The Arrangement Anthology 1(2)
Motorcycle man pulls up next to my car. I slip off the back of the bike, my heart beating a mile a minute. I can’t afford to lose this stuff. I’m barely making it as it is. I look at my car. Everything is still there. I turn back to the guy on the bike as I smooth my skirt back into place.
Tucking my hair behind my ear, I say, “Thanks.” I must seem insane.
He flips his face shield up and says, “No problem. Does your car always do that?” A pair of blue eyes meets mine and the floor of my stomach gives way. Damn, he’s cute. No, not cute—he’s hot.
“Get jacked? No, not always.”
He smiles. There’s a dusting of stubble on his cheeks. I can barely see it because of the helmet. He raises an eyebrow at me and asks, “This has happened before, hasn’t it?”
More times than you’d think. Criminals are really stupid. “Let’s just say, this isn’t the first time I had to chase after the car. So far no one’s made it to the parkway. That damn light takes forever and I keep stalling out in the same spot. You’d think I’d figure it out by now, but…” But I’m mentally challenged and prefer to chase after car thieves. I stop talking and press my lips together. His eyes run over my dress and pause on my sneakers, before returning to my face. Great, he thinks I’m mental.
Turning to the car, I grab another can of ether from the backseat and walk around to the front. I dropped the last can somewhere behind me. I pop the hood and spray. I’m so cold that I’ve gone numb. As I walk back to my door, I shake my head saying, “Who steals a car that barely runs?”
“Do you need any help?” The guy holds my gaze for a moment and my stomach twists. He seems sincere, which kills me. A strange compulsion to spill my guts tries to overtake me, but I bash it back down.
Pressing my lips together, I shake my head, and swallow the lump in my throat. Today sucked. I’m totally alone. No one helps me, and yet this guy did. “No, I’m okay,” I lie as I slip into my car and yank the door shut. “Thanks for the ride.” I turn the engine over and smile at him. The window is down. It doesn’t go up.
“Anytime.” He nods at me, like he wants to say something else. All I can see of his face is his crystal blue eyes and a beautiful mouth. He’s sitting on a bike that cost more than my tuition. He’s loaded and I’ve got nothing. A pang of remorse shots through me, but I need to go. The haves and the have-not weren’t made to mingle. I already learned that lesson once. I don’t need to learn it again.
“Thanks,” I say before he can ask my name. “I’ll see you around.” I smile at him and drive away, holding back tears that are building behind my eyes.
It’s weird. There are so many shitty people in the world, and on the worst day of my life, I finally find a nice one and I’m driving away from him.
CHAPTER 2
My dress swishes around my knees as I walk down the dorm hallway, toward my room. I’m holding my books under one arm and my heels in the other. My purse is over my shoulder. I have my keys in hand and shove one into the lock and twist. The knob turns and I push, walking forward. The door hits something and I walk into it, smacking my head and dropping everything. It’s late and I’m tired. I kick the door with my foot, knowing Amber (the worst roommate ever) blocked the door so I can’t get inside.
“Open the door!” I scream and kick it again, but she doesn’t open up. I pick my books up off the floor and slip them between the crack in the door. I grab my heels and purse and walk to Melony’s room. I knock on the door jam and peek in.
“Hey, how’d your night go?” Melony is leaning toward a mirror, putting on earrings that dangle. They sparkle like sunlight against her dark hair. Her skin is the color of caramel and so are her eyes. She looks like a supermodel. She’s wearing a dress that wraps around her narrow waist with a plunging neck line.
“Sucked,” I say, laying back on her bed and staring at the ceiling. “I got carjacked again. I really thought thieves were smarter than that.”
She turns and looks at me. “Are you hurt?”
“Nah, some guy helped me. I got my car back and the idiot who took it didn’t steal anything. He ran when the car stalled. What a dumbass.” I press my fingers to my temples, trying to stop the headache that’s threatening to tear my brains apart.
“What else happened?” She asks, since having car issues is a normal part of my life. “You seem way out of sorts.”
I am way out of sorts. I’m quiet for a moment. I want to tell someone, but Mel has money and I have none. I work my ass off and I still can’t get ahead. I swallow hard and say it. “I can’t do it anymore, Mel. I can’t work and do school. If I don’t keep my GPA at a 3.5, I lose my scholarship, but if I don’t work—” I groan, covering my face with my arm.