Blow Page 4

  When he saw I was finally quiet, he proceeded with what he was saying. “Jasmine is the reason for my whole entire career. We play around from time to time, but we both know when it comes down to the fact, we're each other's future.”

  My heart dropped.

  seven: consecrate

  “What do you mean by 'future'?” I asked carefully, keeping my eyes on his face and tilting my head down.

  Zeus yanked at his hair as if the answer was hidden somewhere in there. “She's important, and she's gotten me places—places that I thought I would never be in.”

  “What?” I stuttered, shocked that he would even be saying something like this to me. “This doesn’t make any sense. So, are you arranged to be married or something?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. I mean… it’s a bunch of complicated family bullshit.”

  I huffed out a breath, annoyed that I even bothered with this nonsense. I really wasn’t going to be played for a fool. “Get out.”

  His head cocked to the side. “What? Why?”

  “You're telling me this girl is your future wife, and you want me to be okay with it, to be your toy in the meantime?” I said incredulously, rolling my eyes and stepping back so he could leave. “I’m not stupid, and I’m tired of looking like I am. Go back to her and leave me alone.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me, annoyance clear in his face. “After all this, you mean that?”

  In all honesty, I didn’t know what I wanted. I knew the right thing would be to let him go, so I had to.

  “I do,” I said with not as conviction as I had before. Did I really want him to leave me alone?

  He shrugged and turned his body to leave. “Okay.”

  My head snapped back, confusion clear in my face. It was that simple?

  “One more thing,” he said, turning back to me. He yanked me by the arm to his chest and before I could push him away, he gripped my ass in his palms.

  “When you stop playing games Cash, you know where to find me,” he said before smacking it and sending me a wink. I stumbled away from him and blinked.

  He sent me one last grin before he twisted the brim of his cap to the back and he disappeared through the door, and seemingly disappeared from my life.

  Ever since that day, it felt like God had a secret vendetta against me.

  It probably had to do with the fact that there was a football game and no classes today, so the infamous 23 KASSAR and 47 MORALES jerseys were worn on almost everyone on campus.

  I saw Zeus almost everywhere I looked. Three weeks passed, and Zeus sure as hell kept his promise to stay away from me. He became an urban legend, only being mentioned but never actually seen. I couldn't really say I missed him, given the fact that we've only had about four conversations, but I felt as if a presence was lacking.

  I rolled my eyes as I walked into the campus bookstore where I worked. It was as busy as it could get on game day and I knew Travis, my coworker needed serious help at the register with just a glance at the line.

  After I clocked in, I dropped my bag under the counter and opened my register. “I'm taking the next customers over here!”

  Travis looked over at me and cried out, “At last, the half-Habesha goddess arrives!”

  With a laugh at his corny intro, I scanned all the customer's items. “Your total is $47.84. Do you have a NAU membership card?”

  I turned back to Travis and did a fake curtsy. “Bow down to me peasant, you're in the presence of a goddess!”

  We both cracked up and I handed the receipt to the man with his change. “Thank you for supporting NAU Reds!”

  It went on like that until around noon, when the /lines finally eased up and I could take a break from the register.

  “Trav, I'm gonna work the floor,” I notified him, hopping off my stool and grabbing a box to replace jerseys on the shelves.

  I was tired, and I had to do some research for my next paper that was due Wednesday. This football shit needed to rush by so I could stop working so hard. There were clothes all over the floor that I would have to clean and re-fold, all because of some dumbass game.

  “What jersey would look good on me?” I heard two girls walking right next to me, trampling carelessly all over the clothes on the floor. Fucking great!

  “Should I get the beaner or the Al-Qaeda member?” The girl said with a giggle, as she held up Diego and Zeus' numbers.

  My eyes widened, and I had to take a step back. Hell no. I couldn’t believe she had the audacity, especially considering that I was in earshot.

  “Angeline…we're in college up north now,” her friend scolded, a disgusted look on her face. “Don’t say shit like that. It might’ve been okay in your house, but not here.”

  Angeline rolled her eyes. “Grow up, Davina.”

  “No, why don't you grow up?” I said, finally getting up from my crouching position to face this ignorant bitch. Angeline was an average flat haired woman, nothing special about her in the slightest while her friend Davina was stunning brunette with killer grey eyes and cheekbones sculpted from God.

  Flat Hair jumped back slightly, not expecting me to come up out of nowhere before she readjusted herself. “No one was talking to you.”

  “Well,” I said, making sure to get in her face and emphasize the syllables in that word. “I’m talking to you right now.”

  She laughed in my face before rolling her eyes. “I don't speak nig—”

  The full word didn’t even make its way out of her mouth before I shoved her back into the pile of clothes she trampled on before.

  She stumbled backwards and tripped, causing her to fall onto her back and look up at me in shock. “I can't believe you just did that! Why are your people so aggressive?”

  “Who the fuck is my people, bitch?” I seethed out. My hand instinctively went to my wrist for a hair tie so I could beat her ass. But before I could finish, I felt someone behind me that caught both of the girls’ attention and I turned around and almost groaned.

  “Ladies, do we have a problem here?” Levi asked, a textbook in his hand. Med-Surg Analysis. Interesting.

  “N-no,” Angeline stammered, and it was only then that I realized she was only a freshman. She's probably never seen a college football player as big as him in real life.

  “Well then move away and let me talk to my…friend over here,” he said, confused on what to call me. We surely weren't friends. We only had one conversation, and it was full of insults towards one another.

  “Sure,” she said, getting up and brushing herself. “But I'm Angeline.”

  “No, you're racist,” he clapped back, rolling his eyes. “I heard your comment from over there, and those are my best friends you’re talking about.”

  Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, not expecting him to say something like that.

  “Get out of here,” I spat, glaring at them fiercely, “before I make you.”

  “Wait, not you,” Levi stopped Davina. “What's your name?”

  “D-Davina.” It was clear how nervous she was, there was a visible blush under the smattering of freckles on her nose.

  “Ditch your bigot friend and come with me to the Alpha Phi party tonight after the Reds bring home another win,” he offered, with a show stopping smile. “I'd really like for you to come with me.”

  “Okay,” she replied, sending him a small smile in return. They exchanged information, and with one more small wave, she left the store.

  I bent down to continue picking the clothes off the floor. “You do know she's a freshman, right?”

  “The first years are the freakiest because they've got all this pent up sexual tension from hiding away from their parents,” he explained, with a smarmy smile. “I can't wait to have those legs wrapped around me.”

  “And you're a Pre-Med student?” I asked in disbelief. “I would never trust you to write a prescription with a mouth like that.”

  I saw his jaw clench and his shoulders tense. Uh oh.

  “Aw, d
id I make you mad?” I cooed and patted his cheeks, just to annoy and rile him up even more.

  Levi sent a glare my way and moved closer with his fists clenched. “You just never know when to shut up, do you?”

  Instinctively, I squared up and shifted my stance. “Whoa, don’t come at me. I've fought men before. You might play football, but I'll try my best.”

  He sent me a look before slapping my fist away. “I'm not going to fight you, I would never hit a woman. So put your hands down because you look dumb.”

  I wanted to point out that he just did, but I rolled my eyes. Sizing him up, I slowly placing my hands down at my sides and proceeding to put clothes on the shelf. “Why are you even here?”

  “I was buying a book for class, and I overheard them.” He held up the Med-Surg book in his hand.

  “Good for you, you can read,” I taunted with another eye roll.

  “Diego wanted to tell you to swing by our building later on for the frat party,” he told me, ignoring my childish insult. “He wants to go with you.”

  Over the past few weeks, I unintentionally found myself talking to Diego and forming a slight friendship with him. He constantly annoyed me, I got used to it and we started to converse. It was 100% platonic though.

  Well, maybe not 100%. He's too attractive to not almost drool when he flexed so I could see his well-toned body. And I knew he knew what he was doing because almost every time he would send me a wink or a smirk when he caught me watching.

  “I'll text him,” I said, before bending down to pick up the box of dirty clothes. I swear I hear Levi hiss out a small “holy shit” and I couldn't help but let a chuckle out.

  “Quit staring at what you are,” I joked, standing back up and grinning maliciously.

  He huffed and rolled his eyes before he turned around to leave to the register. “Goodbye, Cashmere.”

  “Good luck at your game!” I saluted him, and he flipped me off, which made me laugh even more.

  I surveyed the area of the party from my spot in the corner of the frat house living room. Tables were pushed back to make space for people to dance, while a ring of couches were placed in the middle, with a plethora of intoxicated people sitting and laughing.

  Why I was here, I didn’t know. Even Isra was smart enough to stay in tonight, but clearly, I couldn’t take the hint. Standing awkwardly in a place where I was supposed to be having the time of my life was not my idea of a fun Saturday night. My hand slipped into my purse to grab my phone, hoping that there was one of my friends free to come endure this with me.

  “Hey, I found you.” My eyes trailed away from the people seated on the couch and onto Diego’s smiling face. He leaned in for a hug, and his still wet hair dripped into my bare shoulder. I shivered as the droplets hit my skin but smiled nonetheless.

  “Yeah, I was just about to call one of my friends to keep me company since you’re the man of the hour,” I replied, sending him a grin. “Congrats on the win, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” he said, before shrugging his jacket off and placing it on my shoulders. Warmth instantly encased my body and I was grateful. “You’re probably freezing, who wears a dress like that when it’s like—what, 60 degrees outside?”

  “Bad bitches only.” He laughed before leading us to the kitchen area. We pushed through the door and to my surprise, when the door swung shut behind us, the music was almost inaudible. Was it soundproof?

  Diego walked up to a group of people, who congratulated him. “Thanks guys, but it was a team effort.”

  My lips parted at how genuinely he was being, and I couldn’t help but swoon at how he was so drastically different from both of his roommates. The group spoke to him for a little longer, before we walked over to the island.

  I sighed when I only saw a keg, and some idiot was currently doing a keg stand while his buddies cheered him on. “Do they have anything other than beer at this place? Jesus.”

  “I know the guys hosting the party, they keep the good shit upstairs,” he told me, before putting his cup down. “Stay here, I’m gonna get a bottle. Any specifics?”

  “Jack is fine, I have a taste for whiskey right now,” I suggested, shrugging my shoulders. He nodded and ran through the swinging door, leaving me alone once again. Sighing, I walked over to the sink to lean by the counter and look at my phone. I texted Vanessa, one of my friends to come to the party, and I squealed with joy when she said she would be bringing friends along.

  A few minutes went by while waiting for Diego to come back with the drinks when Zeus walked through the passageway, a cup in his hands and his dark hair all over the place.

  All I could think was “oh shit” before I turned my back to him. Seeing him in person after almost a month shocked me. I was not prepared for this.

  I mean, I knew for a fact that I looked good. I was in tight black spaghetti strapped dress and Diego's red and white varsity jacket that now rested on my shoulder completed the look. I looked like Rihanna walking the streets of London, and that was a good thing.

  But he didn't look like someone who just won an away game 35-7. He looked a little peeved from what I saw, and not ecstatic like the rest of the team was.

  “Cash?” I swung around and put the best look of surprise I could on my face.

  “Hi,” I greeted, my lips tilting upwards only slightly to send him a reluctant smile. Under the façade of nonchalance, my heart was beating like I just finished a marathon. He never failed to make me nervous.

  When I faced his direction, his gaze flew down to my chest, which I was hoping for.

  “W-what are you wearing?” He sputtered, his head moving up and down as he analyzed my outfit.

  “I think the question you should be asking is what am I not wearing?” I replied, before I made a big show in covering my braless chest.

  Okay, sue me. This dress did not look good with a bra!

  His eyes then narrowed at the number on the sleeve of the jacket. “Is that Diego's jacket?”

  I let out a noncommittal hum, not giving him a straight answer, before attempting to walk around leave.

  “Hey,” he said demandingly, placing his drink on the counter and grabbing my wrist. “You're not going anywhere like that.”

  I wrenched my wrists out of his grasp and gave him a side look. “Who are you talking to like that? You have no right to be ordering me around.”

  Pushing him away, I rolled my eyes. “Don't you have someone to get back to? Move and continue to leave me alone.”

  He clenched his jaw, before glancing around the area. We attracted an audience, which seemed to piss him off even more. “Everyone get out!”

  His voice boomed through the soundproof kitchen, and I didn’t expect anyone to listen to him until I saw partygoers quickly shuffle through the swinging door and out into the living room. The clout he possessed was extremely powerful at this school.

  His nostrils flared and he pressed me against the counter, his body flush to mine. “I left you alone like you asked for three whole weeks. I thought you would finally crack and beg me to fuck you like I did that night, with you moaning my name and clawing at my back like it was your goddamn salvation, but you're so stubborn that you can't even see that this—” he gestured in between us, “will happen. And I'll be damned if Diego, Levi, anybody—gets in the way of what I want.”

  eight: promise

  I stood entrapped in Zeus' arms, startled by his declaration. Totally wasn’t expecting for him to say that, but I immediately recoiled when I smelled the alcohol. Was he drunk?

  “First of all, get up out my face. I can smell the fucking vodka on your breath and I'm about to vomit,” I started, shoving his chest roughly, which made him stumble back a few steps. “Secondly, you must have lost your damn mind—”

  I didn't get to finish my sentence because he yanked me forward, held my face in his hands and kissed the words right off my tongue.

  “Cash, you're not listening to me,” he said, pulling away from my face. I was a lit
tle dazed at the fact that he kissed me breathless, but I quickly recovered and shook my head to stand my ground. I was tired of all the distractions.

  “I'm listening, but all I'm hearing is bullshit,” I spat as I shoved him away. “Get off me. You have a girlfriend.”

  “For the last bloody time, she's not my girlfriend!” He yelled, rolling his eyes. “Why is it so important to you what my relationship with her is?”

  It was surprising how I could actually be swooning over someone this dense, who was unable to understand that what he was doing is wrong. I stared at him for a minute, baffled at his low level of intellect. “Are–are you being serious?”

  He stayed silent while looking into my eyes, and I wanted to slap him silly because he was so unreadable. I couldn’t tell a single thing by studying his face.

  “I'm not an idiot, and I sure as hell won't be taken for one,” I said calmly, before shoving him away.

  “I just—Cash, I really think we have something here,” he said, latching his hand onto my arm to prevent me from leaving. “Jasmine means nothing to me.”

  “Then drop her so I know you're serious about this, Zeus,” I told him, crossing my arms across my chest. “I'm not asking you for the world.”

  In fact, it felt he was making my request seem outlandish.

  He bit his lip, which weakened my resolve just a little, and looked at the ground. “I don't know if I can.”

  I blew up, finally having enough of this back and forth with him. “Then why are you here?! Why aren't you with her? Why are you trying so hard to convince yourself that she means nothing, when she clearly doesn't!”

  “She's just someone who's always been there for me!” He shouted back. “Why can't you just accept that?”

  I was suddenly so done, tired of this conversation and tired of Zeus. Being around him was taking a toll out of me, because with his cryptic behavior and Jasmine, his “non girlfriend slash girlfriend”, it was exhausting. “You know what? Fine. Let's not do anything about this. Jasmine isn't your girlfriend, but she's obviously more important. I'll just fall right back into the mass of students that go here like nothing ever happened.”