her ear with my lips.
“I can be a very patient teacher.”
I lifted her off my lap and
steadied her when she wobbled. Grabbing her jacket, I helped her put it on and
slipped her phone in the pocket before zipping it. Then I took her hand and led
her out of the house to the car, where I had already stashed the dress and
shoes after Gretchen’s little meltdown, knowing there had been a good chance
she would have taken a pair of scissors to them.
Alex looked from the bike to the
car but didn’t say anything as I opened the door for her. Neither one of us
spoke on the drive back to her dorm, but in my peripheral vision, I saw her
glance over at me a handful of times. I parked and opened her door before going
back for the garment bag and shoebox.
“What are those?”
“I told you I had something to
give you.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything as we
walked toward Mercer. Watching as she slid her card in the reader, I held open
the door for her and then followed her up the stairs to the third floor
landing. When she opened the door and turned on the light, I saw a Pringles
container on the floor, the remnants of chips scattered across the room.
“Your roommate is a fucking slob,”
I said, stating the obvious.
“Oh, so you noticed?” Alex
laughed.
I took out my phone.
“Give me your number.”
She rattled off a number with an
L.A. area code.
“I’ll see you Tuesday,” I said
quietly.
I wanted to bring her back to the
house. I wanted to hear her cry out my name as I watched her come. Which is why
I turned and left without touching her. I needed her to have the weekend to
think about my question, and if she ran away again, then I’d know.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Chapter 11
Alex
I stared at the dress lying on the
bed. It was short, black, and backless. In senior year of high school, I had
gone to prom with Rachel and a couple of other girls, but my dress hadn’t
looked like this. This dress looked
like it was straight out of a fashion magazine, not that I spent a lot of time
looking at many. I figured spending a lot of time reading magazines might
actually lower my IQ, which was something I couldn’t afford while I was trying
to pass Calculus.
I checked the tag. Becca Gray . I had never heard of the
brand, but even I could tell the dress was expensive. With shaking hands, I
stripped out of my clothes and slipped it over my head, tying it loosely at the
neck. Then I opened up the shoebox and stared down at the spiky black heels.
Holding the side of the bed, I slipped one heel on and then the other. I walked
over to the mirror, feeling like a colt trying to stand up for the first time.
As soon as I saw my reflection, I laughed.
“Holy shit .”
The lace at the bottom of the
dress barely covered my mid-thigh, and the dress was low-cut in the front and
the back. I jumped when someone pounded on the door and then hobbled over to
look through the peephole. Relaxing when I saw Julie, I opened the door and
cringed when she shrieked.
“Fuck! Look at you, you badass
ho!”
“Shh!”
I pressed my finger to my lips and
grabbed her hand, dragging her into the room.
“Hot! Are you wearing a bra?”
Julie asked as soon as I shut the door.
I looked down and smirked. The
silicone adhesive bra that I had worn with my prom dress was the one luxury
item I had slipped past my mom, who remained steadfastly convinced that college
kids wore nothing but jeans.
“Yeah, it’s one of those sticky
ones.”
“And? Where’d you get the fucking
dress?
“He … gave it to me.”
“He? He ? You mean the twenty-eight-year-old TA who wants to fuck my
friend? That he ?”
I rolled my eyes at her.
“Yes, Julie. That he.”
“And he just gave you a nine-hundred-fucking-dollar dress?”
I stared at her with my mouth
gaping open.
“What do you mean nine hundred dollars ?”
“Did you think that dress came
from fucking Ross? That shop is super-fucking expensive.”
“You know
“I can be a very patient teacher.”
I lifted her off my lap and
steadied her when she wobbled. Grabbing her jacket, I helped her put it on and
slipped her phone in the pocket before zipping it. Then I took her hand and led
her out of the house to the car, where I had already stashed the dress and
shoes after Gretchen’s little meltdown, knowing there had been a good chance
she would have taken a pair of scissors to them.
Alex looked from the bike to the
car but didn’t say anything as I opened the door for her. Neither one of us
spoke on the drive back to her dorm, but in my peripheral vision, I saw her
glance over at me a handful of times. I parked and opened her door before going
back for the garment bag and shoebox.
“What are those?”
“I told you I had something to
give you.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything as we
walked toward Mercer. Watching as she slid her card in the reader, I held open
the door for her and then followed her up the stairs to the third floor
landing. When she opened the door and turned on the light, I saw a Pringles
container on the floor, the remnants of chips scattered across the room.
“Your roommate is a fucking slob,”
I said, stating the obvious.
“Oh, so you noticed?” Alex
laughed.
I took out my phone.
“Give me your number.”
She rattled off a number with an
L.A. area code.
“I’ll see you Tuesday,” I said
quietly.
I wanted to bring her back to the
house. I wanted to hear her cry out my name as I watched her come. Which is why
I turned and left without touching her. I needed her to have the weekend to
think about my question, and if she ran away again, then I’d know.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Chapter 11
Alex
I stared at the dress lying on the
bed. It was short, black, and backless. In senior year of high school, I had
gone to prom with Rachel and a couple of other girls, but my dress hadn’t
looked like this. This dress looked
like it was straight out of a fashion magazine, not that I spent a lot of time
looking at many. I figured spending a lot of time reading magazines might
actually lower my IQ, which was something I couldn’t afford while I was trying
to pass Calculus.
I checked the tag. Becca Gray . I had never heard of the
brand, but even I could tell the dress was expensive. With shaking hands, I
stripped out of my clothes and slipped it over my head, tying it loosely at the
neck. Then I opened up the shoebox and stared down at the spiky black heels.
Holding the side of the bed, I slipped one heel on and then the other. I walked
over to the mirror, feeling like a colt trying to stand up for the first time.
As soon as I saw my reflection, I laughed.
“Holy shit .”
The lace at the bottom of the
dress barely covered my mid-thigh, and the dress was low-cut in the front and
the back. I jumped when someone pounded on the door and then hobbled over to
look through the peephole. Relaxing when I saw Julie, I opened the door and
cringed when she shrieked.
“Fuck! Look at you, you badass
ho!”
“Shh!”
I pressed my finger to my lips and
grabbed her hand, dragging her into the room.
“Hot! Are you wearing a bra?”
Julie asked as soon as I shut the door.
I looked down and smirked. The
silicone adhesive bra that I had worn with my prom dress was the one luxury
item I had slipped past my mom, who remained steadfastly convinced that college
kids wore nothing but jeans.
“Yeah, it’s one of those sticky
ones.”
“And? Where’d you get the fucking
dress?
“He … gave it to me.”
“He? He ? You mean the twenty-eight-year-old TA who wants to fuck my
friend? That he ?”
I rolled my eyes at her.
“Yes, Julie. That he.”
“And he just gave you a nine-hundred-fucking-dollar dress?”
I stared at her with my mouth
gaping open.
“What do you mean nine hundred dollars ?”
“Did you think that dress came
from fucking Ross? That shop is super-fucking expensive.”
“You know
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