I would be lying if I said watching someone sneak into my english lit. class was fun. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Because the last time I saw Julio Hernandez, he wasn't sneaking into college.

He was sweeping me off my feet.

Not that he got far. You see, there's one little fact I follow that keeps boys like him away from my life for good: I don't believe in love. I guess over the years me and it has had some pretty tough times.

Either it be from heartache to break ups, to boys cheating on me or them taking my trust, it just never worked out. I learned a long time ago to let the whole 'love and let live' thing fly out the window.

I was never one to fall head over heels for someone and if I did, it always ended in my heart being broken. That's not saying much though. I have been in and out of love so many time I can write a book on the subject.

It's something I have come to live with and no matter how many times in the past I was willing to give love and the bastards who stole my heart a second chance, it always ended in me getting hurt.

Broken.

Because that's what heartbreak is. It's when you give someone your heart and instead of caring and loving it like they are supposed to, they shatter it into a million devastatingly painful pieces. It rips you from the inside out.

That heat break becomes a breathing, living reminder of what truly loving another person can bring. That heartbreak becomes a part of you. Then, sooner or later, it becomes you.

So yeah, I'm bitter. More than bitter. The one and only time I ever saw Romeo and Juliet was in tenth grade and I ended up throwing my book at a kid when he said it was the best love story ever. He hated me ever since, claiming I knew nothing about love and I was going to die alone.

Please.

If that was the best love story ever written they should take a look at my life. I could out beat those two so called love birds anytime. Hear that Shakespeare?

Bring it.

I don't sit at home like I use too and think about guy's, wondering which one will be my prince charming. Truth is prince charming died along time ago when love decided to be the one thing my heart just couldn't hold up too.

Hey, I'm pretty enough. With my brown hair and brown eyes, I consider myself average, but that doesn't mean boy's approach me.

Over the years I have gotten the reputation for being the girl who would rip your **** off for just looking at her. I'm the girl who will look the other way the minute you try to give me a compliment. I don't need you to tell me sweet little nothings to persuade me otherwise.

I guess when your heart gets broken so many times from the other sex, you learn to never trust them again. You learn to stop wondering about things that are never going to happen. You stop hoping for the impossible. You stop being the hopeless.

I don't need someone by me to know who I am and honestly, girls who find love are just pathetic. Well some are. It all depends if you find the right kind of love. The right person to spend your happily ever after with.

I mean why would a girl ever become dependent on someone else? I would love to tell them to grow up and learn to become a person. I would love to tell them that they don't need love to find themselves.

But when the media sells us the idea that everyone needs love, people are willing to find it anywhere with anyone. Even if it is the wrong kind of love.

I guess I use to be one of those girls, but I have learned my lesson along the way. Sometimes it's better to know who you are then have some guy tell you who you were going to be. Trust me, guy's are not even on my mind at the moment.

Well, until Julio enters the room.

I was sitting there, my pencil lightly in my mouth, trying to listen to the lecture the professor was giving. He was going on and on about some dead English writer. Plus I suspected half the people in this class took it so they could get an easy A.

The guy was too gullible for his own good.

I was half way asleep when I saw the doors to the class open, revealing a small patch of light. I turned my head to the sound and when I saw a shadow in the light, hunched over and moving along the rows silently, I narrowed my eyes.

At first, I thought it was a flick of the lights.

Maybe I fell asleep halfway through the professors lecture.I could honestly believe it. But when I hear a soft curse spill through the silent room, I knew it wasn't a dream.

Everyone was so engrossed with the lesson, or sleeping, that they didn't even see the person waddling their way in, so quietly it was practically funny.

Which, even I had to admit, they were doing a pretty sneaky job. Seems whoever it was that decided to grace the class with only five minutes left knew what they were doing.

I dropped my pencil and watched the person come closer, my mind more on them then on the notes I'm supposed to be taking.

Seriously could they not make it on time?

I narrow my eyes more when I see the shadow lift their head and then come my way. I look over to the seat next to mine and notice that it was empty.

I cast my eyes to the old professor, who has his back turned, and I reach for my book bag and I sit it on the chair a little roughly, hoping whoever it was would get the point.

There was no way this person was going to sit next to me.

I mean, how irresponsible can someone be? They might as well have stayed back at their dorm and forgot about even showing up. It was typical more often than not with all the parties that were hosted every weekend.

What did they think they were going to accomplish in five minutes?

I gather up my papers on my desk and act like I was deep in the lecture. In reality it was the most boring thing I ever heard, but I needed the person to keep moving. I was not about to get even more distracted.

"Pstt." I flinch when I hear an annoying little sound in my ear. I don't respond, knowing it's the irresponsible student. Before I can even blink, the sound comes again, louder and even more annoying.

"Psssttttt ."

I jerk around, not able to ignore the persons hissing, and am met to a dark set of eyes. Disbelieving, my eyes travel to his black raven hair, to his tanned skin, and ending with the scattering of tattoos. At that moment, I have the undying need to actually curse.

"Well, well, well." He says softly, his eyes glowing in the darken room. Of course the professor just had to use the projector today. It just makes his already dark looks that much more exotic.

The guy in front of me straightens out, raising his arms over his head. I try not to notice his shirt riding up, exposing his abdomen. There, more and more tattoos spread out across his ribs and sides. It was like the guy was a walking advertisement to tattoos everywhere.

Of course it doesn't help that he was seriously nice to look at. He has the kind of hair girls would die to touch and guy's would envy to have. It was I don't care hair. It was I just rolled out of bed hair. Beautiful hair.

On top of all that, the week old subtle, the tanned skin, and shit-kicker motorcycle boots just added to his already roguish persona. He gave off the impression that if you looked at him the wrong way, he would have you on the ground faster than you could yell mercy.

"If it isn't Kelsey May's." His lips curved up on one side and memories of the last time I saw him come rushing back.

Memories I so did not want to reencounter.

Me in my dress and him in his mask. Him lightly holding my hips as we swayed to the music. His easy smile and the way my heart picked up. The feel of his fingers lightly tracing my side haunt me the same way his eyes were looking at me that night.

How they were looking through me.

I shake my head, getting rid of those silly thoughts.

I would not think about that.

"Go away." I spit out with necessary venom, trying to keep my voice down. I have no need to deal with him right now. I was already on my way to failing this class. No need for him to drag me down more.

Some girl in front of me looks over her shoulder, noticing the commotion, and when she she sees me and Julio, curiosity fills her face.

I shoot her a glare, telling her to mind her own business, and she turns in her seat fast. Usually I would be a little nicer, or not care, but Julio being here buts my nerves on high.

"Is this seat taken?" Julio's voice pulls me back to him and he looks to the seat next to mine and back up. I look at the seat too and fold my hands on the desk.

"Yes. "

I refuse to look at him. I hear something move and then his sweet little voice say.

"Good. "

I slide my gaze to him and I see him lift my book bag up and throw it to the ground. Rather hardly. I stare at the bag and back to him about five times. His eyes meet mine and he smirks as he takes the seat slowly.

Boy's who smirk always want to get in a girls skirt.

It's a motto I live by.

I reach for my book bag and I lift it up with two fingers and ****** the material in his face. He looks at the back with amusement and a light smile. Obviously the kid had no idea what yes meant.

"I said someone was sitting there." I shout louder than last time. He looks to me and raises his eyebrows the same time he brings a finger to his lips and shushes me.

"Shh Kelsey. I am trying to learn here."

My mouth threatens to drop. I lock my jaw and I decide to do something stupid. Who knew one boy could get under my skin so quickly? I lift up my book bag and I throw it at his head.

How the hell was he going to sit there and tell me to be quiet when not even a minute ago it was him who was sneaking through the door?

Julio must see it coming because he grabs my wrist and moves my hand out of the way. The book bag falls from my hand and lands on the ground with a loud thunk.

He looks to the bag slowly and then his eyes snake to mine. His face was full of that same amusement.

"If you wanted to hit me, you could have just asked. "

"Seriously?" I ask disgusted.

"Seriously."

He was making fun of me. Julio Hernandez was freaking laughing at me. I try to jerk my hand out of his grasp, but he doesn't let me. Instead, he pulls me closer.

"Let go!" I scream a little too loud and that's when I hear everything get quiet. I stop moving, my hand still in Julio's, and I turn my head to see the Professor looking straight where me and Julio are making a spectacle.

Well, he was more like glaring.

I guess not even the dead writer he was talking about could keep him from hearing the commotion Julio and I were causing in the back of the room. Go freaking figure.

"May's; Hernandez. This is not a playground. "

I jerk my hand out of Julio's and I almost fall out of my chair with the force of it. Julio pockets his hands non-chantilly and looks at the Professor with a blank face.

I get my bearings and point to the little troublemaker. "Sir, it wasn't me. It was him. " I look at Julio and he brings his hands up in an innocent gesture.

"Sir, I swear she grabbed my hand first. "

People all around start to break out in laughter and my cheeks flush. I hated when people take notice of me. I square my chin and look away from him, pride overtaking my embarrassment.

"As if. "

"Look at the way her cheeks are turning red Sir. She loves the attention and she can't wait to get more of it from me later. If you know what I mean." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and that makes the whole class burst out in laughter even more.

Oh, he was going to get hurt.

I turn to him and look him up and down, unamused. "Don't you have something better to do? Like, I don't know, make taco's or something? "

Julio leans toward me, so close I can feel his breath on the side of my face. It fans my hair a little and makes me wish I never said those words. It isn't right for me to bring up his heritage so publicly.

It wasn't like I had anything against his culture, it's the fact that he is the one bothering me that gets under my skin.

His eyes meet mine and I can't look away.

Even if I wanted too.

"Oh, I see. Already making culture jokes and you don't even know me yet?" He breaks out into a slow, devil may care smile and I jerk away from him. My cheeks heat up even more in the process.

"Class! Settle down. Mays; Hernandez, Out! " The professor's usually calm face is now red from anger and he points toward the doors angrily.

I shake my head and start to gather up my notes. Why should I be punished for what Julio did? It's not like I was the one who was sneaking into class. If anything I should get an award for actually showing up five minutes early every day.

I stuff my notes messily into my bag fast trying not to notice all the people that was staring at me. If I did, I would probably balk right here and now.

On the way out, I 'accidentally' hit Julio in the head with my full book bag. Maybe it will knock some sense into him. Or at least scare him away. A girl can hope.

When I open the door and exit out into the hallway, I hear someone slip through the door behind me, their footsteps echoing through the empty corridor. I know it's Julio but I refuse to turn around and acknowledge him.

How could I have been so stupid? I should have just let him mock me and acted like it didn't matter. I shouldn't have let him get to me so easily.

Usually boys don't notice or talk to me, so for Julio to just waltz in and act like I was the best thing, made me want to hit something.

Actually, it made me want to hit him.

I see him move out of the corner of my eye and I stop. If the problem was going to go away, that meant I had to address it head on. Sighing, I turn around and face him. There he stands, leaning against the closet wall, all smiles and good looks.

"That was fun. We should really do it again." I put a hand on my hip and give him the worst look I could ever give someone. The last time I gave someone such a look was when my father walked out on my sister and our mom.

"I don't like you. "

Four words I should have never of said.

He tugs on my bag as he took a confident step forward, forcing me back another step. I suddenly feel my bag slip off my shoulder,a satisfied smile spreading across his face. I have no idea how he got in front of me so fast, but there he was, his body hovering next to mine. I take a few steps back and my back hits a wall. I wondered if he could see how fast my heart was beating beneath my shirt.

He leans forward, bracing his hands on either side of my head. My heart beats fast, surprised at the sudden contact.

I feel him lean closer, his breath next to my ear. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to regain my thoughts. Why the hell was he so close to me? Not a minute ago I wanted to hit him in the face. Now? I don't even know.

I shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't be affecting me like this. I feel his hand run through my hair and then his mouth lightly touches the spot behind my ear and I tense up, in a way that shows how much I want his hand to move. Then he says ever so softly :

"You'll see ángel, You're wrong. Every girl loves a bad boy."

I feel him move and when I finally get my senses together, I see him walking down the hallway, a walk of a jerk who knows that he has just gotten the best of me.

I grab my book bag angrily, ****** it on my shoulder, and I start to walk blindly down the hallway. I don't even bother to see if the prick was still in eyesight.

Every girl loves a bad boy.

Please, this isn't some cliche' romance. I'm not going to scumb to the little suggestions he was offering. Bad boys and nice girls belong in books and horribly made movies. Not in real life.

Julio didn't know anything.

Going to Michigan State was supposed to be my escape. I was going to get out of this place with the best grades and become the person I needed to be. I was finally going to make my life something worth making and no one was going to stop me.

Ever since Kayla decided to join me here, I knew I had to be the smart one. Where she was the wild and free one, I was the smart and practical one. My mother needed me to have more control over my actions. Guy's like Julio were trouble and made me react in ways I shouldn't.

This was Kayla's territory, not mine.

Maybe if he did that a year ago I would have fallen in his trap. I maybe would have given him a chance to show me why every girl falls for a badboy. Why every girl was willing to liver the fantasy Julio was selling Now?

Not a chance.

I push open the double doors that lead outside, when a yellow piece of paper comes flying through the Autumn air, distracting me from my earlier thoughts.

I reach my hand out and quickly grab it before the wind can take it. I immediately notice that the paper has been crumbled so many times that the writing is hard to read. I squint my eyes, trying to make out the cursive, when I finally comprehend a few words.

The Michigan State fall games for all students will be ongoing at the beginning of November. Games and booths full of fun will be set up for ...

I stop reading the stupid yellow flyer and crumble it up like so many other people did and throw it on the ground. Hopefully someone would find it and stuff it into a recycling can.

I watch it start to blow away in the wind, joining all the other debris around the campus, and I look up in time to see two people walking my way.

She has her hand in his, her nose pink from the autumn air. Blonde hair escapes her loose braid and the guy next to her watches the loose pieces with a slight smile. I stand there and watch as he brings her hands up to his mouth and starts to blow on them, trying to warm her up.

I know for a fact that this morning he tried to persuade her to wear mittens, but she was too stubborn to listen. It's just who she was. It's what he loved the most about her.

I smile a little and I start to head their way.

If there was one thing I was certain of, it was them. They had the real deal when it came to love. They were the happily ever after people could get behind.

I mean, it has to be something since they have been dating for a year and a half now. I know he loves her and she loves him.

I can tell by the way he moves his hand every time they are together to the side of her neck, where the vein connecting to her heart is, and lays his thumb on the perfect spot.

As if he wanted to always feel her heart beat for him.

I know she loves him by how she looks at him when he isn't looking. How she smiles so freely and so in love. How she always wanted to be near him, even if they are arguing over something stupid.

I know she's in love by the way she says his name.

Mia catches me walking toward her and she waves and smiles, blonde strands flying in her eyes . She drops her hand that Aiden was still blowing on and she tugs on his other one, dragging him behind her.

I watch them come and I think back to Julio. Why? I have no idea. If there was one guy I knew who could never fall in love, it would have to be him. I heard of his stories, ones Mia tells me, and I know I had stay away from him.

No, I needed to stay away.

"Kelsey, don't you have class?" Mia asks, moving her hands together to warm them. Even though it is only fall, in Michigan it's cold enough to warrant heavy jackets and sweats.

I see Aiden glance at her hands and frown a little. I know he wants to grab her hands and warm them again and I want to laugh a little.

How did it feel to have someone care for you that much? How did it feel to know that someone cared for you as much as you cared for them?

It must be something otherworldly.

I shake my head and jam my thumb behind me, back to the building where my Lit. class was. The one I just got kicked out of. All due to a guy who was beyond anyone's control.

"Aiden's little friend Julio got me kick out. " Mia seems to be amused by this and Aiden looks me over, apologetically. Even he was a lost cause it when came to dealing with Julio.

"Lio? Damnit. I knew when he started classes here something would end up bad. Do you want me to have a talk with him?"

I bite my lip and shake my head. If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was handle men. Like I said, I could write a book when it came to them.

I also should have remembered that Julio was starting here. I heard that he had to finish some high school credits or what not before he could start, but he never really crossed my mind enough to really listen or care.

Now, I wish I did.

I look at my watch and I notice the time. I curse a little and look up to Mia and Aiden. "I have to meet Kayla, something to do with homework. Cafe' tonight at ten?" Mia nods her head and I walk past them, heading to the dorm I shared with Kayla.

I look over one more time to see Aiden grab Mia's hands again and blow on them. She laughs and he smiles at her, not letting her move her hands away even though she tries.

I bring my eyes back to the sidewalk and continue on my way. I don't even bother to look back, knowing what I would see.

The one thing I was never going to get.

Love might have been real for them, but for me, it was nothing but a fairytale.

( Julio POV )

I shouldn't have messed with her.

I just couldn't help it.

I'm the guy that likes to get in trouble and do the things people love to consider reckless or stupid. I will tell a girl anything they need to hear to get them in my bed and I can lie through my teeth and make you believe anything you want.

I know the art of scheming. My whole life is a scheme worth writing about. I can hustle anybody to do anything I want. It's like taking a candy from a baby. I'm the guy you try to avoid on the street because with just one look, you'll know I'm trouble.

I have tattoos covering my arms, some with meaning and some just for show. I have Mexican blood running through my veins and it just makes me more of who I am. I'm proud of who I am and where I come from.

But that's all I'm proud of.

Not once have I ever done something for the greater good. When it comes down to it, caring for other people just wasn't in my nature. Either we were close or you weren't a care in my mind.

Igrew up living the life my father put me into and it made me make sacrifices in my life I wish I didn't have too..

I no longer did things without meaning. I learned a long time ago that caring for something more than you should lands you in one thing: Trouble. Not that I don't like trouble, I just know my limitless.

Girls know me as the heart-breaker.

But for some reason they can't stay away.

I'm honest about who I am even when I'm lying. People say I need to change. Figure out where I am going, who I plan to be. But why would I change for something that means so little to me?

I am who I am and why would I want to change that?

My life has been full of disappointments and I live my life on whims. I like being sarcastic, cocky, and rude. I like being Julio Hernandez. I like doing the unpredictable because my life is beyond predictable. I'm a cliche' in the damn making.

Sure, It doesn't get me far and pisses people off. I don't care though because at-least I'm not trying to hide who I am. Hell, I don't even try to kid myself anymore. I learned a while ago that you should always keep people at a distance.

Never let them get close.

If they get close, they have a chance to hurt you. They have a chance to disappoint you. When you give someone hope, they have the chance to build you up and break you down. They have the handbook on how to break you where it hurts the most.

Why the hell would anyone wanna give that kind of thing away so easily?

When I see my motorcycle leaning against a tree in the parking lot I smirk to myself. My mom was so dead-set against it, but I refused to give it up. Cars were to compacted for me. I liked the freedom a motorcycle offered me.

Freedom is all I've ever wanted in my life.

Mi madre thought it was my death. She swore every day that a motorcycle was the last thing a guy like me needed. Maybe she was right. I swear she was wrong.

Like I said, a motorcycle was the ideal thing to have. I sling my shitty bag on the bar and when I slip on, I look over and I see Kelsey Mays herself, walking down the pathway, leading to the girls even shittier dorms.

Her head is down and her hair is swinging in the fall air, creating a sort of golden brown curtain hiding her from the world. It's like she refuses to look up at the things around her. She likes to live in her head more than she does in the real world.

Even from where I am you can tell how hot the mamacita was just by looking. It seemed like she tried to hide it though. I have no idea why.

From the oversized hoodie she had on and to the jeans she always almost wore, she left a lot to the imagination.

And my imagination can think of some pretty fucked up things.

I continue to watch her walk and I wonder if I was turning into a fuckin' freak? The girl drew me in and I knew from the moment I danced with her, at the ball my last summer in high school, that I wanted to get to know her.

Know her in ways she didn't want to be known.

She stops and turns her head, as if she can tell that someone is watching her, and when she squints her eyes and catches me sitting on my motorcycle, obviously checking her out, I see her actually glare from here.

I smile and wave at her, my fingers moving up and down and she brings her hand in the air, flicks me her finger, and turns around continuing on her way.

Well, well, well.

Kelsey Mays was a feisty one.

The funny thing is that I have plenty of experience with girls like her. Ones who act like they hate boys and could care less about their charms, but they always crumble.

I can have Kelsey in my hands in a matter of a week if I actually tried.

I slip my helmet on and I rev my bike, my hands tightening around the bars. I knew going to college was a stupid idea from the beginning.

This place wasn't made for someone like me and I told my mom the same thing. But that woman scares the hell out of me and is probably the only women who could get me to do anything. She wanted her son to be something. Something more than the life he was offered.

So she signed my student loan, got me here, and told me that she suspected me to be home every night since I didn't too far. I was pissed for weeks when she actually signed the loan. That amount of money for a fucking AA degree?

My family doesn't have a lot of money. Ever since my dad got locked up for dealing drugs we have been living on practically nothing since forever.

This is why college is such a shitty idea. That's why signing that loan was crazy. I could use toward more important things. Not college. Since I am the oldest in the family, I should be supporting my familia.

My mom shouldn't have to go through all the backache and hard labor to support our family. I'm the man and I have to step up and become one. I should be the one to support the people I love.

I thought about it for a while. Longer than I should have. Since my dad was the drug dealer he was, a lot of his partners and clients came to me when he went to jail.

They asked me if I wanted in, to help with what they claimed the 'Family Business.' I refused and they told me they would be back.

And come back they did.

They would find me all the time, get me behind some building, and ask the same question again and again. The same stupid shit I never wanted to deal with.

Do you want in? I would always tell them the same answer, no. But that didn't mean I didn't think about it. It didn't mean I didn't think about following in my fathers footsteps.

My mom needed the money for bills and since Jose and the rest were growing up so fast, they would need clothes for school and other things.

Marcia still needed money for class fees so my mom would work and it killed me every time I saw her come home from the grocery store, slick with sweat and exhaustion in her eyes.

I grip the handlebars tighter and make a left turn. There was a Café close to the college that was hiring and I decided earlier today that I should give it a try.

I could balance my classes and get money to help my with whatever she needed.

Because the fact is:

Real men get money from labor.

Not drugs.

I pull into the parking spot that is empty and I turn off my motorcycle without thinking about it. I take off my helmet and I run my hands through my black hair, hoping it looked somewhat decent.

I swing a leg over the side and I sit my helmet on the back of my bike. I knew no one was going to touch it because I had a reputation around here for getting in fights and defending what was mine.

The Café looked like a knock off Starbucks, but bigger. A lot of college kids came here with their laptops and notebooks and would finish any work they had from class. It was full of wanna be hipsters and losers hoping to make it as writers.

It wasn't really my kind of hangout, but when you needed a job, you would take anything the world threw at you. It could have been worse.

A little ding rings out when I open the door and the smell of grounded coffee hits me hard when I step in. I absolutely hated the smell of coffee.

Some kids my age were already set up at some round tables by the windows and others were sitting at the booths to my right, laughing and hanging out. One girl even has a feather hanging from her hair.

I see a slim redhead at the counter, running a towel over a napkin dispenser. Her hair is the kind of red that doesn't come from a box and was up in a high ponytail. She looked probably two years older than me but that didn't mean anything.

She has on the black issued uniform that anyone working here wears and a little blue name tag over her ****** pocket stands out in contrast.

I weave my way around tables and when I get close enough to see her name, I smile and try it out real quick.

Becca.

Not too bad, actually.

She is so busy cleaning that she doesn't hear or see me come up. I smile and I set my hand on the napkin dispenser, blocking her exceptional cleaning.

She looks up quickly, shocked, and when her green eyes meet mine, they seem to widen a little.

She fumbles with the napkins and ends up dropping them all over the place. They fall to the ground and she curses under her breath a little, a pink flush blossoming her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," She says as the napkins fall to the floor on my side of the counter. She backs up, about to come over, but I hold my hand up to stop her.

"I got it."

I give her a little smile and bend down to pick them up. While I am busy, I analyze what kind of girl she might be.

Bitchy? No, so being rude won't work on her.

Easy? My eyes lift to her and I see her running a hand over the counter nervously, a worried look on her face. I shake my head, getting rid of that idea.

If she was she would have more confidence. That leaves my next option open.

Sweet.

That meant she would want to hear what she likes to hear. She liked to be told the truth and sob stories were your way in.

This was going to be pretty easy if I say so myself.

I hand her the napkins and she smiles gracefully and she starts to shove them back into the dispenser. I watch her for a while and then I clear my throat, getting her attention. When she looks up, I nod my head to the window.

"I heard you guys were looking for someone to hire."

She looks over at the sign too and her head nods fast. Some of her red hair escapes her ponytail and she swipes it back without bothering to look.

"Yeah, the manager is on vacation and I took her place for a while. Do you have any experience with people or with making coffee?"

I lean against the counter and seem to think about the question.Coffee? No. People? Depends on what she means by 'Experience.'

"Look," I say, deciding to just tell the chick the truth. What was the point in lying? She seemed like the type to care and consider things, so maybe for once not trying to play a girl could work to my benefit.

"I have no idea how to do ... any of this,"

I finger what I think is a salt shaker, but the label reads vanilla. Do white people actually like this stuff? Seriously?

"I just really need a job right now." I don't elaborate on why I need the job because it wasn't a need to know kind of thing.

She looks up at me and sucks on her bottom lip. I can literally see the thoughts running through her head. I had to admit, the girl was cute, but she was someone that I could never see myself taking advantage of.

Sweet wasn't really my type.

She lets out her breath.

"How about I let you try out tonight and if you do a good job, then I will hire you? Sound good?" I slap my hand on the counter and give her my best smile.

"When can I start?"

She gets out a piece of paper with the schedule and squints at it. The little ding goes off on the door and she looks up to see who it is and then goes back to looking at the paper.

"Come around 9 and you can stay till closing which is 12. Is that okay?" Her green eyes meet mine and I nod, more than relieved.

I turn around to leave and I look over my shoulder to see her putting the papers back under the counter. She wipes her hands on her uniform and she goes to turn to the customer when I call out to her.

"By the way, I like the red." I twirl a piece of my hair, indicating her hair, and she blushes a little and turns back to the costumers.

I laugh under my breath and head out the door. I see my motorcycle and I reach for the key in my back pocket, nerves suddenly making there way to the surface.

Tonight at nine I'll be starting my first job ever.

Can you say dios mio?!

"You have to be kidding me."

Is the first thing I mutter as I walk through my door and into my dorm room. Kayla stands proudly in the small space, her hands on her hips, smiling at me.

It wasn't the pose that was bothering me; it was more of what she has on.

She has this sparkly half shirt that wrapped around only her boobs, to where her stomach is showing and her belly button rings art dangles at the end. She smiles at me and I shut the door as she starts to twirl, showing off the matching sparkly skirt.

"You look like a **********." I tell her honestly, throwing my bag on the bed, my body following right behind it. On the floor clothes of all sorts are spread through the small space and her twin bed looks like a war zone of fabrics. When Kayla and I decided to share a dorm room, I should have known better.

She was messy, never cleaned up anything of hers, and always came in late from doing only god knows what. She would rather stay out late and party then come home and study. It's just who she is.

She rolls her eyes and heads toward our only mirror, the time trying to pump her hair. I watch, really not caring, as she starts to put on lip gloss with her pinkie finger.

Okay, I really needed a life if I was laying here watching my sister put on make-up.

Honestly though, I have no idea where she could be going at two in the afternoon looking like that.

All the clubs didn't open till at least ten and any party around here, hosted by no other than drunken idiot college guys, didn't start till at least twelve. Most of the sororities didn't really start going all out until around November, and even if they did, it was more greek themed than anything.

For all I know, she was probably on her way to go prey on the male species. It's the kind of thing she loves to do. She smacks her lips together loudly and smiles at me through the mirror.

"**********? Really? I'm just expressing my mood." She runs her hand over her bare stomach seductively and I lift my head and raise an eyebrow at her outfit again.

"Is the mood 'I want you to take me out back and do things to me that you only see in movies.' kind of mood?" She turns her head to the side and just looks at me. She didn't understand half the time why I disapproved of what she did, but even when I tried to approach the subject, she shut me down.

"I was thinking something along the lines of 'I am an independent person and I couldn't care less about what you think about me.'"

This is how my twin sister is. She thinks women have the right to dress any way they want and act anyway they want. She believes in equal rights and things wholeheartedly that women should embrace who they are and what they are.

And I totally agree. I am all for the woman's rights and stuff, but there comes a time when you know you shouldn't act a certain way.

Women should be independent and be able to dress the way they want, but she takes things to the extreme. There are creeps out there that could take advantage of her in an instant. Creeps that don't care that no means no. Creeps that are willing to do anything as long as they are satisfied in the end.

Kayla thinks she could handle herself, I know she can, but I'm scared one day she will meet someone stronger and bigger and I might not be there to help her. If that day comes, I wouldn't even begin to know what to do. I'm supposed to protect her from the world, not let her fall prey to it.

My sister is the only good thing I have left.

I close my eyes and sigh. First Julio and now Kayla. Man, this year was just getting better and better.

I just lay there, my eyes closed, thinking of ways I could kill them both without getting caught, when I feel something tap the side of my head.

Opening my eyes, I see Kayla looking at me sweetly, her image upside down. She smiles down at me evilly and I wonder why I never took in the fact that she could actually look pretty scary when she wanted too

"Are you alive in there?" She asks loudly and even though I am already looking at her, she brings her hand to my head again.

She starts to knock on it like a door and I push her hand away, sit up, and glare at her. You know in case she had any more ideas about knocking on my head.

I see my bag chilling on the floor and I let out my breath and grab for it. Since I was the most pathetic human being ever and I had no life, I might as well get some work done. I really needed to get started in my lit. class.

Plus I didn't have to be anywhere until a few more hours anyway.

Kayla sees me grab the bag and makes a face at it, as if it is the devil himself. "Ewh. Why do you insist to do homework on the weekends?"

I don't bother answering her as I dig around for the book my professor assigned the class to do earlier on this year. Apparently hearing about dead english writers wasn't torture enough. Hejust had to add the one author I hated among dead authors.

I push a clump of calculus notes out of my way and when I see the ratty outside cover of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I grab it with distaste and throw it on the bed.

So far, all that the book was offering me were more opinions on why love sucks. I mean the whole book is basically about people falling in love with the wrong person.

Just add a little teen drama and you basically have the workings of a next Gossip Girl Novel.

"You know, some people take this thing called college seriously." I finally tell her when I can't find the motivation to open the book. It would take the rest of my willpower to actually finish the thing.

Kayla flips her hair over her shoulder and bends over, searching for something on the floor. I watch her for a few moments and then find my motivation to open the book in the pure boredom I was living in.

"I do take it seriously. It's just what is life without a little fun?"

"Uh, life?"

I finally find the little dog-eared page I made earlier in the week and I flick my eyes to her in time to see that she has found the purse she was looking for.

Which, might I add, looks ten times bigger than her damn head. Seriously though, where did she find these things?

She pulls her dorm keys chain over her neck and I try to catch her eye before she left.

"Be careful, okay?" She waves her hands in the air as if she could care less and walks out of the room. I can literally hear her high heels hitting the carpet from here.

Sighing, I look back down at my book, nerves turning my stomach. Even if I gave up trying to control Kayla a while ago, it still made me anxious seeing her walk out the door every day.

Ever since I was little she was the one who always wanted to take control. She was the ruler of our little twosome. She would always demand what we would be doing for the day and I would follow in her footsteps. Kayla was the leader and I was just her small, light haired follower.

If we got in trouble, it would always be from one of her ideas. If we got hurt, it was from elaborate plan she came up with earlier that week.

We were twins but complete opposites.

The same coin but different sides.

She was the heads of this operation and I was the tail always sticking behind her.

Until our freshman year of highschool, we were always like that. Everybody knew Kayla was the twin everyone gravitated toward. I was her unnoticable shadow. Kayla wanted to live, to be noticed. I wanted to just hang back and live under the radar.

But when I got my first boyfriend that year and she joined the volleyball team, we sort of branched out into our own person. I was no longer Kaylas weird twin. I was Kelsey Mays, the girl with that boy.

I was no longer living in my sisters image.

I flip through the pages of the book and realize that I have no idea what pages I should be reading. Since I got kicked out before I could figure it out, I'm screwed. I could just read from the spot I have marked, but if I end up reading too little, the professor would have an aneurysm.

I'm already on his bad side.

If I knew one person who could help me it was Nick. Yep you heard right, a guy. He always sat behind me and he would make it a point to say hi to me every morning. He's the kind of guy you want to talk too.

He and I have gotten in a few conversations about the lessons, but we never really hung out or talked about anything normal. Sure, he was there every time I needed a distraction from classes, but beyond that I was clueless.

If I was lucky, I might catch him before he took off though. Since it was the weekend, a lot of people liked to take off and go home or stay with their girlfriends or boyfriends in their dorms.

I push my way off the bed, leaving the book open on my bag, and head to the door.

I see my key on the dresser and pocket it before shutting the door behind me. Girls were already out in the hallway getting ready for a good time. Music thrumps from an open door and a guy in leather pants gives me the okay sign.

A group of girls pass me, a case of beer in one hand and CDs in the other. I have no idea how they got past the dorm director, but I cared more about the lack of sleep I was going to get tonight. Since the weekend allowed guys in the dorm, it meant girls were willing to bend the rules for a few hours.

I push open the double doors leading out into the chilly air and start to head to the boy's dorm. I stuff my hands in my hoodie and I stay on the pathway, avoiding people who were already making plans for the weekend ahead.

Now that classes are over, people were walking across the courtyard in groups and meeting up with each other. Most of the upperclassmen are already gone and any freshmen lucky enough to gain a parking lot were half way out themselves.

Thank god for Kayla's persuasive ways because thanks to her I scored a parking lot myself. Sadly, I wasn't one of the ones making an escape. I would much rather stay here than go home.

I see the guy's dorm coming up and I sigh, a small cloud forming in front of me. If there was one thing I knew about boys, it was that the moment they saw a girl in their dorm, they thought of only one thing: Sex.

But, really, what would you expect?

They are men after all.

I'm still walking, minding my own business, when a bright red color catches my eyes. I stop and follow the color and see a guy passing by the walkway, a bag over his shoulder and a red beanie covering his head.

He pulls the beanie further down, making his shaggy blonde hair stick out over the ends and I smile a little. Just the guy I wanted to see.

I veer off the path and catch up to him before he can leave. When I catch up, I poke him lightly in the should to get his attention. When he turns around and sees that it's me, a smile lights up his already happy face.

"Oh, hey Kels." His British accent rings out clearly and I just smile. The funny thing is that I heard of Nick before I even saw him.

All the girls would practically gush about him and his British accent every day. According to every girl who had the opportunity to heart it, it was to die for. There words, not mine.

Apparently he moved here from England when he was ten and has been the ideal man for the female species ever since.

Add on the fact that he was sweet, nice, and always seemed like he genuinely cared about what you were feeling, and you have the biggest wanted man on campus.

The light catches his baby blues that seemed to look like the ocean and I had to admit his eyes were beautiful. It wasn't like I was staring. I was just making an obvious, calculated, scientific observa-

Okay, I was staring.

"Hey Nick." I reply as my eyes go to his blonde hair that was still sticking out from the beanie. The one thing I loved about Nick, and yes my people I said love, was that he looked straight at you when you talked.

Always giving you his utmost attention.

"Did you catch what pages we should read in Lit. class? I didn't get them." Okay, maybe I don't tell him about the fact that Julio got me kicked out, but he didn't really need to know that. Not being responsible isn't something I liked to broadcast.

He laughs a little and grabs for his bag around his shoulder before bending down on one knee and shifting through it.

The wind blows and I cross my arms over my chest, trying not to show how cold I actually was. Since it was getting later, the weather was cooling down. Since Julio is the sole reason that I have to do this, I swore the next time I saw him I was going to...to...

Ah,screw it. I'll just kill him.

I'm so busy with my thoughts about killing Julio that I don't notice Nick sending me these little glances until he smiles up at me.

I look at him oddly and when he bends his head, his hair getting in his face, his smile gets bigger. I give up guessing and just ask him what's up.

"Why are you smiling?" I ask and he suddenly starts to laugh. He has the kind of boyish laugh that makes girls want to pinch his cheeks. It's seriously cute. He stops fiddling through his papers that has his writing and he squints up at me, his blue eyes turning a little brighter.

"You're cold and you are trying to hide it. Here," He stands up, leaving his binder open on the ground, and takes his red beanie off his head and puts it in my hands.

Okay... well, what the hell do I do now?

I can't just give the beanie back and say I wasn't cold, because let's be honest, I was freezing over here. plus it will just make things really, really awkward. I sigh and put the beanie on my head, tugging it down at the sides.

His smile grows bigger and I give him a look. "I look ridiculous, don't I?" Screw it, I'll just freeze out here.

He shakes his head, his laugh growing louder. He tugs on the side of the beanie and smiles at me warmly.

"No, I like it on you actually." I quickly look away and focus on a bird making it's way across the courtyard. While I loved the compliment, I couldn't show that I liked it. If I did,things could get complicated real fast.

Which I know is stupid, I mean it could be nothing more than a friendly gesture, but I didn't need him or me to look into it too much and start falling for eachother.

That's how these things start.

I watch the bird as it flap its wings and tries to reach fly, but it ends up landing on its side. If I could go over there and help it I would. But what could I do?

The branches were too tall for me to reach and I couldn't fly; so the bird and I were both at an impasse.

"So, why didn't you get the assignment."

I look back over to see Nick grab a piece of paper and bring it out for me to take. I quickly grab it while he puts his things back in his bag, wipes the dirt of his jeans, and stands back up.

"I um...wasn't paying attention." He just gives me an are you sure look and I puff out my cheeks and let out my breath.

"Okay, I got kicked out." A slow smile takes over his face and he wraps his hand around his bags leather strap.

"Kind of figured since the professor practically was screaming and having an aneurysm over you and that kid. Who is he anyways?"

"No one," I mutter under my breath as fold the paper in my pocket. I start to bring my hand to my head to give him his beanie back when he suddenly comes forward fast and stops mu hand.

He looks up at me and smiles a little. "Keep it. I like the way it looks on you." He moves his hand handle slowly away, the warmth from his gloves making mune tingle, and I just let my hand drop stupidly. He backs up a little and nods to me.

"I'll see you Monday Kels."

He turns on his heel and starts to head back the way he was going before I interrupted him. I touch the beanie while I watch him go, thoughts making my mind go a mile a minute.

You see? This is how feelings start.

All because a guy gives you his beanie.

~*~*~*~*~*

The Café is this little joint close to the college that everyone seems to hang out at.

Everyone goes there to study or meet up with friends and that was where I was heading now to meet up with Mia and Aiden. Mia absolutely loved the chic feel of the establishment so it became our meeting spot for weeks.

Kayla said she would show up when I told her about the plans earlier, but I have no idea if she actually would. If it was up to her she would much rather stay wherever she is, partying it up and getting drunk.

I wrap the black jacket that I changed into around me as the wind picks up, making the night air even colder. Around me, people mill in and out of family own buildings, coats and scarfs on almost everyone I pass.

I could have drove here, but the place was so close that it wasn't even worth the gas or effort. A piece of hair flies into my face and I take a moment to style my hair into a side braid, my mind more on the get together than on my horrible handiwork.

The lights from inside the Café illuminate the sidewalk in front of me and I pull open the door, the smell of coffee already hitting me. It was the Cafés signature mark. Crowds of people were already filling up the seats inside and the line from the counter stretched almost to the door.

Looking around, I finally catch Mia sitting at a far corner by herself, a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. I shake my head and make my way to her, pushing past all the people in my way.

I finally get past a couple making out by the bathrooms when she sees me she smiles. When I get close enough for her to see what I'm wearing she looks me up and down and then points to her heard questionably.

Okay, maybe I still had on Nick's beanie. Don't look into it too much. It was seriously cold and it was the perfect thing to keep me warm. Plus, the only other hat I had was something hideous my granna made herself.

No thank you.

I slide into the booth opposite to her and she was still staring at my head, a weird look on her face. I give her a weird look back and she smiles insteads.

"I'm not even going to ask."

"Good." I say and she wraps her hands around the scarf at her neck, tugging it lose. Her messy blond hair was in a side bun and her grey eyes kept glancing at the door then to me.

"Aiden?" I guess and she looks at me guilty. Ever since they started dating she made it a point to never make it seem like she cared for her boyfriend more than her friends.

To tell you the truth, she did a pretty good job at keeping a balance between the two, but you could tell that her thoughts always went back to Aiden.

She slumps in her seat.

"He said it he would be here when I got here, but he wasn't. He had to go help his mother with something since his brothers are out of town. Apparently they are trying to become models." She throws her hands and the air while rolling her eyes and I can't help but laugh.

I have seen the Cash brothers more than once in my life. There was no way in the pits of all fiery hell that they were going to be cast as models.

Mia grabs a cinnamon shaker and opens the lid, sticking her finger in it lightly. She brings a little dab of it to her mouth and then looks over at me.

"Where's Kayla?"

I sigh and turn to glance out the window. People cross by, some looking in and some so busy with their own life that they couldn't care less what other people were doing around them. I wish I could be them, going blissfully through life with no worries.

"Guess."

Mia reaches over and puts her hand over mine. I look at her hand for a few seconds and then meet her concerned eyes.

"Don't worry. Kayla will lighten up someday and learn to be...how do I put it? Less wild?" I smile at her word choice and wipe away all thoughts of Kayla. Mia was right. Sooner or later Kayla was going to mellow out.

I just wish it was sooner.

"Okay, subject change." I say as I bring my hands down to my low cut shirt and I lift it down a little. My white bra flashes Mia for a second before I push my shirt back up.

"Does this shirt make my boobs look small?" I grimace at the white V-neck and Mia cracks up and soon I am laughing too. It's easy falling into stupid banter whenever Mia was around. She is the best friend I've ever had.

Mia brings her hands to her own shirt, which was blue and loose, and flashes me her pink laced bra. Only, she keeps it on display longer than me. "Does my shirt make my boobs look small?" She eyes the lace and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Only she would continue to flash the Café her bra and not know it. Reaching forward, I move her hand away and shake my head. "You're boobs are perfect," I tell her the same moment a shadow lands over our booth.

Looking up, I find Aiden staring down at us, a half smile lighting up his face. "I always knew girls talked about boobs when guys weren't around."

I roll my eyes and move my hands away from Mias shirt and watch as Aiden bends over and kisses Mia on her temple before sliding in.

"Sorry I was late. My mother actually had a lot of things for me to do." He winces as if he could still feel the pain he had to endure and I try not to feel sorry for him.

"That must really suck. Don't worry though; your girlfriend wouldn't stop talking about you." I tease and Mia dips her fingers in the still open cinnamon shaker and throws some on me.

"Liar!" She states and I break out laughing and she shakes her head, slipping her hand in Aiden's. I look over at the growing line behind me and I look back to them.

"I might as well get in line and place our orders before the line gets any bigger." I stand up and when I start to walk away, I hear Aiden call out:

"Killer beenie Kelsey!"

I flick him my middle finger over my shoulder without looking and I hear Mia's laugh from my spot in the line. Obviously Mia was more than willing to supply Aiden with the juicy little details.

Turns out I end up getting stuck behind some girl whose hair was dyed so many colours that it could create a rainbow and a guy who keeps staring at me.

It was kind of freaking me out.

I stay in my place, trying to ignore the guy who was really freaking me out the longer he stares at me, when I finally get to the counter.

I see no one there anso I set my hands on the counter and lean over a little, hoping to get a better look. When I see someone leaning over and rooting under the counter, I try not to interrupt.When seconds pass and I hear the guy curse under his breath in what I think is Spanish and I decide to get his attention.

Like I said, I would have just let him take his time, but the guy behind me was really starting to creep me out to the point of no return. I mean, I don't even think he was blinking.

"Hello!" I shout down under my breath and he jerks up so quick he ends up banging his head on the counter.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned, and then that's when he stands up and I get a good look at the guy. Even though he looks a thousand times more civil in the Café uniform, it didn't mean it didn't make him look any less hot or dangerous.

He's rubbing his head when his eyes suddenly meet mine. His hand suddenly stops moving and his mouth quirks up at the side in a smile full of concealed amusement.

"If it isn't Kelsey Mays. What can I do for you ángel?" He pronounces the word 'angel' In his language, his little Spanish accent coming through the words.

When I still stand there, shocked, his smile tips higher and he leans against the counter, waiting for me to say something. To say anything.

The guy behind me is still staring, people are getting aggravated that the line is taking too long, Aiden and Mia were probably making googly eyes at each other and now I have Julio leaning against a counter, smirking at me.

Whose idea was it to come here again?