One Chance (4 page)

For the next few weeks, Brody, Kenzie, and I have hung out constantly, just reminiscing on the good
ol’ days and how we are looking forward to the future.  We talk about seeing each other during holiday break, so we will all be coming home to hang out.  I feel happier than I have in a long time and it’s because I have my sister who’s being normal and my best friend back.  Life is good.

“I can’t believe I’m not going to see you every day,” Kenzie says as she gives me a hug.

“I know, but we are still going to talk, so it’s going to be okay,” I say with a reassuring smile.

“Girls
, we haven’t even left yet,” Brody says while he starts to laugh.

“I’m
gonna miss you too,” I say walking over to give Brody a hug.

“I’ll miss you too.  Remember if you need any help with anything
, just ask Liam,” he reminds me.

“Not happening, I already told you this.”

“Why not?” Kenz asks confused.

“Because he’s been a jerk to me forever, I won’t ask him for
help on anything,” I state firmly.

“He has been exceptionally rude to you
, but why?” Brody asks.

“Who knows,
” I say, not caring.

“You know what
, I heard it was because you cock blocked him once with a girl,” Kenz says surprising me.

“What?  No
I didn’t,” I defend.

“Now that you say that
, I heard that too.  That would have pissed him off,” Brody says.

“I never did that.”

“I don’t know, just saying what I heard,” Kenzie says while Brody shakes his head in agreement.

“Well that’s wrong, so if that’s why he’s been mean to me
, then he can get over himself.”

“B
ut honestly Hails, if you need anything go to him, he will help you,” Brody says kindly.

“You didn’t tell him I was going to
Michigan did you?” I practically yell.

“No, I didn’t
, calm down.”

“Okay good.  Don’t and I won’t need his help.  I’m going to be fine on my own.”

“I know you will and we are here for you,” Kenz says sweetly.

“Girls it’s time to go if you
’re going to make it on time,” Mom says, “Oh hi Brody, I didn’t know you were here,” she says with a smile.

“Yeah, just saying goodbye to
Hails,” he says sweetly.

“Are you sure you don’t want u
s to drive you there sweetie?” Mom asks me.

“No, I’m
good; there are two of them and a lot more stuff to carry in.  Go with Kenzie and Brody.”

“Your father can come with you,” she says hopeful.

“I’ll be fine; I know my way around the campus a little already.  Thanks though Mom.”

I spend the next fifteen minutes putting the rest of my stuff i
n my car and saying goodbye to Mom, Dad, Kenzie, Brody, Isaac, and the Masters before hopping into my car and heading towards my future.

The drive takes about
ten hours. Ten hours by yourself is a very long time.  After hour five, I was bored out of my mind, but when I got to campus, I couldn’t be more excited and the thought of the drive is now a distant memory.

After heading to registration
, I’m able to locate my dorm.  I park my car by my dorm that I now get to call home for this year.  I grab a few bags and head inside to find my roommate already in our room.

“Hey,
my name’s Quinn,” she says holding her hand out to shake.

“I’
m Haley, it’s nice to meet you,” I say, as I shake her hand.

“You too.  I already
took that bed,” she says as she points to the bed on the left.

“Oh okay
, cool,” I say as I toss my bags on my bed before deciding to head down to my car to retrieve more.

“Do you need help bringing your stuff in?” Quinn asks.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“Okay, lead the way,” she says as she follows me out the door and down to my car.

We grab a bunch more stuff and bring it up to the dorm before heading out for one last trip.  After throwing everything in my room, I can’t help but walk out and take a look at the dorm room.

“
This is a nice room, but it’s small?”

“Yeah, its super small
, but it will do.” Quinn states. “Apparently all the rooms in this building are set up this way, and the community rooms and the rest of the building is pretty nice too.”

Quinn and I spend the rest of the evening unpacking
, then hanging out and getting to know one another.  She’s 5’4”, very petite, with red hair that has gold highlights in it.  She’s extremely talkative and outgoing; as I’m finding out the longer I sit here and listen to her.

“So you have an identical twin sister?” she asks in utter shock.

“Yes.”

“But she’s not coming to school here?”

“No, she’s going to West Virginia with her boyfriend, my best friend, Brody.”

“
You didn’t want to go there?” she asks looking confused.

“No, I realized I needed to make a choice and do something for me.  I was always the twin
that was in my sister’s shadow and I don’t want that anymore.”

“Oh, well that makes sense.  So what are you looking to change?”

“Everything I guess.”

“Okay, so change things a little at a time.”

“That sounds good.”

We compare classes and see we h
ave two classes together.  I really like Quinn.  She’s down to Earth and really easy to talk to.

Over the next three weeks
, Quinn and I have grown really close.  I trust her and I’m glad I have someone I can confide in.

“So did you think of anything you want to change today?” she asks out of nowhere.

“Sure did.  For me to get completely out of my sister’s shadow, I think I need to dye my hair.”

“Dye your hair?” she asks confused.

“Yes, make myself look different than her.  I also bought colored contacts.”

“You don’t wear contacts though.”

“I know, they are just going to change my eye color.”

“What color did you get?  Your
blue eyes are really pretty.”

“Green to go with the brown hair dye I bought,” I say holding up the bag with the items I purchased today.

“I wish I had your eye color.”

“You have green eyes though.”

“I know, but they aren’t blue.”

“Well now I’m about to have green eyes,” I say laughing, “You can get blue contacts if you want to.”

“I didn’t think of that, maybe I will,” she says with a smile.

“I’m
gonna go dye my hair now,” I say as I head out the door towards the bathroom.

“Okay, if you need any help let me know,” she yells down the hall.

“Thanks.”

An hour and a half later
, I’m walking back in the bedroom after drying my hair to check out my color.  I throw in my new contacts to see how it all looks together.

“What do you think?” I ask
.

“Wow, that turned out great,” she says as she stands up to take a better look.

“Are you sure?” I ask nervously.

“You look like a completely different person,” she says with the biggest smile ever.

“Awesome, that was just the look I was going for.”

“You seriously look hot.  The guys are going to eat you up,” she says excitedly.

“There’s only one guy I kind of want to see.”

“Who? Is he in one of your classes?”

“Umm…not exactly,” I say nervously.

“Who?”

“His name is Liam Masters.”

“The quarterback of the football team, are you crazy?” she practically yells.

“I know him.  His brother Brody, is my best friend.”

“Seriously?  So then why are you trying to see him?”

“I’ve dreamt of that boy forever, but he would never give me a chance.  I’m curious if it would be the same now, since I look different. Ya know?”

“Does he know you like him?”

“No, he never did.  He always thought I was hooked on Brody.”

“Well
, were you?”

“At a time yes, he was my best friend, my world, but then he started dating my sister and they’ve been together ever since.  I’ve been over him for years.”

“So, how did you get hooked on his brother?”

“Are you kidding me?  Have you seen him? He’s fucking gorgeous.”

“Yes, he is hot, but he also always has girls everywhere he turns.”

“I know,” I say with a sad face.

“Well talk to him, he knows you go here, right?”

“No.  I made my sister and Brody swear not to tell him.”

“Why not?” she asks confused.

“Because he’s been an ass to me the past few years.”

“So, why do you want to see him then?”

“I want to have sex with him just once.  It’s always been a fantasy of mine.”

“Do you seriously think he’s going to sleep with you, if he’s been a jerk to you?” she asks completely lost.

“That’s what I’m going to find out.  See if I can spot him at a party or something and go from there.”

“You want to screw him when he’s drunk?” she asks laughing.

“Maybe, but then he won’t necessarily know it’s me and my dream can be fulfilled and we can go our separate ways.”

“Wow, you have this all thought out.”

“I sure do.  Now I just need to figure out how to run into him.”

“Well, you said he was in a fraternity right?” she asks.

“Yeah, he is,” I say feeling confused.

“Why don’t we join a sorority, then we are sure to run into him down the line somewhere.”

“That’s a brill
iant idea,” I say super excited causing Quinn to laugh, “What are you laughing at?”

“I never took you for the type of girl to just screw a guy
and move on,” she says with a look. “You have had sex before right?” she asks with a straight face.

“
Yes, with two people from high school. But that’s what college is for isn’t it?  To experiment?”

“I guess so,” she says laughing.

“Okay, do you have a sorority in mind?” I ask changing the subject a little.

“Yes,
Sigma Kappa is the one I think we should rush.”

“Okay, sounds good to me,” I say excited.

“Once you find Liam, are you really going to try to screw him?” she asks out of nowhere.

“Yeah, why not?”

“Cause you know he probably sleeps with a whole bunch of girls.”

“I know
, but I feel like it’s the only way I’m going to be able to get him out of my system.”

“Let me get this straight, you want to screw him when he’s drunk so you can get him out of your system, and in turn
, hope he doesn’t know it’s you?”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, you are something Haley Lawrence.”

“I know.
So tomorrow we can look while rushing for Sigma Kappa.”

“Sure can.”

“Perfect.”

The rest of the night is just hanging out and relaxing.  I’m looking forward to the next steps to come.

Chapter Four

Over the next two
and a half months, school is going well and Quinn and I rushed and busted our asses to become sisters in the Sigma Kappa sorority house.  We’ve gone to a few parties, but so far no such luck on spotting Liam anywhere.

“Hey do you want to go to the game on Saturday?” Quinn asks.

“Sure.  It’s at home right?”

“Yes it is.”

“Okay cool, so we need to get tickets then.”

“I already got two.  A bunch of the sisters are going and asked if we wanted to go, I said yes so Meg gave me two tickets.”

“That’s awesome,” I say excitedly.  Meg is the sorority house President and she’s cool as hell.

“Sure is.  So let’s get our homework done as soon as possible and that way we won’t have to worry about it this weekend.”

“Sounds good to me,” I say as I grab my laptop to finish a paper I was working on.  The rest of the evening is spent working on homework.

“What day are you leaving to go home for Christmas break?” Quinn asks.

“Umm…as soon as I have my last class.  That’s like a month away though.  Why, what are your plans?”

“Aren’t you worried about running into Liam at home
, if you get your chance to sleep with him before then?”

“No not at all, I
haven’t seen him much when he’s been home, especially over the holidays.”

“Oh okay, just making sure.”

“I appreciate you looking out for me though,” I say with a genuine smile.

“Anytime,” she says with a smile.

Just then my phone rings and I see its Brody. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Nothing much, just wanted to call and check in see how you’re doing,” he says kindly.

“I’m good.  Just finished some homework, what’s going on?” I ask because of the tone of his voice.

“Not much, just worrying about you.”

“Worrying, why?”

“Well
, we haven’t talked as often as I thought we would.”

“We text everyday though,” I remind him.

“I know we do.  Have you seen Liam yet?”

“No, but I’m not looking for him either,” I lie.

“I don’t get why you won’t tell him you’re there.  He’s going to find out sooner or later.”

“When he does
, that’s fine.  It’s not like it would really matter anyway.  I’m just enjoying my time here.  He has his own stuff going on and I don’t need him to give me any crap.”

“Fine, I get it.  I won’t say anything.  We’re thinking of coming to
visit soon.”

“Oh yeah, when?” I ask excitedly.

“We have our break coming up soon, so we were thinking of coming there to hang out, and then go home for Christmas break.”

“But if it’s before your break
, what about your classes?”

“Oh
, I already talked to my professors; they will let me turn in work early.”

“
Sounds good. I’m going on the game on Saturday,” I say, switching subjects.

“Are you going to talk to him?”

“Hell no.  You know how crazy their football games get.”

“True, forget I asked,” he says laughing.

We spend the next forty-five minutes catching up and making plans for their upcoming visit before break.

Before I know it
, Saturday is here and we are getting ready for the big game.  It’s cold in Michigan in November, so bundling up is a necessity.

“We are coming back to change before heading out to the party,” I tell Quinn.

“Definitely, I’m not going to a party looking like this,” she says as she’s layered up in clothes for the game.

“Great, well I’m ready, let’s go.”

We head to the game, which is already packed with crazy fans.  We find our seats near the student section and we are in the front row near the center behind the goal posts.

“How the hell did we get front row?” I ask in amazement.

“Meg got them, remember?”

“Damn, she must know someone.”

“Obviously.  These seats are awesome,” Quinn says, as she takes in the view.  I can’t help but look around too.  I’ve never been so close to the field before.

The game is absolutely crazy and Liam was on fire.  He’s the quarterback and he threw touchdown after touchdown, it was great to see him in his element.  The game was an absolute blast to watch, mainly because we kicked some serious ass tonight.  Before I know it, Quinn and I are rushing home to change to head out to some parties.

“What do you think are the chances of me running into him tonight?” I ask Quinn as I stand in the doorway to her room.

“Probably pretty slim
, because we haven’t run into him at a party yet and we’ve been to a hell of a lot of parties.”

“Good point, I’m going for cute but comfortable then,” I say as I head back towards my room to find an outfit for the night.

I settle on a pair of skinny jeans, Uggs, and green sweater.

“Damn that sweater really makes your green contacts stand out,” Quinn says surprising me.

“Good.  Do I look alright?”

“You look hot for dressing down,” she says laughing.  She’s standing there in jeans, high heeled boots, and a low cut black top.

“You look cute,” I say eyeing her outfit.

“Thanks.  I’m hoping to see Ethan tonight.”

“Is he going?”

“Who knows,” she says frustrated.  Ethan is a guy she met about a week ago, and she hung out with him once.  Obviously she has a small crush, but she isn’t sure if he feels the same way.

“Okay, well I’m ready when you are,” I say as I grab my coat and small clutch.

“Yep, let’s go,” she says as she slips her coat on.  We make our way across the campus to the fraternity house that’s hosting a hot party tonight.  Some of our sisters told us about the party.  We get to the house and the place is packed and
the majority of people seem drunk already.

“Holy shit, looks like they all started before the game even ended,” I say eyeing the drunken crowd.

“This does not look fun,” Quinn says looking thoroughly disgusted.

“You should go to the house about four doors down.  They aren’t so drunk and obnoxious there,” a guy says from behind us.

“Which direction?” I ask curiously.

“Walk out the door and make a right.  It’s a much smaller party with a lot less drunks in it.”

“Thank you,” Quinn and I both say before heading towards the door as fast as our feet will carry us.

We make the short walk down to the house the guy just told us about and find it to be much
closer to our liking.  There are a few guys that are definitely drunk, but not anywhere near the last house.

Inside there are a group of girls and guys dancing on the make shift dance floor in the living room.  We move past them and head to where I’m hoping the alcohol is.
  We find the beer and liquor and start making drinks.

“I don’t see any of the sisters here,” I say to Quinn as I look around.  There are a bunch of girls here
, but none of them are from our sorority.

“Huh, I’m sure some will show up at some point.  If not, no big deal.”

“True.”

After about two hours I hea
r Quinn squeal in excitement, “Holy shit, there’s Ethan,” Quinn says excitedly.

“So
, go talk to him,” I usher her.

“Are you going to be
okay here by yourself?”

“She’ll be fine,” a guy says from behind me.  I would know that voice anywhere.  Liam.  I can also tell by Quinn’s bulging eye balls that she cannot believe he’s standing here.

“Its fine Quinn, go have fun,” I tell her kindly.

“Do I know you?” Liam slurs.

Perfect, just want I wanted, him slightly drunk.  So, my fantasy may be able to happen after all.  “I don’t think so,” I say as he takes a seat beside me.

“I think I do.  You look really familiar.”

“Oh yeah, who do I look like?”

“A girl I know from back home.”

“Where’s back home?” I ask playing dumb.

“Delaware.”

“Sorry, wrong girl.  I’m from Ohio,” I lie again.

“Oh.  Yeah I guess you couldn’t be her, she’s blonde anyway,” he says falling for my lies.

“So what brings you here tonight?” I ask making conversation.

“I live here.  How about you?” he asks through a slower slur.

“We were at another party which sucked and was told to come here,” I tell truthfully.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asks out of nowhere.

“No.  Do you have a girlfriend?” I ask feeling braver than I thought I would.

“Nope,” he says before
moving a little closer to me on couch.

“Are you sure I don’t know you?” he asks as he tries to squint his eyes like he’s going to see me better.

“I’m sure, though I know who you are,” I say with a smile.

“Oh yeah?” he asks cockily.

“Sure do, you’re the hot sexy quarterback that all the girls want,” I say flirtatiously.

“Does that mean you want me t
oo?” he asks as his face moves closer to mine.

“Maybe,” I say playing innocent.

Before I know it, Liam’s lips meet mine.  It starts out hot and fast.  This is not how I thought kissing would go with Liam, but holy hell, even drunk, this man can kiss like no other.  I open my mouth slightly and he plunges his tongue into my mouth tasting every inch of it.  After a few minutes we both pull away, breathing hard.

“Do you want to get a room?” I
ask nervously.

“Sure, but you don’t seem like the t
ype of girl that would do that,” he says as he eyes my outfit.

“I just asked
, didn’t I?”

“Good point, follow me,” he says as he stands.  It takes
us a few minutes to go down the hallway to what I’m assuming is his bedroom.  We enter a bedroom and he turns on the light, the bedroom is immaculately clean.  His bed is in the corner and his dresser holds only small items on top, along with the picture I gave him when he first moved here his freshman year.

Holy shit, he has the picture of our two families on his dresser.  I gave him that. Me.

“Are you alright?” he asks as he looks at me intently.

“I’m great,” I say before pulling him down so our lips can mesh again.
  He stumbles when he goes to grab my hips and he smashes us up against the wall.  I step back and push him towards the bed before seeing the night stand lamp and flipping that on.  I quickly walk over and turn the big light off before heading back to Liam who is now lying back on the bed.

“Are you going to be able to perform?” I ask smugly.

“You bet your ass on it,” he says before leaning up and pulling me up onto him on the bed, meshing our lips together again.  After a few minutes of more kissing he pulls back, eyes closed, “Damn you taste just as good as I thought you would.”

“What?” I ask confused.

“Shit sorry,” he says quickly.

“No
, what was that?” I ask wanting to know.

“Shit
, I don’t even know your name,” he says changing the subject.

“Does it even matter?”

“Yes, no, shit I don’t know. I don’t usually do this.”

I can’t help but laugh at his comment, “Seriously, lead quarterback doesn’t do random hook-ups?”

“No, usually I’m in a relationship.”

“So you’re in one now?” I ask as I slowly start to back up away from him.  I don’t cheat or mess around with taken guys.  Before I can get off of him completely, he grabs my hips and holds me in place above him.

“No I’m not in one now, which is why you are in my bedroom.”

“So what did you mean by your earlier comment?” I ask wanting answers.

“What comment?” he asks looking confused.  Obviously being drunk is making him forget things.

“The comment about tasting as good as
you thought?”

“Fuck. 
Just forget I said that.”

“No,
tell me.”

“Damn it, fine, there was a girl from home, like I told you earlier, I thought of kissing her but never did and you remind me of her.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because of my brother.”

“Oh,” is all I can say.  It goes to say Kenzie could have gotten Liam after all.  Damn it.

“Now
, can we get back to us right now?”

“Actually I think I shou
ld go,” I say as I go to stand.

Liam grabs a hold of my wrist, “Why? 
I was honest with you.  Were you thinking this would become a relationship?” he asks ignorantly.

“No
, not at all.”