bar, warm air blowing in my face as soon as I open the door.

I recognize some faces as I move through the crowd of people going toward the back where the pool tables and bigger booths are located, and where I know I’ll find Callie and the rest of the crew.

And sure enough.

“Yas!” Callie yells happily as soon as she sees me, throwing her hands in the air and almost kicking Hayden in the face in the process. “You’re here!”

He wraps his arms around her from the back, nuzzling his face in her neck, effectively stopping her from moving. “Calm down, or you’ll leave bruises, Angel.”

“I told you I’d come, didn’t I?” I shake my head at the two of them. They’re so in love. If I didn’t love them as much as I do, I’d find it obnoxious to watch.

Callie’s sitting on Hayden’s lap because the booth is full. Then again, it doesn’t take much to fill the space when you’re hanging with football players. Those guys take extra space with their tall frames, wide shoulders, and all those muscles.

“You’re tickling me,” Callie protests, shoving Hayden away, and then turning her attention back to me. “With you, one can never be sure.”

I know she doesn’t mean anything by it, but her words sting nonetheless. It’s not like I’ve consciously tried to avoid her; between classes and all my other obligations, it isn’t easy to find the time, but it’s even worse when she’s spending all of her free time with Hayden—and the football team by extension—and I try my best to avoid them. A fact she isn’t aware of—well, not entirely anyway. She knows I’m not too fond of athletes, but she doesn’t know the reason behind it.

“Yeah, maybe you had different plans than hanging out with football players.”

The hairs at the nape of my neck rise at his sugary, sweet words. I didn’t think Nixon would be here—hell, a part of me sighed in relief when I hadn’t seen him sitting at the table—but I should have known better.

Slowly, I turn to glare at him. “I’m here for my friends.”

“Oh, I know all about the friends you’re keeping.”

My whole body stiffens more than I thought possible, every muscle tense. The idiot knows it and just smirks at me.

Díos, I want to stab him in the eye.

I’m not a violent person by any means, but something about Nixon Cole and that smirk of his brings out the worst in me.

I thought I was very clear the night the Blairwood Ravens were celebrating their championship win, but maybe he needs a reminder.

Since then, I’ve made a point of avoiding Nixon as much as possible, which wasn’t that hard if we exclude that one class we share this semester. There I try my best to ignore him, which isn’t as easy as I’d like. The guy craves attention, and he gets it.

Callie looks between the two of us with curiosity. “Am I missing something?”

I turn my back to Nixon, shutting him out before I do or say something I won’t be able to take back, and give my full attention to Callie. “Just that Nixon is being an ass. But, nothing new about that.”

I take in the booth, looking for a place to sit, but there isn’t one. Nixon just took the last chair, putting the two pitchers I hadn’t even noticed he’s been carrying on the table.

Taking off my jacket and bag, I hand them to Callie. “I’ll just go grab a chair and something to drink.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Callie offers, wiggling her way out of Hayden’s arms, but I shake my head no. She looks too cozy for me to disturb.

“Nah, I’m good. It’ll just take a few minutes.”

As I move through the crowd of people that only seems to have grown since I got here moments before, I notice one table with an extra chair. Stopping, I ask