The Cell Phone Swap

Chapter 17 iHurt

"Wow," Keeley murmured as she sat down on the metal chair. "This campus is gorgeous."

They had just spent most of the afternoon touring the campus and different buildings of UCSB. Keeley was amazed to see how many bicycles were on campus. Thousands of them! They even had walkways deemed as "bicyclists only." Now, they were at a small sandwich shop that had an outdoor patio, which overlooked the ocean. It was absolutely breathtaking!

Brent sent her a knowing grin. "I knew you would love it. You really should apply here Keeley. It has everything you like. Beaches. Good food. Relaxed environment. Plus, two libraries," he winked, "which means tons of books for your viewing pleasure."

"You're a bio major right, Brent?" Talon butted in, forcing Brent's attention away from Keeley.

"I'm a biochemistry and molecular biology major," Brent politely corrected.

"Isn't that the same thing?" he asked in a silent challenge.

"Not exactly. It's a combination of biology and chemistry."

Talon leaned forward in his seat. "But you're graduating as a biology major right? From what I understand biochemistry is a sub-discipline of biology."

Brent cocked his head, assessing the boy sitting across from him. "You've done your homework," he said, lightly. "Technically speaking, you are correct. I am a biology major."

One side of Talon's mouth lifted as if he had just won a battle. "That's what I thought."

"However, as a biochemistry and molecular biology major, I have to take more chemistry and physics courses than most regular biology students."

"I bet that isn't a hardship for you," Keeley interjected, wanting to be a part of the conversation. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Talon roll his eyes but she ignored him. "You always loved going to those classes in high school. I remember one time you had a 101 degree temperature and you refused to go home till after your chemistry class."

Brent looked at her in surprise. "You remember that?"

Keeley ducked her head as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Of course she remembered. She remembered everything about him. From his favorite color to what kind of meat he liked on his sandwich.

Talon made a sound of disgust and instantly, Keeley's head popped up. He was staring at her intently, his blue eyes flashing with irritation. When their eyes met, his irritation morphed into a gleam that was purely predatory. It made the hairs on Keeley's arm stand on end.

"All I remembered from that day was finishing the test in fifteen minutes," Brent continued, ignoring his companions' locked gazes. "I was so surprised to find out that I got an A- on it."

Talon gave her a flirty wink before tearing his eyes away. "I heard most biology majors take five or six years to graduate because the classes are so packed. Is that true?"

Keeley felt a surge of annoyance. He had been trying to provoke Brent all afternoon. During the entire tour, Talon had made unnecessary and passive aggressive comments about the campus, Brent and anything else he could think of.

And when he wasn't needling Brent, he was finding ways to touch her. He would open a door for her and lightly place his hand on the small of her back, or he would walk next to her so closely that their fingertips would brush against each other's. One time, he even pulled her to his chest, saying a bicycle was about to her run her over, even though there had been a good two feet between her and the bike. The whole experience was disconcerting.

Brent sent Talon a pleasant smile. "Not necessarily. It depends on what type of classes you are taking and how well you plan your four years here. Luckily for me, I haven't had any trouble getting into the classes I want."