Dazed (The Deliverance Series Book 1) Read online

  The moment I turn around everything freezes, my stomach turns over, and I feel like my tongue swells in my mouth. I see him—tall, tattooed, brooding, and seriously hot—standing by the lunch hall entrance. Taking a breath, I try walking a few steps to the nearest empty table, and I’m about to make it when stupidly I look up, right into his eyes. I can’t move.

  Selina’s talking to him, surprise, surprise. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but it looks like she’s talking his ear off. Even so, his eyes are fixed on me. She tugs on his arm, but still, he doesn’t move from our locked gaze. His eyes are assessing, judging, and a little curious.

  Another guy—this one more clean cut—walks up and stops next to him. They’re so alike, and I know that these must be the twins. They have to be.

  Selina catches on to the fact that he’s looking at me, and it’s not hard to miss when she shouts, “Oh yeah, she’s such a freak, right?” Students eating their lunch all become quiet to listen to Selina. “Everybody thinks she’s weird. None of us really talk to her… well, no one except Morgan, and I think she must be in some kind of outreach program for losers. I’m not even sure what her name is. Larry, I think. Be careful, she gets offended easily, and we’re not sure if she’s a man or a woman.”

  Her distraction gives me enough time to pull myself together. I smirk at her and stare back at them all for a moment.

  How the fuck did Selina get into college? She’s such a moron.

  Rolling my eyes, I stuff my soda bottle into my bag and walk out of the hall. I’m about to go through the exit when I risk another glance in their direction. Both the guys are staring at me, and I shake my head at them with a smile before walking away from their curious gazes.

  When I get to the bathroom Morgan is coming out. “What’s up? You look spooked.”

  “I had a run in with Selina,” I lie. I’m not quite ready to admit to Morgan the effect that the new hot, tattooed guy had on me.

  “Ugh, she’s such a bitch. Ignore her,” she tells me throwing her arm over my shoulders. “Anyway… I have a proposition.”

  I groan and let my head hang back unconcerned that I can’t see where I’m walking—I know Morgan will guide me.

  “Don’t dismiss it,” she says nudging me with her leg.

  I bring my head back up and look at her. “What is it you want to do?” I ask, already sure of her answer.

  “Lance Harris told me that his frat house is having a party tonight.”

  “No!” I answer pulling myself away from her arm.

  “Come on,” she whines bouncing up and down in front of me while carefully stepping backward. I shake my head and continue walking. “Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!” Her voice—much the same as her manner—is like a steam train, and it’s right about now that I feel like sticking a pillow in her pipe to stop the steam coming out.

  “Laura!” she cries, and people around us start taking notice.

  I stop walking and stare at the sky like some omniscient being is going to save me from my best friend.

  “I need you,” she pouts, and I know if I don’t say yes I may as well sleep in the library, as I won’t get any peace in our dorm room for weeks.

  “God!” I huff out. “Okay, I’ll go.”

  “Eeek!” Morgan squeals and jumps up onto her tiptoes.

  “Can I go to class now?” I ask sighing.

  Morgan steps to the side and waves her hand showing me the way like I wasn’t already trying to walk in that very direction. I hurry away rushing into Mr. Portman’s class, puffing like I’ve just completed a marathon and internally cursing Morgan for making me late yet again.

  “I’m sorry, I had to use the restroom,” I wheeze out my lie.

  Mr. Portman’s gaze caresses my whole body from top to toe. A cold shiver runs down my spine, and I choke down the small pool of sick that makes an appearance in my mouth. “Don’t worry, Laura, I’ve saved you a seat,” he tells me pointing to the one front and center, directly opposite him. I glance around the class, but nobody seems to notice his words or the creepiness of his tone.

  “Mr. Portman, can you help me with the fourth question, please?” Chloe purrs from behind me. The other girls seem to be drawn to him in a way I’m not. While they crave his attention, I try to distance myself as much as is humanly possible, which isn’t easy when I have sociology class with him three times a week.

  “Of course, Chloe.” He moves to her desk which is behind me, and I can almost feel a burning on my back where I’m sure his eyes are pointed. “Ahh, yes, I see where you’re struggling. You have to look at it from the opposite perspective.” His words are entirely professional, holding no ulterior meaning when he talks to her—that tone is saved for me alone. As he walks back, I feel his hand brush over my shoulder and his fingertips tickle my neck. I dart away, and he turns to face me as he takes his seat again. “Sorry, Laura, I didn’t mean to catch you just then.” His gaze drops to my chest, and I’m glad that I have sufficient coverage to ward off his wandering eyes.

  “Just fifty minutes and I’ll be out of here,” I whisper to myself, knowing that today’s end cannot come quick enough.

  “Okay, I’m gonna grab us a drink. You stay here. I’ll be right back.” Morgan rushes out as soon as we walk into the party. I knew this would happen, it always does. We spent the last two hours getting ready—when I say we, what I actually mean is Morgan. It took me all of fourteen minutes to shove some clothes on, and I was eating Oreos for eight of those minutes. Morgan hasn’t stopped talking about the party all day, excited about who we might see and what she was going to wear. I get it, I do. I used to be like that, and I’ll always support her when I can, but I knew that coming here would mean me staying for the ten minutes it took Morgan to find Aaron before I could slip out unnoticed.

  “Hey.” The deep voice makes me jump and pulls me from my thoughts. I tilt my head up and blink at the demigod before looking behind me both left and right.

  “Are you okay?” he asks grinning.

  I point to myself. “You realize you’re talking to me, right?” I reply arching an eyebrow.

  He chuckles to himself, and it immediately sets me at ease. It’s a strange sensation as I never feel at ease with people, especially guys.

  “I know I’m a jock, but I’m far from stupid. And before you say it, I’m not wasted either.” He winks at me, but it’s not in a predatory way, it’s friendly and comfortable. “I’m pretty sure I know who I’m talking to.”

  Cautiously, I smile. “Okay, well if that’s really the case, then you could be committing social suicide spending time with me, Mr. Bigshot football star.”

  “I said I was a jock, not a football player, which means you’ve heard of me,” he responds with a huge grin.

  I can’t help but mirror his grin. “Maybe, although in my defense my best friend is Morgan Reed, and trust me if you haven’t heard of her yet, you will. Everyone knows Morgan.”

  His eyes widen, and he opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. It suddenly occurs to me how that sentence sounded like Morgan gets around.

  “Oh no… no, no, not like that,” I mumble, and his expression moves from shocked to confused as I wave my hands in front of him. “I meant that Morgan is my total opposite… she’s popular, she knows everyone and is liked by everyone. She usually has info on all the latest goings on. She’s told me about you and your… twin?” The last word comes out as a question because you can never be one hundred percent confident in Morgan’s gossip.

  His lips twitch. “Yeah, my brother, my twin. Have you met him?”

  I shake my head but say nothing. The fact that we locked eyes does not constitute meeting him. Someone nudges me as they walk by, and I spill beer over my hand. I spin around and grumble cursing the air before turning back. “You both have names I assume?” I say popping my red solo cup on a table and rubbing my hands down the front of my jeans.

  He nods as the corner of his mouth tips up. “I’m Caden, he’
s Tarrant,” he tells me, and I stop wiping my hands on my thighs and look back up to him, then I quickly glance around.

  “He’s here somewhere, probably in one of the bedrooms with some chick… it doesn’t usually take him long to find a hook-up.”

  I grit my teeth. I’m not sure why his words provoke that reaction in me. “He’s not hooking up with Selina?” I throw out and instantly want to take back my question.

  Caden scratches his head and shrugs. “Probably, I mean he never sticks to one girl.”

  “So you’re telling me what? That your brother is a player? And you…” I gesture to him, “… the jock, you’re a standup guy?” I narrow my eyes.

  He chuckles and cups his chin. “Yeah, I am. I guess you’ll have to become my friend then I can prove it to you.”

  I feel a spasm in my chest. My lungs constrict, my breathing shallows, and I rub my temples.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, concern clear in his tone.

  I look at his face and feel myself calm internally, then I nod in response and smile. “Yeah, I think I am, actually.”

  He doesn’t look completely convinced, but he lets it go. “So what’s your name?” he asks.

  “What, you don’t already know?” I ask tipping my head to the side and pursing my lips trying not to grin.

  “I could always call you Larry, isn’t that what Selina said your name was earlier?”

  I bite down on the inside of my cheek so I don’t show a response and make a move to leave. I can’t deal with more of this shit today. Morgan has, as expected, disappeared on me—she must have found Aaron. Tonight looks like it’s ending slightly early, but I’m not upset. This really isn’t my scene.

  “Hey,” Caden says grabbing my arm. “Did I upset you? I thought I was funny.”

  I smile coolly at him but pull my arm away saying nothing. Making my way through the sweaty bodies and out the front of the house, I breathe in the fresh air while picking up speed.

  “Wait up. I wasn’t trying to be a prick,” Caden says rushing to fall in step with me.

  I sigh but keep on moving.

  “Honestly, I really didn’t mean to offend you,” he tells me yet again.

  “Laura.”

  “Your name?” he asks.

  “My name,” I reply.

  “Hey, Laura, nice to meet you.” He holds his hand out for me to shake, and I stare at it suspiciously for a second before placing my hand in his. At this, he smiles and offers a quick, gentle shake. I reclaim my hand and continue walking. My mind automatically starts analyzing the current situation and confusion descends. I stop, and he walks a couple more steps before realizing I’m not next to him, then he spins around to face me.

  “Look, Caden, I’m not sure what your deal is, but I’m not ‘that girl,’ the popular one that you want to hang out with,” I tell him rubbing my temples again. Suddenly, I’m feeling really tired.

  “Hey, can’t I decide who I hang with?”

  His reply makes me question my own reasons behind trying to ward him off. I look him over quickly, so he doesn’t think I’m checking him out. He’s a solid six foot or more and built, like really built, as I would expect from any decent football player. His dark hair is cut short to his head, and he has a wholesome boy-next-door smile with pretty hazel eyes. All that, and he just doesn’t do it for me. I mean I would be lying if I said he isn’t hot, or that most of the population at our school wouldn’t want a piece of him, but—and here’s the problem—I’ve seen his brother, and while Caden is hot, Tarrant is molten lava. Just the thought of his eyes searing me like they did in the cafeteria today makes my body flush. I’m not stupid, I’ll never be with Tarrant—guys like him don’t date girls like me. But I also couldn’t ever be with Caden knowing how my body reacts to his brother.

  Caden clears his throat, and I remember he asked a question.

  “Umm, of course, you can hang with who you want. I don’t get why you would want that person to be me?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “You seem different.”

  I narrow my eyes and stare at him.

  “What?” he asks with a grin.

  “Different.” I shake my head. “What gave it away? The fact that every other girl in there was wearing next to no clothing, faces full of makeup, and hair out to there,” I say holding my hands out beside my head. “Then there’s me.” I continue before he gets a chance to speak, looking down at myself, “Jeans, a Thundercats tee, no makeup, and my hair is tied back.”

  I bow to him. “Well done, Caden, you can tell I’m different.”

  He laughs, actually laughs, then chucks his arm around my shoulder and drags me forward, and I have no choice but to move with him.

  “I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends.” He chuckles.

  “You had one of the hottest guys in the school hanging off you last night, and you didn’t do anything?” Morgan screeches sitting up in bed. Her dark hair is poking out at all angles, the gel she used to make her look hot last night has turned her hair into a fifth-grade art project this morning.

  I shrug. “He’s not my type,” I reply, pulling my hand through my own hair.

  “Yeah, right, Caden Reigns is everyone’s type,” she replies pulling her legs out from under her duvet and stomping over to me.

  “Wait!” I squeal, and she stops, shocked at my outburst.

  “What?” Morgan asks looking around the room with concern but not moving.

  I shake my head. “I don’t want you to come any closer. You could have my eye out with that bird’s nest,” I answer nodding toward her head.

  Morgan jerks back and frowns. Slowly she moves over to the mirror and I get up, following behind her. I see the moment her eyes lock onto her hair as they widen, and her jaw drops open. “Damn!” she spits.

  I try to push down the laughter as Morgan picks up a pillow and throws it at my head. I dodge it and stumble back over to my bed slipping my legs under the covers.

  Morgan pulls her hair trying to fix the stiff peaks it’s formed. She snorts, looks over at me and raises an eyebrow, then she grabs a beanie and tugs it over her scalp, flattening the stubborn hair.

  “Anyway, enough about me, what happened with you and Aaron last night?” I question. She holds up a finger and then rushes out the door without saying a word. I prop my pillow against the wall and settle myself back before grabbing my cell.

  Caden: So Laura, not Larry. We need to start this friendship. I need to prove that I can be your friend cause you’re awesome.

  I stare at the text, blow out a breath, and shake my head with a grin while my fingers fly over the keys. I realize I’m glad we swapped numbers.

  Me: Okay Caden - the football God, your internship to becoming my friend starts today. You better wow me.

  I hit send and then put the phone under my pillow so Morgan doesn’t hear it buzz. She’s like a piranha sniffing out blood when it comes to gossip. What’s worse is that as many times as I tell her that Caden and I are just friends—okay, I need a moment… I can’t believe I’m actually open to really being friends with him—she won’t believe me and will keep fishing for something that’s not there. Just as I feel a buzz come from my bed, Morgan walks back in the door with two coffees.

  I take a big whiff. “Oh my God, coffee,” I say and close my eyes. “Did I tell you today that I love you and will have all your babies if you only keep me in a constant supply of coffee?” I ask taking the cup from her with a grin.

  “Mmm,” she replies moving back to her bed and sitting down. “Sorry, but I’m not sure kids are a fair swap for coffee, far too much hassle from what I’ve been told,” she replies with a wrinkle of her nose.

  I chuckle and take a huge slurp of the nectar that fills my cup, ignoring the hot burning sensation as it slides down my throat.

  “Oooh…” She leans forward, her eyes sparkling, a sure sign that her mind has already moved onto the next subject. “Did you see Tarrant last night?”

  I shake my h
ead, but my fingers tingle thinking about him.

  “Well, he was with Selina, but she must have pissed him off because the next moment, he was making out with Gina, and then the girls started having a fight. When that happened, he hooked up with another two girls who were at the party and left with them. You should have seen Selina’s face… it was a damn picture,” she tells me joyfully.

  I clench my jaw. I’m not sure why thinking about someone I’ve never even spoken to hooking up with another girl affects me so much. Relaxing, I allow myself to smile and quickly move the conversation on. “Come on, I’m still waiting. Tell me about you and Aaron. Are you on again or off again?” I ask her.

  Morgan and Aaron have been in and out of their relationship since we were freshmen. They had an instant attraction to each other. Physically, they are complete opposites, where Morgan is short with dark eyes and long, dark hair, Aaron is tall, blue-eyed, and has short blond hair. Unfortunately, their personalities are fiercely similar and that usually results in clashes. They love each other there’s no doubt about that, but I don’t think they like each other all of the time.

  “On, for now.” She winks over her coffee. “I saw him last night and he couldn’t keep his hands off me.”

  “You seeing him today?”

  “No.” She shakes her head. “Not this morning. He has football practice and this afternoon he’s working, but tonight… hopefully.”

  It occurs to me that Aaron and Caden will be on the football team together, they probably know each other. I’m not sure whether that’s a positive or negative right now. Aaron is one of the only guys that I spend time with. No matter that Morgan and he are off more than they’re on, he is a decent guy and I like him.

  “What are you doing today?” Morgan quizzes. It’s Friday, and she knows I don’t have classes on Fridays.

  “I’m heading over to Andersons to pick up my check and then cashing it. I’ll probably grab some things I need and do some studying,” I tell her.