Unraveling (4 page)

“Okay, thanks,” I said, and gave Todd a half-hearted wave before heading down the hallway.

I stopped at the desk to give Patsy my information. She slid Rollo and I a sheet of paper to fill out.

When I finished, I handed her back the piece of paper. Rollo did the same and she smiled pleasantly at us both.

“Uh-” I said, feeling awkward. “Dan said we could go out that door,” I pointed to the door with the sign that said, Employees Only, “Since I parked back there by accident.”

“Oh, of course,” she smiled, “go right on ahead.”

“Thank you,” I said, opening the door. I felt like someone was going to jump out and yell at me for being back here, but luckily Rollo and I made it to the parking lot without incident.

I unlocked the car and was just about to climb in
, when I heard, “Are you stalking me or something?”

I jumped and turned. Jared was standing next to a bright blue Toyota FJ Cruiser. He had put on a sleeveless gray top and was wiping sweat off his face with a towel.

He raised a brow, waiting for my answer.

“Oh… um… my navigation system told me to park here…” Wait, what did I just say? Oh dear God
, I did
not
just say that.

He chuckled. “O-o-
kay,” he drew out the word. “But I wasn’t asking you why you were parked here.”

My face colored in ten varying shades of red and pink.

“Although,” he leaned against his car, “that would’ve been my next question.”

“Why are you parked here?”
I asked, it was the first thing that popped into my head and out of my mouth.

I really wanted to smack myself right about now; of all the questions I could have asked
hottie-mc-hot-pants, that shouldn’t have been one of them.

He grabbed a bottle of water from a duffel bag in his trunk and took a long
drink before answering.

“My dad owns the place,” he said with a shrug.

“Dan is your dad?” I questioned. They looked nothing alike, so I was a bit surprised.

Jared looked down at the ground and kicked a pebble with his tennis shoe. “In all the ways that count,” he muttered under his breath. “So,” he said, louder
this time, “you never answered my first question.”

I rattled my brain for what he had asked.

“No, I’m not stalking you, promise.”

He put his hand over his heart. “I’m hurt, Katy. Here I thought you were interested in me.”

“Yeah… um… no… I think I better just… go,” I backed against my car.

He chuckled, and the sound sent warm tingles down to my toes. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to. “Katy, you’re a tough nut to crack, but I’m thoroughly going to enjoy trying.”

My eyes threatened to pop out of my skull at his words. Everything he said seemed to shock me.

With a grin, he hopped in his car and was gone.

I stood there, and watched his car disappear down the street. I couldn’t seem to get my feet to move.

“Get your ass in the car, Katy!” Rollo yelled. “I have homework to do!”

I shook my head and got in the car.

As I drove away, I wondered why Jared’s words hadn’t frightened me.

5

If I didn’t get this stupid paper done
, I was going to rip my hair out.
I think the sole purpose of a professor’s job, isn’t to teach us anything, it’s merely to torture us.

I groaned and slapped the lid down on my laptop.
I needed a break.

“I take it, it isn’t going to
o well in there,” Rollo called from the living room.

I shoved away from my desk and stalked out to the living room. I plopped down beside Rollo and crossed my arms over my chest.

“I don’t know why you don’t just move in. You practically live here, anyway.”

“Because, baby cakes, you only have one bed and you’re not my kind
of snuggle buddy.”

I eyed the bowl in his hand. “And you’re eating all my cereal.”

“I was hungry,” he pouted.

“Then get your own cereal,” I took the bowl from him.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished with that!”

“Too bad,” I said
, and took a bite.

Rollo gasped. “Oh no, Katy! Now you have Rollo ger
ms! Are you feeling feverish?” He put the back of his hand to my forehead.

I swatted his hand away and he used the distraction to take the bowl back.

“You know,” I laughed, and stretched my legs out onto his lap, “if you’re going to continue to eat my food, I fully expect you to contribute to the weekly budget.”

“Oh please,” he rolled his eyes, “I know mommy dearest gave you that shiny credit card that has no limit, so you can buy groceries and other shit.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Buy groceries and other shit,” I mimicked him, “for myself. Not you.”

“Oh please, your mother love
s me and would be more than delighted to feed me.”

“My mother loves you because you’re a suck up,” I flicked a piece of lint at him.

“Bitch please, it’s ‘cause I’m fabulous,” he flipped his blonde hair around.

“You
wish
,” I muttered.

He laughed and finished his cereal. He tipped the bowl back and slurped down the milk. Once the bowl was empty
, he put it on the coffee table.

“Want to watch a movie On Demand?” he picked up the remote.

“That sounds good, you pick.”

“Good, I’m in the mood for some Channing Tatum.”

I laughed. “I hate to inform you, Rollo, but he doesn’t play for your team.”

Rollo sighed, dramatically. “I may not be able to touch, but I can still look, and I plan on doing a lot of looking.”

~***~

I settled into my seat in the back, far away from eve
ryone else, and waited for the professor to arrive.

After the Channing Tatum fest last night, I’d managed to get my paper done. It wasn’t due until the end of the week but I hated to have things hanging over my head.

I pulled out my laptop and brought up a blank word document so I’d be ready to take notes.

I was studying to be a counselor. I wanted to help people so that they didn’t end up like, well… me.

My mom had hoped I’d forgo school altogether and marry some older, rich guy. Um, not likely.

She didn’t understand my need to help others, because she’d never believed me with the whole Preston thing. In her eyes, Preston was the golden boy and I was the one at fault.

I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to block it all out before I had a panic attack.

“You okay?” someone asked, taking the seat beside me.

No one sat beside me. Ever.

I opened my eyes and dark
brown eyes met mine. The girl swept her dark hair out of her eyes and waited for me to reply.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking,” I answered, feeling incredibly awkward.

“I thought, maybe, you were sick or something. You look kind of pale,” she tilted her head to study me like I was some fascinating specimen.

“I’m fine, promise. Are you new?”
I asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from myself.

Even though I was normally lost in my own little world, I think I would’ve noticed this girl. She was tall and slender, with black hair crawling halfway down her back, the ends
were dyed in varying shades of pink.

“I just transferred here. I was so lucky they had a spot open. Especially with classes already being in session for three weeks. I’m behind
, but I’m quick learner, so I think I can get caught up pretty quickly. I’m Piper by the way,” she said, peering at me with inquisitive almond shaped eyes. The girl talked a mile a minute, and yet, I understood every word.

“Katy,” I smiled.

I liked this girl.

Just like with
my feelings for Jared, this was something else that was also new. I didn’t normally take to anybody, I shied away, but something about this girl drew me in.

After “the
event” with Preston, I’d lost all of my girl friends, and until now, I’d felt no reason to replace them.

“I hate to ask this,” Piper leaned towards me, “but would you mind helping me get caught up? I really just need some notes
. You don’t have to, like, hang out with me if you don’t want to.”

“I can print off my notes tonight and meet you at the Starbucks on campus.”

“Sweet! You’re a lifesaver! I could kiss you!”
Piper shouted, turning more than a few heads in our direction.

“Please, no kissing,” I laughed.

“I promise to keep my lips to myself,” she giggled. “What’s your number?” she pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

I rattled i
t off and she entered it into her phone.

A second later
, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

“There, now you have my number,” she smiled as the professor walked into the classroom.

Thanks to her, I now had more than just her phone number.

I had hope.

Hope that I was getting better.

Hope that maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to live my life
, again.

Thanks to her, for the first time in forever, I felt like a
normal
girl.

Normal was something that had been non-existent in my life for far too long, and was something too many people took for granted.

For the rest of the class, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and I didn’t want to.

~***~

When I was done with classes for the day, I went home and printed off my notes for Piper. I organized them according to date and stapled them together.

I sent her a text, telling her I could meet her at Starbucks whenever she was ready.

A few minutes later, my phone beeped.

Can u come now?
Was her reply.

I text back,
Sure.

The Starbucks on campus was always busy. I had to wait fifteen minutes to get my caramel macchiato. When I finally had my coffe
e, I pounced on the first empty table I saw.

The guy that vacated it, looked at me like I was insane.

I took the lid off the coffee, and blew slightly at the light brown surface. I watched the steam curl into varying shapes.

“I’m so sorry
, I’m late,” Piper slid into the seat across from me. “I wasn’t quite sure where the Starbucks was and no one seemed to want to tell me. They kept looking at me like I was crazy for asking. I wanted to be all, ‘I’m not a coffee sniffing hound,’ you know?”

“No, not really,” I said.

“Oh… well, thanks for doing this,” she blushed. “I know this has been an inconvenience for you,” she said as I slid the stack of papers across the table to her. She grabbed them and got up to leave.

“Wait!” I
called after her.

She turned back around.

“This wasn’t an inconvenience. I’m sorry if I sounded rude. I’m not used to having… friends. Or talking to people. Please, stay.”

“Really? You want me to stay?” she brightened.

“Yeah,” I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I think it’s time I got some friends.”

She dropped the papers back down on the table. “I’m going to grab a coffee. I’ll be right back,” she eyed me like she was afraid I might vanish.

“I’ll be here,” I mumbled.

“Great!” She bounced away.

I was rummaging through my purse for some chapstick when someone slid into the seat across from me. I knew it was too soon for Piper to be back. I was about to tell the person that the seat was taken when they spoke first.

Their chuckle rumbled through me. “I’m really beginning to think you’re stalking me. I’m thinking of getting a restraining order.”

I looked up and met the warm brown eyes of Jared.

M
y mouth opened and closed. I had no idea what to say to him.

He chuckled and leaned closer to me. His eyes never wavering from mine. “Do you believe in coincidences, Katy?”

“Uh… I don’t know,” I stuttered.

“Well, I don’t,” he peered at me with those captivating brown eyes.

“Okay… what are you getting at?” I asked, leaning back in the chair, half-ready to make a run for it.

“Something keeps making us run into each other. I don’t believe in coincidences
, but I do believe in destiny.”

“Um…”
What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

“There’s just something about you,” he mused. “You’re so unaware of the affect you have on peop
le. I’m captivated by you, Katy,” he mused. “I want to get to know you.”

“Uh…”