Saintwood: College Days✔️(Wattpad version)

Growing up, maybe

My alarm went off, and I tossed it across the room, rolling back over in bed. The first day of college and I have early classes — fanfuckingtastic. I got up and showered, then threw on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt along with my boots. I threw some gel through my hair to give it that messy look and went downstairs.

Eli and Junior were having breakfast. I grabbed a coffee and some toast, joining them.

"Morning, sunshine," Junior said, shoving a mouthful of cereal in his mouth.

"Morning," I mumbled.

"What time is your first class?" Elijah asked.

"8:30. I still don't know why I chose morning classes," I said, taking a big gulp of coffee. I shouldn't have done that. I thought I gave my tongue and throat third-degree burns.

"Welcome to the club. That's the time of my first class," Elijah said, finishing his breakfast.

It turns out we had a class together. Well, I know someone here. I finished my toast and coffee, then grabbed my bag as Elijah grabbed his books. He looked at Junior, who shrugged and chuckled as he munched away on his cereal.

Elijah and I went to our first class. It was English, and it was my best subject. I got my love of reading from Mom. She introduced me to all the classics. Liz and my IQ came from both parents, as did RJ's IQ. It unnerved people when they found out about it. I didn't care. My intelligence never defined me.

Elijah and I also cleared the air, and he understood why I was feeling the way I was. I mean, you can't blame me for feeling like the third wheel all the time. I didn't want to settle for anyone. To me, being with someone was much deeper than that physical attraction. Physical attraction helps, but I wanted to connect with someone on a deeper level.

There is one thing about the men and women in this family. When we meet that one person, that's who we stay with for the rest of our lives. Plus, Elijah was not only my cousin but my best friend, too. It's always been that way from the start. Our relationship is like Dad, Uncle Jordan, and Uncle Frazier. They weren't brothers, but best friends.

We found our seats and sat through our first lecture. I was fine, but Elijah fell asleep during it. Yeah, he was one of those people who slept their way through school and still carried straight A's. After class, he went back to the house since he didn't have another level until later this afternoon. I had my next class in an hour; I killed time by looking over information for it. Math, oh joy.

As I was walking through the corridor, I bumped into someone accidentally, causing us both to drop our books. I crouched and helped the person pick up their stuff, and I mumbled, "Sorry about that."

"Is this a thing with you, bumping into people?" The person asked.

I knew that voice and heard it. I looked up, straight into the person's sparkly blue eyes. She smiled, and I finished handing her a book and gathered my stuff off the floor.

We stood up, and she said, "Well, Matthew Jones, first prom and now, here. Good thing, I didn't have a glass of punch in my hand. We wouldn't want to ruin my favorite top, plus it's white." Scarlett grinned, giving me a wink.

"Uh, yeah, I'm still sorry about that," I responded, rubbing the back of my neck. Christ, this girl made me nervous. No girl ever affected me like that.

"Eh, don't worry about it. That's the thing about prom; you never end up wearing the dress ever again. I'm over it," Scarlett laughed. Damn, even her laugh was sexy.

"I'm surprised to see you, here," I said to Scarlett, then winced as I realized what I said after the words left my mouth. She arched an eyebrow at me. I continued, "I meant, I wasn't. Well, I figured, you know. Never mind." I stammered as I tried to get the words out but sounded like Uncle Frazier when Dad caught him doing something stupid.

Scarlett reached over and touched my arm gently. "It's okay. I know what you mean and to answer your question. You asked a question, didn't you?"

I nodded. Forget speaking; I didn't need to sound like a bigger idiot than I seemed.

"I chose Saintwood College because it has an excellent English program. Since I'm an English Lit major, they had everything I was looking for here. Plus, it doesn't hurt that my favorite author graduated from here," Scarlett said, almost bursting with glee.

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh, yeah? Who?"

"Alex Hartley," Scarlett said with a big smile. "She is amazing. I've read all of her work, and she's fantastic." I forgot Mom used her maiden name when she wrote. She wanted to keep her professional and personal life separate. She also changed the name of everyone in her book, so people wouldn't know who we were.

"So, you like her work?" I asked, knowing what she would say.

"I do, because of Alex, it helped me decide on my major. I like how she has such a down-to-earth perspective on things. It's so refreshing," Scarlett said sincerely.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said to her in agreement. If she only knew the truth, she would flip.

"But enough about my infatuation with my favorite author's work. What about you? Why did Matthew Jones attend Saintwood College?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. "To be honest, I don't have the faintest clue. I know I wanted to be with my friends and family, but what I want to study, that's another issue."

Scarlett gave me a look. "Huh. You don't strike me as someone who wouldn't have a clue."

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Well, considering who your family is, I figured you would have some idea," Scarlett said.

I wasn't sure how to take that.

"I mean, aren't you the son of Ryan Jones and Alex Hartley Jones?" Scarlett asked me with a smirk. That shocked me. She knew who my mom was and played it off like she wasn't aware.

"Don't act so shocked. I know who your parents are. Everyone does. It's no secret," she told me.

I closed my mouth, and Scarlett looked at her watch. "I got to head to history." As she left, she turned around and yelled, "I was kidding about the English Lit major. I have no clue what I'm majoring in!"

With that, she turned and walked to her next class. Damn, she played me, and I let her. What is this girl doing to me?

"It looks like someone is growing up. Well, maybe," a voice next to me said. I looked to see Junior standing there with a smirk. Great, my cousin watched me crash and burn with a girl. I will never live this down.

"What are we looking at?" Another voice asked. I turned to see Drew standing on the other side of me — perfect.

"Oh, young Matthew here, fell hook, line, and sinker for a bullshit line some girl gave him," Junior said.

"Oh, yeah? Who is this girl that tripped up, young Matthew?" Drew asked Junior.

"None other than Scarlett Monroe," Junior said, chuckling.

"Well, so much for acting calm, cool, and collective, man. Better luck next time," Drew said, patting my shoulder and laughing. I gave them both a look and rolled my eyes as I walked away.

"Oh, come on, Matty! We're having fun with you," Drew yelled at me as I walked away.

I turned and yelled, "Whatever, Nancy! I think Liz has a skirt for you!"

Yeah, maybe that was the wrong choice of words as Drew charged after me, and I ran to my next class. The only problem is that we had math together. Well, shit.

We wrestle until the professor walked in and gave us a look, making us stop and take our seats. After class, we met up with Junior. Liz, Davina, and Hope arrived for their first class, and I went back to the house since I finished for the day. Plus, I wanted to crash. My first day tired of me. Who would have guessed the first day of classes would be so exhausting? Once I got back, I went straight to my bedroom, and when my head hit the pillow, I was out. As I snoozed, I kept seeing her face. This girl affected me, and I had no clue why, but I was about to find out.