The List

Chapter Three

I've finally made it through my first week of college. It's Friday and I find myself in the cafeteria at noon with Grace. The boys have baseball practice around lunchtime Fridays, so she and I make a point to have lunch and catch up together.

"So how'd the first week go?" She asks me, as she takes a bite of her salad.

"It was pretty good, actually," I tell her. "Better than I thought it would go."

"Any classes today?"

I shake my head as I sip on my water. "I made a point to have Fridays off, so I can go to the gym and workout for a couple of hours."

"How many classes are you taking again?" She asks me.

"Five," I answer. "Literature, Advanced Chemistry for our mom, Creative Writing, Composition and Rhetoric, and Philosophy."

"Shit, girl. You are insane." She tells me. "There's no way a freshman should be taking those courses."

I can't help but laugh. "I love school; I always have."

The guys walk up to the table, in their baseball uniforms, and plop down in the booths. All week, all I could think of was Rhett and the kiss that I wanted to happen. I never pictured him as a baseball player, but seeing him in that uniform right next to me, is something I will never get over. His tan skin, a contradiction to the white of his teeth as his smile takes up his entire face is a sight I could look at for days.

"Hey boys." She greets, placing a kiss on Liam's cheek. "You done or running late?"

Nathan laughs. "Not late, just haven't started yet. We wanted to come to say hi to our two favorite ladies before practice."

"They did, I just wanted to tag along," Rhett says, flashing a grin that would bring me to my knees if I were standing.

"Don't you know how to make a girl feel special?" Grace says, throwing a piece of lettuce at him.

He just laughs as it lands in front of him.

"How did your first week go, Care?" Liam asks. "Any classes today."

I shake my head. "I made sure to have my Fridays off."

"She's going to the gym after this," Grace says. "Gotta make sure she doesn't fall into the Freshman 15 stereotype and keep the boys here chasing after her."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah right."

"Speaking of meeting new boys, there's a party tonight at one of the fraternities. You have to come with us, Cari!" She says.

"I don't know." I sigh. "I've never been to a party before and I have homework I need to stay on top of."

"Oh, come on, princess," Rhett says. "You can do all that on Sunday. Friday's here are for parties, not being a loser."

"Easy," Liam says. "That was harsh."

Rhett chuckles. "Didn't mean it like that, chill dude. I just mean she was the one saying she wanted to make memories and some mistakes while she's in college."

I turn my head to face Rhett. He just shrugs his shoulders and grins.

"When did she say that?" Liam asks.

"After you left Sunday night." Nathan answers. "We were talking about how you want me and Rhett to behave."

"And you fucking better!" Liam exclaims. "I don't wanna have to kill my two best friends over that."

Rhett and I both seem to roll our eyes at the same time.

"You sure something can't happen between those two?" Grace asks, pointing her fingers and me and Rhett. "They have the same attitude."