CLASH AND BURN
AN M/M ENEMIES TO LOVERS
COLLEGE ROMANCE
SUMMERVILLE UNIVERSITY
BOOK TWO
CATHERINE CLOVERDALE
Copyright © 2024 by
Catherine Cloverdale
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Epilogue: Shane
Alex meeting Shane’s family??? Want Theo and Charlie’s story?
“W
hat the fuck are youdoing here?”
An icy chill ran down my spine.
Of all the classes Alex could have been in, he just hadto be in this criminal law class. The Summerville University law program was competitive, and what were the odds I had to look at his face the rest of my time here? It was junior year and Alex had been my biggest rival since freshman year. I’d somehow held onto hope that once we declared our majors I’d be rid of him.
Despite the sickening sight before me, when I’d walked in minutes before, the classroom was beautiful, dark wood everywhere and bright light streaming in from the high windows. In theory, it should have been an improvement, sticking with my less inept peers instead of people that drove me crazy with asinine questions. Or so I thought, until I saw Alex, sitting there behind the dark wood desk with his lips pulled into a smirk, every bit as irritating as I remembered.
If he’d been anyone else, I might have acknowledged that he was good looking. He was tall, had broad shoulders, nice tan skin, a sharp jaw, and green eyes. His years on the basketball team had likely earned him a good body too — all good features — but they
came together in the most annoying package ever to walk through SVU. An embarrassing name for a good school, not a single day went by without someone making an often tasteless joke about the show.
He snorted. “Really, Shane? I guess we get to spend a lot more time together, don’t we? Pre-law…I should have known. You love to argue.”
I rolled my eyes. “Look who’s talking, asshole.”
He was as infuriating as ever. An entire summer passed, and I hadn’t spared two thoughts for that thorn in my side, but of course, here he was to rub it in. At least he wasn’t in my constitutional law class that morning. If I had to face him more than once in a day, I might just lose it.
“Come on, Shane, it’s a new year, new class. Don’t you ever get tired of being a dick?” Alex laughed, the sound of his deep voice grating on my nerves.
“Don’t you ever get tired of having a tiny one? Fuck off, don’t talk to me.”
“You came to me. Maybe you should sit down before you warn the professor what an asshole you really are.” His lips curved in a hint of a smile, just to annoy me.
I rolled my eyes again. “This isn’t over.” Turning, I walked the other direction to find another seat, but as I’d talked to Alex, the class filled up without my realizing. Fuck. I was going to be stuck near that asshole.
Even if there weren’t assigned seats in college, everyone knew that once you staked your claim, it was yours. If someone sat in your seat unprompted, it threw everything off. I didn’t care if I had to piss someone off. I didn’t want to be close to Alex for even a day.
“Move,” I said to some scrawny kid with glasses who looked like he was going to throw up. I wasn’t a bully. It wasn’t like I went out of my way to be rude to people or pick on them, but I needed his chair. I wasn’t going to be stuck, not when I could simply make a better option appear.
The kid nodded and moved, nervous, like I was going to hit him. Poor kid didn’t know any better. I slid into his chair, taking out my books. Some lawyer he was going to be if he couldn’t even negotiate his ass into a chair.
I tossed my hair out of my face and could feel eyes on me. Glancing up, I saw Alex staring with an eyebrow raised in disbelief. “What?” I mouthed at him, glaring.
He just shook his head. Was he watching what happened with the nerd? I had nothing against nerds, not in any tangible way. I got some of the best test scores on campus and studied more than was necessary. It just annoyed me when people refused any kind of social life. Not that I wanted them in my social life, obviously, but even nerds had their conventions and clubs or whatever.
My best friend Theo even ended up dating a complete nerd named Charlie, who I thought was hopeless at first. He was awkward and didn’t go to parties, but it worked out well enough for them. If I hadn’t been so determined to have a decent social life in school, I’d have probably ended up at one of their weird get-togethers about aliens or hobbits.
The thought made me snort as I flipped open my notebook, quickly writing the date and name of the class. There was an entire array of pens laid out in my pencil carrier, ready and poised depending on the topic or type of information given. Sure, it was only the first class, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be anything worth noting.
Despite my diligence, being a stereotype wasn’t my style. Some people expected me to be a complete loser who studied all the time because I’m Korean — the age old Asian nerd joke — but those
people were idiots. Although my grades were important to me, because they meant I was succeeding, my social life was just as important to me.
And having pains-in-my-ass like Alex around wouldn’t stop me from achieving anything. If anything else, I’d make sure I did even better in class because he was part of it too, with his smug face and gloating words. I’d make him regret it.
“Welcome, pledges, to what could be the best or worst time of your life. That all depends on you and how much you’re looking to get out of pledgeship. You’re ours now.” Brad stared at the freshmen as he walked along them over the manicured lawn. The frat house stood imposing behind the newest pledges, all white, with columns along the porch and big, bright windows all over the place. It was far too nice for a bunch of frat boys, but the telltale Greek letters were etched above the doorway, ΛΞΑ for Lambda Xi Alpha.
The rest of us stood behind Brad, watching the freshmen as he talked. When I was in their shoes, the head of the frat yelled at us for an hour before making us scrub the house from top to bottom after the bid night party. We all had to get to campus a week early to hold rush week, where all the potential freshmen came to learn more about us and figure out if they wanted to join.
The ones before us were those we’d chosen, the ones who we still wanted after rush week, interviews, and a little teasing. After all, we were the best frat on campus if you wanted to be invited to the best parties, so we had to vet them thoroughly. Initially, I’d only agreed to join the frat because my best friend Jason asked for moral support.
Not the brightest idea, but I was desperate for a friend, so I went along with it and ended up included in all the craziness. Even finding out I was broke didn’t stop them from accepting me. It was probably because of basketball, but they offered me a scholarship, so I couldn’t just back out after that.
Jason was still my closest friend, so it wasn’t the worst decision I could have made. He stood next to me with his arms crossed, trying to look intimidating, which was funny because he was just a big dork, but the freshmen didn’t know that yet. They’d find out after another week when we only gave them the usual amount of hell, and then they’d laugh about how scared of him they were. It was understandable, since he was a big guy with broad shoulders and giant arms. A football player, like Brad.
The day after the bid night party, it was usually the head of the frat who talked to the pledges, but Chase was out with the flu. Or so he said, it was more likely a hangover — so Brad got nominated. He was one of the nicest guys in the frat, but he could look intimidating. Personally, I didn’t care that much.
Shane probably would have made a great frat boy. I snorted to myself.
How the hell had I even got stuck with him in classes? Shane hated me from practically the moment we’d first met, mostly because he saw me as a rival. Everyone backed down from Shane, everyone was a little afraid of him or what he’d do. Not me though.
I rubbed it in his face that I’d gotten better marks than him on a test and it was history from there. He glared or started a fight any chance he saw me, and I never backed down. No way I was going to cower at the likes of that spoiled brat, if it ever came to it I had far more muscles than his string bean self.
Jason eyed me. “What’s up?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking…it’s fun to use your brain sometimes.” I teased, flashing a grin as I pulled myself out of my thoughts.
He rolled his eyes. “Care to share your hilarious thought, dick?”
“You know Shane? I was thinking about him addressing the freshmen. He’d scare the shit out of them.” My lips curved into a hint of a smile.
Jason snorted. “That would be good. Except I don’t think he’d be joking around, man, pretty sure he’d pull out a whip and start beating people.”
I laughed out loud. Brad whirled around, his eyes wide as though to say ‘Comeon, man,’ before turning back to the pledges. Biting my lip, I tried to stay focused. “You’re probably right. I don’t know how Brad deals with him. He’s in one of my classes, though. He’s so easy to annoy. Maybe it’ll be a bright spot.”
“Dude, you are playing with fire. Is that worth your time? You have all this shit going on, but you still have time to fuck with a guy you hate?” Jason looked out over the lawn at the pledges lined up, listening to Brad talk about hard work and effort. It was sort of a lie, there was a lot to being in a frat in some ways, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as he made it out to be.
Lambda was an intense frat, but if you got chosen, people noticed. There was something nice about having a support system built in. I knew even if I wasn’t best friends with every single guy in the house, they’d all have my back if I needed them.
The in-house chef and parties didn’t hurt either.
“Of course it is. Shane hates that I can annoy him and also do better than him. Keeps things interesting this way.” I shrugged.
One pledge stared at me with large, nervous eyes. He was blond, and kind of short, wearing an SVU sweatshirt that looked two sizes
too big. My lips curved slightly, trying to reassure him he’d be okay. The other guys talked about how we were supposed to scare them and act like assholes for a while, but that just wasn’t my style. I only teased friends and annoyed people who really deserved it, like Shane.
“Playing with fire,” Jason repeated, shaking his head. “You know Micah says Charlie is still terrified of him?”
Micah was Jason’s boyfriend of over a year, and Charlie was dating Shane’s best friend, Theo. Charlie and Micah had been childhood friends, as far as I knew. I shrugged. “Charlie is scared of his own shadow, man.” He was a nice guy, though, so I wasn’t surprised if he was afraid a guy like Shane would try to devour him.
“I mean yeah, that too…” Jason trailed off. It seemed he’d forgotten about trying to look intimidating, his brow furrowed as he looked at the ground.
“Don’t hurt yourself thinking.” I lightly bumped him.
“Shut up. The start-of-year party is this Saturday. You’re gonna show up, right?” As opposed to the party we’d already thrown for the new pledges, of course. But a change of topic was probably a good idea, he knew I wouldn’t listen about Shane. It was too tempting to make him miserable than listen to the warnings.
“Unless Shane really kills me, count on it.” I resisted the urge to laugh.
Summerville was full of spoiled assholes, lots of them in the frat or basketball team with me. I was used to it, but sometimes it was fun to get a rise out of some of them. Shane was one of the worst of the bunch, always walking around like he deserved the world. If he didn’t get it, someone was going to pay.
I couldn’t stand people like that.
Entitlement was rampant enough in college, especially with so many of these rich assholes. Jason came from money, but at least he knew how to be a decent person. I was half sure that Shane didn’t even have a soul under there. Even his friends feared him. What kind of friendship was that? There was no mutual respect there. Hell, even if Jason and I teased each other, we understood we came from a good place at the end of the day.
I couldn’t say the same about Shane. Brad was one of his best friends and he just seemed scared of him. There wasn’t much if friendship was based on pure fear. It was fucked up, but there wasn’t much Shane could do that would surprise me.
So if I could get under Shane’s skin, if I could put him in his place, then I would. I didn’t like bullies; I didn’t like guys who thought they deserved the world. I could just keep proving that I was better than that, better than him, only because I didn’t feel like I was owed it.
As Brad finished his speech, he turned back to us, and we all grabbed up the cleaning supplies, handing them off to the poor pledges. They looked nervous and uneasy. “Don’t worry,” I whispered to the blond one who had looked so uncomfortable. His name might have been Caleb. “It’s really not that bad. They’re just trying to freak you out.”
A nervous smile broke out on his face, and he took the scrub brush, heading for the stairs with the rest of them. He’d be okay. As much as there were the classic douchey frat boys, there were just as many who were good guys. He seemed like a nice kid.
It just depended on who you got stuck around, but I could protect him and the pledges like him from guys like Shane if I could help it.
S H A N E
“Are these fries…less cheesy than usual?” Dylan asked, sizing up the french fry in his hand with a frown, his long hair flopping into his tired eyes.
The four of us crowded into our usual booth at the diner after class. Theo sat next to me, the classic California surfer with tan skin and blond hair who always smiled like he didn’t know any better. Across from us sat Dylan and Brad.
“I think they look like usual. Just go for the middle, man.” Brad grabbed a fry to compare with Dylan’s. He was the picture of an allAmerican football star, with broad shoulders, a chiseled jaw, and a blank stare half the time.
“Hm…maybe…” Dylan sounded like he was half asleep today, too, which wasn’t that unusual. I only ever saw him wake up when he was skating.
“Just ask Jen for more cheese.” I glanced at the waitress with her usual tight bun. We’d known her since we started coming here, Theo and I the longest, with Brad being the newest of our group. Sometimes Theo’s boyfriend Charlie joined us, but apparently he could only handle so much social interaction. Other times he needed to hide in a blanket fort or who knew what else. I didn’t know what
people like that did. “Anyway, aside from the fry crisis, did you guys know that asshole Alex is in my criminal law class? The nerve of that asshole…” I glared at my onion ring.
Theo shook his head, taking a drink of strawberry milkshake. “Does that mean he’s doing law too? Or is he just there for…some other pre-req?”
“Law isn’t a pre-req, Theo, so I’m stuck with his stupid ass for the next two years.” I sighed, dropping the onion ring back into the basket. I was losing my appetite.
“Alright, alright, so why not transfer out of the class? Take it another semester, then you don’t have to deal with him.” Theo grabbed the ring I just tossed.
I scowled. “That would be like admitting defeat. No way, not gonna happen. He can’t win, and I won’t let him run me out of my degree.”
“Figures they both want to be lawyers,” Dylan stage-whispered to Brad.
I groaned. “Right? Fucking asshole.” Not that I was one to talk, but at least I knewI was an asshole.
“If it makes you feel better…pottery class is going great, I’m gonna make a phoenix.”
“…Why would that make me feel better, Dylan?” My lips twitched. Sometimes he was so strange, but he was never boring.
“I don’t know…but phoenixes are cool, right? So that cheered me up.” Dylan shrugged.
We all laughed.
“Never change, man.” Brad watched him with a fond expression.
“Couldn’t even if I tried.” Dylan shook his head.
“Right, so aside from the cool phoenix…I guess I just have to deal with Alex’s smug ass. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll flunk a bunch of shit, and then I won’t have to deal with him…” I mused to myself, picking at a fry.
“Doubt that’s gonna happen, dude. He’s like the smartest guy I know.” Brad laughed.
I glared.
“Excluding…you know…present company…” he stammered.
I rolled my eyes. Whatever, if his loyalty was with his frat bros instead of us, then that was his bad choice. “Well, then, I suppose I’ll just have to resign myself to it, won’t I?” Not that I was particularly happy about it.
“Dylan’s right though, about you both being in law. I mean…makes sense. You would both argue with a tree.” Theo took a bite of his burger.
I dug an elbow into his side. “Shut up. How are your classes going, hm?”
He shrugged. “Fine. Charlie and I have a class on Wednesdays that’s only one building away, so that’s cool.”
“I see how very important your education is to you.” I sighed yet again and took a bite of a cheese-covered fry.
“Some of us have a life outside of competition, man.”
“Mm, clearly. Whatever, there’s a party coming up, isn’t there?” I changed the topic. They weren’t my friends because they challenged me academically — I had myself for that. They were cute, and they had good intel on parties going on. College was meant to be experienced, after all. What was the point if we didn’t make the most of it?
“There’s a few, I think. The frat is doing one for the start of the year, and there’s a couple others that have popped up.” Brad reached for an onion ring.
I hummed. “Okay, so do we want to bother with multiples? Or just pick one?”
“We usually end up at the frat parties anyway,” Theo pointed out.
“True. Let’s at least broaden our horizons. Was it Vince who was doing one? We can check that out and then go to Greek row.” I thought it over. We knew basically everyone who regularly threw parties.
That was the main reason we ended up as friends. SVU assigned Theo and I as roommates back in freshman year, and we hit it off, and then we met Dylan at a party on our dorm floor and thought he was cool, so we added him into our usual lineup. Brad came the latest, when I decided I didn’t want to miss out on extra parties because everyone knew the frat boys threw the craziest ones and had the best booze. Plus, frat boys were hot. So we got to know Brad when he had a class with Theo, and that was our in.
“Got your eye on anyone in particular?” Brad raised an eyebrow.
It was no secret I liked to get around. Part of the whole college experience was having fun with as many people as possible, and doing things you’d be embarrassed to talk about later. For now, it was just fun, but I was always a little too aware of how it could come back later. I was prepared for that. At least it was better than living with regrets.
“No, that would require far too much planning on my part. I’ll just see if anyone looks interesting when I get there. Any of you hoping to get laid?” This conversation had happened a dozen times in parties past.
“Well, not Saturday. Charlie’s sitting this one out.” Theo grinned.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to think about you and Charlie.”
“You haven’t heard them?” Brad asked with a laugh. My lip curled. “Look, Brad, some things even Itry to forget.”
“Hey!” Theo protested, but he laughed.
“Don’t make me tell them about Charlie calling you ‘Daddy.’”
“Thatwasanexperiment.” Theo punched my shoulder.
Dylan and Brad laughed. “Oh, didn’t know he’d go in for that kind of thing.”
“He didn’t!”
“But you did?” Dylan’s eyebrow raised.
“Hey! Why is this about me? He was asking you two.”
I snorted. If Charlie was present, he would have melted to the floor in shame. Theo and I rented our own apartment this year, which meant we had separate bedrooms. While it was miles better than the dorms — I could only walk in on Theo jacking off so many times — it meant he was much more willing to invite Charlie over whether or not I was home. And I’d learned the hard way that Charlie could be much louder than I thought possible.
“Fine, fine, to answer the question — sure, always hoping. We’ll see though.” Brad shrugged.
Brad was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. He didn’t plan anything, just did what he felt like in the moment. Which could be cool, but wasn’t the smartest move long term because Brad didn’t exclude his college major and plans for his career from his flight of fancy. He was a football playing frat boy, though, so it wasn’t like he was lacking in options.
“I’m cool.” Dylan shrugged.
“Dylan…you should try to have more fun,” I pointed out, taking a drink of my diet soda. “You’re only young once.”
Dylan’s lips twitched into a smile. “Dude, you’re the same age as us. Don’t act like you’re our grandpa.”
“Hey! I’m not.” I glanced at the other two, who were trying to hide their laughter. “Do I act like that?”
“Totally, dude,” Brad agreed. “We’re all the same dumb age. We’re not obsessing about what it’ll be like when we’re old. Just chill, Shane, really. We’re having fun in our own ways, okay?”
I shrugged. “Whatever. Dylan could still use a lay.”
Maybe I was pushy, maybe I tried encouraging them to do things, but I didn’t want them to end up with regrets. I didn’t want them to look back on their lives and wish they’d been different.
The beer was getting warm already. I grimaced as I took a drink, but it was fine. It would do what I needed it to. People were everywhere, crowding around me. The kitchen was large, filled with stainless steel appliances and spacious counters that looked more at home in a professional restaurant than a house, but our in-house chef needed room to prepare things for our endless appetites. For parties, it was perfect for the endless booze supply.
The party was pretty much the usual affair, with people I’d seen a hundred times before, at a hundred different parties. Only a few things ever changed. A few more freshmen, mainly involved in the frats, joined in, plus their friends if they were ballsy enough to invite them. Then there were small changes, people hooked up with new partners they’d passed a hundred times, new beer pong champions, new pranks pulled.
Even if it was the same, it was weirdly comforting. I never knew what kind of crazy shit people were going to do. I took another drink, glancing to my right as Jason pulled Micah close, whispering something in his ear. Even though they’d been together a while, they were as strong as ever. Which was good for Jason. He was happy, but how many times did I need to see them making out?
Another glance told me they were seconds away, and I decided maybe now would be a good time to check out the rest of the party. Maybe someone else would do something interesting. I ventured away from the kitchen and headed for the living room instead. The frat house was large and expansive, the result of too much money funneled into Greek life at SVU, but I was part of it, so how much right did I have to complain?
As I entered the living room, I took a quick look at the crowd. We had a couple of large, dark leather sectionals sprawled around the room, covered with people already. The glass coffee table was filled with cups and who knew what else, obscuring the hardwood floors that lay underneath our feet.
It was more of the same. Only Shane’s group immediately caught my eye. They showed up to most of these things because of Brad’s invite, so it wasn’t unusual. But it looked like they’d only just arrived, which was more unusual. Theo laughed about something with our head of frat, in his usual relaxed way, like he didn’t care who was watching him. Brad sat on the arm of the couch, watching Dylan as he spoke. Dylan was a funny guy, but I didn’t talk to him as much. He always seemed like he was half on the verge of sleeping, but right now, he explained something while gesturing in the air with slow, deliberate movements. No Shane in sight yet.
I made my way closer to their circle. Though the music was loud, I could start to make out what they were saying. “Dude, it was so cool…big loops, and then I just flew off the coaster, y’know?”
“What’s up?” I laughed.
Dylan glanced at me. “‘Sup, Alex. I was telling Brad about a cool dream…flew off a roller coaster.”
Brad shrugged. “That sounds like a cool dream. I had a moment at an amusement park when I was younger, thought it was gonna happen! The whole thing felt like it was going to fall apart.”
“Dude…dude. That’s tight. Remember those old wooden coasters? Super cool.” Dylan nodded like he agreed with himself.
I smiled, clapping him on the back, and walked off. They were good to talk to, but sometimes it felt like they were too in their own little world. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a familiar tall figure, thin with shiny dark hair. His back was to me, but I’d bet anything it was Shane.
It could at least be fun to annoy him again, since it looked like he was trying to talk to someone. I’d seen him at enough parties to know he was flirting. He always had a certain demeanor when he was into someone. His hip would curve out just slightly and he’d tilt his head in this way that I’m sure he thought made him look cute.
He was attractive, I couldn’t deny that. He had a tiny waist and a round ass, and his face looked like he could grace the covers of a fashion magazine. All sharp bones, but with plush pretty lips and sharp eyes. When I’d first seen Shane, I thought he was hot and even considered making a move. Only then I found out what a selfinvolved asshole he was, and that quickly faded away.
“Hey, Shane,” I called, louder than was necessary. He turned, eyes narrowing as he saw it was me. “What?”
“Did you clear up that infection of yours, man? I was really concerned.”
If looks could kill, I would have been nothing more than a puddle of flesh. The guy he was flirting with — some senior I vaguely recognized with dark hair and a thick neck — looked between the two of us, curious. Maybe a little confused.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Shane’s jaw clenched.
There wasn’t a good reason I wanted to interfere, just that it was fun. It was rare if Shane didn’t find someone to hook up with at a party. I knew several frat bros who had slept with him — some more
than once. So it wasn’t like it would affect his chances, since he could just find someone else if I ruined things with Thick Neck.
“Come on, man, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Nothing that round of antibiotics couldn’t cure,” I said, trying to show fake concern in my voice. He was just so easy to rile, I couldn’t resist. Something in me just ached to annoy him.
“Fuck off, asshole. What are you trying to do? Can’t get laid because you’re such a fucking asshole, so you’re hoping I’ll give you a pity fuck? Not gonna happen.” Shane’s voice was steady, but was cold enough to burn.
I put my hand on my chest in mock pain. “Ouch, Shane, you shouldn’t treat me so badly. I’m just concerned for you.” I didn’t know how much Thick Neck knew about either of us, it was no secret how much we hated each other.
“Alex, go keep yourself company, hm? You’ll be doing it the rest of your life. Get a head start, okay?” Shane turned around, talking to Thick Neck instead, his arms folding over his chest. I could feel the waves of annoyance flooding off him.
It was only fair, but I couldn’t deny the small part of me that ached at his words. He was just mouthing off, and I knew that, but it still hurt. I’d grown up only depending on myself, and part of me still wondered if that would be the rest of my life, too. Shane couldn’t know that. It was just some half-hearted insult that would get me out of his way, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Even if he knew, it probably wouldn’t have changed anything.
“He’s terrible in bed, just as a heads up,” I called to Thick Neck, before turning to walk off. Shane was going to kill me if he got the chance. Was it a dick move? Totally. But it wouldn’t stop him. He’d be fine if I ruined his chances with Thick Neck.
Theo stared at me, open-mouthed and eyes wide. “What was that about?”
I shrugged as I passed by him. “What do you mean? Just the usual.” I smiled a little. Wasn’t it?
“Damn. We need to just lock you two in a fucking room so you can work this shit out,” Theo said, a sort of half laugh slipping out. He looked put out, like he was tired of the bickering. It didn’t involve anyone but Shane and I, but it suddenly dawned on me that other people felt the effects of it.
“Please, that’s never going to happen. I’m getting another drink. He’ll be fine.” I shrugged again and walked off. I could feel eyes on me, and I guessed they were from Shane’s friends, and maybe Shane himself. What I said wasn’t that bad, was it? Someone like Shane wouldn’t have any trouble finding another hookup.
“We have an exciting announcement,” said Professor Dewey. He was a gaunt man with a receding hairline, but bright, sharp eyes that looked right through you.
My eyebrow raised slightly. Was this the kind of exciting that would mean more work or the kind that was halfway interesting? My pen paused over my notebook anyway, just in case it was something I needed to know. Alex was sitting there a few aisles away, his body language casual as he slumped in his seat. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him, still thinking about the other night at the party.
What was his problem, anyway? I didn’t even bother him at parties and I wouldn’t try to interfere with his chances of getting laid. As if anyone would want to be that close to the smug asshole.
“We offer an internship for first year law majors,” continued the professor. “Only one of you will be chosen. And this year…it’s international.” He paused for dramatics, looking around at our faces to see if we looked excited.
I hummed. It didn’t matter to me if it was international or right around the corner, I just knew as soon as he said internship that I needed it. Intelligence and determination were right at the top of my
list of strengths. Winning was important to me, especially when it was something that would lead to me getting into a top law school.
“Very exciting! So we will pay close attention to all of you, judging which student earns the spot. As I said, there’s only one, and it will go to the most qualified student. So that means your grades, your participation, your knowledge, and your eagerness will all play a part in deciding. The internship will be in Rome, Italy. We’ll touch in every now and again about it. And we’ll come up with a short list of some candidates — about 20, and from there we will have interviews to help us narrow down our choices. If you make it through the first cut, you’ll head to New York City over the holidays. Now, isn’t that something?”
Everyone stared raptly at Professor Dewey with bated breath. We were all lawyers in training, after all, we were nothing if not competitive. We wanted to win. No one else mattered to me, though, because I was going to be the one to get that spot.
If there was anything I knew, it was that I could work harder and smarter than anyone else in that class. Even if Alex the asshole could suck up a few more points on a test than me, I was eager and more determined. I could be charming if I needed to be, but mostly that was a waste of time, especially when intimidation and bluntness worked just as well.
I glanced over at the aforementioned asshole, and Alex’s posture had straightened up, paying close attention. Of course he thought he was going to get it. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and returned my attention as Professor Dewey began talking about the lesson.
What a bomb to drop in the middle of class. If he wanted us to pay attention, it worked. We all seemed more attentive as he droned on and on about the classifications of different crimes. I took notes dutifully, using my usual five color method.
After Professor Dewey dismissed the class, I placed my things in my bag. I had no intention of interacting with Alex, but it seemed he
had other ideas. As I walked out of the room, I heard a voice call, “Hey.”
I turned, and he approached with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. Did he forget who the fuck we were? “What are you smiling about?” I raised a brow.
He snorted, the smile fading. “I can’t even smile now?”
“At me? No. What do you want?” I folded my arms over my chest. Other people walked by us, but I ignored them. There was room to get around.
He shook his head, sliding to the side to get out of the way of the oncoming throng. I guess he realized I wasn’t moving. “You’re one cold character, Shane.”
“Are you wasting my time? I have places to be, you know.” Like I didn’t know I was cold. He was lucky I was even giving him a minute to speak to me.
“What do you think about the internship?”
I frowned. What was this? “What about it? It’s an internship. I’m going to get it, so you don’t have to think too hard about it, okay?”
His mouth dropped open, almost in surprise. “Oh, okay, arrogant as always, I see. You’re not concerned at all?”
“Why should I be?” What the hell was he trying to do? Freak me out? We didn’t have conversations, we argued and went our separate ways. We hated each other, so why was he trying to start one now? Was this some way of feeling guilty about the party?
“Well, if there’s an interview, you’ll have to hide how much of an ass you are. Do you think you can do that for even five minutes?” His jaw clenched.
That was more like it. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Fuck off, Alex, I have places to be. You’re free to try to beat me, but you know it
won’t end well for you.” I walked off, raising a hand in a dismissive sort of wave.
I had better things to do than entertain Alex. He was on my last nerve with the stunt he pulled. Sure, it didn’t make a difference in the end. That guy and I still went to my apartment together, but the point stood that it was none of his business. Unless he wanted to start a war in every other aspect of our life, and I didn’t think that was a game he wanted to play. Because I didn’t lose, and I knew how to hit people where it hurt.
