Inception

INCEPTION

Book 1.5

The Destined Series

By Ashley Suzanne

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Copyright Ashley Suzanne

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Dedication

This book is a little different than the last.  This book is still for Jesse and Lue.  Skylar and Danny are still living on in the words of this book, but I’m going to dedicate this book to someone very near and dear to my heart.  She is my best friend.  Teresa, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss everything about you.  You always told me to go after my dreams.  Since you can’t go after your dreams, I’ll do this for both of us.  This is OUR happily ever after.  Give Danny and Sky a huge hug from us and we’ll see each other again one day.  Have our matching stilettos ready.  We’re dancing in the kitchen to keep our asses perky.  With all my heart, I love you to heaven and back.

Chapter One

Me – Bro, did you get your letter yet?  Mine’s here

Impatiently pacing back and forth in my living room, I wait for the text back from Skylar.  We both applied to the University of Michigan last fall and now that our senior year is almost finished, I can’t help but worry that we won’t be going to the same college.  All we’ve talked about since junior high was going to U of M together. 

Skylar – Yeah man, it’s here.  OMW

My palms are sweating something fierce. 
We’ve both done everything we could to get accepted.  We racked up on community service hours, kept good grades and joined clubs and teams; our applications were impeccable.  This is a journey I want to take.  I’ll take it without my best friend, but how awesome would it be to be able to do this with my brother?

Okay, he’s not my real brother, but we’re as close as it comes.  Sky and I have been inseparable since we were eleven.  That saying, ‘bros before hoes
,’ could be said about us.  But not getting into the same college would be terrible and could break the brotherly bond we’ve been building since we were kids.

After twenty more minutes of wearing the carpet thin, Skylar finally pulls into the driveway behind my busted ass Ford Tempo.  My mom bought me this car for my birthday last year.  I’m grateful that I actually have a car, but this car is something else.  Midnight blue, one headlight
, and an alignment that pulls so hard that I look like I’m driving sideways most of the time.  I prefer to ride my bike, and no not a bicycle, but my GSX-R.  As nice as the bike is, my mother would lose her shit if she even knew I had it, let alone rode it.  Skylar’s parents let me keep it in their garage until I can get a place of my own.

“Hey man, took you long enough,” I yell to Skylar as he walks in the door, kicking off his shoes.

“Really?  We both know we’re getting in.  I don’t know what the big fucking deal is.”

“Alright man.  I’m sorry.  Let’s just open them.”

Sitting down on the worn couch in the den, Skylar and I prepare to open the letters that will tell us what our future holds. 

“Ready?” I ask.

“Ready,” Skylar responds, looking annoyed. 

I know I really shouldn’t be this worried about it, but after my dad died when I was fourteen, Skylar has been my only constant.  My mom, God bless her heart, has been working her ass o
ff and going to school, trying to become something more than a widow that never had a career.  It was always nice growing up, coming home to a mom who was making snacks and doing laundry.  After Dad passed, it wasn’t cupcakes and rainbows.  Skylar and his parents kind of took me under their wing; not letting the bullies pick on me, making sure my homework was done, and driving Sky and me back and forth to school and other functions.  I really owe this guy and his parents a lot.

Taking in a deep breath, I peel open the envelope, exposing a cream colored piece of paper that holds my fate. 

“Hurry up man,” Skylar says as he pulls the letter from his envelope, wasting no time.

I try to hurry my pace along, but the stress of the situation is giving me a
migraine.  I want to know, but the thought of going to college alone pisses me off.  I need Skylar to keep me out of my shell just like he needs me to make sure he’s not having too much fun.  There’s no telling what kind of experience either of us will have if we’re not together.

“I’m in!
” Skylar yells, jumping up from the couch, grinning from ear to ear.

I finally get the letter free from the death grip of the envelope, opening it to reveal the news I had been praying for, “Me too.”
  Relief sweeps over my body and I can finally start looking forward to college.

Jumping up and giving my friend a high five, we start talking about our plans for the fall semester. 
I pray that the rest of the year doesn’t take its sweet ass time. In just a few more months I’ll be on my own, living the life that I want to live, with my best friend -- my partner in crime.

We decide to go and celebrate at Skylar’s
uncle’s club house.  High school parties were cool and all, but that isn’t our scene.  We like to be where the action is and it’s a perfect excuse for us to pull our bikes out. 

Taking the long way to the club house, avoiding as many side streets as we can, we finally arrive and run in to tell Sky’s uncle the good news.

“Hey, we got into U of M!” Skylar yells to his uncle.

“Well I’ll be damned.  You two really fucking did it.  Shit, looks like I gotta give you guys a drink or buy you a dance or some s
hit,” he says, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you two. Smash and Axe are going to college instead of patching up.  I just knew I had you guys in my back pocket.”

When Skylar and I were kids, we used to play wrestle all the time.  It was right around the same time that Sky’s uncle Lance
joined the Hooliganz.  We were running around in the parking lot and trying to tackle each other.  That day, Lance deemed us Smash and Axe.  I don’t understand why, but since that day, that’s what he calls us.  Actually, it’s what everyone in the club calls us, so we go with it.  It’s kind of cool having a nickname.

“I’ll take a drink.  Thanks,” I called out, walking to the bar with every intention of ordering the strongest thing I could stomach.  I don’t drink often but when I do, I want to get drunk fast and then sober up to ride home.

“Fuck that, I want that dance.  My birthday is next week anyway.  Pick me a hot ass girl,” Skylar says.

With Skylar heading upstairs to one of the private rooms with a blond with huge fake tits, I settle into the bar with my double shot of Sambuka. 

“Here’s to getting my own life and living the fuck out of it,” I say to myself before downing the shot that tastes like hell.  I can feel the burn deep in the pit of my stomach before my head gets a little fuzzy.  “One more.  Put it on Axe’s tab.”

Chapter Two

Time didn’t take too long.  We both went to our graduation commencement at the beginning of the summer.  In July, we went into Ann Arbor to look at apartments.  Freshmen are supposed to stay in student housing but some strings were pulled -- I don’t know if it was my mother or Skylar’s uncle - but needless to say, we decide not to stay in the dorms.

Skylar’s mother is a real estate agent in town and she found us a great little house just off campus.  It looks big enough for Skylar and
me and there’s even an extra bedroom. Our friend from high school, Trevor, was accepted into U of M also, so we give him the third bedroom.

Before I know it, the first week of August is here
.  I barely have all my stuff packed up and in the moving van before Skylar is yelling for me to ‘hurry my bitch ass up’.  I’m already aggravated today.  This guy has one more time to call me a bitch before I punch him right in the jugular. 

I finally get in the van and
the ride to campus is quiet.  We have one day to unpack and get organized before orientation.  Pulling up to the house, we see Skylar’s mom is there to give us the keys to the place.  She signed the lease so my mom didn’t know I was living off campus, especially with Skylar.  Mom loved Skylar like her own son, but she worried that I wouldn’t be much of a star student if I was living with the playboy himself.  Sky’s mom agreed to help us with the rent until we were on our feet.  Trevor’s parents just sent the landlord a check to cover his rent for the year.  Nice, right?

Trevor takes the room in the front of the house, leaving Skylar and I to fight over the other two rooms.  The second bedroom isn’t all that bad, other than it’s a bit smaller
, but the third bedroom is right next to the bathroom.  Flipping a coin, Skylar gets stuck with the room by the bathroom.  Chuckling, I start to grab my things out of the van and start to set up my room.

The house came furnished with a living room outfit, beds in the bedrooms and a dresser in each room.  Skylar decided when he can, he’s going to replace the furniture,
to make it more “aesthetically pleasing” for the girls.

I take the rest of the night to just relax.  I hook up the TV and DVD player in my bedroom and fall asleep watching movies.  Moving really does take a lot out of you
and my body is feeling the effects of moving an hour away from home, into a new city, to go to a new school and start a new life.  I’m really excited, but at the same time, it’s really unnerving. 

Letting the nerves go and finally falling asleep, I hope for a good day. 
Freshmen Orientation is supposed to be a big deal around here.  All of the frat houses start pledging, the teams are recruiting and classes get picked on a first come first serve basis.  From what I remember going to football games growing up, the girls are hot as hell too. 

I wake up the next morning and walk into the living room that looks exactly the same way as when we looked at the house.  Empty.  It looks like Skylar has already left to go to
campus.  Realizing we only have cereal and no milk, it’s an easy decision to pick something up on the way to campus.

I find a little bakery just off State Street.  I grab a bagel and walk the rest of the way to the quad, where all
freshmen are supposed to meet. 

Standing at a table, talking to one of the fraternity guys, I hear Skylar coming up behind me, talking shit as usual.

“Mommy finally let the baby leave the nest, I see,” Skylar jokes.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up man. I still don’t know how I talked
her into letting me live away from home. If she knew you were going to be my roommate, Mom would probably come shuttle me back home.” We’ve had this same conversation before but I guess actually seeing me on campus drives the point home. 

After a few more jabs by my friend, I scan the quad, looking for a table that might p
eak my interest.  Those fraternities always seemed like such a joke to me.  Growing up with Skylar and his uncle, the biker, I knew the real sense of brotherhood and these clowns just want play.  When push comes to shove, they would roll over on whoever they could, just to save their own ass.  No thanks, I’m good.

Still searching, my eyes fixate on the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.  Standing there, across the lawn,
at a sorority table with a redhead, stood an angel.  Jesus, could she be any more beautiful? Her tan toned skin, especially those legs that go on for miles, is doing something fierce to me.  Not to mention, her round, pert ass is being hugged by a pair of short blue jean shorts.  And her hair, shit, I just want to wrap my hands around her chestnut mane.  I glance at Skylar, who appears to be looking in the same direction.  I start walking toward them, noticing that Skylar is right behind me, and move to talk to the object of my affection.

“
Hi, I’m Danny Thomas and this is my buddy
,
Skylar McBride,” I say to the girls, only making eye contact with the amazingly beautiful woman before me, ignoring her friend.

Her friend starts to talk, before MY girl can even take a breath,
but her eyes are locked on mine. “Hi Danny and Danny’s buddy, Skylar. I’m Kylee Anderson and this is my best friend and roommate, Mira Adams.”

Mira.  Such a fitting name.  Miracle.  She’s about to be my miracle, my angel.

“Well, Kylee and Mira, do you guys have plans tonight? Skylar and I were thinking of doing a little sightseeing. That is, if you’re up for it.” I’m trying to break the ice and get a little time with Mira, as I stroke her arm gently.  Her skin is so soft and inviting, I just want to keep touching her.

“Sure Danny, that sounds like a good time. Right
, Kylee?” Her eyes don’t leave mine.

I have never experienced anything like that in my life
, I think to myself as I’m walking back to the house to get ready for a the adventure with Mira and Kylee tonight.  It looked like Skylar was feeling Kylee, which could work out perfectly for me.  What better way to win the girl you are into than have your best friend date her best friend?  Skylar was always a great wing man.

We told the girls to meet us at the bakery I went to this morning and we would go sightseeing from there.  Walking in the door to our house, I turn to Skylar and smile like I just hit the lottery.

“What if we take them out on the bikes tonight?” I ask.

“Bro, that’s a lot to ask.  We barely know these girls.  They aren’t like the girls at the clubhouse.  These girls look like they have never been on the back of a bike before.  I’m not running that risk,” Skylar answers.

“So we tell them what to do and what not to do.  Come on man,” I plead.  I know it sounds stupid, but this is my chance to be the big man and impress the girl. 
Skylar is always the one in the limelight and it’s my turn.

“You’re into Mira, yeah?” Skylar asks.

“Yeah man, didn’t you see her?  Fucking beautiful and it looked like she might be into me, too.”

I know Skylar well enough to know that he seems disappointed by my statement.  D
id he want a shot with Mira?  No. If he did, he would have stepped in or said something.  It’s not like Skylar to take a step back, especially when he sees something he wants.  Brushing it off, I walk into my bedroom to get ready for a shower and pick out something to wear.

Thankful that I’m a man and my attire can consist of jeans, sneaker
s and a tee shirt, I’m showered and dressed to go in a matter of minutes.  My dark and thick hair can be a bitch to tame but knowing that I’m going to be wearing a helmet, I don’t bother putting it into the faux hawk I usually wear when going out.  Skylar on the other hand, decides to hawk his hair. 

We arrive at the bakery before the girls, so we pick a booth next to the windows
overlooking campus so we can see when the girls arrive.  No more than five minutes later, I see the silhouette of two girls walking toward the entrance.  Once they get into the light of the entryway, I see my girl.  Kylee is a really pretty girl, someone that I would have liked had I not seen Mira first.  Mira was breathtaking though -- looking even prettier than she was this morning -- if that’s even possible.

I had a few girlfriends in high school, but nobody has ever made my stomach twist like this girl.  I don’t even know her and she already has me wanting to open doors and pull out chairs.  I stand to pull out the chair I want Mira to sit in, right next to me, and she does automatically.  Blushing slightly, she pushes a strand of her chestnut locks behind her ear and smiles up at me as I scoot her chair into place.

I take the liberty of ordering four coffees, all black, so I can learn how Mira takes hers.  She puts in a little cream and way too much sugar. I register this in my memory to use when I get the chance to make her coffee in the morning after a night of mind numbing sex. 

Who thinks like that?  I just met this girl and I’m already planning on making her coffee in the morning? 

“Would you like a little coffee with your cream and sugar?”

Mira fumbles with the stirrer and blushes, “I don’t really like the taste of it.  This is the only way I can drink it.”

“We haven’t hit midterms or finals yet.  I’m sure you’ll learn to love it.  Especially if it’s made right,” I say, taking a sip of my coffee. 
Oh this is a great cup of coffee.

We start a light conversation about what classes we’re taking this semester, what our majors are and where we’re from.  I learn that Mira and Kylee are both local to the area, not far from Ann Arbor, which is nice to know.  She won’t be going too far during breaks and during the summer we can still see each other.

It’s crazy the immediate connection I feel with her.  I don’t want to push or rush her in any way. I have no problem playing the friend card for a while, as long as I’m not stuck in the friend zone too long. 

I glance over at Skylar who looks miserable.  Maybe I called it wrong when I thought he might be into Kylee.  She also looks bored.  I have to fix this soon before Kylee wants to leave and take Mira with her.

“So girls, Sky and I decided to bring out the bikes tonight, since it’s still warm.  Wanna go for a ride and then we can take you back to the dorms?”

The girls look at each other, almost having a conversation with just their eyes, Mira turns to answer me.

“Yeah, that sounds nice.  Do you have extra helmets?”

She is so adorable, so innocent.  “Of course we have extra helmets.  We wouldn’t ask you guys to
go for a ride and not come prepared.”

Smiling and blushing, Mira bows her head and moves to stand.  “Well if you guys are ready,
we’d like to go.”

Not wasting any time, I move to the front door of the bakery