King of Campus (30 page)

I hear a small sob and decide to open the door regardless because I know if the situation were reversed, she wouldn’t just walk away.  Pushing the door open, I slowly peek around the corner. She’s curled up in a tight ball on the mattress.  The light from the hallway slants over the bed and I notice her face is pale and streaked with tears.

My heart hurts for her and what she’s going through.  “Oh, Lex,” Gingerly I sit on the edge of the bed so I can look down at her.  Softly I run my fingers through her hair.  “Talk to me.  Tell me why you’re so upset.  Dylan said the test ended up being negative.”

“Yeah,” her voice cracks, “it was.”

I wish I could understand what’s going through her head right now.  I hate that she’s breaking up with someone who cares so much about her.  “Why did you break up with him, hon?”

She squeezes her eyes tightly shut and stays silent for so long, I begin to wonder if she’ll even answer me.  “What happened was terrible, Ivy. I just can’t take the chance something like that could happen again.  I don’t want my life getting derailed because a stupid condom ended up breaking.”

Not sure what to say to her rationale, I inhale a deep breath before slowly pushing it back out.  I guess I can see where she’s coming from but still…  It just feels like Lexie is overreacting to a situation that could have turned out disastrously… but didn’t.

“You still love Dylan, don’t you?”  Have I totally misinterpreted the feelings between them?  Maybe she doesn’t feel as strongly about him as I thought she did.

A silent tear slowly treks its way down her cheek before she finally nods her head.  “I love him more than anything.”  She inhales a huge breath before forcing out the rest, “But I feel like we need to take a break.  Pull back a bit.  I didn’t go to college to find a husband or baby daddy.  I want to finish my degree and get some kickass job in fashion.  That’s the plan.  It’s always been the plan.  Not getting knocked up at twenty-one and having to drop out.”  Her voice finally breaks on those last words.

“Oh, Lex.” I honestly don’t know how to comfort her.  I thought maybe she was overreacting but maybe… maybe she’s not.  Maybe she’s right to take a little breathing room and get her priorities figured out.  I’ve never had a close call before but what she’s describing scares the shit out of me.  All it takes is one moment for your life to change.

Even though Lexie has dodged a bullet, instead of celebrating her good fortune, she’s breaking up with her boyfriend.  I can’t help but gently tug her into my arms before wrapping them around her.  “Everything will be okay.  I think you just need to take some time and process what happened.  If you truly love Dylan, then you shouldn’t break up with him over this.  He didn’t do anything wrong.  In fact, once you told him what was going on, he was totally there for you.  Not all guys are like that.”

Pulling away from me, she silently searches my eyes.  “No, he’s wonderful.”  She sniffs again before wiping her eyes.  “But he’ll want sex on a regular basis and I’m not sure if I can do that.  I don’t even want to think about sex right now.”

“Okay,” I nod, “that makes sense, but maybe you just need to go on the pill and continue using condoms.  That way you’re doubly protected.  If one fails, you’re still good.”

“I tried going on the pill freshman year and all it did was make me sick.”  Looking resolute, she shakes her head.  “It’s not an option.”

I nod, suddenly remembering exactly what she’s talking about.  For some reason, Lexie was really sensitive to the estrogen and progestin hormones in the pill.  She was nauseous all the time and didn’t last more than two weeks on it.  And I certainly can’t say I blame her for it either.  She was miserable.

“Maybe you should go back to the clinic and talk to someone about what other options are available.  There has to be something else besides condoms.”

Halfheartedly she shrugs her shoulders.  Already I can tell that no matter what I say, her mind is made up.  “Maybe.  I just don’t want to think about it right now.”

“Okay,” I agree lightly, “just promise me that you’ll talk with Dylan.  He was really upset when I found him sitting in the living room, Lex.”  I can’t help but remember how he said he was simply waiting for me to come home so she wouldn’t be alone.  I mean… she can’t dump someone who loves her so much!

“I know.  I…I just need a break right now.  I need to focus on my classes and be on my own for a little while.”

My eyes skim over her.  She looks tired and pale and just as miserable as the guy she broke up with.  “Have you even eaten today?”  There are dark smudges under her eyes.  I’m betting she hasn’t.

“No, I wasn’t hungry and after the appointment there was just so much churning in my head.  And then Dylan and I kind of got into a fight.”

“About what?”

She swipes at another tear.  “He was so ecstatic that I wasn’t pregnant and couldn’t understand why I was still upset about everything.  He seriously wanted to come back here and have celebratory sex.”  She gives me a look like he asked her to murder a basket full of puppies.

I give her a small smile in return.  Because yeah, I get where she’s coming from.  But it just sounds like he was being a typical guy.

“I think he was relieved that everything was okay.”

Her brows snap together as a spark of fire jumps into her eyes.  “Don’t make excuses for him!  The guy thinks about sex twenty-four seven.  I mean, obviously I was relieved too, but I wasn’t about to jump back into bed and do what had gotten us into this mess in the first place!”

Her aggravated tone has the edges of my lips twitching upwards.  “I’m not making excuses for him.  I’m just trying to see it from his perspective, Lex.  That’s all.  I’m just trying to wrap my head around two people who still love each other but aren’t together anymore.”

She closes her eyes as if suddenly exhausted by everything that has happened.  Or maybe it’s just our conversation that’s wearing her out.  “I just want some time to sort through everything.  That’s all.”

“Okay.  It makes sense you might feel that way after the scare you’ve had.  I get it.”  I squeeze her leg.  “I really do.”  Shifting the conversation, I ask instead, “So, there’s some leftover pizza in the fridge from last night, how about I heat you up a few slices?”

The way she perks up is almost comical.  “From Peppino’s?  Sausage, mushroom and pepperoni?”

“You know it,” I laugh.  It’s always been our go-to takeout.  It got us through finals and a few break ups freshman year.  It’s the best comfort food in the world.

“I’ll just have it cold.”  Flopping back onto her pillows, she adds sweetly, “Two pieces, please.”

Cold pizza sounds amazingly good right now.  “You got it.”  Standing up, I head to our small kitchen, getting two huge slices for each of us.  I bring the pizza into her bedroom before going back for drinks and napkins.  Once I have everything we need for an impromptu picnic dinner on her bed, we both dig in.

“You went out last night, huh?”  She asks this right before taking a monster bite from her slice.  And just like me last night, her eyes nearly roll back in her head.  “So, so good.  It’s even better cold the next day.”

I agree, taking a large mouthful of my own.  “Yep.”  I’m really hoping she won’t push the dinner issue any further.

But already I can see the wheels in her head starting to turn as her eyes narrow speculatively. I almost groan. Even in the midst of her own personal crises, she still wants to talk about my non-existent love life.

“With who?” A devilish smile tilts her lips upwards as she says, “Oh wait, let’s look online and see if my hunch is right.”

Crap. I kind of forgot about all the picture snapping BS…  I’m almost afraid of what she’s going to find.  Then again, maybe she won’t find anything.  I didn’t notice anyone taking photos.  Although, to be fair, I barely noticed there were people in the restaurant with us…

That’s unfortunately the effect Roan has on me.

She swipes her phone from the little rattan nightstand table next to her bed before tapping her screen.  “Hmmm, looks like there are a hell of a lot more pictures of you and Roan posted here.”  She shoves the phone in my face.  “And surprise-surprise, here you two are at Peppino’s!”

She gives me a faux-shocked look.  Complete with a hand to her mouth and big wide eyes.  “And here you two are walking to class this morning,” one brow hikes up her forehead before practically hitting the ceiling, “and OMG, you’re holding
hands
!”  This time I think the stunned look is actually real.  My face heats as she continues staring at the screen as if she can’t quite believe what she’s seeing.

Unable to stand another moment, I nip the phone from her hand, my pizza all but forgotten as I scroll through the assortment of new pictures.  This is un-freaking-believable!  I mean, seriously!  Glancing over at Lexie, I shake my head.  “Don’t people have anything better to do with their time than stalk him?”

She snorts.  “Roan King sightings with a girl out in public are a rarity, my dear Ivy.”

I’m still having a hard time understanding this level of curiosity.  It’s just plain creepy to want to know so much about a person you don’t even know personally.  “But still… he’s just a guy.”

She rolls her eyes as if I’m totally clueless.  And maybe I am.  All of this pseudo-fame he’s got going on kind of eludes me.  “He’s a hot football playing god who will hopefully win the school a championship this season before turning pro.  So yeah, he’s a major freaking deal around here.  He has stalkers and gawkers aplenty.”

Between mouthfuls, she fires off both questions and comments.  “So what’s going on between you two?  I didn’t even know you guys were a thing.”  She shakes her head in disbelief.  “I can’t believe I’m even saying that!  Roan King serious about a girl!  Color me completely shocked!”  She throws her napkin down.  “And you didn’t even tell me about any of this!  You’ve been totally holding out.”

I can’t help but groan.  “You’re getting ahead of yourself, Lex.  This isn’t a serious thing.”  Well, not yet, it isn’t...  “We’re just…” I shrug my shoulders because I’m not really sure what to tell her.

Do I want to get serious with Roan?

Yeah… maybe I do.

But… I’m still not sure it’s a good idea.  I really like when we’re alone together but out in public… that’s a totally different story.  “Look, we’re just going out on a date.”

Looking a little bit like her usual self, she crows with delight.  “Roan doesn’t take girls out on dates!”

I laugh at the bug eyed look she’s casting my way.  “It’s one date.  That’s it.”

The edges of her lips curl up and it’s like the sun shining brightly after a thunderstorm.  So maybe, for just a moment, I’ll let her bask in her delusions regarding Roan and me.

And maybe I’ll bask in them as well.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Roan King is playing the best football of his life right now.  Does it have something to do with the girl he’s been linked to?  Inquiring minds want to know…  KingOfCampus.com

“Are you sure you want me tagging along tonight?”

Roan slants a look my way before carefully asking, “That depends- does it make you uncomfortable that they’re gay?”

I drill him with a hard look of my own before rolling my eyes.  “Absolutely not.  I’m a dancer. Do you know how many gay guys I’ve worked with?”  The answer to that question is- a whole hell of a lot.

A cheeky smile blooms across his face as he admits, “I like that you’re surrounded by gay men.”

“They’re not all gay,” I smirk.  That would be a stereotype.  And an untrue one at that.

Just as we’re walking up the sidewalk to his dad’s house, he yanks me against that chiseled chest of his right before his muscular arms snake their way around me, pulling me close.  He growls, “Are you deliberately trying to make me jealous?”

Even though I want to groan with the feel of all that hardness pressed up against me, I shake my head.  “Hardly.  And I’m not the one with all the stalkers,
Mr. King of Campus
.”

He winces as I tease him with the nickname.  What I’ve learned is that Roan hates being referred to as
the King of Campus.
  It’s like nails on a chalk board to him.  And he may be used to the attention he always seems to attract, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys it.  When fans try to focus on him, he always reminds them that Barnett’s success on the field is a team effort.  He may be looking to turn pro but there are several other players who are intending to do the same thing.

Of course, there’s no denying that Roan seems to be the face of the Bulldogs.  He’s the rising star that both state and national sports reporters are always focused on.  When ESPN talks Barnett football, Roan King’s name is inevitably discussed.  His stats and combine results are hashed and rehashed every Saturday.  And the closer we get to the draft, the more ramped up the attention becomes.

Hand in hand- and yeah, I love the feel of him holding my hand within his larger callused one, he gives a quick rap on the door before throwing it open.

Daniel and Linc live in a small bungalow in the heart of downtown where they’re able to walk to the restaurants, coffee houses, and trendy little shops that line University Avenue, which is the major throughway through the city Barnett calls home.  Roan told me it’s an old house that his dad bought, gutted, and remodeled after the divorce.  Daniel is an architect and Linc owns his own construction company.  They ended up meeting through some business dealings they had together.