Chapter Five
Evelyn
Flopping down onto my bed, I sigh and feel the energy zap out of me. This week has been intense. I knew it would be, but I never expected to feel so drained.
I hear the door open, and I turn to see Bree walk in in a flurry of pink and gold.
“Um, why are you wearing a dress?” I say but the words are muffled because my face is still pressed flush against the mattress.
“Because we’re going out.” She sing-songs.
“What?” I groan.
“Yep!” She chirps, sitting down at her desk, makeup bag out and ready. “It’s half price night at Beady’s, the bar in town.” She turns in her seat and points her mascara wand at me. “We have to. It’s like college law that you go out on the first weekend.”
I groan harder.
She grins. “Come on, you can have a nice coke, I can down some tequila and we’ll have a dance!”
I smile. “Okay, yea it sounds fun.”
With anyone but Bree, I’d be dreading a night out. It’s not that I don’t like going out, but I don’t drink, and most people take that to mean convince me to drink. It’s exhausting explaining that I don’t want a rum and coke, or a tequila shot. But Bree understands my decision and has never disrespected it.
She knows I don’t want to ever end up like my parents.
“Exactly.” She grins. “So go get in the shower.”
“Yes ma’am.” I salute and head to the showers, excited for my first night out as a college student.
I smooth a hand down my dress, savouring the silky-smooth feel of the material as it follows the swell and dips of my curves. It’s a gift from Bree, made of a material that shimmers and flows like liquid gold, the shade brightening the gold threads in my eyes.
It’s beautiful and I do have to admit that I look fucking hot in it. With black liner and a nude lip, my brown eyes and blonde hair just pop. Bree was beaming as she gifted it to me, wrapped and complete with a bow, a freshly made fake ID nestled amongst the dress ready to get me into this club so I can burn off some steam by dancing.
And boy, am I ready for a distraction. I’ve not stopped thinking of Asher since my class with him. His teasing smile, his deep, drawling voice, his everything just strokes something inside me. My core throbs as I think of him, my pussy pooling with need as if he’s here, stroking me.
I shake my head. This is ridiculous, he’s just a man. A hot, art loving, man, but a man just the same. I push the desire away, forcing it down from a roiling boil to a quiet simmer as Bree walks out one of the stalls.
Her black skin is glowing against the shimmery pink slip that falls down her tall form like water. I send a whistle her way, grinning as she gives me a twirl, her balance wobbling from the tequila she drank before going out.
“You look like a hot Barbie.” I say.
“Right back at you, Ev. I knew that dress would look fire on you.” She slides into the space beside me, coating her lips in pink lip gloss. “You want some?”
I shake my head before resting it on her shoulder. “I missed you, Bree.”
“I missed you too!” She turns, gripping me by the shoulders. Her eyes are lined in brown, the liner smudged to create a smoky effect that makes her black eyes sparkle, a sky blanketed by stars. “Can I ask you something?”
I nod, unsure where this is going.
“Why won’t you let me help you?” I try to pull away, but her hands stay firm. “Ev, you’re practically my sister. I know you’re eating into your savings to keep your dad afloat while you’re here. I can help with that. Let me help.”
I shake my head. “No, Bree. It’s not happening.”
“But why? My parents both love you. They’d be fine with helping out.”
It’s the truth, I know that, but I’m not their daughter. I just couldn’t let them do that for me. I worked nights seven days a week to have the savings to pay my dad’s bills during college. I didn’t do that for no reason.
“I’m fine.” I smile, reassuring her. “I have the savings for a reason.”
“Your dad doesn’t deserve it.”
“Don’t say that.” I snap. “Just because he’s not perfect like your dad doesn’t mean he deserves to be left high and dry by his only daughter.” I pull away, the anger thrumming. I know my dad isn’t the best, but that doesn’t mean he deserves such fucking ridicule.
Bree’s hands come down softly on my arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
I take a breath. “It’s okay.” Bree just wants what’s best for me, I know that. I link my arms in hers and send her a grin, my anger forgotten. “Now, let’s go dance.”
The music surrounds us the minute we push through the door, the thumping beat carrying us into a club full of people like a tidal wave. With Bree on my arm, we head to the bar and wave down a bar tender.
A second later, a perky blonde pops up, a customer service smile plastered on her face as she shouts over the music. “What can I get for ya’ll?”
“A coke, two tequila shots and a Cosmo!” Bree shouts, her hands cupped to amplify her words. Once we’ve gotten our drinks, we head over to the table where Abel is sitting nursing a beer. He smiles, his eyes brightening at the sight of Bree.
When she told me about him, I have to admit that I was worried. College guys can be pigs, but now I can see that I had no reason to worry. Abel looks at her like she’s the sun that he orbits around.
I smile as she shimmies into the booth, smiling up at Abel, a tipsy giggle leaving her throat as he presses a kiss to her brow. “You two are sickeningly cute.” I say, sipping at my coke.
Bree shots her first tequila, her face scrunching up in disgust before answering. “Indeed, we are.” She nuzzles into him, and I look away, giving them some privacy.
The club was busy when we got her an hour ago, but now, it’s full to the brim with college students and people from town all looking to get liquored up and have a night full of dancing and bad decisions.
For once, I feel normal. Like a normal college student who can do normal student things. Here I can pretend I’m just another carefree student who doesn’t have to worry about her alcoholic father or the price of gas and groceries. Here, I can be Evelyn the college student.
“What’s that smile for?” Bree asks.
“It feels good to do normal student stuff, you know?”
Bree laughs. “You need to let loose more often, Ev.” She sips her Cosmo. “Just think how much more productive you could be if you get that stress danced out of you once a week.”
“You make a good point.” I muse.
“I do!” She jumps up, spilling some of her drink down her chest but she’s already tipsy and doesn’t care. She places her hand in mine. “Come on, let’s go dance.”
She pulls me forward, onto the dance floor and we’re immediately swallowed by a crowd of writhing bodies. I keep my grip strong as we wade through the masses, finding an open space in the middle. I sway my hips, moving with the melody of the music, and let myself go. My hands go to my hips, teasing the gold material as I flow with the melody of the music.
I’m still simmering with the desire from earlier, my pussy throbbing with need because all I can think of is him. Closing my eyes, I roll my head and imagine him, his eyes. They’re like gates to another world filled with grass and pine, the flecks of gold like a blanket of stars hovering above. I imagine them narrowing on me as I dance, zeroing in on my sweat slicked body, his jaw clenching as he tells me to dance for him.
I’m so lost in the fantasy that I don’t realise someone has joined me until his hands are on my hips. Turning slightly, I see a familiar face – Jake, the jock type from Asher’s class – peering down at me.
He leans down. “Do you mind if I join you?” His warm breath tickles my ear and my body almost jerks in revulsion. This isn’t who you want, it whispers.
I ignore it, that feeling that this is wrong, and smile at him, shaking my head. “Go for it.”
He smiles, and a dimple appears making him look almost boyish. So different to the dark, brooding professor who seems determined to stalk my every thought and fantasy. The desire I have for him is … it’s unreasonable. I’m going to have to work in close quarters with this man for God sake. I cannot be having a silly little crush on him. I have to focus, and maybe this the way to do it. Gritting my teeth against the images of Asher, I take a step forward, stepping right into Jake’s arms.
He runs a hand through his sandy brown-blonde hair. “It’s Evelyn, right?”
I nod. “And you’re Jake?”
“The one and only.”
The truth is, Jake is hot. He’s got that golden boy look to him, a southern gentleman type with a panty dropping smile and boyish good looks that are kind of disarming. Usually, I’d be up for this, for him. And I really do not want to contemplate why exactly I’m finding it near impossible right now. Nope.
Pushing away all thoughts, I let myself go. I swivel my hips, pressing my ass into Jake, his guttural groan approving as I grind to the music, desperate to be part of it. Jake’s hands squeeze my hips, and I spy Bree sending me a wink, mouthing the words you go girl. I smile back.
Three songs pass in a blur of Jake’s body on mine, and eventually, I tug on Jake’s shirt, pointing to the bar and using the universal sign for I need another drink. Dancing is thirsty work, and I have no alcohol rushing through my system to hide the dehydration.
He nods and we edge ourselves out of the throng of writhing bodies. He leads me to the side, to a place in the corner where its quieter.
“What can I get you?” He shouts over the music.
“Just a water, please.”
“No alcohol.” He looks confused, like he can’t comprehend the possibility.
I smile and shake my head. “Nope.”
“Okay. You wait here and I’ll go grab it.”
I go to stop him, because there is no way I’ll be drinking from a cup I didn’t see be directly handed to me, but he’s gone before I can stop him. Sighing, I pull my phone out. It’s only eleven p.m. but I can already feel the tiredness pressing in on all sides and all I really want to do is to go home.
I bite my lip as Jake reappears, water in hand. When he hands me the drink, I put it down on the table beside me and reach up on my tippytoes to shout in his ear. “Hey, I’m actually feeling really tired, so I think I’m going to head.”
He shakes his head. “You’re breaking my heart, Evelyn.”
“I’m sorry.” I pull out my phone, sending a message to Bree. “I’ll see you in class on Tuesday?”
He nods and leans forward, a small smile on his lips. “Thanks for the great night, no matter how short.”
Oh, he’s flirting. Swallowing, I push past the wince that wants to break free, and smile. “Right back at you.”
I turn, and head to the doors. The minute I’m outside, a cloud of perfume and cigarette smoke engulfs me, the night air biting compared to the humidity of the club. I could get an uber, but that will set me back on the finance front so after a second contemplation, I decide to walk – it’s only twenty minutes and it’s not that late.
Not even a few minutes down the road, I pass a group of three drunk frat boys and my stomach drops. They’re wearing matching jerseys with the letters Alpha Delta embroidered onto them in blocks of blue. When they spot me, they slow their steps.
One of them, the leader of their group from the looks of it, whistles loudly. “Hey there, baby. Where you off to?”
I still, keeping my shoulders back, the picture of unaffected. But on the inside, I’m terrified. But if there’s one thing, I learnt by working lates at the diner last year, it’s that men like these assholes, they like the fear, so you should never give it them.
“To my boyfriend’s place.” I say, looking passed them as if the imaginary boyfriend is going to appear behind them.
The guy’s brows raise, and he takes a step closer. “Well, he isn’t much of a gentleman if he’s letting a pretty thing like you walk alone at night.” He’s close enough that I can smell the beer on him, the smell a reminder of my father.
“He knows I can look after myself.” I say and take a step closer. “Now, I really should be going.”
“No, I don’t think you should.” He grins and walks further, throwing an arm around me. “Come with us and party!” His friends whoop but go silent when I shove him off me. He’s so drunk that he loses his balance. He’s on his feet a second later, crowding me, spitting in my face. “You fucking bitch.” He seethes.
And that’s when I lose it. I don’t think, I just act. Pulling back my fist, I punch him with everything I have and run. Leaving them to scramble, using the confusion as a head start. Because if sternness doesn’t work, then fighting and flighting does. I don’t look back, not until I hit the KMART that sits on the road to my dorm.
That’s when the adrenaline fades and I feel the throbbing of my knuckles. Motherfucker, that hurts. I curse, my steps veering into the grocery store to get something for them. I pass aisle after aisle of candy and chips, cereal, and coffee, until I reach the frozen section. Bending, I reach into the freezer, my hands grasping for a bag of peas, my ass high in the air. And that’s when I hear his voice, the tell-tale dip of my stomach, the flutter in my chest like a warning … or a promise.
“Evelyn?”
Asher