Page 29 of The Hardest Fall

He sat next to me, rubbing his shoulder and chuckling lightly. He had his black hair styled into a messy bedhead look that always worked wonders for him when he was in the mood for making new friends. I would’ve called them lovers, but he didn’t like the pressure of the word. Since he wasn’t interested in having a serious relationship in college, just friends worked fine. He was only slightly taller than me, probably around five foot nine, tops. The dark brown of his eyes and his plump lips only added to his bad boy rocker looks. If he had any interest in girls at all, I’m pretty sure I’d have been a blubbering mess around him just as much as I seemed to be around Dylan. The day the professor had kicked us out of class for talking too much had marked the first day of our friendship.

“I didn’t attack him just for fun. I thought he was a thief. What was I supposed to do, welcome him with open arms? While I was naked? I was trying to incapacitate him so I could get out. Anyway, I don’t even remember half the things I said later on, but I do remember skedaddle. Ask me how many times I’ve used that word in my life—zero. I don’t know if you guys understand the extent of how bad and painful the entire thing was.”

“I think we got it,” Jared deadpanned, bugging his eyes out to Kayla.

I ignored their looks and kept going. “Every time I opened my mouth, I dug a deeper hole for myself. From now on, I’m gonna need to keep my mouth shut when I’m around him. I’ll use nods and as few words as possible.”

“I don’t think that’s possible, but believing is half the battle, I guess,” Kayla said wryly.

I forced the fakest smile I could muster. “Har har. Aren’t you guys just rays of sunshine today? I can’t get enough of you two.”

Jared just smiled and kept breaking up pieces of his toast then popping them into his mouth. “As you shouldn’t. Plus, you know I’m always moody before the clock hits twelve, so feel free to ignore me and focus on your second best friend.”

I watched a piece of brownie fly toward Jared, which he caught in his mouth.

“You’re the actual worst,” muttered Kayla before fixing her gaze on me.

“So? Any advice? Real advice? The kind friends give each other?” I asked Kayla. “What the hell am I gonna do? How am I gonna go back there tonight?”

Her perfectly filled thick eyebrows rose higher on her forehead and she gave me an innocent look. “Walk, maybe?”

I returned her look with my most bored stare.

“Okay, okay. Sheesh. Save that face for someone else. I think trying to keep a bit more quiet instead of going off on an endless rant might be a better idea. I support you on that.”

While Jared was the most easygoing and confident one out of the three of us, Kayla—AKA KayKay, as Jared had dubbed her—was our mama bear. She was just the person you wanted to open up to, so nurturing, sweet, quiet, and everything I was not around guys. However, when it came to her actual relationships, her choices were a little skewed. Case in point, her on-again, off-again prick of a boyfriend Keith gave me the creepy chills almost every time he was around. I just wished—actually, both Jared and I wished—that one of the times when they broke up, it would actually be for good. There was always hope.

“Any other ideas? We’re going to be living in the same apartment and I’m quietly freaking out about it. It’s not like I can stay in my room and never come out, and trying to act all casual when he is around is a no-go because we all know how I get around guys I think are good-looking.”

“How about you go with being casual and normal instead of acting?”

“I’m too itchy and nervous around him, Kayla. If you’d seen me last night, you would’ve winced every time I opened my mouth. He was being so nice, and I think I’d love to be his friend. I think I could maybe handle that.”

“You can definitely do that. Just think of him as already taken. That should make it easier.”

“He actually just broke up with his girlfriend.”

“Dang it, you don’t say.” Jared whistled. “Maybe I should give you a visit one of these days, just to check things out, you know.”

Feeling like I had some kind of a game plan I could focus on when I went back to the apartment, I leaned back in my seat and let out a huge breath. I was thankful for having Kayla and Jared as friends, more than they could ever imagine. They made coming to L.A.—the biggest risk of my life—worth it for me. God knows nothing else had gone the way I’d hoped it would.