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  But he was sweating like a pig knowing that he was about to talk to her. And work beside her. Spend hours alone with her.

  Darren had to fan himself with his shirt and derail the train of thought running rampant in his head.

  It was all thanks to the racist Troy that Darren was now partners with Audrey, but it was only luck that Darren wasn’t being dragged down with him. The campus police must have decided Darren hadn’t done anything wrong after all, and he didn’t. He tried to stop the bloody idiot. He was surprised though, that they didn’t try to contact him to ask about Troy or the hatch that they found, but maybe Troy already told them everything. Or maybe they had the entire thing on surveillance video.

  But jeez, how stupid could Troy be? To be suspended, maybe even expelled, for doing something so stupid? How did he ever make it into college anyways? He couldn’t have been the brightest kid in high school-maybe he cheated his way through.

  Maybe Ms. Hammil would know what happened to Troy. She seemed like a good, honest person, she’d be straight with Darren. Maybe tell him if he should be watching his back for the police or administration to come and talk to him. He may not be in trouble, but they could still come to ask him questions.

  Class dragged on, but Darren’s mind wasn’t concentrating on the lecture like he should. Going to have to read through this chapter in the textbook later, at least before the next lecture. It was nice thing to only have class every other day, but it made it a ton easier to forget something if you didn’t review it at some point between classes.

  When the professor stopped class, every student burst from their seats, loading their backpacks and they funneled up the steps and out the doors. Darren glanced over to Audrey, she was still in her seat, continuing to write something in her notebook as the commotion built up around her.

  Darren loaded his own backpack and zipped it shut.

  “You going to go talk to her?” Jack asked,

  Darren stood up. “Yeah, I have to,” he said. “We have a paper to do together now.”

  “Don’t be so excited man,” Jack said as he stood and lugged his bag over his shoulder.

  Darren smiled. Sweat ran down his side. “I’ll try not to.”

  Jack patted Darren’s back and pushed him out into the aisle after a pack of people walked by them toward the door. “Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “What wouldn’t you do?”

  “Exactly,” Jack said. He turned and walked up the stairs, disappearing out the door.

  Darren glanced back at Audrey who was just beginning to load her backpack. She didn’t look up at him at all, but she gave no intention of running away either. The professor was taking off her microphone and wrapping up the cord, so Darren rushed down the steps to catch her before she ran off.

  “Ms. Hammil?”

  The professor looked up at Darren as he stepped up onto the stage. “Yes, Mr. Ansari?” she asked. “Can I do something for you?”

  “I was just wondering if you know what happened to my partner. My old partner.”

  “Mr. Rankin?” She set the microphone aside. “I wasn’t told anything really. I only had a note from the scheduling department saying that he will no longer be on my roll call.”

  “He dropped the class?”

  Hammil shrugged and lifted her book bag off the table, sliding the straps up her shoulder. “That, suspended, or even had a family emergency that could take a long time.” She shrugged again. “They don’t tell me the details.”

  Darren nodded. Not the answer he hoped for though.

  “I’m sure you and Miss Wilde will have no problem catching up on research, feel free to use whatever you and Mr. Rankin may have already put together.”

  Darren nodded again. No point in telling her that they had gotten nowhere yet.

  Ms. Hammil gave a polite farewell and passed by Darren, working her way up the steps.

  Darren turned to climb back up the steps and grab his backpack so he could get the awkward introductions done with Audrey, but she was already standing behind him on the edge of the stage, smile wide, hand extended.

  Chapter 6

  “Hello,” Audrey said, letting her hand stay extended, palm down.

  Darren fought for words, but all he got was a chocked “Hi.” He took Audrey’s turned down hand in his own and turned it sideways to give it a shake.

  Oh God, he thought after he let go of the warm and smooth skin in his hand. She didn’t want a handshake, she wanted him to-

  Audrey took a step closer. “I’m Audrey.” Her smile never faltered. It looked natural, not rehearsed like that of a waitress.

  “Darren.”

  “I guess we’re partners now.”

  “I guess.”

  Sweat poured down Darren’s sides and built up around his lip and forehead.

  Audrey reached out and touched Darren’s arm, sending shocks of electricity bursting up and down his skin, forcing his heart into overdrive. “You okay?” she asked. “You look a little pale.”

  Darren nodded. “I’m fine.”

  Audrey gave Darren’s arm a brisk rub and let go of him. “Why don’t you walk me to class?”

  Because his legs weren’t working right now.

  “We can talk on the way.” Her voice was deep for a girl and carried an almost sensual tone. Natural, not rehearsed.

  Darren nodded.

  She turned and stepped off the stage, the tight black shirt she wore lifting enough from her pants to show a strip of flesh. It looked so soft, more comfortable than even silk.

  Darren wouldn’t mind wearing her.

  He shook his head and followed the mobile curves off the stage and up the stairs toward the door. Her wavy haired bounced back and forth behind her head, springing up and down when she stepped up to each stair. Darren couldn’t help but watch her hips twisting back and forth like a metronome.

  Why couldn’t Rachel have hips like that? Maybe she does, but with the fifty or sixty pounds she had over Audrey, the curves might just be hidden.

  Darren gave himself a mental slap. Don’t start comparing the girl he already has with this stranger. It wasn’t fair to either of them. Audrey might end up with a personality like sandpaper, so what if she’s nice to look at?

  But that smile-

  Knock it off!

  Audrey passed through the doorway and hesitated to the side as Darren caught up to her. They began to walk side by side, close enough that Darren could feel the girl’s aura radiating off of her. He stole a glance at the thrust of her breasts hidden behind the jacket she slipped on, but lifted his eyes before he got caught.

  “Do you have a class to get to?” Audrey asked.

  “No,” Darren said. “I’m done for the day.”

  “You must have a class after statistics then.”

  “Intro to theatre.”

  “Ah, the easiest fine arts credit you can get.”

  Darren held open the door out of Painter hall and followed Audrey outside, passing by a group of guys heading inside the building. The clouds had rolled in and blocked the sun off, letting a cool chill wash over Darren as the breeze blew between him and Audrey.

  Audrey’s mahogany hair billowed for a moment and settled back down onto her neck with such gentleness that proved even God was proud of his achievement in her. The cool air didn’t seem to faze her, instead she looked as warm and comfortable as she did sitting in the park at lunch time.

  “What class do you have now?” Darren asked as they made their way to the sidewalk, moving south under Audrey’s lead.

  “Creative writing.”

  “Was that an elective? I don’t remember it as an option.”

  “My major.”

  “English? Journalism?”

  “Creative writing.”

  A wolf pack of cars blazed by, the sound of their engines drowning as they sped away from them.

  “Do a lot of people choose that as a major?” Darren asked.

  “Maybe a dozen freshman,�
� Audrey said. She brushed her hair behind her ear, revealing a dark freckle just at the verge of her ear lobe. She still had a lingering smile on her face that Darren didn’t think would disappear even when she slept. Her perma-smile. “What are you majoring in?”

  “I put down biology for now,” Darren said. “Some sort of science, but I’m not exactly sure which one I really want right now.”

  “Genetics or anything like that?”

  “No, just general biology.”

  “You must be a rational man,” she said, looking over at him.

  Darren felt a heat rise in his face despite the cool breeze. He couldn’t hide his face without putting more attention on himself, so he let his blush show. “I guess so.”

  “We need people like you to keep sanity in line.”

  Darren let out a light laugh.

  Her smile grew.

  The heat in his face burned through his skin.

  “Is your class over in the Jefferson Arts Center?” Darren asked.

  “Yep,” Audrey said. “Thank you for walking with me.”

  “No problem,” Darren said. “I could use the distraction.”

  “We should be talking about the paper.”

  Darren nodded.

  “I hope you’re not a procrastinator.”

  “Quite the opposite actually.”

  “Good,” Audrey said. She reached a hand to his arm, resting it on his bicep. “I’m sure we’ll work well together.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Why don’t we talk about the paper at lunch tomorrow?”

  “Lunch?”

  “I see you almost every day in the Union eating. We can talk while we eat.”

  “Okay, that sounds good.”

  “Good. We can decide what we want to do tomorrow.” Her hand disappeared. “Maybe pick a couple evenings to get together.”

  Darren blushed again. He felt like a thirteen year old talking to her. Rachel would be strangling him if she saw him now, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Sounds fine by me,” Darren said.

  The walkway to the door of the Jefferson Arts Center branched off from the sidewalk and Audrey veered off down the path with Darren beside her. He didn’t want to part from her already, but maybe it was best. He needed a day to repair his mental state after meeting Audrey today. Maybe after he tries to talk to Rachel again about their argument, he’ll get over some of the initial attraction to Audrey. Maybe the attraction is just some sort of reaction to the fight they had.

  Audrey stopped by the door, taking Darren’s hand and pulling him off the path and out of the way of the other students moving to and from the building.

  “Thank you again for walking with me,” Audrey said, looking up to Darren’s eyes, the smile on her face just as strong as always.

  Darren couldn’t pull his eyes off of hers. “No problem.”

  “You seem like a good person.”

  “You too.” It sounded lame after it came out.

  She squeezed his hand. Her skin was so soft, so delicate. “I’m sure we’ll have fun working together.”

  “I hope so.”

  Audrey’s smile lifted and she let go of Darren’s hand, moving it to the strap of her light backpack. “I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Audrey laughed and turned toward the door.

  Darren’s face burned as he watched the girl disappear into the building.

  “My God,” he mumbled to himself.

  Chapter 7

  Darren sat on one of the benches outside of the entrance to Rachel’s dorm, waiting for her to wander back from her last class of the day. Psychology he thought it was. She had tried to get him to take that class and sociology with him, but he only needed one of those two to fill the needed credits, so they settled on sociology on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

  Traffic picked up on both the walkways and streets as people tried to escape the campus for the day. There might be a couple more classes going on this late, but no student would stay that late for a class unless they were really dedicated to their education.

  The sound of an unmuffled car cruising down Washington Street caught Darren’s attention. He watched the rusted jalopy limber past the dorm, and turned back to look down the path between the dorms to see Rachel approaching. Her hair was tied back, allowing her puffy cheeks to glow in the sun. She wore a sweatshirt that hid her figure, but the tight jeans she had on left nothing to the imagination. Her face was looking down at the walkway in front of her, her mind visiting some other dimension while trying to direct her feet at the same time.

  Darren stood and walked to intercept her. She glanced up at him when he got closer, and her face didn’t show an ounce of change in emotion.

  “Hi,” Darren said.

  “Hello,” Rachel said, her voice carrying an edge of caution.

  “I wanted to apologize for earlier,” Darren said.

  “It’s okay,” Rachel said. She glanced over Darren’s shoulder toward the dorm and then looked back into his eyes.

  “We’re both still trying to adjust to life here,” Darren said. He reached out and put a hand on Rachel’s elbow. The spark he got from Audrey’s touch didn’t exist in any form when he touched his girlfriend. “We don’t have the time we used to even though we now live so much closer.”

  Rachel only nodded.

  “I’ll make more time available to spend with you, but this has to be a two way effort.”

  Rachel nodded again. “I know,” she said. “I haven’t given you the attention I should be either.”

  “It’s almost like we’re back to the beginning, having to schedule dates again instead of just spending every day together.”

  Rachel smiled. “Kind of is.”

  “Maybe we should plan on dinner and a movie or something Friday night.”

  Rachel sighed, her shoulders slouching as she let it out. “I already promised people I’d be at the party Friday night.”

  “You can’t skip it.”

  Rachel shook her head.

  Darren almost rolled his eyes, but caught himself. She said she’d help to find time, but refuses to skip one out of a hundred thousand parties she goes to.

  Just calm down, and move past it. Let her grow up a bit, that’s what she needs anyways. Life will be better if she figures out what is important herself, don’t force her to do anything. Not yet. Compromise for now.

  “How about dinner before your party?” Darren asked.

  “That would work.”

  “That’s still two days away.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Just homework, why?”

  “Jack works tonight.”

  A guilty smile appeared on Rachel’s face. “I think I see where this is going.”

  “Where’s that?”

  Rachel glanced around them at the other students, seeming to be checking who might be watching them, and then stepped closer to Darren. “Your bed.”

  Darren let his hands reach out to her hips. “It does get lonely having to sleep by myself night after night.”

  “I don’t know about sleeping there, but I’m sure I can keep you company for awhile at least.”

  “I guess that will have to do.”

  Rachel leaned forward and Darren met her halfway in a kiss.

  “What about your homework?” Darren asked.

  “It’ll just have to wait.” She kissed Darren again, grabbed his hand, and started to lead him toward his own dorm.

  Darren swung his hip and the card reader alongside the front door and Rachel slapped his butt as the door unlocked. “Feisty today?” Darren asked.

  “I have good reason to be,” Rachel said.

  Darren held the door open for her and followed Rachel inside and toward the stairwell, passing a line of students finding their way outside. “Why’s that?”

  “Because we haven’t had any private time together for awhile.�
��

  “It hasn’t been that long.”

  “It’s been too long.”

  Rachel led the way into the stairwell and held the door open for a gigantic redheaded girl before starting upwards.

  “I hate taking these stairs every day,” Darren said as they climbed.

  “Then find a room on a lower floor.”

  “I don’t mind living with Jack, he’s a cool guy.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather live with me?” Rachel asked with a seductive grin.

  “Alas, it isn’t an option here,” Darren said. “They don’t seem to like even having males and females on the same floor. I’m still surprised the buildings themselves aren’t gender specific.”

  “That’ll come some day.”

  “Full circle. Gender only schools will be on the horizon soon enough.”

  “Not with the liberals taking over.”

  “I think we’re starting to kill the mood.”

  Rachel stopped on the steps in front of Darren, spun around and lifted her shirt above her breasts, letting them fall free of her lace bra. Bright red lines from her bra wire crossed beneath her chest, hidden beneath her sagging skin.

  “I suppose that fixes the problem.” Darren looked down the stairs where a pair of voices was drifting up from. “But you should cover up before someone else sees you.”

  Rachel didn’t lower her shirt. Her pale nipples were beginning to harden. “Doesn’t this turn you on?”

  Darren glanced back down the stairs. “Yeah, but there’s people coming.”

  Rachel lowered her shirt and fought her bra back into position. “You’re no fun.”

  “I’m plenty of fun.”

  “You’re just embarrassed of how fat I am.”

  Darren snapped his head back as if struck in the face by an unseen blow. “What? That’s not it at all!”

  Rachel turned and started to climb the stairs. “Sure it is.”

  Darren spotted the heads of the people belonging to the voices appear over the railing, and then ran after Rachel. “It’s not like that.”