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“Sorostitute?”

“Think sorority plus prostitute. Kinda catchy right?” Lexi smiled for a brief second before slipping back on her sternest, most disapproving frown. “Jeeze, Brookie. I know you have zero interest in gossip, but at the very least you need to recognize the drool-inducing men on this campus! They’re few and far between.”

“Sorry. Please, continue describing said specimen of manhood,” I requested with considerable sarcasm.

“Well, he’s beautiful. And completely unattainable, of course. I mean, he sleeps around, don’t get me wrong. But he doesn’t stick around. It’s a hit-it-and-quit-it deal, from what I hear,” she gushed. “He’s a senior, he transferred here last year.”

Lexi continued to scan the sidewalk ahead of us, hoping to keep her elusive target within sight. Apparently, we were stalkers now. No wonder this boy didn’t stick around; if Lexi was any indication, the girls at this school really did not understand boundaries.

“That’s definitely him, straight ahead,” she squealed, her voice at least three octaves higher than normal.

I couldn't see over the heads of the three girls walking directly ahead of us, and thus was denied a glimpse at Lexi’s new obsession.

“What are you going to do if you even catch up to him, genius?” I panted, slightly out of breath.

In lieu of answering, Lexi yanked me sideways, successfully passing the cluster of girls and whipping me into the direct path of an unseen fire hydrant. I pulled back, digging in my heels and trying desperately to slow my pace, but Lexi’s momentum made it impossible to avoid the oncoming collision.

Crashing into the hydrant at full speed, the wind was knocked from my lungs and I sailed into the air. I only had enough time to throw my hands in front of my face and squeeze my eyes shut before the pavement rushed up to meet me.





Chapter Two


Karma Points




There was something wet trickling into my eyes and down the side of my face. It was dark. My eyes felt heavy, like they’d been glued shut. I tried to take a deep breath, wincing in pain as air filled my sore lungs.

“Take small breaths, for now. That was a pretty nasty spill you took,” a deep voice said quietly, close to my ear.

That’s definitely not Lexi.

Experimentally, I took a small breath in through my nose and held it inside my lungs, relieved that there was no sharp burning sensation this time. Releasing the breath, I slowly began to gather my senses. I was still lying on the pavement, judging by the cold hard surface beneath me, but my head was cradled by something soft.

“Can you open your eyes?” the voice asked, huskily imploring me to try.

I slowly pried my eyelids open, allowing a slitted view of the sky to come into focus. Reaching up to brush the damp hair away from my face, I was surprised when my fingers came away covered in blood.

“There’s a cut on your temple. It doesn’t look too deep; even superficial head wounds bleed a lot. You’ll be fine,” the voice assured me. “That’ll be an impressive goose egg, though.”

I tried to sit up, immediately regretting my decision as the world began to spin around me. Hands clamped onto my upper arms, forcing me slowly back down to rest against the broad chest of my rescuer.

“Don’t try to sit up. You could have a concussion. You need to stay still until the ambulance gets here.”

“Ambulance?!” I croaked, my voice scratchy with panic.

“Your friend, the redhead, is calling for one right now.”

“Tell her to stop,” I pleaded. “Please, I just need to go to the Student Health center. I don’t need an ambulance.” I turned my head up, finally meeting the dark eyes of my rescuer. “Please,” I repeated, my green eyes staring into the darkest set of blue irises I’d ever seen. They were the deepest shade of cobalt, barely distinguishable from his black pupils. Unusual eyes.

“I don’t do well with…hospitals,” I admitted, looking away from his penetrating stare.

“Fine. Whatever you say,” he agreed somewhat uncertainly, frowning as he cradled my shoulders with one arm. Shrugging out of his black leather jacket, he wadded it into a ball, gently shifted my head off his chest, and laid me down on the makeshift cushion.

I shifted my eyes to follow as he got up, walked over to Lexi, and took the phone from her hand. He spoke rapidly into it, glancing back in my direction several times before hanging up. In my semi—dazed state, I only registered his tall frame and dark hair before letting my eyes flutter closed once more.

“Hey, you still alive down there?” his deep voice chuckled.

I moaned noncommittally in response.

“I’m going to pick you up and carry you to Student Health. It’s only a few buildings down from here. Okay?” he asked, not waiting for an answer as he gently hooked his arms beneath my knees and scooped me up like a child. “At least you picked a convenient place to wipe out.” I felt his laughter rumble through his body as he carried me along, seemingly unaffected by my weight.

Cradled against his chest, I opened my eyes again to look for Lexi. She was walking directly beside us, her eyes trained on my face. As soon as she saw that my eyes were open the apologies began flowing from her in a torrent, causing my already-aching head to pound.

“Oh my god, Brooklyn, are you okay? I am so, so, so, so sorry. I owe you big time. Please don’t die. I’ll buy you endless Starbucks for a month, as many venti chai tea lattes as you can handle. I promise, I didn’t mean to! That hydrant came out of nowhere. And you just went flying! Oh my god, I’ve never been so scared in my whole life. And you have a cut on your head! Don’t worry, it’s by your hairline. You can totally cover it with your bangs…Are you sure you’re okay?”