Playing The Bad Boy

Chapter Nine

Aniyah’s POV

It had been just over two weeks since the party and I’d thrown myself into my studies, I was determined to get through this year with the best results that I could.

I’m walking into college alone today, Bea has joined the cheer squad and today is their day for morning practice so she was up and out of the room before I could say more than good morning.

I dragged my feet as I slouched toward the school, only just realising that I had gotten used to my overly boisterous roommate by my side.

‘Hey!’ came a voice behind me causing me to turn just as Pixie fell into step beside me, her black hair now tipped with a eye catching purple.

‘Hey’ I replied, cheering up, ‘new colour?’

Pixie nodded, pulling at a strand, ‘I was bored with the pink’ she replied, ‘plus everyone goes pink, it’s so normal now it’s crushing my individuality.’

Laughing, I linked arms with her, the pair of us making our way to the front door. As we passed a recess in the building, a movement caught my eye and I turned to see a familiar head of blonde hair leaning over a petite girl, crowding her as she bit on her lip and ran her fingers down his chest.

Frowning, I tried to place him, I still didn’t know many people around here, maybe he was someone Bea knew?

Shaking my head, I pushed the guy from my thoughts and re-engaged with Pixie who was moaning about her first class.

‘It’s Miss Sherwood’ she grumbled, ‘the woman hates me, how can she already hate me after only three weeks?’

I patted my friend’s arm that I was holding, ‘maybe she’s just jealous of your awesome hair’ I offered.

Pixie smiled, ‘it is freaking awesome’ she agreed, shaking her head slightly so it flew around her face.

Despite being so different, Pixie had fit into our group like we had been friends forever, she had also brought a shy girl called Molly along with her. Molly was what I would class as a typical small town girl, she had that cute girl next door vibe. She wore her red hair in two plaits down her back and simple over the knee dresses that showed off her figure nicely but weren’t about attracting attention. Molly and Pixie were like chalk and cheese, but they had befriended each other in elementary school when Pixie dropped her ice cream and Molly shared hers with her so she wouldn’t cry. The pair had been best friends ever since even though Pixie was more heavy metal and Molly was pop culture.

‘Molls is going to meet us for lunch’ Pixie said as we entered the building and headed toward our classes, ‘she has some committee meeting this morning, or it could be book club? I don’t effing know, that girl has too many extracurricular activities’ she grumbled with a shudder.

Pixie was not a club joining kind of girl, she wasn’t even a people kind of girl if I’m honest, more likely to throw a punch than a party, and it made me smile how two such complete opposites were such close friends.

Parting at the end of the hallway, I hurry off down one toward my first class as Pixie disappears into the crowd heading toward her own. I was pleased to find the room without issue now and ignored the fact that it was a lot easier without my directionally challenged friend leading the way.

Dropping into my chair, I placed my bag on my desk and rummaged inside for my books. The chair pulled out beside me and my overly flushed best friend dropped into the seat beside me.

‘Hey, how was practice?’ I asked as I placed my bag by my seat.

Bea pressed her hand to her chest as she groaned loudly ‘girl’ she pouted, ‘you should have tried out with me, do you even know how many cute football players were running drills whilst we were building a human pyramid?’

Shaking my head, I laughed, ‘I have no interest in cute football players’ I responded.

My roommate winked, ‘baseball players are your thing, got it’ she said with a smirk, causing me to shove her shoulder playfully.

‘I don’t want any of the jocks’ I huffed, ‘I’m here to get an education not work my way through the athletic teams!’

Bea raised her eyebrow at me, ‘are you shaming the girls who want to?’ she asked, ‘the girls whom I consider myself as one of after seeing those tight asses running down the field.’

I rolled my eyes, ‘no Bea’ I retorted, ‘you and the other girls are welcome to hump and bump any jock you can find, girl power and all that, go feminism!’

Bea threw back her head and laughed, ‘I’m teasing you’ she giggled, ‘I know you don’t slut shame like some girls do.’

I nodded, ‘I have never understood why a guy sleeping around is something to celebrate and admire but a girl getting her freak on is unacceptable’ I grumbled.

My roommate nodded fervently, ‘preach girl’ she said, ‘like, if there weren’t girls interested in doing the nasty, how do they think they’d ever get their d**k wet? I wonder if they think that all the girls they’ve slept with are virgins? That they are some sort of female v****a whisperer, talking the panties off innocent girls with their embarrassing pickup lines and sweaty man stench.’

‘What you mean like, “hey babe, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” I offered, faking a deep male voice.

‘Or, I’ve lost my phone number can I have yours’ Bea added, making us both c***k up.

‘Miss Martin, Miss Meneses, are you finished with your conversation yet so that I can start the class without shouting over you?’ came an annoyed voice, cutting my laughter off as I cringed, looking down at the professor who was decidedly irritated as he glared at us.

‘Hey, you know, you do you boo’ Bea called back, giving him a wink, ‘we’re all ears, fill our minds with your wisdom.’

The professor narrowed his eyes, seemingly unsure if Bea was being sarcastic or not. I have to side with him, with the way this girl is, it’s a toss up whether she’s being serious sometimes.

Deciding not to engage my friend any further, the professor moved to the projector and started to display images as he started his lecture.

As usual, Bea blocked the teacher out, playing a game on her phone as I sat and desperately tried to write down every word the man was saying.

Dear Lord, why could you not give me the gift of a photographic memory? I would have given up my impressively moisturised skin for something like that.

Classes passed uneventfully and before I knew it, Bea and I were heading toward the cafeteria for lunch. Lining up, I glanced over the sandwich options, choosing a bacon and lettuce as beside me Bea grumbled as she placed chicken caesar salad onto her tray.

Grabbing a large slice of carrot cake each, we added a soda and made our way to the register to pay.

Taking a seat at a table near the wall, I ripped open my sandwich whilst Bea pulled the lid off her salad and speared it with the black plastic fork, they provided us with. I’m not sure if they were just cheap and very un-environmentally friendly at this college or if they just didn’t trust us with cutlery that could take any kind of pressure, but we were not allowed proper knives and forks.

‘For what it costs to attend this place, you’d think they’d serve better food in here’ my roommate grumbles as I bite into my sandwich and suppress a moan. I think mine and my roommate’s ideas of bad food are vastly different, I’m just saying.

Stabbing a leaf as though it has done her a personal disservice, Bea slides it into her mouth and chews slowly as she looks at me.

‘So’ she starts, ‘are you going to try and find Mr V card again?’ she asked, her earlier meltdown over letting me down obviously forgotten.

I shook my head, ‘nope’ I replied, ‘it was a moment where I completely lost my mind, it will not be repeated with him or anyone else. I am henceforth a nun, my only pleasures in life are my books and food.’

My best friend snorted, ‘if you think this is a pleasure to eat, I really need to take you home to my house in the holidays.’

Finishing up, we threw away our trash and headed outside to walk around in the fresh air before classes started again. Placing my sunglasses on to block out the harsh sunlight, I rounded the corner of the gym with Bea, stumbling to stop myself just before I slammed into two bodies that were wrapped around each other, lips fused together.

Bea rolled her eyes, ‘please, get a room! People are walking here’ she huffed, her hands on her hips.

A tall blonde pulled away from the girl he’d pinned to the wall, turning slowly toward us, brilliant blue eyes making my breath catch. s**t, it was him, I’d never forget those eyes, this was the guy I danced and drank with.

My eyes slid to the red head whose top was inched up, his hand’s curled underneath and a frown formed on my face. He hadn’t taken long to find someone else to warm him had he.

Beside me, Bea gaped at the guy, ‘Oh my God!’ she yelled loudly, ‘you’re . .’

Slamming my hand over her mouth, I gave the pair an ‘as you were’ look and pushed my friend away quickly as she tried to talk through my palm.

Rounding the far corner, I finally released her, ‘that’s him!’ Bea squealed,’ the guy! From the party!’

I nodded with a sigh, ‘yeah and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember me and even if he did, he has definitely found another willing body to hold.’

My best friend’s face clouded before she straightened her shoulders preparing to march back to the pair as I snagged her arm. ‘Let me go, I’m going to kick him in the balls’ my roommate growled, clenching her fists.

‘Nope, not going to happen’ I replied firmly, grabbing her other arm and holding her in place.

‘Why? He is disrespecting you!’ Bea wailed, pointing an accusatory finger toward the corner of the building.

I shrugged, ‘I’m pretty sure we never had a conversation saying we were going to be boyfriend and girlfriend Bea’ I murmured. ‘We had a hook up, and I’m pretty sure it was him I saw this morning all over a different girl.’

Bea’s eyes widened as she stopped fighting me, instead reaching out and pulling me against her. ‘Ugh, you lost your V to a player Aniyah’ she whimpered, ‘this sucks monkey balls, I was sure he was a good guy. I really should have kicked his balls and dragged you out of there’ she added grumpily.

Shrugging, I gave her a big smile that was far from how I was now feeling, before it had been a drunken mistake, now, I just felt used and dirty. I didn’t expect it to be something special to the guy, but I hoped I’d at least have been memorable, but he had no idea who I was. The knowledge that I was just another punch on what looked to be a well used score card sucker punched me in the gut.

Extracting myself from my friend, I linked my arm through hers, ‘come on’ I grinned forcefully, ‘it’s almost calculus time, you know how much I love those numbers.’

Giving me a sympathetic look, Bea nodded, walking beside me silently for the first time since I’d met her.