#Hater (Hashtag #2) (4 page)

“Thanks,” I said, forcing myself not to shrink into his side. Romeo didn’t need a girlfriend who ran from his life. He needed someone to embrace it just the way he’d embraced mine.

I gave the girl a rueful smile and said, “Trying to find a coat in Florida is next to impossible.”

Her eyes widened a little when I gave more than a one-word response. But she recovered and smiled. “You’re from Florida?”

I nodded.

She sighed. “So lucky. I’d love to live by the beach.”

“Maybe someday,” I said because I had no idea what else to say. This was the longest conversation I’d ever had with one of Romeo’s friends. Besides Braeden of course.

As if I conjured him into being, Braeden materialized nearby and shouted, “Rome! Where you been hiding?”

The crowd parted slightly to make room for Romeo’s best friend, and he grinned when he saw me standing there. “Ah,” he said, “tutor girl is back.”

I sighed dramatically. Was he ever going to stop calling me that?

Braeden pushed into the center of the small crowd and put his arm around me, and Romeo let go of my hand as Braden tugged me into his side. “He’s been unbearable while you were gone,” he said. I was aware of everyone watching the easy affection he showed me. It made me slightly uncomfortable, even if I did enjoy it.

“I doubt it,” I said, poking him in the ribs. “You were probably just annoying.”

People around us laughed, and Braeden hooted. “Rome, I need to borrow your girl. She knows all about books and I can’t seem to find the one I need.”

He shoved his wrinkled paper beneath my nose and steered me out of the crowd so I would help him.

I found the book in like three seconds and handed it to him with an
are you for real?
look on my face.

“Looked like it was getting a little crowded over there,” he said, taking the book. His eyes held a knowing look.

He’d done that on purpose. He knew almost as well as Romeo how uncomfortable I could get.

“Thanks,” I said, and I meant it.

“Anytime, tutor girl.”

“I do have a name, you know?” I said.

“I know.” He grinned. It was the only answer I got. He definitely didn’t say he was going to start using it. “So is Missy back from break yet?”

I glanced at him. “You haven’t talked to her?”

He shrugged. “Why would I?”

Because they were sleeping together… At least they had been before we all left. “Ummm,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. It seemed I probably shouldn’t have to point out something like that to him.

Braeden chuckled and threw his arm across my shoulders and yanked me forward. His abrupt movements caused me to lose my balance and I fell against him. His chuckle turned into a laugh as he steadied me.

I straightened and then pushed at my glasses. “I think she comes back tomorrow.”

“Cool.”

I frowned. “You really haven’t talked to her?”

“Nope.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. I wondered what Missy thought about that.

“So you two really aren’t dating?” I pressed.

Braeden sighed and looped his arm across my shoulders again and steered me toward a stack of books. “So innocent,” he mused. “Tutor girl, as your man’s best friend and your self-appointed big brother, I feel like it’s time I teach you about the real world.”

“You’re my self-appointed big brother?” I asked, looking up at him.

He nodded like it was obvious. “You and Rome… you’re an exception to the rule. You two are the real deal, but most guys, guys like me, aren’t looking to settle down. They like—”

“To have fun?” I finished for him, slightly amused.

“Exactly.”

“But what about the girls?” I asked.

He gave me a clueless look. I sighed. “Maybe it’s me who needs to teach you,
brother
.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“Guys might want to have fun,” I said, using his words, “but girls have a harder time keeping their feelings from getting involved.”

“Relax, tutor girl,” Braeden said. “I know how to handle things.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but I hoped it meant Missy wouldn’t get hurt.

Romeo appeared in front of us, crossed his arms over his wide chest, and stared at me and Braeden. Braeden didn’t seem to mind the death glare he was receiving. “You’re looking awful cozy over here with my girl.”

“I was just schooling our girl here on the ways of the world,” Braeden replied smoothly.

“
Our
girl?” Romeo repeated.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist.” Braeden grinned.

I interrupted their macho talk with some talk of my own. “He was asking about Missy.”

Romeo grinned.

Braeden dropped his arm from around me and gave me a look of betrayal. “What happened to brother-sister confidentiality?”

I laughed.

“Dude, there’s a hot girl in line over there,” Romeo said, motioning with his chin. “Go get in line behind her.”

Braeden turned and a slow smile spread across his stubbled jaw. “Day-um,” he said. “Good looking out, Rome.” He held up his fist and Romeo pounded his against it.

“Tutor girl,” Braeden said, and then he was gone. I watched him slip smoothly into the line right behind the girl Romeo just declared hot.

She was the total opposite of me. She looked like some ski bunny who spent all her time lounging by the fire at some exclusive ski lodge. She was dressed in a pair of skintight black leggings, tall white boots, a hot-pink long-sleeved top, and a white vest zipped up over her ample chest. Her ultra-blond hair was pulled up and she had a pair of large black sunglasses on her head.

The only thing that gave away the fact she wasn’t on skiing holiday was her arms were full of books and we were all standing in a bookstore.

Braeden said something to her and she turned. I knew by the way her body leaned in toward his that she was interested.

It left a sick feeling in my stomach.

“Hey,” Romeo said from beside me.

I pulled my gaze away from Braeden and focused on the list in my hand. “I think the first book I need is right over here,” I said and started off in its direction.

Romeo caught me around the elbow and gently pulled me around. “What’s wrong?”

“You used to be just like him,” I blurted out. Then I slammed my lips together, cursing myself for not thinking before I spoke.

Romeo’s brows drew together. “Braeden?”

I nodded. “You liked to have fun. You hit on a different girl every day…” I paused and took a breath. “Pretty girls.”

Something very close to anger lit up his eyes and burned there like the hottest part of a flame. Before I could backpedal, his large hands slid beneath my arms and hooked beneath my shoulders. Romeo lifted me off the ground like it was easy, like it didn’t even take effort. My feet dangled in the air as he drew me up so we were eye to eye.

“A thousand of those girls”—he made a slight motion with his head toward Braeden—“couldn’t even make up one of you.”

“Romeo,” I whispered, caught up in the molten blue flame flickering in his gaze.

“You know I was like that once. I’ve never made a secret of it. But you’re it for me now, Rim. There’s no one else. There never could be.”

Even though he spoke softly, I still felt the room around us listening. My neck still prickled with a thousand stares, but I didn’t care. His words pierced me. They took the feelings of doubt creeping up inside me and totally vanquished them.

I smiled and something in his eyes relaxed. Worry I hadn’t seen until that moment disappeared. He gave me one of his oh so charming lopsided smiles and pulled me closer to kiss me.

It was a fast kiss, but it was more than effective.

Once I was back on my feet, reality began to intrude and I noted just how much of an audience we acquired.

I started to duck my head, but Romeo plucked the list out of my hand and tugged me along toward the nearest section. And just like that, everything seemed to start back up. Everyone began to move again; the room came alive.

My lips were tingling as I reached out for one of the textbooks I needed and began shuffling through the pile, looking for a used one (they cost so much less). Romeo reached around me, helping me look.

A few seconds later, he pulled back, his body stiff.

“Did you find one?” I asked, turning around.

His hands were empty and tension radiated off his body.

“Romeo?” I said, pressing a hand to the small of his back. His muscles reacted, tensing immediately.

I peered around him, wondering what could be causing such a reaction.

I should have known.

It wasn’t a
what
, but a
who
.

Zach.

And judging from the half snarl on his lips and the calculating glint in his eyes, I knew he hadn’t come for books like the rest of us.

No, he was here for a piece of Romeo.

Romeo

Fucking Zach.

If there were an award for asshole of the year, he’d be the reigning champ.

He was so eaten up by his father’s reputation, his father’s money, and everything he thought he was that he never stopped to consider the truth.

He was just a loser with a credit card.

Maybe in the past I never realized that. Hell, maybe I’d been the kind of guy who thought money equaled class. Maybe I thought the air of arrogance Zach wore as armor made him superior to others.

And then I fell in love with a girl who was the epitome of the opposite of my world.

She shattered everything I thought I knew. And though she might be the one wearing glasses, it was me who was finally seeing clearly.

Our eyes locked from across the bookstore. His lips were curved like he had something nasty to say, and I partially wanted him to. I’d love an excuse to wipe that look off his face.

The familiar sound of phones beeping was partially distracting, but neither of us looked away. It was like we were locked in a contest of wills to see who would back down first.

Rimmel’s small hand slid into mine, her fingers curling against my palm as her thumb curved around and tugged. I still didn’t look away from Zach.

“Romeo.” Her voice was low and she tugged at my hand again.

Zach’s eyes slid to where she was beside me, and a smile split his face. My upper lip curled in response, and I swiftly turned, putting my back to him and blocking Rimmel from sight.

She held up her phone with a sigh. It was a Buzz about me and Zach. I glanced around and people averted their gazes. I couldn’t help but wonder who went running to the BuzzBoss about my staring contest.

People needed to get a life.

“You ever wonder who the BuzzBoss is?” Rimmel asked.

“Nope,” I replied truthfully. “I couldn’t care less.”

She pocketed her phone. “Well, they sure care about you.”

“Let’s get your books.” I wanted to turn back to where Zach had been, but I resisted the urge. I wasn’t going to start anything with him here, now. Not when Rimmel was at my side. I didn’t like the way he looked at her, like he was a predator and she was prey.

I swear she needed like fifty pounds worth of books. It seemed like every pile we passed she had to add another to her stack. “Damn, if I’d known you needed this much, I could’ve skipped training this morning,” I quipped.

She snorted and turned to say something with a smile on her lips. But the words seemed to catch in her throat and her eyes went over my shoulder, then back to me again.

“Still together, I see," Zach said from behind me.

I drew myself up to my full height and turned fully, angling my body so it completely blocked Rimmel from view. Even though I paid him back for what he did to her in the haunted house, I wasn’t going to forget it. I didn’t want him anywhere near her.

Behind me, Rimmel tried to peek around my side, and I planted my feet more firmly to the ground and shifted to block her.

Her cute little huff of frustration only made me more determined to keep her out of sight, to keep her protected.

Zach had dark hair that stuck up in the front and was cropped close to his head around his ears and neck. It was a pretty-boy haircut he probably spent thirty minutes on every morning. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a navy-blue pea coat with too many damn buttons. What the fuck did a guy need so many buttons for? Unless he was overcompensating for other areas in which he was lacking.

The thought made me grin.

“You can stand in front of her all day long, Anderson. But I still know she’s there,” Zach said, giving me a smirk.

A few whispers went through the store as everyone in the place listened attentively to our exchange. Ever since Zach got dethroned from his presidency of Omega and word got around I was involved, rumors flew around campus faster than the blustery winter wind.

I didn’t give two shits about the rumors, though. I continued like I always had. I smiled, I joked, and I played football. If anyone thought my involvement was shady, they never said it to my face or within earshot of any of my friends.

Hell, as far as I was concerned, it was a new semester. Everything that happened with Omega was in the past, old news. I had no interest in dragging it all up again.

Clearly, Zach had other ideas.

“What the hell do you want, Bettinger?” I asked, already bored of him.

“I wanted to let you know I haven’t forgotten about what you did.”

“What I did?” I kept my voice even, almost conversational. I lifted my eyebrows. “And what was that?”

He stepped closer, a snarl marring his pretty-boy features. “Payback’s a bitch,” he said low.

“Is that a threat?” All the muscles in my body tightened. My eyes narrowed on his face.

Braeden appeared beside me, planting his feet into the floor and mirroring my position. His arms folded across his chest as he glared at Zach. But he spoke to me. “What’s going on, Rome? Trouble in the neighborhood?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” I stared directly into Zach’s eyes when I replied.

“I don’t make threats,” Zach replied, looking back at me. “I make promises.”

I couldn’t help it. I grinned. “What the fuck is this?” I asked. “Some cheesy after school movie?”

A couple snickers floated through the store around us, and Zach stiffened.

“Get the hell out of here, man,” Braeden said. “Before you embarrass yourself more.”

After another long, charged stare from Zach, he turned. “See ya later, Rimmel,” Zach called, making the muscles between my shoulder blades squeeze together.

Braeden put a hand in the center of my chest like he knew I was seconds away from grabbing that bastard by the scruff of his neck and face-planting him into the closest hard surface.

“Forget him,” Braeden said low.

I grunted and turned back to Rimmel. She gave me and then Braeden a withering look. “What the hell was that all about?”

Braeden whistled under his breath. “Tutor girl gets pissy.”

Rimmel narrowed her eyes.

Braeden spoke quickly. “Gotta jet. Hot girl is holding my place in line.” He slapped me on the shoulder and left.

“Coward,” I muttered after him, and he laughed.

I put my arm around Rimmel’s shoulders and directed her toward the next stack of books she needed. “He’s just pissed off he’s not Omega president anymore.”

“He seems to think you’re the reason,” she said low.

I didn’t tell Rimmel my part in having Zach arrested, which resulted in him losing presidency. She hadn’t needed to know all that. I wanted her to have plausible deniability. She’d been through enough on account of me, and I wasn’t about to put her through more. Besides, no one needed to know except the couple people involved in helping set him up, and I knew they weren’t going to talk. They didn’t want to risk Zach’s wrath.

Especially since they were still in the same frat house.

Turns out his little “theft” from the dean was enough to get him a night in jail and the loss of the top spot at Omega, but it wasn’t enough to get him completely booted out the door. It should have been, but Zach wasn’t without connections. His dad pulled some strings, called in some favors, and he was still in the brotherhood.

I wondered how it was for him there since he got knocked down a peg or two.

“Romeo,” Rimmel said when I didn’t answer right away.

I looked down at her and smiled. “Haters gonna hate.”

Her hand slid between my shirt and jacket and she poked me in the ribs. “That’s not an answer.”

I covered her lips with mine and explored the inside of her mouth with my tongue. Then I drew back slightly and spoke against her lips. “I’m starving. Let’s get your books and get out of here.” I pulled farther back to look into her eyes. Today there were green flecks in their depths. “I’ll take you to lunch.”

“What about the snow?” she asked.

I shrugged. “We’ll get takeout on the way to my place, then.”

If she thought anything more about Zach, it never showed.

‘Course, that didn’t make me feel any better because he was in the back of my mind and so was the dark way he stared at me when he promised payback.

I no longer felt like I was going to be able to leave last semester where it belonged, in the past.

If today were any indication, Zach was dragging along all of our old baggage into the present.