Chapter four

“Just stand there and look pretty,” she mutters under her breath.

My lips twitch at her words because he is definitely pretty.

Lexie gives me a little wink as if she can read my mind. “Don’t let his good looks fool you, he’s smart, too.”

Of course he is.

Because gorgeous and smart are exactly the kind of guys Lexie attracts. While I, on the other hand, had the sad misfortune to fall for a hot athletic jerk who assured me he was going to remain faithful to his study-abroad-girlfriend when in actuality, he started hooking up with other girls as soon as above-mentioned-girlfriend was out of the country.

I’ve had the last fourteen and a half months to get over Finn McKenzie. And I have. I am totally over him. Unfortunately he’s been calling and texting almost relentlessly for the last week, which means he’s been occupying my thoughts way more than I’d like.

Perhaps I should say he’s been trying to call and text. Because I haven’t bothered to pick up his calls or respond to his rather lengthy and apologetic text messages. I mean, can you seriously believe that? The guy has some nerve reaching out to me after what he did. Is he really so delusional as to think we’re just going to pick up where we left off now that I’m back at Barnett?

Apparently he is.

We’d been together for about six months before I left for Europe. And yes, I knew having a long distance relationship would be difficult but I was still willing to give it a shot. I’d really grown to like Finn. I literally hadn’t been gone more than two weeks when Lexie Skyped me about what Finn had been busy doing… which had been, in case you’re wondering, other girls.

And that, my friends, had been the end of that.

Lexie’s advice was to forget about my cheating asshole of an ex by hooking up with a bunch of hot French guys.

I hooked up with two semi-hot French dudes and buried myself in dance which was the reason I’d been accepted to study at the Conservatoire de Paris in the first place. After a few months, my heartache lessened. I stopped thinking about Finn, my dad, his new wife, their kids and I just concentrated on soaking up everything I possibly could.

It took some time to adjust but after about two months, I found myself with an amazing new life in a city renowned for its art and culture. There was no way I was going to allow anything to ruin this once in a lifetime opportunity. After about ten months, I stopped thinking about Lexie and coming back to Barnett University and started wondering if maybe I could live here for the rest of my life.

Or, at the very least, the next few years.

When I mentioned this possibility to my dad, he made it perfectly clear that he would not be footing the bill for a life in Paris and said, in no uncertain terms, he wanted me back at Barnett come August. Undeterred by his directive, or perhaps because of it, I’d searched for enough scholarship and grant money to pay for me to continue studying in Paris. Needless to say, I hadn’t been able to pull it off which is exactly why I was back at Barnett for my junior year.

“So, do you like it?”

My eyes swing back to Lexie who is standing there with all this hopeful expectation lighting up her eyes. A tiny smile tugs at the corners of my lips because it really is good to see her after all this time apart. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

Looking very much like the best friend I left behind fifteen months ago, a huge grin spills across her beautiful face right before she hurtles herself at me for a third time.

Hang onto your panties ladies, because Roan King is kicking off the first day of the fall semester by stripping off his shirt... and yeah, it's definitely a majestic sight to behold. Is it possible that he’s even more ripped and gorgeous than last year? Someone hand me a napkin, I'm starting to drool over here... KingOfCampus.com

How could I have forgotten that jet lag is a total bitch?

It should really be called ass lag or maybe even ass drag would be a more accurate description because my ass is literally dragging on the ground and it's only nine fifty in the morning. I have a whole freaking day stretched out ahead of me.

Oh god… that thought makes me want to weep.

I just want to lie down right here in the middle of campus and cry.

And no amount of highly caffeinated beverages seems to be helping with that affliction either. Because I've been steadily pouring them down my throat since I pried open my blurry eyes this morning. My fingers are tightly wrapped around drink number three as we speak.

I hate to say it, but it already feels like I’m off to a crappy start. Here it is the first day of classes and I'm practically running clear cross campus because I’m late. Why exactly did I think packing up my entire life in France and traveling home the day before fall semester started was such a brilliant idea?