Chapter Five
Chloe
Here I am, sitting in my next class, and am I listening to the professor? No, as in N-O. I couldn’t even tell you what he is saying or what the subject is. All I can think about is Jayson and the fact that I am going to be eating with him if this class will ever end. And to top it off, I am going to Chipotle. Chipotle’s and Jayson…SCORE! Yes, I have a little bit of an obsession with that place and now maybe a little one with him as well.
While I am thinking of the yummy hottie that will soon be with me, other thoughts start to seep in. What will he think of me when he finds out what a horrible person I am? Should I tell him now before he finds out on his own? What the hell am I thinking? He’s my study/presentation partner…that’s it!!
This isn’t a relationship and I don’t have to confess my sins to him. Just because I think he is lickalicious doesn’t mean I have to bare my soul to him. Although I wouldn’t mind baring something else…shut it down, Chloe, NOW!! I can almost hear my voice screaming out loud instead of just in my head. This is why I don’t have relationships, guy friends, and almost no contact at all with the opposite sex. I can’t afford to become attached. I don’t want to have to explain my past or have it affect someone I am with.
I mean, look at me. We aren’t even together and I have been obsessing over him all class long. I don’t know what I have to do for this class, I’m sick over what he might find out about me, and I’m also picking at my nails. If that’s not evidence enough that he isn’t for me or more importantly, I’m not for him, then I don’t know what is. So, I’ll just look at the pretty package, study with him, and then move on. He probably has a girlfriend anyway or is the worst player in the world. Or maybe he’s a peeping tom. There has to be something wrong with this guy! There has to be, because if there isn’t, then I am screwed, and not in the fun way.
Finally, the class is over and as I am packing my school bag, the phone rings.
I already know who it is, so I just answer with, “What?”
“Shit, Chloe, are you PMS’ing today. You bit my head off this morning and now I can’t get a decent hello out of you.”
“Madison, I knew it was you…”
“So that makes it all better, you knew it was me, so you think you can let bitch Chloe out to play? I am going to hang up the phone, Chloe Isabella, and then we are going to try this again!”
“Yes, mom” I grumble below my breath.
“Did you say something, Chloe?”
I can almost hear the smile in my best friend’s voice. Before I can answer, she hangs up and then my phone is ringing again. So I play her game and answer with sugary sweetness dripping from my voice.
“Hello, my best friend, how are you on this lovely day?”
Madison huffs into the phone, “Oh, good lord, why do I even try with you?”
Since I know her very well, I know she is her rolling her eyes. I often tell her that one day it is going to stick and then she will have to walk around with only the whites of her eyes showing.
Moving on to the important stuff, she asks, “Where are you? I’m ready to get my Chipotle on.”
Cutting her off, I tell her, “See you in a bit in the parking lot. Oh, by the way, someone is going to lunch with us. His name…” At this point, I’m pretty sure my eardrum has just been pierced with her screaming.
“HIS…DID YOU SAY HIS? OH MY GOD, YOU TALKED TO A GUY AND HE IS GOING TO LUNCH WITH US!”
Well, here comes the nausea again and I know I have to get control of this or lunch is going to be unbearable.
“Madison, he is my study partner and that’s it. If you are going to be inappropriate, you aren’t going.”
What am I thinking, of course she is going to be inappropriate. “Look, I will see you in a minute, but if you embarrass me, then you cannot imagine the hell I am going to unleash on you!”
At this point, she just laughs. Instead of taking me seriously, she laughs at me. I try not to laugh, too, because I want her to know I’m really emphatic on him just being a study partner, but I can’t hold it in. I laugh with her and say, “Just wait until you see him; that’s all I am going to say. See you in a minute.”
Hanging up, I walk to the parking lot where I see Madison waiting at my car.
When I reach her, she suddenly elbows me and asks, “Do you see what is heading toward us? Twins…very hot twins…oh my, I think I need some panty-liners!”
Uh, did I mention she is inappropriate? And that she has an unhealthy obsessive twin fantasy? Looking up, I think I am seeing double. No, it’s Jayson and another Jayson…oh Jesus, really? So God hates me so much that He isn’t going to just torment me with only Jayson, He made two of them just to mess with me. I bet Jesus is thinking, “See Chloe, I didn’t just make one, I made two because I want you to constantly be reminded of what you can’t have.” I think I need therapy. Now in my messed up head, I have the savior of the world after me. Wouldn’t a therapist like to get ahold of these thoughts?
Before my very vivid imagination moves on to what a shrink would think of this, the smoking Doublemint twins arrive. As soon as he reaches me, Jayson leans down and hugs me. I instantly freeze up and I know he can tell. He immediately steps away from me; he is smiling, although it looks a bit forced.
He says, “Hey Chloe, I hope you don’t mind that my brother is going with us.”
Right then, Madison says, “I’m Madison, the best friend, and I could use a hug, too…from you both…at the same time.”
Jayson #2 looks really happy about this and I roll my eyes while they scoop her up and hug her. Of course, since they are decent human beings, they just laugh and hug her separately. Thank God, because if they hugged her up in a love sandwich, I would have opened up a can of whoop ass on her with the likes that have never been seen before.
“Madison, can you get out of heat for a second while we make plans to eat? And I would like to meet Jayson #2,”
I snap my mouth shut. Oh my God, did I just call him Jayson #2 out loud? See, this is why I didn’t want her here! My face feels like it is on fire while they all laugh, and like the sweet guy I can tell he is, Jayson just says, “This is my brother, Connor.”
Of course, as soon as #2 opens his mouth, I can tell who the player is. He winks and says, “I’m Connor, I’m older by 8 minutes, and I’m better looking. So who wants to ride with me?”
Yeah, I'm not riding with him, but I know who is. And without even looking, I know Madison is about to make her play. I roll my eyes while she bats her lashes at him and says, “I will, handsome.”
Really? Who says stuff like that? Man, maybe I am PMS’ing; I am the queen of snarkiness today. So I bury Queen Snarky and say in a sweet voice, “I’m riding with Jayson; see y’all there.”
I see a gorgeous smile instantly come across his face and as he opens the door for me, I look into his green eyes, and melt. Well, that didn’t take long at all for my traitorous mind to rebel against the decision I made during class about him. Just one look…I’m so easy.