The Freshman (College Years 1)

Tony hits him in the chest, and he shuts up.

A sigh escapes Gracie when her gaze returns to mine. “If this doesn’t go the way he expects, Robin is going to be in the worst mood ever.”

“Have you witnessed his bad moods before?” I ask.

She nods. “He’s very moody.”

I glance over at Tony, who winks at me. On anyone else, I would think it’s a cheesy move. With Tony, I can’t ignore the little shiver that streaks through me. That wink is full of promise. That smile curving his lips? Also full of promise. He appears completely unruffled, even after his friend made a public spectacle of himself, and Gracie tried to start a fight. Even after tons of teenaged girls screamed their heads off for their friend and they had no clue said friend was even doing this, he’s as cool as a freakin’ cucumber.

I always thought that saying was stupid. Now I think it’s pretty apt.

“It’s going to be fine.” I rise up on my tiptoes and hook my arm around Gracie’s shoulders, giving her a squeeze. She’s taller than me and this position is uncomfortable, so I let her go. “He’s going to put on a great show and that record exec is going to scoop them up. Next thing we know, we’ll be watching their music video on YouTube and they’ll make millions touring the world.”

I am talking big, huge dreams right here, but it’s exactly what Gracie needs to hear. The tension visibly leaves her shoulders and she nods, the smile growing on her face.

“Hell yeah! And I’ll get to say I knew him back when they were nothing,” she adds.

“Exactly.”

Within minutes, the band comes out on stage and starts tuning their instruments. Some of the girls yell their enthusiasm, but it’s low decibel compared to the pitched screams from earlier.

Hmm.

Tony snags my hand and pulls me close, ducking so he can whisper in my ear. “Tell me the truth. Do they suck?”

I pull away, so I can look into his eyes. I shake my head while saying, “Yes.”

His dark brows draw together. “Yes, they suck, or no they don’t?”

I tug on his hand so now I’m the one whispering in his ear. “They’re awful.”

“Really?” Our faces are so close, our cheeks are touching. “They’re that bad?”

“Terrible. Caleb is going to have the time of his life, screaming at them,” I say solemnly.

“Want me to talk to him? Tell him to keep it down?”

He is truly the sweetest. If I was smart, I would make him my boyfriend as fast as humanly possible. But the idea of having an actual boyfriend still makes me a little nervous. “Please. Gracie’s a nervous wreck. And I don’t want her to get arrested for murder. That’ll ruin our evening.”

Tony smiles. “He only does it to antagonize her.”

“Thank God you’re not like that.”

“Why would I want to antagonize my friend?” He smiles, obviously teasing me.

I kiss him, because he’s so close. “Right. And all the friend talk isn’t supposed to annoy me.”

“Does it? You’re the one who originally wanted to keep it friendly,” he reminds me.

I pull him in closer and really kiss him. With tongue and everything, right here in the middle of the crowd. He responds quickly, wrapping his arms around me so our lower bodies are nestled close together, our mouths still fused, our tongues tangling. I’d much rather do this than watch Robin and the rest of Bat’s Cave perform.

“Get a room,” Caleb says, his voice so close, I pull away from Tony to find him standing right beside us. Like he could lean in and kiss us too.

Tony shoves a hand in Caleb’s face, pushing him away. “Get the fuck out of here.”

Caleb laughs. “I’d try and make a move on someone, but I’m afraid they’re all underage in here.”

“I’m not,” Gracie says.