Chasing Ella (Love Ever After 1)

Instinctively, I reach for my necklace and finger the gold chain my father had given me. I still regret wearing it to the party.

“That does sound pretty stalkerish,” I say in a hushed tone.

How can I get the charm back without telling Finch that I am the girl?

“He’s determined to find her. It’s kind of cute, though. If Bash had done something like that and made a grand gesture to get me back, we would have been together for most of college. Instead, we spent two years apart, all because of a misunderstanding.”

“That is pretty cute,” I admit. “Finch doesn’t strike me as the type to do something like that for a girl.”

She shrugs. “I guess she hit a nerve with Finch. I have known him for almost as long as Bash, and I have never seen him this interested in a girl. He doesn’t even know her name. How bizarre?” Tori leans back, sinking into her chair further, and glances over at me. “I would like to see him find this girl, you know. Just to see something good happen to him for a change. Underneath all the muscles and sex appeal, is a lot more. Finch is a good guy. He’s sensitive. Finch is…different.”

I scoot closer to her in my chair and lean over. “How so?”

I’m dying to hear more about Finch. For years, I’ve had my eye on him but was too scared to interact. The party gave me the courage I’d needed to talk to my crush, and with only a few more months left of school, I didn’t have much to lose. Finch was worth the risk. If only I can find a way to get my father’s charm back. I have to find a way. I cannot let him keep it.

“Finch is just not like the other guys he hangs out with.” Tori tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and scans the room as if she’s afraid someone will overhear our conversation. “He’s close to his mom, like a total mama’s boy, and I think it’s adorable. Bash is close with his mom but nothing like Finch. He grew up without a dad, so Finch has always been the man of the house. The way he treats his mom is too cute for words. She comes to all his home games. You should come and see for yourself. They’re too fucking cute together. I just know from what I have seen that he will be the same way with this mystery girl. She’s one lucky girl.”

“You’re dating Bash. I’d say you’re pretty lucky, too.”

She smiles at the mention of her hot-as-hell boyfriend. “Yeah, he’s okay, I guess.” What starts as a chuckle quickly turns into full-blown laughter. “I’m kidding. Bash is amazing. But, seriously, I can’t wait to see what happens when Finch finds this girl. It will be nice to see him settled and happy for once.”

“You think he would settle down with her?”

She nods. “You bet your ass he would. He’s crazy about her.”

A beat passes between us as I consider Tori’s words.

Should I reveal myself to Finch? Would he accept me once he knows I’m not one of the cool kids?

I don’t care what he thinks of me, but I also don’t want to make a fool of myself and have everyone on campus point their fingers at me for the rest of the semester. I avoid unwanted attention whenever possible, even if my stepsisters are nothing but drama. They bring enough home, which is why I like to maintain my usual low profile while at school.

Here, I can blend in with the crowd and go about my day. I’m not Ella the Cook or Ella the Housekeeper while I’m here. I can just be Ella Fitzgerald, a normal twenty-one-year old girl who likes to read and tutor people in her spare time. I’m not the girl who dates guys like Shawn Finch or goes to frat parties in lavish gowns. Or am I? Maybe I’m becoming that girl, and if I allow Finch into my life, I will be that girl. But I’m not so sure I am ready to become what he needs.

“Whoever she is, she’s lucky.”

Tori bobs her head in agreement. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing much. Probably just homework and studying.”

I hold back the part where Clarissa will have her usual form of weekend punishment awaiting me. She loves to watch me squirm while her daughters go out to frat parties and have sex with anything that will breathe in their direction.

“All work and no play,” Tori says, teasing me. “You need a night out. Would you want to come with Jessica and me this weekend to Bash’s first playoff game?”

A sickness rises from the back of my throat. It’s not just Bash’s game. Finch will be there. I wouldn’t mind seeing what Tori is talking about when it comes to Finch being a mama’s boy. I’d love to see that side of him.

How can I pass up this opportunity?

“Sure. Count me in.”

Tori returns my smile as our professor takes his place behind the podium and taps on the microphone, cutting off our conversation.

The tutoring center is in the back of the library, tucked far away from the rest of the students who are studying at tables when I walk into the building. With its high ceilings and gothic architecture, it’s easy to get lost inside and find hiding places.

When I’m not tutoring failing athletes, I like to sneak up to the third floor and sit at the table by the window. Hardly anyone ever ventures into that part of the stacks, the space hidden by nothing but reference books and tables of old microfiche machines. No one knows I come here when I want to be alone with my thoughts. It’s peaceful, relaxing.

With an exaggerated sigh, I check the time on my cell phone, slip a bookmark inside the vintage copy of The Great Gatsby I borrowed from the library, and stuff the book into my bag. I have a few minutes before my shift begins. My boss doesn’t take kindly to us showing up late for appointments.

For the last few months, I’ve been passed around between the guys on the hockey, football, and basketball teams, depending on who was failing at the time. I’m supposed to get a new student to tutor today. I keep my fingers crossed that it’s not Dean Crawford, the hotshot star of our hockey team because he’s a jerk to the max and makes weird, sexual comments every time he speaks.