Don't Follow Me: A High School Bully Romance (Diamond In The Rough Book 4)(20)

Kristie smiled. “We went to the same high school. Not really friends, until we figured out we were coming to the same college.”

Kayla nodded. “And now we’re best buds!”

Meredith giggled. “Well, I’m Meredith. And this is Rae. We don’t know each other, but she’s cool.”

Kayla nodded. “Totally. But, I want to know more about this boyfriend.”

Kristie smiled. “Is he hot? High school sweetheart? Coming with you to college?”

Meredith snickered. “Who brings a boyfriend to college with all these hunky men walking around campus?”

I paused. “Wait, is that not a thing?”

Meredith looked over at me. “Is what not a thing?”

I sighed. “Not bringing a boyfriend to college. Because he’s definitely here with me right now. He’s waiting for me to get back from orientation.”

Kayla held up her hand. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Your boyfriend is here with you, but not on campus with you?”

Kristie grinned. “Sounds like trouble in paradise.”

Meredith took a sip of her water. “Why bring him anyway? I mean, if he’s not going to be with you here, what's the point?”

I furrowed my brow. “I’m not following.”

Kristie interjected. “What she means is, college changes people. Friends grow apart and people fade away. They find their own group of friends to fall into. Like the jocks and the geeks and the sorority girls. I mean, it’s why I broke up with my boyfriend last week.”

Kayla gasped. “Wait, you did? With Jared?”

Kristie nodded. “Uh huh. I mean, he’s going to college on the other side of the country. What’s the point? Besides, did you see those guys in front of us at orientation? I’ve already got my eye on the redhead.”

I looked over at Meredith and she shrugged.

“I mean, there are a lot of college guys around here. It’s a completely different ball game with dating and stuff,” she said.

Kayla smiled. “Don’t you want to know what it’s like to be with a man instead of some high school boy?”

Kristie grinned. “I sure as heck do.”

Kayla giggled. “And this way, you can date as many guys as you want! You don’t have to be tied down. In college, no one expects you to be. You could have four or five guys taking you out on nice dates and fawning over you and wanting to make out. It’s a girl’s dream out here, and having some high school boyfriend back home kind of ruins that. Don’t you think?”

I didn’t like how they were talking. Nor did I like the way any of this sounded. I expected it to grate against my ears. I expected myself to kick back and defend myself. But I found myself listening instead. Leaning in as they chattered on about stories they’d heard from friends. Romantic dates and never settling down. Trysts with professors and forbidden loves that made classes all the more exciting. I found myself hooked, listening to their stories. Meredith and I leaned in as Kristie and Kayla chattered on.

Kristie sighed. “And I mean, how in the world can I know what kind of guy I want in my life if I haven’t even declared my major yet? I don’t know what I want to do for the rest of my life, or where I want to go. Much less who I want to be at my side for it. No, no. Coming into college single is the best decision I’ve made.”

And holy fuck, did she ever have a point.





16





Clinton





Ally swallowed her food down. “Don’t worry, Rae will be fine. She’s always been independent like this. It actually shocked me when she was okay with the idea for all of us to come along with her.”

Mike nudged her. “No one said anything about Rae not being okay.”

She shrugged. “It’s written all over his face, Michael. I mean, look at him.”

I sighed. “I’m literally in front of you right now.”

Sitting at breakfast with Mike and Ally was awkward enough. But having them watch me watch the clock? That was just embarrassing. The minutes ticked by like quicksand, slowly swallowing me whole. Never going fast enough. Was Rae having a good time on campus? Was she okay? Did she feel overwhelmed?

Ally was right.

I was worried about her.

“Well, I don’t know what you’ve got planned for the day. But Ally and I figured we’d make it a hot tub and pool day. You in?”

I looked over at Mike, sighing. “Actually, there’s something I want to do before Rae gets back from campus.”

Ally cocked her head. “Oh? What’s that? Do you need any help?”

Mike nodded. “Yeah. I mean, we don’t mind keeping you company so you aren’t alone today.”

I snickered. “Thanks. I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary. I don’t need company. It’ll be quick, then I’ll join you guys at the pool. Okay?”

Mike smiled. “Good. Ally and I plan to be there around eleven.”

I nodded. “I’ll meet up with you once I’m done.”

I slammed back my last mug of coffee before I pushed out of the chair. I could’ve wasted all day just sitting and talking with them. But I had my mind made up. I walked over to the elevators until Mike and Ally turned their heads. Then I darted off toward the business center. I’d been working all morning on a rudimentary resume on my phone. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I sat down at one of the computers and logged into my email. I had to get the damn thing edited and professional-looking before I could print it out. Turns out, there were some decent jobs in the area I qualified for.

So why not put in some applications?

After printing a few of them out, I paid for them at the front desk. I didn’t want something like this being charged to Mike’s credit card. The last thing I wanted was anyone knowing what I was doing. Not because I was ashamed or shit like that. But because I didn't want anyone getting excited. Or getting their hopes up. I didn’t want them to be cheering me on and making plans only for me to disappoint them.

That petrified me.

I flagged down a cab and quickly got in. I had to pull up the names of the places hiring before I could rattle off the address. Thank fuck, I had enough sense to jam my wallet with some money. And then, away we went. I turned around and watched the hotel fall into the horizon. We made stops along the way, allowing me to get out and rush in to hand over my application. I knew I wasn’t overly qualified for the positions. But sometimes that played in people’s favor. Sometimes, being overqualified was just as bad.

If I could sell myself as ‘room for improvement’ and ‘willing to be molded,’ I stood a chance.

“Hello. My name is Clinton Clarke. I wanted to drop off my resume for the job position open in your establishment.”

“Hi there! Clinton Clarke. I saw you had a part-time job opening and I was hoping I could apply. I have my resume right here.”

“Hello, Clinton Clarke. It’s good to meet you. Here’s my resume. I know I don’t have much experience, but I’m a quick learner and willing to be molded for the position.”

“Hello.”

“My name is Clinton Clarke.”

“Thank you so much for your time.”

I put my best foot forward. I was as cordial and open as I could be. And while a couple of the jobs practically tossed my resume in the trash before I got out the door, a few sounded promising. Two of the places where I applied sat down with me immediately. Asked me a few questions. Whether or not I was going to be working around a college schedule. And one of the managers lit up when I told him I wouldn’t have a schedule to work around. That I’d fit wherever they put me.

It wasn’t the most glamorous job. But it was one of the full-time positions.

After dropping off twelve different applications, I promised most of them I’d follow up in a week if I didn’t hear anything. I got pretty good at snuffing out who to follow up with, too. Those who smiled at me, or offered me paperwork to fill out, gave me cues that they were interested. And those that simply nodded their heads before stowing my resume away got tossed out in my mind. If they called, great. If not, no skin off my back.

And when I looked at the clock, I smiled.

“Oh, hell yeah,” I murmured.

I’d spent three hours out, which meant it was almost noon. The morning had flown by, and that made me smile. Only three more hours to go and Rae would be done for the day. I was looking forward to asking her how her day had gone. I wanted to know everything. I told the driver to take me back to the hotel before I paid him for his time. And after I tipped him, I rushed back upstairs.

Where my eyes landed on my journal.

Suddenly, thoughts sprang to my mind. New places to take my book. New plot holes I needed to fill. I snatched it off the bedside table and flipped it open. All the way to the very back of the pages. It was getting full. I’d need a new one before the weekend was out. My hand flew across the page, scribbling in my chicken scratch. I used as many truncations as I could. Anything to make the writing go faster before the images faded away. A smile grew across my face as the stories unfolded. Stories I’d eventually type up and string together.

Possibly hand over to an editor one day.

Wow, what a dream.

For now, everything was a simple stream of consciousness. Not much punctuation. Definitely no formatting. Thoughts in the margins of the pages. Some of it highlighted. Others crossed out. One of these days, I needed to start putting my words into a real document. A legible one. Instead of scratching down in this thing and letting the ink slowly fade away.