Playing The Bad Boy

Chapter Four

Aniyah’s POV

This place is a damn maze, I’ve been here three days and still cannot get myself from my dorm to my first class without at least three wrong turns.

I was pleased to find out that Bea was studying the same course as me so we had all the same classes, unfortunately, her sense of direction was worse than a broken compass and I’m pretty sure that she was the cause of most of our directional issues.

‘It’s this way, I’m sure of it’ she declared, her arm linked in mine as she pulled me down yet another corridor, walking with purpose as I tried to keep up.

‘I’m sure it’s . .’ I started but my newest best friend shushed me.

‘I can feel it Aniyah’ she declared emphatically, ‘the tingles of business Analytics are flowing through the air toward us, can’t you feel them?’

I shook my head as I allowed her to pull me down the corridor to the end, turning the corner and heading down the next.

Ten minutes and four wrong turns later, we were stood outside our class, Bea pushing the door open confidently and striding in as every head turned toward us.

‘You really need signposts in this place’ she said loudly, meeting our annoyed professor’s gaze unflinchingly, ‘how do you expect anyone to find their way around?’

Sighing, the professor pointed toward the seats, ‘if you could take a seat ladies so we can get back to the lesson’ he grumbled.

Giving him a wide smile, Bea headed toward two seats that were empty as I scuttled along behind her. I am bolshy and confident around my peers, don’t get me wrong, but I hate disappointing a figure of authority! I blame my mother, for drilling into me about teachers giving everything they have to help me achieve my goals. Their disapproval bring me out in a cold sweat, I can’t help it.

Taking my seat beside my roommate, who is already deep in conversation with the girl next to her, who is showing her something on her phone as the professor returns to his lecture.

Turning to me, Bea’s eyes are shining, ‘there’s a party at one of the sorority houses’ she whispered, ‘we have got to go!’

My face fell slightly, I haven’t attended a party, ever. Keep my head in the books, that’s all that had swirled through my head in high school and after repeated refusals, my friends had just stopped inviting me to any that they attended.

‘I, uh . .’ I started uncertainly.

Bea nudged me, ‘come on, how are we going to fill out our friends' group if we don’t go to places where we can make friends?’ she asked, giving me serious puppy dog eyes.

‘Yeah, OK’ I replied, I mean it’s only one party, I can leave early and study afterwards. It’s not like it’s a party party, more a gathering of peers, a meet and greet type thing, that’s almost part of orientation if we need to put a label on it.

My roommate squealed, grabbing my arm excitedly as a tut of annoyance came from the front of the room.

Glancing up, I find our professor glaring at us again, ‘do you have a problem, Miss Martin?’ he called out over the sea of faces that were again facing in our direction.

Bea met his gaze, waving her hand at him dismissively, ‘no, it’s OK, just a private matter between me and my girl here’ she replied, ‘as you were prof.’

The professor choked at her words, and the red creeping up his neck made me worry about his blood pressure.

Picking up my pen, I started to scribble furiously on my pad, accentuating that I was listening, not glancing up again until I heard our teacher start to talk again.

Beside me, Bea was on her phone, flicking through a website, looking at outfits.

Once the class had concluded and we were dismissed, we hurried out, Bea beside me as we exited the room. ‘I can’t believe you didn’t take any notes’ I whispered to my friend as I glanced around. It was true, Bea had literally sat on her phone for the entire lesson.

‘I don’t need to’ she replied with a wave of her hand. My confusion must have been evident, did she have someone who let her copy their notes? ‘I have an Eidetic Memory’ she explained, ‘I read all the course material and any books I could find on the subject before the term started, I don’t need that stuffy professor to explain it to me again.’

I gaped at her; she had a photographic memory? ‘Why are you taking the courses then?’ I asked, perplexed.

Bea laughed, ‘for the college experience of course’ she replied, ‘yes I could just take the exams privately and get on with being an adult, but where’s the fun in that? I want the full, broken heart, hot s*x, drool worthy athletes four years that everyone else gets. Being a grown up is boring, why would I rush to be one?’

Laughing, I linked my arm in hers as we walked to our next lesson where again, my best friend ignored the tutor, plugging in her earphones this time to listen to music as she doodled on her notepad.

Soon enough, school was over and we headed over to the food hall for an early dinner before heading back to our dorm.

Picking up a fry from her plate, she shoved it into the obnoxious amount of ketchup on her plate before waving it at me. ‘So’ she started, pinning me with a no nonsense glare. ‘The sorority party is this Saturday, we have all day to get our sexy on.’

I nodded, my mouth too full of my burger to speak, man the food here was good, not my mama’s cooking good, but still better than I expected for a college.

‘What I’m thinking for me is purple velvet, off the shoulder style’ Bea continued, picking up her phone and flicking through photos until she landed on the one she wanted and showing it too me.

I grinned, swallowing my mouthful, ‘that will suit you so well’ I agreed enthusiastically.

Bea laughed, ‘and it will push up the girls enough to make sure they attract attention’ she added, putting her hands on her breasts and pushing them upwards to demonstrate.

‘For you’ she continued, going back to her phone, ‘I’m thinking sexy silver strappy top, black ass hugging, come f**k me skinny jeans and some glittery silver heels.’ More scrolling until the phone was under my nose again, my friend flicking back and forth to show me the three items, the prices making my eyes water.

Colour rose in my cheeks as I backed away slightly, ‘uhh, I can just wear what I have’ I started reluctantly.

Bea’s eyes met mine, horror written across her face, ‘what?’ she exclaimed, I swear, I’ve met possums less dramatic than this girl. ‘You cannot wear any old thing to our first friend making soiree!’ she scoffed, ‘you need to look fabulous! Everyone will want to know you in this outfit.’

Playing with a fry on my plate, I avoided her gaze, ‘I . . I don’t have a lot of money’ I mumbled, ‘I have a little but it’s for essentials and has to last me all semester.’

My friend rolled her eyes as she pulled her phone back and started to press the screen frantically.’ Done’ she declared, dropping it on the table and picking up another fry.

‘What? Done?’ I asked, staring at her.

‘I bought it for you’ Bea replied with a shrug, continuing to eat as if she hadn’t just spent over two hundred dollars on an outfit for me.

‘What? No, you can’t do that’ I protested, ‘I have clothes.’

Bea glared at me, ‘yes, and now you have more clothes’ she replied. ‘My dad gives me a ridiculous allowance each semester, trying to make up for never being in my life as he’s always away on business. Hell, my nanny buys my birthday presents because he doesn’t even know when my birthday is. If I want to buy my brand new bestie a fucktabulous outfit as a gift, then I will.’

I tried to protest, I don’t need charity after all. Bea cut me off, threatening me with another fry off her plate, ‘it’s a gift Aniyah, I have spent more on other friends whose daddies are loaded. It is not charity or anything else you might want to see it as, I like the outfit, I think you will look hot in the outfit, so I bought you the outfit, end of.’

Taking a deep breath, I nodded numbly, biting into my burger again, maybe I need to step down off my pedestal of independence sometimes, just because I wasn’t as rich as some of the people here didn’t mean every act of kindness was them feeling sorry for me. ‘Thank you’ I mumbled, giving my roommate a small smile.

Bea beamed back at me, ‘girl you are going to look so smoking hot they are gonna need to call the fire department to hose the boys down’ she teased.

I shook my head, ‘I think you underestimate how you will affect the males with that dress you got yourself’ I replied, pointing at her phone.

My friend laughed, ‘oh we are going to rock this party. Those boys had better watch out because the s*x kittens are on the prowl.’

I flinched slightly at her words, which drew her attention, ‘you don’t want to find a guy?’ she asked, a slight frown creasing her forehead.

I gave her a pained smile, ‘I . . uh . . you know, need to stay focused on my studies’ I replied nervously.

Bea tilted her head, ‘yeah I get that’ she replied, ‘but even the most studious need to have a bit of down time, you don’t need to get serious with anyone but a bit of groping in a dark corner mixed in with some tonsil hockey is great for relaxation.’

My blush spread as I stared at my plate, my appetite suddenly gone, ‘yeah’ I agreed slowly, ‘but my mother . . she . . it’s . . she wants me to succeed you know? She always said to keep my head in my books and I would reap the rewards.’

I could feel Bea’s mind working as her eyes bore into the top of my head, ‘have you ever been to a party, Aniyah?’ she asked quietly.

Peeking up at her, I quickly shook my head as her eyes went so wide I was sure that they would fall out of her head.

Leaning closer, and whispering conspiratorially to me she asked, ‘do you still have the big V?’

Face flaming I nodded, ‘I had to get perfect grades, I needed the scholarship’ I blurted out defensively.

My roommate sat back, holding her hands up in surrender, ‘hey, no shade here girl! Good for you keeping your V card, if you want to like wait for marriage or the right guy, I got your back. if you want to hold on to it, I’ll sweep those horny college guys away from you like a snow plow in winter.’

I gave her a grateful smile, the tension I didn’t know I was carrying seeping from my shoulders. I hadn’t realised how worried I was at being judged for still being a virgin, but Bea was acting like I was someone to be revered.’

‘My mama was pretty full on’ I explained, ‘because she fell pregnant with me so young, she didn’t want me to make the same mistakes.’

Bea nodded, reaching over and patting my hand, ‘and I fully support that if it’s what you want girl’ she replied before pinning me with that gaze again that made me want to squirm. ‘But if you decide that what you want, is a little innocent fun? That’s cool too. Letting yourself have a bit of over the clothes action doesn’t mean you have to hand over your panties to a guy. I wanna support you girl, but I want that to be supporting you in what you want, not what your mama wants or I want.’ Leaning back she grinned sheepishly, 'it's your choice Aniyah girl, I can swat the sweaty teens away or I can make sure you end up with a good one that isn't a douche, you just let me know.'

I frowned at her words. I had spent so long living by my mother’s rules I’d never stopped to consider if it was what I wanted to do. I understand her protecting me as a child, but now I was eighteen and at college, didn’t that mean it was time to experience a bit more of life than my books?