Learning to Live (4 page)

I’m sitting on my bed waiting for Jasmine so we can leave and
head to the party that I can already hear through my window. The
music is loud and girls are screaming, but the only thing I can
concentrate on is how nervous I am. I don’t want to stand out, so I
decide that I’ll only have one drink. I don’t like being the center of
attention, so I definitely won’t dance. Then again, I want to just let go
and be a college student, but I don’t know how. After I moved in with
Brad, I did party some, but not to the degree he did. When I found out
I was pregnant, I gave up partying to focus on the baby and school. I
wanted to be the best mother I could be and show Brian everyday that
I would take care of him and protect him from harm. I feel like I let
him down by staying with Brad for so long, but I don’t know what
other options I had.
I take one last look at myself in the mirror and run my fingers
through my hair. I pulled it to the side in a low pony tail but
straightened my bangs and swept them to the side of my face. I put my
diamond nose stud in and slide on my white, wedge sandals. I’m only
wearing light make up because it’s crazy hot in August, and I know I’ll
be sweating from the humidity. My blue jean shorts are fringed around
the edges, and I roll my shirt sleeves up to my elbow. After I’m done
inspecting myself for the hundredth time, Jasmine knocks on my door
and comes in wearing a pink sundress with a white high waist belt and
white peep toe heels. Even with the heels she still only reaches my
shoulders.
“Wow, Tru, you look hot.” I’m slightly embarrassed by the
compliment because I’m not used to them, but then I concentrate on
the name she called me.
Tru was something only Ms. Freeman called me. She always said
since she never found someone to marry, God gave her me and I was
her Tru Love. I never thought I would hear it again.
“Thanks, Jasmine. You look pretty hot yourself,” I say awkwardly,
biting my lip. She can tell I’m nervous, but she doesn’t say anything
about it. Thank goodness because I might just breakdown into tears.
“Duh, girl! Don’t I know it.” She tilts her head and puts her hands
on her hips. “Do me a favor, though. Call me Jazz since you’re my
new friend, and let’s have fun tonight. My brother will watch out for
us, and I want you to smile tonight. You look like you could use a few
in your life. And that’s why you were blessed with moi.” She finishes
by doing a fancy curtsy and then grabs me into a hug. I’ve been
hugged more today than I have throughout the last three years.
As we head downstairs, she tells me she’s from Pensacola and
grew up on the water. I’ve never seen the ocean unless you count
magazines or TV, but I’m hoping to while I’m here. After I make this
confession, she looks at me like I’m crazy and asks if I want to go
home with her Labor Day weekend. It’s also her baby brother’s fourth
birthday and her family is having a huge party. I’m not sure how to
answer her, but then I’m not paying attention as she continues to talk. I
see Jaxon coming toward us with a huge smile on his face and feel the
same attraction build from before.
Jazz doesn’t seem to be paying attention to anything but her story.
At first I think he’s about to approach me until he puts his finger to his
lips to ask me to silently be quiet. I watch with unexpected envy while
he covers Jazz’s eyes from behind. It’s then that I notice how tall he is.
I feel that envy turn into jealousy and feel stupid. I guess this must
be her boyfriend. Why wouldn’t she have a sexy boyfriend? Let’s face
it, she’s gorgeous. I tell myself to be happy for her because they seem
to fit and continue trying to shake off this unwanted emotion.
Don’t be
stupid, Trudy. You’re not here to date, remember? Who cares if they’re
a couple
? I repeat this in my head and mentally shake myself for being
so ridiculous.
Jazz gets really quiet when her eyes get covered and she tries to
turn, but Jaxon won’t let her. “Guess who?” His voice is playful while
he looks at me, showing off his sexy smile and a cute dimple on the
left.
Jazz huffs out a breath and says in a no-nonsense tone. “This
damn well better be, Jaxon, because if it’s not, I’m about to throw
down like Charlie Brown.” She spins around and is engulfed in his
arms while smiling and squealing the whole time.
I feel like an intruder while they have their moment, so I decide to
turn around and walk away but stop when a huge hand lands on my
shoulder. I look over my shoulder and Jaxon is right behind me, still
smiling. I steel myself as well as my legs so they won’t give out.
How
can just his smile do this to me?
“Trudy,” he whispers my name almost like a caress, and I stand
there like an idiot in a daze.
“Do you two know each other?” I shake off his hold, remembering
we’re not alone and look over Jaxon’s shoulder. Jazz is grinning from
ear to ear instead of giving me a pissed off look that I was expecting.
She should be mad at me for the way I was checking out her
boyfriend. However, she seems genuinely happy for some odd reason.
Jaxon runs his hands through his hair and scratches the back of his
neck while he continues to smile at me. “Yeah, we met earlier, and I
gave Trudy directions to the dorm.” He finally turns and looks at Jazz.
“How do you two know each other?”
“She’s my new bathroom neighbor and best friend. I texted you
earlier and told you that I was bringing a friend with us tonight. I
didn’t realize you two had already met though. Small world, huh?”
Jazz is still smiling at him while hooking her arm through mine.
We begin to walk toward all the commotion outside, and I’m still
not sure why they’re both so cheerful. I start to panic as a thought
enters my brain.
God, what if they are swingers or something?
I mean,
do whatever floats your boat, but I’m not into that stuff. I’m being
ridiculous. Obviously they’re happy when they’re around each other.
I’ll just play it by ear as the night goes on. Then I notice the same guy
who helped
asshole
up earlier walking next to Jaxon. He’s cute with
shaggy blond hair, bright blue-grey eyes, and gives off a surfer vibe
with his tan and relaxed walk. Both Jaxon and he are wearing khaki
shorts with sandals and some sort of logo T-shirt. Of course, Jaxon is
hotter than
surfer guy
.
Just thinking that Jaxon is good looking is stupid, and now I’m
thinking of the incident from earlier. I start to get pissed off and ask
him, “So, where’s your asshat friend who has a problem with personal
space?”
Jaxon and surfer guy burst out laughing. I’m having a hard time
understanding what’s so funny, so I turn toward Jazz, but she looks just
as lost. They finally stop long enough for Jaxon to tell me. “Well, you
see a black eye and a bruised nut sac just wasn’t enough for good ol’
Craig. So being the good frat brother that I am, I put a few squirts of
eye drops in the beer he was nursing earlier. If he finished it, then he’ll
be up all night with the shits.”
I can’t help but laugh too when I picture
asshole
running around
somewhere clenching his butt cheeks together. I turn and Jazz asks me
what happened earlier so I tell her. “He was just about to get a busted
nose, but then your boyfriend beat me to it.” I continue laughing until I
notice her look of confusion. “What?”
She continues to look at me like I’m crazy then asks, “Boyfriend?
What boyfriend?”
I’m not sure what she means by that question until I hear both
guys burst out laughing again. Then it hits me. I feel like a complete
moron because they’re obviously not dating. I now remember Jazz
mentioning her brother meeting us tonight, and it must be Jaxon.
“Jazz is my sister, not my girlfriend,” Jaxon states with a cocky
grin that showcases his dimple.
I love dimples
. I feel a weight lift off
my shoulders. Even though I won’t act on it, I don’t want to secretly
think Jazz’s boyfriend is sexy. I have a feeling we’ll become good
friends and I don’t want to ruin it.
Jazz starts laughing with a disgusted look on her face.
“Eww!
That’s just nasty.” She starts to make gagging noises as we continue
outside toward the keg that’s surrounded by a large group of people.
“I’m David by the way. I figured I’d introduce myself since
nobody seems to want to do it.”
Surfer guy
sticks out his hand while
we stand in line for a red solo cup full of cheap beer.
“I’m Trudy.” I shake his hand and smile. I feel mortified by my
attitude earlier when I assumed he and that Craig guy were buddies.
“Sorry for the claws earlier. I just thought you and asshole were
friends.”
Jaxon walks over and stands very close to Jazz and me with his
hands in his pockets. “Fraternity brothers? Yes. Friends? Not so much.
Craig likes to think the world revolves around him and has never
worked for anything a day in his life. I’m sure he whines to his daddy
when he doesn’t get his way. He was born with one silver spoon in his
mouth and another up his ass.” He smiles down at me again, and I
can’t help but smile back.
I finally pull my gaze away and remember that I never thanked
him for what he did. Geez, he must think I am a real bitch. “Um...” I
hesitate. “About what you did today...I never said thank you.” I pause
and glance back up in his dark coffee colored eyes. “Thank you,” I say
in a whisper.
“You’re welcome,” he whispers back, and I feel like I’m drowning
in the deep brown pools.
All the noise and chaos around me is forgotten as we have another
moment like the one from earlier. I feel the flutter in my stomach
return and my breathing begins to alter. What is going on?
“Here you go, Tru.” A red cup is pushed into my hands, and I grab
hold right before it spills and I make a complete fool out of myself.
After taking a small sip, I remember why I don’t drink beer. My face
twists into a grimace, and Jaxon gives me a cocky grin. There’s no
reason to complain because I like his smile. Relief washes over me
since I don’t need to feel guilty for liking it either.
We all walk around and then end up at the guy’s fraternity house
where the party is in full swing. As we step inside, I instinctively step
closer to Jaxon as a swarm of guys and girls come to talk to the guys.
Jaxon introduces Jazz to a lot of people and then he turns to me and
introduces me as Trudy Ali.
“That’s not my name,” I tell him, but the noise is too loud, so I tap
his shoulder to get his attention. He still needs to bend down to hear
me because even in my wedges he’s a few inches taller. We are nose to
nose and my breathing halts and my heart rate increases from the
combination of his scent and body heat. I feel frozen but warm inside
with his intense stare on me, which causes me to shiver. I touch his
cheek to get him to turn so I can talk in his ear and repeat my earlier
statement.
He turns to talk in my ear but doesn’t say anything at first. He just
continues to breathe, and I feel chills breakout down my arms and up
my neck. I’m about to pull away to put some much needed distance
between us when he says, “Well, considering you never told me your
last name I had to improvise.” I can feel his smile against my ear and
can’t help it when my own lips twitch upward.
“Love,” I say not, thinking anything of it.
“Love?” he asks while staring at my mouth. I involuntary lick my
lips. “Your name is Trudy Love? And my sister calls you Tru, so your
name is Tru Love?’ His dimple is in full bloom, and I don’t know if
he’s making fun of me or not. “Are you shittin’ me or is that your real
name?”
“Yes, that’s my real name.” Aggravation sets in over him thinking
I’d lie. T
he nerve of this guy.
“Why would I give you a fake one when
I know your sister would eventually tell you?” I ask in a huff. Before
he can answer me, I watch as slender arms are slung around his neck
and a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes gives me the stink
eye before she kisses him on the lips. The jealousy returns but I
quickly shake myself of that stupid emotion. I remind myself that I
have no right feeling anything for this guy and turn away. I need to
gain my composure.
“I’m going to go look for Jazz,” I say without looking behind me
and make my escape to catch my breath. I know one thing for sure. I
need to stay away from Jaxon.