Beg You to Trust Me (Lindon U #2)(19)

Why does that hit me deeper than it should?

I can’t speak, so I jerk my head up and down before walking out with a tight grip on my backpack strap until my fingers hurt.

I’m walking absentmindedly down the path that leads to the residential side of campus when I hear my name being called from somewhere nearby. I turn in time for some guy with a bright smile to jog over and match my pace. “Hey,” the stranger greets.

He’s not that much taller than me, with red hair and the freckles to match, and his eyes are a dark shade of brown that don’t take their focus off of me as I study him. He walks with the kind of swagger that Becca says is an indicate of all sports players. Confident because he knows he’s good looking and unafraid to own it.

“Hi,” I eventually say, wincing at the weird tone of my voice. It’s squeaky, uncomfortable, and his lips waver upward as if he hears it.

“Hi,” he says again, amused. “It’s Patrick. We’ve seen each other around campus.”

We have?

He’s oblivious to my cluelessness as he keeps pace with me, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his bag on his shoulder. “I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me for a while. Your friend said I’d have a shot.”

My nose scrunches. “My friend?”

He grins. “Yeah. The tall one. Rachel? I forget. She was at one of our parties over the weekend with a few other people. Noticed you two hung out, so I asked if you were coming.”

He must be talking about Rebecca. “Oh, well…parties aren’t really my thing.” It sounds lame, but I don’t care. I vaguely remember Becca telling me she and Dee were going to some lacrosse thing. I thought she meant a game, but it was getting late, so she must have meant this party. “Do you play lacrosse?”

Patrick smirks. “So, you do know me.”

I try not to make a face at the way his lips tilt up into a flirty smile as he gives me a once over. I’m not sure why Becca would tell him he has a shot with me, but I’m tempted to find out.

“I don’t follow sports,” is all I tell him.

He makes a noncommittal noise. “Well, that doesn’t matter, I guess. I was wondering if you wanted to hang sometime. Me and my buddies have get-togethers every Friday. Nothing big. You should come.”

“Like I said,” I tell him slowly, stopping at the crosswalk as a car passes. “I don’t like parties. Thanks for the invite, though.”

He follows me across the street. “Aw, c’mon. It’s small. Barely a party. It’ll be fun.”

Doesn’t he understand when a girl isn’t interested? Clearly not. “Listen, Patrick. It was nice meeting you, but I don’t have time to hang out. My schedule is busy, and I’ve been swamped with classwork.”

And I don’t like parties. Since saying it a third time seems pointless, I keep that to myself.

He looks genuinely disappointed, so I feel a smidge bad. Before I can apologize, a group of guys walk by and capture my attention. A few of them seem to know Patrick, smacking his back and grabbing his hand in a weird guy handshake as they pass.

One of them in the herd is none other than Daniel Bridges Junior, and he doesn’t look particularly thrilled when we lock eyes. I’m not sure what I did to cause the furrow of his brow as his eyes go between me and the lacrosse player beside me, but it doesn’t make me feel great.

“See you around,” I tell Patrick, giving a small wave and avoiding the look DJ gives me as I shoulder past where he’s standing. Thankfully, he doesn’t bring up our previous interactions or offer so much as a greeting. And it’s probably for the better. I don’t know where somebody like him would fit into my messed-up life.

When I get back to my room, Becca and Dee are sitting on her bed watching something on her laptop. They both ignore me as I set my things down and pull my hair back into a messy bun.

“Do you know a lacrosse player named Patrick?” I ask my roommate, finally pulling her attention toward me.

Her lips curl up. “Yep.”

Dee looks between us before her gaze settles on Becca. “Is that the guy who asked—”

Becca cuts her off. “Yeah, that’s him.” I don’t like the cool tone she uses, but I’m so used to it at this point I choose to brush it off.

“Why would you tell him I’d be interested in hanging out?”

I’m not prepared for the scoff that comes from her in return. “Oh please. Tyler? DJ? I see you around guys all the time. It’s not like I’d be far off guessing you wouldn’t be down to hang with him. And who knows what else.”

I gape at her. Tyler is the only one I hang out with, and that’s barely been happening because he’s started acting weird. The few conversations I’ve had with DJ haven’t been anything to write home about, and besides the short conversation with Caleb in the library, I barely say anything to any other guy that decides to stop me and make a comment about how my jeans fit or my ass looks.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I pry, crossing my arms over my chest.

My roommate doesn’t answer right away, only fueling the fire as the seconds tick by. When she does look up at me, the hostility in her gaze pins me to my spot. “You know exactly what it means. Stop playing the quiet, innocent girl. Everybody can see right through the act.”