My body protested as a loud noise pulled me from my sleep. It was Saturday, and nothing stops me from sleeping in on the Saturdays that we don't have practice. I turned my head to get comfortable again and quickly fell back asleep.
It felt like it was only a moment later that I was forced awake once more. The sound of Brick, our team's fullback and fraternity house president, yelling through the bullhorn pulled a groan of irritation from me. It was a stupid tradition that the house had after big parties, but it was one that I used to be entertained by… if they could wake me up in time to watch. At the moment, it just feels stupid that I was ever a part of it.
Girls shouldn't have to go through the hazing that they were put through just because they had sex. There was nothing wrong with it. I was elated when there was no movement from the bed next to me as Brick proceeded to announce the famous Kappa walk of shame. It made me happy that my mystery bandit was not getti
You don't know true boredom until you've sat through Professor Nelson's bi-weekly lectures on The Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. Two hours of furiously typing notes as he blabbered on always put me in a bad mood, but if I wanted to graduate, I would have to take the class sooner or later. I wished it would be much later… or never, but that wasn't an option according to my academic advisor. As he droned on in his nasally and whiney voice, my keystrokes got more forceful until I was practically stabbing through the plastic of my laptop. My eyes dropped to the bottom right corner of my screen every few sentences to check the time as the end of class approached at a snail's pace. When Professor Nelson finally dismissed us, I shoved my laptop in its case as I stood, eager to get out of the building as soon as possible and beat the rush to the local coffee shop on campus, FIX. Whoever chose to name it that may have thought that they were clever, but it truly was a stupid name. It opene
It was a long week of avoiding the hunt. Luckily for me, I had mastered hiding my tattoos under makeup from when I had job interviews back in high school. Granted, it was annoying as hell that I had to do it every day, and I continuously complained when I had to touch it up a few times in between lectures. I had made it a point once they were covered to wear a short-sleeve shirt, despite the cold weather just so no one would stop me to have me pull up my sleeves. I'm pretty sure they could get in trouble for harassment if anyone turned them into the school, but everyone seemed to find it hilarious and willingly showed their arms when asked. I even heard a few people wish the team good luck in finding me as they walked through the makeshift checkpoints. They were efficient. I would give them that. They had been outside the business lecture hall a few times throughout the week, and I even caught them outside of the dining hall at one point. Just like today, I w
"You know that you look ridiculous, right?" Chloe said as she walked beside me across the quad. I glared over at her from under my sunglasses as she tucked her hair behind her ear. My eyes rolled over her outfit, and I internally grumbled at her long sleeve blue top, standard carpi pants, and white vans. If she had listened to me when we were getting dressed, I wouldn't look so ridiculous. My hair was tucked under my black hoodie, and I wore the same dark pair of skinny jeans that I did at the party. "The whole point of this was to be incognito." I huff at her as she let out a laugh. "So, instead of dressing normal so that we don't stand out, you decided to dress like you were going to rob a liquor store? At least loosen the string on your hood, so it isn't so tight around your face. Be cool, woman." I swatted her hands away when she reached over to untie the string and adjusted it myself. "The last thing we need is for someone to see me going to the locker r
"Is that a threat?" My feet pulled me forward and around Chloe as I got closer the Teresa. "Oh goodness, no! I just wanted to let you know that your secret is safe with me." The way her eyes widened in feigned innocence was offset by the malicious emphasis in her statement. As if I would ever trust a secret to be safe with her. "Look, we are in a hurry, but I appreciate you checking on me. I am fine, clean, and healthy." I snapped before I turned and began to walk away again. Nothing sounded better than to get as far away from her as possible. Chloe stayed back a moment more, but I didn't listen to what she said to Teresa as I stormed off in my blind rage. Slight panting reached my ears as Chloe jogged to catch up to me. "Okay. I'll give it to you. She can be a bit rude at times, but she is a good person when she wants to be." She defended, and I planted my feet and turned to face her with the quickness of a possessed Chuckie doll. "
I ducked my head in anger as my pass fell short. A glance at Coach, with his face red and the clipboard ready to snap in his hands, I could see just how angry he was with me. When Diana and I broke things off, I couldn't throw to save my life, but that had changed after I met her, my mystery girl. It was like I wanted to impress her, and had been playing better than ever - until today. I could feel something hanging over me like a dark cloud, and I knew something bad was going to happen. "Briggs! Get your ass over here!" Coach yelled, and I recoiled slightly at the animosity in his tone. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of his anger, but there was no evading it now. Jones ran by me and slapped his hand down on my shoulder pad in encouragement before he continued down the field. I glanced up as a drop of sweat dripped off of my eyebrow, and I pulled my helmet off. Coach Anthony jogged back onto the field, and I watched with curiosity as he lea
Caleb, I can't tell you how perfect that night with you was. I'm sorry for all the trouble that you have gone through to find me, but I need you to stop. Please. You will one day make a girl very happy, but I don't think that girl could be me. I want you to step out of the path your parents set out for you, and if certain people found out about me (about us), that would never happen for you. You, of all people, should know the truth already, but some pretty shitty things are being said about me. So, I want to clarify a few of them for your peace of mind... and my amusement. Here I go, starting with my least favorite rumor to the absolute best one: 1. I've heard you may have an STD and were trying to track me down to either tell me that I have one too or to sue me for giving you one. From what I know about you, you don't seem like the kind of guy that would be so public about something like this
That night, I sat at the back of the bleachers as our school dominated the field. I rose to my feet with the other spectators as our team took the ball into the end zone. A noise of "Oh" left my mouth with the crowd each time one of the opponents took down one of our men. In all reality though, I couldn't tell you what was going on in the game. My eyes were locked on number 17 as he played the game like it was as easy as breathing. The stands were filled with red and black in school spirit. Holden University was a large campus, and we were all bound together like a large family ready to take on an intruder at a moment's notice. Our mascot, a cartoon-like demon, was wildly protested by the churches that surrounded the campus as well as quite a few parents. They would never take us down though. We were unstoppable, and the harder that they protested our mascot, the stronger we grew as an impenetrable united front. Every now and then, my eyes would drift from th
My lecture went by quickly, too quickly. Much to my neighbor's dismay, my leg shook the entire time and was partnered with the clicking of my pen. As everyone gathered their belongings, I sat stiffly in my seat. It wasn't until students started coming in for the next lecture, that I made my way from the hall. If anything should be called the walk of shame, it should be this. Having sex is not a shameful act. Leaving the next morning after a satisfying night of sex is not a shameful act. However, walking to my dad's office to get yelled at and judged for my latest one-night stand; I could practically feel the shame radiating off of me with every step I took. My lower lip sat pinched tightly between my teeth as I got closer to my destination. The further from the main campus I got, the emptier the halls were until it was just me and the chilled winter air to keep me company. The feeling of my heart as it thumped in my chest made breathing quicken as I k
Hello, my beautiful readers! I hope you that enjoyed reading Violet and Caleb's story as much as I loved writing it! I always read stories where the main characters jump right in to a relationship, but haven't read many about the journey leading up to it. That is what I wanted to create. A book where my readers feel the emotions with the characters as they develop. I've also heard a lot of feedback that epilogues should only include marriage, pregnancy/ child birth, or a proposal. I wanted a story that broke the norm. I wanted to create a story that was about the creation of a relationship with a look into their future without it being a stereotypical epilogue, so I gave bonus chapters instead. I hope you enjoyed. Your feedback and comments mean the world to me. So, please leave the book a review or comment to let me know what you thought! Plus, don't forget to Vote! I appreciate you all! Love, Ashley Breanne
It was like a dream. There he stood, in a pair of jeans with a black button-up shirt tucked in, holding a bouquet of roses. I'm not sure when I started running. All I know is that I did. My suitcase fell to the ground as I dropped the handle a few feet in front of him before launching myself into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist. I wasted no time in pressing my lips to his eagerly as his arms wrapped around my body to hold me close. The plastic that was wrapped around the bouquet crinkled behind me as he kissed me back just as passionately. His black hair was just as soft as I remembered, if not softer, and I laced my fingers through it as his tongue met mine in a heated kiss. "Damn." I heard Stephanie say to my right, and I pulled away with a blush only for Caleb to lean in and peck me twice more. "Hi, baby." He whispered against my lips, and my toes curled in my shoes. "I've missed you." "Why don't you greet me like that?" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask. Looking
I couldn't help the smile spread across my face as I met the bright blue eyes peeping through the crack of the seats in front of me for the hundredth time. There was something about him that was pulling me in. Maybe it was the flush in his cheeks or the head of blonde hair peeking out from beneath his beanie, but he kept drawing me back to him. I couldn't help it. He was cute. Moving back next to the window, I broke our eye contact only to pop back over into his line of sight once more, leaning onto the armrest of the empty seat next to me. An excited burst of giggles left his parted lips as his arms flailed about. No one seemed to mind me playing peek-a-boo with him for the past twenty minutes. Even the person sitting in my row on the aisle seat was content with it. It seemed that everyone in the cabin agreed the beautiful sound of the infant's laughter was better than the screaming that had started only an hour into the flight. Based on the sighs of relief that were let out into
It didn't take us long to get to the Alpha Kappa house, where I sat at his desk eating the burger and fries I had him order me in exchange for my help on his homework, watching ESPN on his TV. Tyler lay stretched out across his bed, staring at his laptop with relief as he submitted the assignment.As of last year, he was officially an upperclassman and was given the option to have an individual room instead of having to share. My jealousy oozed out of every pore when I showed up at his room after finding out that I was stuck with Teresa. It was the only time in my life that I regretted not joining a Sorority. Even then, that terrible thought only lasted for a second. They are way too social for me.The TV had just been background noise while we worked, but it quickly caught my attention as I grabbed a fry and stuffed it in my mouth."You would not believe the talent this kid has. He is definitely going to make a name for himself. 23-year-old Caleb Briggs, pi
It didn't take long for Teresa to realize that I was not going to let her walk over me.To be honest, she wasn't that bad as a roommate, but that was mainly because she was never in the room. When she was, she was asleep in her bed and stayed out of my way.Not that she was happy about it. She threw a fit when I made her move my stuff back to where she found it and explained to her, like an adult talking to a toddler, that she couldn't take my bed just because she wanted it.I was there first. I had dibs."Please, tell me that you have your ticket booked." Caleb's voice was distorted through my headphones as I sat in the quad under one of the trees lining the area. The same tree where we had sat together almost two years ago as we agreed to be friends. Even with his face pink and his hair wet from his after-practice shower, I couldn't help but think to myself that he was still the sexiest thing I had ever seen.And he is mine.
One and a Half Years LaterI leaned my head against his chest as his warm arms wrapped around me. It felt different.He felt different.Training camp was both good for him and hard on him. His body had new aches and pains, but everything about him was bigger and more defined than before. He moved faster, his footwork was impeccable, and everyone was impressed by him.I kept myself busy with my summer job waitressing, trying not to obsess over when he was going to call me or if he would even be able to each day. Yet, he never let me down. If he couldn't call me, he would text me instead. Since my phone was glued to my hand like a preteen waiting to hear from her first crush, he always got an instant reply.Yet, the feeling of being in his arm again made it all worth it. 48 days apart was just the start. Now we had my entire senior year to survive.The back hatch of my Father's now empty SUV loudly slammed shut next t
I turned the idea over in my head for the millionth time in the past two months since we first met. Then, Diana came to the forefront of my mind again. I could deal with everyone hating me for keeping the school's golden couple apart. I could even deal with people talking shit about me but, she was an absolute deal-breaker."What about Diana?" The bitterness in my voice shocked even me, and I silently cursed the few drinks I had downed for lowering my vocal and emotional control.With a bright smile and a shy rub at the back of his neck, I heard him loud and clear over the busy room. "I told her to fuck off and leave me alone. I told her that I was with you now, and I didn't want anything to do with her ever again.""Was this before or after you spent Thanksgiving break with her and, according to her, told her all about me?" Not the most civil way I could have put it, but I could still feel the anger and heartbreak pumping through my blood mixed with th
The air was thick, even for being outside, and I was acutely aware of the dark green eyes watching me from the second floor. As soon as he looked my way, I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise. He had my complete attention and didn't even know it.The arm around my shoulder was hot and uncomfortable as he pulled me up against his side. Chloe gave me a discrete thumbs up from down by her hip, and I rolled my eyes as I laughed at her obvious intoxication. Clearly, she needed some liquid courage to have that specific conversation.Ryan stood behind her with his chin on the top of her head as he held onto her lovingly, not wanting to let her go. She leaned back into his embrace but looked stiff and uncomfortable."What do you say we give them an out so they can go be alone and we go get another drink?" Justin whispered in my ear. His warm breath tickled my neck as he spoke. He had been nice so far and surprisingly very funny, but his touch sent a bad feeling in
The second she walked into the room, it was like there was a magnet to her, and I was being drawn in. I didn't care about what Jones was saying next to me, nor did I care about the girl to my left that was failing in her attempt to get my attention.All I could see was Violet. She was just as beautiful as the last time I had seen her. I never wanted to go two weeks without seeing or talking to her again. It had been like losing my best friend, a metaphor that Jones was not happy about when I had tried to talk to him about the situation.It didn't matter that we were in public. I just wanted to march through the crowd that separated us, throw her back up against the wall, and kiss her until the only thing she could think or say was my name.After looking for her for almost two weeks, I needed nothing more than to get her to talk to me. To get her to agree to be mine and to make sure that everyone else knew it.I had tried to talk to Tyler about her but eve