#Nerd (Hashtag #1) (17 page)

THAT’S THE POINT.

His last reply nearly made me drop my phone. I sent the screen dark and stuck it in the front pocket of the hoodie.

Why would Romeo want everyone to think we were together?

Romeo

Coach got me out of my one afternoon class. I went to his office to “talk” about the upcoming game, when really all I wanted was for him to look at me and demand I go home to sleep.

It worked. He declared I looked like dog shit and then sent me home. He would make sure I wasn’t penalized for missing one class, and I knew he’d still let me play.

It didn’t get me out of practice, though. If anything, he ran me harder than usual. But at least I’d gotten a few hours of sleep beforehand.

Once practice was over and we were all showered, most of the guys went out for pizza, but I hung back. Braeden did the same, promising he’d catch up to them in a few.

I was throwing stuff in my duffle and Braeden leaned nearby, watching me. “You know her roommate is that girl you hooked up with a couple weeks ago at the bonfire,” he said.

“I kinda figured, but I wasn’t sure.” I grimaced. Of all the girls on campus, why did I have to hook up with Rimmel’s roommate? “We just messed around. I didn’t bang her.”

“Hey, man, I don’t care if you had a threesome on the dean’s desk,” Braeden said. “But you know she’s sniffing around Rimmel now. That could be a problem.”

I told Braeden about rush and how I was supposed to sleep with Rimmel. I wasn’t supposed to, but fuck Zach’s rules. That guy was an asswipe. I also told him about the fact Zach wanted her at the party tomorrow night and how I knew he chose her to make rush hard on me. I was worried what kind of shit he was going to pull at the party to drive a wedge between her and me.

I didn’t tell him about the talk I had with Trent. About me possibly being made Omega president after I was inducted and everyone went against Zach. It seemed like I should deal with one issue at a time.

I felt the weight of Braeden’s stare as I closed up my locker and shrugged into my jacket. “Obviously you got something to say,” I told him, looking up.

“She didn’t want to wear that hoodie today,” he stated, staring at me. Was there a bit of challenge in his eye?

What the fuck was this about?

“And I told you I wanted people to know she was with me. We both know Zach won’t be able to mess with her as much if people think she’s mine. They’ll watch out for her.”

“Or it will put a bigger target on her back,” Braeden deadpanned.

Was he talking about Ivy or something else? My eyes narrowed and something very close to anger simmered just beneath the surface. “I’m not sure I like your tone,” I bit out, stepping a little closer.

Braeden stepped off the locker he was lounging against and drew to his full height, facing me. He was a big guy, but I was taller.

“You’re my best friend, Rome. I’m loyal to you. But I like that girl. There’s something about her… She’s innocent and
real
. She’s the only girl I’ve met on campus who wouldn’t chew off her own arm just to claim some kind of connection to you. I don’t want to see her get hurt because you’re in a pissing war with the Omegas head asshole.”

“What the fuck do you mean you
like
her?” I growled.

His eyes widened just a fraction. “You’re into her.”

“What?” I said, most of my fight draining away.

“I thought you were just using her to get into Omega. I figured you were having a good time with the challenge of getting a nerd.”

“She is
not
a nerd.” I growled again, all my anger resurfacing in one second flat.

Braeden smiled. He slapped me on the shoulder, but I knocked away his hand. “Chill,” he said. “I see now I was wrong. You’re into her.”

“
Fuck
!” I spat and my shoulders slumped. I was into her and it was creating some kind of war inside me. A war between the guy I was and the guy everyone wanted me to be. It never used to be a competition. I was happy to be that guy. The player, the football star, the charmer.

I was those things.

But I was more. Maybe I didn’t realize that until Rimmel started tutoring me weeks ago.

“Don’t worry, man,” Braeden said. “You chose good.”

I glanced up at him. “How can you say that? Do you have any idea how stuck I am right now?”

“Look, maybe she isn’t the type everyone expected you to get with, but I for one am glad. You need someone to bring you down off your throne a little.”

I gave him a hard look. He grinned. “It’s the truth. Besides, we can bring her in. We’ll watch out for her.”

Braeden didn’t get it. This wasn’t just the guy meets girl from different social circles and falls in love. Hell, I
was not
in love with her. But I did like her. I liked her a lot. But she was supposed to be the girl I used to get me into Omega. Omega was my shortcut into connections, my way into the NFL.

Braeden didn’t understand that. He didn’t realize that right now it felt like I had to choose.

I had to choose between the only thing I ever wanted, the NFL, or a girl who somehow bypassed my “keep ‘em at arm’s length” code.

When I didn’t agree with him, when I said nothing at all, he frowned. “Hey, man. You know I don’t
like
her
like
her. Not like that. I just meant she was pretty cool for a girl. In a friend way.”

He thought I was jealous and still mad about what he said. I didn’t bother to correct him. I forced the heaviest of my concerns deep down and grinned. “That’s good to hear,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to have to pound your face.”

“Like you could,” Braeden shot out.

We both grinned and left the locker room.

“You coming for pizza?” he asked out in the parking lot.

I shook my head. “Nah, I have something to do.”

Braeden gave me a knowing smile. “Tell tutor girl I said hi.”

I gave him the finger and tossed all my shit in the back of the Hellcat. I didn’t want to hang with all the guys tonight. Suddenly, being so popular seemed like a pain in the ass.

I left campus and headed a few blocks over to the animal shelter. I knew that’s where she would be.

Maybe once I saw her, the war inside me would quiet.

Rimmel

Even after all the work was done and the entire shelter was clean, I wasn’t ready to go. The quiet, un-chaotic atmosphere was exactly what I needed tonight. Michelle was in the back, taking care of some paperwork, and the other girls had gone for the day.

I decided to hang out with Murphy for a while. It seemed like eternity since I’d seen him last. I still came here almost every day, so technically, it hadn’t been long at all, but I guess all the things happening lately made my days seem fuller.

I wasn’t sure what to feel anymore.

The last few weeks had changed things for me in ways I didn’t really understand. I used to be focused on school. On animals and just keeping my head down. I was still completely dedicated to becoming a vet, and school was still very important to me… but it seemed like lately it might not be enough.

Emotions stirred in me, emotions I thought I stuffed down so deep they’d disappeared. A couple weeks with Romeo, a few bone-melting kisses, and a lunch with two girls, and I realized they had been there all along. Waiting. Lurking. Watching.

I liked Romeo. More than I wanted to. How much longer could I fight it? The minute he touched me, I seemed to turn to mush. It’s like everything my head knew to be true was pushed aside by my overeager heart.

Romeo was dangerous to me. Not in any physical sense, not even a threat to my future. I
would
see my dream of becoming a veterinarian come to life. Nothing would stop me from that.

But on an emotional level, Romeo was possibly an atomic bomb. He scared me. He scared me more than any guy I’d ever met, even the one from years ago. Maybe because this time I knew whatever piece of me I let him have I would never, ever get back.

How could I surrender any part of me to him?

Dangling right here before me was an entire life. Friends. A guy. Something more than just me, myself, and I.

I wanted it.

How would I know I could trust him? How could I trust any of them?

I sighed and looked away from the open textbook in front of me, not even bothering to try and read it anymore. Murphy was curled up in my lap, and I stroked his velvety fur and leaned my head back against the wall. “I wish I knew what to do, Murphy,” I whispered.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the vibrations against my legs from Murphy’s machine-like purr and tried to clear my mind. A few moments later, Murphy stopped purring and I felt him lift his head.

I opened my eyes and looked across the room.

Romeo was standing in the doorway, watching me. Our eyes collided. We stared at each other for a long time. I don’t really know what he was looking for, but I was searching for something, anything that would tell me how he really felt.

He was wearing a pair of washed-out jeans that hung dangerously low on his narrow hips. His deep-royal and yellow-gold varsity jacket was open to reveal a black T-shirt with some sort of faded logo on the front. His hair was damp like he’d just come from a shower and it was tousled and messy on top like he’d been running his fingers through it.

His shoulders were the same wide width as always, but beneath his captivating blue eyes was a hint of darkness, giving him a slightly weary look.

“Hey,” I finally said, breaking the silence.

“Hey,” he replied, coming farther into the room. Neither of us said anything else as he dropped down in front of me, mirroring my Indian-style pose. His knees bumped against mine he sat so close, and my stomach flipped over at the casual touch.

Murphy abandoned my lap and climbed into Romeo’s. He glanced down, lifted half his mouth, and scratched him behind the ears. “Figured you’d be here,” he said.

“Just getting some studying done. Hanging out with Murph,” I replied.

“Can I hang out too?” he asked.

“Sure.”

I don’t know why things suddenly seemed awkward between us. I didn’t know what to say or how to act. Just because we kissed a couple times didn’t mean we were dating or together. He kissed lots of girls. I knew I wasn’t anyone special. What I didn’t understand was the hoodie. Why he wanted me to wear it so badly. I heard the whispers this afternoon. No one had ever been spotted wearing it around like that.

“You’re not wearing my shirt,” he said, as if he knew where my mind had gone.

“I didn’t want to get hair all over it.” I gestured to Murphy.

“I just got done with practice,” he said, and it seemed it was more to fill the silence than anything else.

“You look tired,” I said honestly.

He gave me a sheepish look. “I’m fucking exhausted.” Then his eyes sparkled. “But don’t tell anyone that. I got a rep to protect.”

I smiled, but it didn’t last long. He did have a rep to protect. It was exactly why I couldn’t understand that he was here with me.

My phone went off beside me. Seconds later, Romeo’s went off as well.

I picked mine up and looked down at the latest Buzz. I felt the blood drain from my head. It was about me. The BuzzBoss called me a nerd. No, worse… a
hashtag nerd.
Pretty soon I would be trending all over the Alpha social waves.

Everyone thought I was going after Romeo.

I snorted because it was freaking ridiculous. The loud sound caused Murphy to look up from beneath Romeo’s hand.

He was staring down at his screen too. I knew he was seeing the same notification I was.

His eyes lifted to mine. I jumped up, taking my book with me, and strode to where my bag was and started packing everything up. When I turned, he was at my elbow, Murphy in his arms.

“It’s just the stupid BuzzFeed,” he murmured. “No one pays attention to it anyway.”

I laughed. “Do you even believe that?”

His gaze was unreadable when I reached for Murphy and pulled him against my chest. “You should go.”

“You’re mad.”

“Yeah, maybe I am.”

“I didn’t write that Buzz,” he said.

“It’s not the stupid Buzz!” I cried. Then I felt contrite. I sighed and took Murphy over to his shelter and placed him gently inside. After I made sure everything was closed up, I grabbed my stuff off the table, his hoodie one of those items.

“I’ll drive you back to campus,” he said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

His eyes narrowed.

Michelle came out and saw us standing outside the cat room. “Romeo,” she said with a wide smile. “Did you come to give Rimmel a ride?”

“Yes,” he said smoothly, looking at me with a dare in his eyes.

“Good, I won’t feel bad that I have to stay late.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Everything’s fine,” she said. “We have an animal coming in from another county and he won’t be here until late.”

“I should stay.” I began. “You might need help.”

She was already shaking her head. “I can handle this. Besides, you have class tomorrow.”

“I’ll get her home,” Romeo said, placing his palm on the small of my back. My skin tingled beneath my shirt, and I felt like he was branding me.

“See you Saturday!” Michelle gave me a wave and disappeared.

“C’mon,” Romeo said softly, guiding me toward the door.

I went with him because I didn’t feel like walking. Outside, the air felt bitter and I gritted my teeth against it.

“You don’t like the cold much, do you?” he said, gazing down at me.

“I’m from Florida. Cold like this is just unnatural.”

He chuckled. “You could put that on, you know,” he said, gesturing at his hoodie.

“I’m good,” I replied and went over to climb into his Hellcat. The interior was still warm from when he drove over, and I sighed as I leaned back.

“You hungry?” Romeo asked when he got in. “I’m starving.”

“Sure,” I said.

He drove to the nearest drive-thru and ordered a bunch or burgers, some fries, and two milkshakes. “Is your roommate at your dorm?” he asked.

“I doubt it. She never is,” I replied.

“Good. We can eat there.”

He wanted to come upstairs?

“I’m not sure,” I said, recalling all my doubts.

“We need to talk, Rimmel,” he said softly. “You’re pissed and I want to know why.”

I snorted and pushed my glasses up on my nose. “You know why.”

“Maybe. But I want to hear it from you.”

No one was in the hall when we walked to my room. Thank goodness, because I could only imagine the kind of stir that would create. I hurried to let us in and held my breath, praying Ivy wasn’t here. She wasn’t, and I relaxed when the door closed behind us.

Romeo kicked off his shoes, flung his jacket over the end of my bed, and practically dived onto the mattress. It looked small with him in the center.

“Make yourself comfortable,” I said sarcastically.

He grinned and took a huge bite out of one of the burgers. As he chewed, he patted the mattress beside him. I hesitated but gave in and sat down because he had the food.

After rubbing some yummy-smelling hand sanitizer on my hands, I unwrapped a burger and took a small bite. Romeo was already on his second burger.

“Those jeans you’re wearing are hot,” he said around a bite.

I glanced up and noted his heated gaze and I felt it down to my core. Something stirred inside me and it felt a hell of a lot like desire.

I took a pull of the chocolate shake, hoping it would cool the flames. It didn’t seem to help, because he watched my lips wrap around the straw and his eyes darkened until they were sapphire pools.

I shivered.

He sat up and put his back to the wall and moved the bag of food onto his other side. He held out his arm like he wanted me to come closer. I moved just an inch, but it was enough. He caught hold of me and scooted me into his side beneath the crook of his arm.

My legs stretched out beside his on the bed. My feet didn’t even make it to the end of the mattress and his hung over. He looked so much more powerful than me as I compared our bodies. It made me wary and a little mad all over again.

“Tell me what’s eatin’ ya,” Romeo said, reaching for another burger.

I debated and then I thought,
Why not?
This was the way I was feeling. It wasn’t going to go away. I needed to speak up for myself because if I didn’t, no one else would.

Plus, maybe it would scare him away.

If it did, I wouldn’t have to feel like this anymore.

“I wore your shirt around campus this afternoon,” I said. “I left it on like you asked.”

“You probably looked cute as hell,” he murmured.

“Well, I sure did get a lot of looks and whispers.”

“Is that what you’re upset about?” he asked, still eating.

“When I was finished with classes for the day, I stopped back by the food court.” I began. “To grab something for later, and someone stopped me.”

He paused in eating and his body tensed next to mine.

“It was some girl,” I said, and he relaxed immediately. It made me curious and partially alarmed that he thought it might be someone else. “She had long black hair and was a lot taller than me.”

“Could be anyone,” he said.

I poked him in the ribs. “You saying I’m short?”

“Calling it like I see it, Smalls,” he quipped.

I told myself not to be charmed.

“She’d seen the shirt. Your name,” I said, the charm evaporating like water on a hot day. “She told me you were going to get bored, that you always get bored, and when you did, I would be just another notch on your belt.”

“Rimmel.” Romeo said my name with a sigh. He abandoned the burger to its wrapper and put his free arm around me to pull me closer. My body melted into him until I realized I couldn’t let him hold me. Not right now. I’d let everything and anything he said become the truth.

I pulled away and he let me go. I slipped off the bed and stood.

I felt his gaze but didn’t turn to look at him. I couldn’t. His blue eyes would weaken me.