The Freshman (College Years 1)

“She’s not interested,” Tony tells Jackson, though that doesn’t seem to deter him.

“Hey, don’t speak for me,” I accuse Tony, before I turn a smile on Jackson. “I might be interested.”

Tony scowls. Jackson preens like he won a prize.

I just laugh. Boys. They’re so silly.

They all start jostling for my attention after that. The guy who ran after the girl comes jogging back, introducing himself to me as Caleb with a wink and a knowing smile. Such a flirt. There’s also an Eli and a Diego and Jackson, of course, plus a couple of other guys whose names I didn’t catch. They’re talking over each other, giving Tony endless shit, all of them sending questioning looks my way, but Tony doesn’t say a thing. He doesn’t really react either. He’s as cool and as quiet as can be, while I’m still quietly freaking out, but for a different reason.

Being with these guys is…overwhelming. The entire situation is. There is more to Tony than I actually realized. Like the fact that he plays D1 football. And that his quiet confidence is actually really attractive, despite his only being eighteen years old.

He doesn’t act eighteen. He seems so much older than his friends, who are all trying to gain my attention for a variety of reasons, each of them making me laugh and shake my head. They remind me of overeager puppies. Cute and rambunctious and always eager to please.

I’m not one to chase after jocks, but I could see wanting to insert myself into this group and hang out with them. As friends only, though. I’m not interested in any of them, despite their handsome faces and well-toned bodies and obvious confidence.

Tony intrigues me, but I can’t. It just…

It wouldn’t work. I’d fall for him hard and he’d disappoint me. Break my heart.

Eventually, they all do.

“I should go,” I say after a few minutes of small talk. “It was nice meeting you all.”

“Nice meeting you too, Tony’s friend,” one of them says, making all of them laugh.

Except Tony.

“See ya around.” My gaze meets Tony’s and he inclines his head toward me, a sort of silent goodbye I guess, and before I can say something stupid like, “call me!” I turn and walk away.

But he doesn’t let me go. Nope, I can sense Tony following after me, catching up with me with ease, thanks to his long stride. “I feel like an idiot,” I tell him when he’s walking beside me.

“Why?”

“For not realizing your age.”

“Again, is it really that big of a deal? Friends can be friends, no matter what age,” he says, his expression one of pure innocence.

I come to a complete stop. So does he. People walk past us, irritated since we’re standing in the middle of the sidewalk that leads to the south parking lot, but I sort of don’t care.

“You know we’re probably going to end up as more than friends,” I say, because fuck it.

It’s probably true.

He runs his hand along his jaw, contemplating me with those dark, dark eyes. “I thought you said that would mess everything up between us.”

“I’m not wrong and you know it. If we fall into some sort of relationship, it’s going to eventually ruin everything.”

“We don’t have much to ruin,” he points out. “We’ve only just met.”

I tilt my head to the side. “True.”

“So how can we ruin something that isn’t much of anything?” he asks.

I blink at him, trying to process what he said. “You’re talking in circles.”

“No, you are,” he throws back at me. “Instead of trying to dictate how this is going to play out between us, why not just…let it be.”

“Did you just call me a dictator?” My voice rises. I sound borderline shrill, and it reminds me of how my mother used to yell at my dad when they were still together.