Rooming with the Bad Boy

Twelve.

Chapter Twelve –

I ended up on the bleaches of the colleges’ football field.

I hadn’t actually ever been here before; it was dark, and smelt of rotten cheese and meat.

I didn’t even have my phone on me. It was still on Caleb’s bed – laying flat or more likely in the palm of his hands as he tried to figure out my passcode.

Without the small technological device, I was stuck with trying to gather my thoughts in a rational manner and trying to figure out why the hell I ran away like a frightened deer once I pulled away from the kiss.

There was no way Caleb had feelings for me the way everyone has so obviously yet indirectly tried to show me. It wasn’t possible. The guy was incapable of feelings, and even if so; I was incapable of responding to those feelings.

I was suddenly blinded by a strong light; interrupting my train of thought abruptly. “Hey! What are you doing up there? It’s passed closing hours for the field!”

My hand instantly shielded half my vision as I attempted to make out the figure behind the strong light. “Sorry, I accidentally wondered here.” I replied, squinting my eyes as the light came closer towards me with each step the man took.

Once he reached the row I was sitting in, he positioned the hand-held flashlight to the floor. In the dim lighting, I could see him squinting at me, before a small grunt sounded from the back of his throat. “You’re new.”

I frowned slightly at the fact that the man was able to recognise this, before slowly answering, “Yes… I transferred here at the beginning of the semester.”

“Where did you come from?” He asked in a demanding tone.

My lack of trust regarding strangers I met in the dark may have been a large factor that contributed towards all my defences going up as soon as the question was asked. “Why do you want to know? Who did you say you were again? Are you even permitted to be on these grounds?”

“You study law, don’t you?” He asked the question in a flat, almost bored tone, before a sigh escaped his lips. “I’m the caretaker of the outdoor areas of the college. The name’s Oscar.”

“Ella.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I didn’t think you were still interested to know the answer after I bombarded you with my own queries.” A small smile made its way to my lips in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

Oscar smiled back, showing a crooked smile with a missing tooth. His fragile hands placed the flashlight on the seats in front of me, before he took a seat beside me. “I’m still interested. It’s not every day that I find one of the smart ones sitting alone in the football field scratching their shoe against the cement while they thought to themselves in the dark.”

I laughed, mentally agreeing with him before answering his previous question. “I transferred from Michigan.”

“Ah. Good college. My nephew’s son goes there.”

“Yes, it was pretty great I guess.” I nodded.

He turned his body slightly so he was facing me more than before. “What made you move if you think it a good education opportunity?”

I hesitated, unsure of why the man was so persistent with questions, before deciding to shrug thoughtlessly. “New scenery.”

“A boring lawyer who gets bored of her surroundings. You’re quite an interesting one.” He replied, nodding at his own judgement.