Discovering Synergy, page 2
“Seriously? I would have guessed Cami is the person everyone would want to be friends with,” I said shocked.
“I agree, but when your family has ties to the five most eligible men on campus you never know who’s truly your friend,” Tony explained.
I nodded my head and tried to muse that over. I’d never had any connections with desirable people, so I had no way to relate. “Don’t worry, I have no interest in getting involved in the school drama. I just want to enjoy my first year of college and being out on my own.”
“Let’s make a deal, you keep an eye on her for me and if you ever find yourself in trouble, I’d be happy to come to help you out,” Tony said and pulled out a card from his back pocket. “Here's my cell number, call or text me anytime if you need me.”
“Thanks,” I said taking the card and feeling more at ease, now that I had someone looking out for me.
After Tony left, I looked at the unopened boxes on the floor. “Well, if I’m going to sleep tonight, I might need to unbox these. I wouldn’t want people thinking I can’t afford sheets,” I said opening the box I knew had my sheets and towels in them.
Once the bed was made, I gave in to my exhaustion and curled up, falling asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
Chapter 2 Lailah
Having slept peacefully through the night, I woke up feeling refreshed and excited. I glanced over at the clock and saw it was well into the day. How had I slept till almost noon? I wandered over to the dresser and grabbed fresh clothes for the day. I pulled on some yoga pants and an oversized Notre Dame hoodie that my brother Dylan had given me. He had hoped I would have followed in his footsteps.
I decided to finish getting unpacked and opened the box that had books written on it. I peeled off the tape and started placing the books in the cubbies along the wall. Seeing all my favorite books made me feel more at home. Just when I was going to open the next box, someone knocked on the door. Curious to see who it could be, I opened the door and smiled.
“Did Tony bring up your stuff last night?” Cami asked brushing past me and jumping on my rumpled bed.
“Yeah, thanks for asking him. He’s super nice,” I said, walking back over to my boxes.
“Tony has been with Ryevick for ages. He knows my sisters, so when I started here last year, they had him keep an eye on me to make sure I didn’t do anything too crazy,” she said, flopping onto her belly to watch me unpack while she kicked her feet.
I opened the next box and Elle the elephant, my favorite stuffed animal, popped out landing on the floor. Cami was quickly off the bed and picking Elle up before I could even blink.
“This is so cute!” Cami squealed.
I laughed at seeing how excited she was. I’d wanted to take Elle on the plane with me, but I didn’t think I could handle the looks I would have gotten from people. Now that I’d seen how being the scholarship student had drawn so much attention, I was glad I hadn’t added to it.
Carefully, I pulled out the family photo my mom had packed for me. After my graduation, she’d made us all get dressed up and take a fancy family photo. I went to go set it on the desk, but Cami was right at my elbow pulling the frame out of my hands.
“Is this your family?”
“Yup, those are my parents Bonnie and Luke. They own the best diner in my hometown called Percy’s. The good-looking guy is my older brother Dylan. He just graduated from Notre Dame this past summer with his MBA and is going back to get a law degree. He has always wanted to take over our parents' diner when they retire so he decided to stay in school a little longer. The little rug rat next to me who looks like he has been tortured for the past hour is Kyle. He’s a freshman in high school this year.” As I talked about them, I felt tears well up in my eyes.
I’d been so good about not crying through this whole thing. Mom had bawled her eyes out as I got on the plane, but I’d managed to hold it together. Apparently, this was the moment it all started to hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in a completely different country, with an ocean and a fifteen-hour flight between us. I wasn’t going to be able to just drive a few hours and be home for a weekend like Dylan could.
“Oh, hun, don’t cry,” Cami said as she threw her arms around me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. Let’s go out this afternoon and I’ll show you around town. That will cheer you up.”
As much as I appreciated her comfort, I couldn’t help but giggle because she was so short, her head was resting perfectly on my boobs. This instantly lightened my mood and I brushed away the tears.
“That sounds like fun,” I said patting her on the back before I pulled out of her hug. “So, tell me about you.”
Cami walked back to my bed and fell backward on it again. “Me? Well, my room is one floor down, right next to the elevator, lucky number six. Thank god this year I don’t have a roommate. Last year the girl I lived with was the worst. Hmm, let's see what else,” Cami said, sitting up suddenly. “Oh! I’m going to school for journalism! I love to get all up in people’s business, so my parents suggested that I make it a job.”
I shook my head and laughed as I continued to pull stuff out of the boxes and put it away. “You mentioned Tony knew your sisters, are they older or younger?”
“I have two older sisters, but one's a half-sister. They're cool, I guess. They are always trying to push me into being more involved in the family business,” Cami said, scrunching up her face in distaste.
“That's funny, my parents couldn’t wait to get me out of the family business. Since Dylan was already planning on taking it over, they didn’t see the need for me to waste my potential. I think they have me mixed up with Kyle because he is the savant wonder child. He is at this crazy prep school an hour away from home that my mom has to drive him to every day,” I explained. “When I said that I didn’t understand how I got a scholarship for this school, I wasn’t kidding. I’m a good student, but nothing that could match up to his abilities.”
“They must have seen something impressive about you if they gave you one of the four scholarships they have for the year,” Cami countered.
“The only thing I’m really good at is running track and hurdles, but this school doesn’t have anything that is sports-related on campus,” I said sitting on the couch, my unpacking finished.
“Oh girl, you will never catch me running. I would much rather take out what's chasing me than run from it,” Cami said standing up. She waved at me to follow her. “Come on, let's go get some lunch. There’s a great little sandwich place in Nettleton. And don’t forget to bring your class list so we can grab your books.”
“I really need a shower. Can I have a chance to get ready first?” I asked Cami before she could drag me out the door.
She gave me a once over and nodded. “That might be a good idea.” She walked over to my dresser and started rifling through my clothes. When she got to my t-shirt drawer she started laughing. “These are gold girl. I couldn’t have picked better. Where did you get them?”
“My brothers started my collection of sassy shirts after they broke into my room and read my journal from when I was in middle school. They said my inner snark needed an outlet, so for every birthday and Christmas I get new shirts that they find. After a while, I embraced it and started buying some of my own,” I said smiling, remembering how it all started.
“Sounds like your brothers and I would get along,” Cami said handing me a stack of clothes. “Now go shower! We have important shenanigans to get up to!”
I ran down the hall and showered as fast as I could so she wouldn’t have to wait too long. I tore a comb through my curly hair as it fell to the middle of my back. There was no time to dry it with my blow dryer, so I threw some curl cream in and called it good. I wiggled into the jeans Cami had picked out and looked at what shirt she picked out. It said, ‘I’m not short I’m concentrated awesome’. I laughed and put it on. I’d never thought of myself as tall, but compared to Cami, I was. Ready for the day I headed back to my room to grab the rest of my stuff so we could head out.
“So how are we getting to town? Do they have a shuttle for the students to use?” I asked slipping on some sandals.
Cami looked at me like I had just asked her if she wanted to eat dirt. “Oh, my poor sweet country bumpkin, that will never happen. I have a car here. I’ll drive, unless you know how to drive a stick?”
I shook my head vigorously, “Trust me, you do not want me driving, we’ll end up in another country.”
“Perfect! I love driving!” Cami said grabbing a purse that she must’ve brought up while I was in the shower.
I walked with Cami to the elevator and we exited the dorm out the back where the student parking was. I scanned the cars wondering which one was hers. All of them looked sleek and expensive. I would only ever own one in my dreams. Cami walked up to a small neon green car with black detailing on it. The car chirped as she unlocked it and she waved for me to hurry up. The car didn’t look like it could hold more than two people, but once I was inside, I was surprised by how roomy it was.
“What kind of car is this?” I asked.
Before she answered, she hit a button and the fabric roof started to roll back letting in the sunlight and fresh air. “It’s a Fiat five hundred, custom color of course. I can’t get lost in the parking lot looking for this little guy.”
I laughed thinking that is exactly something I would need to do when I got my next car. My laughing got cut short as Cami dropped the clutch and we rocketed out of the parking spot and onto the street. Looks like I was going to die before I even got to start school.
“Cami! Slow the hell down!” I yelled after clutching the armrests.
“Calm your tits, we’ll be just fine. I drive like this all the time. Why do you think I bought this car?” Cami said, and giggled as she turned on the radio, blasting the car with the top ten hits.
My wild curls whipped around my head slapping me in the face as we went. Thankfully I always kept a scrunchy on my wrist for moments like this. I trapped my hair in a messy bun on my head, and I was now able to at least see some of the blurring scenery as we went. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take us long to get into town and for Cami to swoop into a parking spot. As she cut the engine, she looked over at me triumphantly, like keeping us alive was noteworthy.
It took me a minute to get out of the car and get my equilibrium back. Once I got past the dizziness, I finally had a chance to look around. The little town of Nettleton had been well preserved. All the modern cars that were parked along the stone-faced shops looked so out of place. The tires of the cars passing by sounded funny as they rolled over the cobblestone roadway. Each shop had a wooden hand-painted sign that let shoppers know what they offered inside. Groups of students, full of energy, laughed and dashed in and out of the stores with bags loaded with things they needed.
“Come on, the sandwich shop is just around the corner,” Cami said locking the car and heading off.
Slipping my purse over my shoulder, I jogged after her. For a person with such short legs, she moved super-fast. I couldn’t get over the feeling that I was on a movie set or something. There’s no way a place like this could be around in real life. Maybe it was just because I hadn’t traveled out of my home state, but I felt this was strange.
The sandwich shop was cute and we simply ordered our sandwiches at the counter then found a place to sit and eat. Cami and I decided to eat inside since the last of the summer heat was still hanging on.
“Besides your school supplies, is there anything else we need to get you while you're in town?” Cami asked as we cleaned up after our meal.
“Not that I can think of but I’m sure I’ve missed something. Guess we’ll just have to make another trip,” I said smiling because I liked the idea of having a friend to go shopping with.
“To make the most of today, I figured we need to stop in every shop, so you at least know what is available. For research of course,” Cami said winking at me.
I could tell Cami was going to be good at helping me get out of my own personal bubble. “Where to first?” I asked.
“Seeing as we just finished lunch, I think dessert is in order. There is a kick-ass bakery just up the way that you have to try,” Cami said, holding the door open for us to leave.
Cami wasn’t lying when she said the bakery was awesome. Everything they displayed looked so decadent. As I scanned the case, I stumbled upon the cookie section and was immediately drawn to the colorful ones. Sugar cookies were my favorite thing in the world. My mother made the best soft-textured sugar cookies ever. She promised to send me a care package of them at some point, but I knew I would have to find a new dealer for my obsession.
“Would you like a sample?” the older woman behind the counter asked.
“Yes, I would love to try them,” I said practically bouncing with joy.
“Did you want to try the frosted or soft kind?” she asked.
“Um, the soft,” I said lifting my hands to take the chunk of cookie she’d cut for me.
I popped the morsel into my mouth and hummed with delight. It was almost as perfect as my mother’s recipe and that was singing some high praise. “I would like to buy two of them please.”
The woman wrapped up the two cookies for me and handed them to me when I’d paid.
“You seemed pretty happy to get those cookies,” Cami commented giggling.
“They say that diamonds are the way to a woman’s heart, but for me it’s through sugar cookies.” I laughed pulling out a cookie as we headed back out to the main street.
As I exited the bakery, I lifted a cookie to take a bite, when I crashed into someone, which caused the cookie to break and crumble to the ground. I stared in shock at the crushed bit of cookie on the sidewalk and looked up to glare at whoever ran into me. Cami beat me to it.
“God! Parker! You’re such an idiot! Don’t you know to look where you're going? You totally smashed her cookie, asshole,” Cami snapped at the guy who’d run into me.
“Fuck off Cami, it was an accident.” Parker said going toe to toe with Cami.
Parker was handsome, like came down from Mount Olympus gorgeous. He was tall and buff like a football player, but I could tell he would still move with agile grace. His spiky red hair and warm brown eyes perfectly complemented the big toothy grin that was permanently on his face. He also seemed to have quite the female posse shadowing him. There were five girls frowning at us, indicating their disapproval of our interaction.
“At least buy the girl another cookie to make up for your complete incompetence,” Cami said with her hands on her hips producing gasps from the other girls.
Parker looked up at me as if he was noticing me for the first time. “I’m sorry I killed your cookie. I wasn’t expecting an angel to come crashing into town, let alone crash into one myself. If I’d known, I would have been paying better attention.”
I almost choked on my own spit hearing this guy making a pass at me. I had only ever had one boyfriend before and that hadn’t ended very well. I cleared my throat quietly trying to pull my act together.
“It happens. But make sure you’re watching out for people next time,” I said trying to sound as disapproving as I felt, though I was flustered by his attention.
“Let me make up for it by getting you another cookie. It’s the least I can do,” he said, ducking into the shop without waiting for an answer and ignoring the fact that Cami came up with the idea first.
Cami and I waited awkwardly outside with the other girls he had been hanging out with. I couldn’t help but fidget uncomfortably. Thankfully, Parker didn’t take long, and he reappeared with a fresh sugar cookie for me.
He handed it over with a flourishing bow. “Might I know the name of the fair maiden this cookie is for?”
“Lailah, that’s my name,” I said lamely.
God! Why am I so awkward when it comes to good looking guys?
“Lailah. A lovely name for a lovely lady. Where are you guys off to next? I would like to offer my escort services to make sure this cookie remains unharmed,” Parker said grinning again.
“We don’t need your help! It looks like you have enough women you're dealing with today. No need to worry about us. I’ve got this covered,” Cami said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away without a second thought. “We need to hit up the bookstore before we have that leech trying to attach himself to us for the rest of the day.”
“What’s his deal?” I asked, surprised at how much he’d gotten under Cami’s skin.
“He is one of the Five that live in ‘The Manor’,” Cami said as we crossed the street and headed for a building that had a line wrapped around the corner.
“Cami! Lailah! Wait up!” Parker yelled from behind us.
I looked over my shoulder to see him running after us, free of his fan club. Cami didn’t slow at all, but sped up instead. Parker jogged up to us and then fell into step on my other side.
“Did you guys hear me?” he asked.
“We heard, just didn’t care,” Cami retorted.
“Geeze, Cami! Why do you have to be such a hardass all the time?” Parker grumbled.
Cami stopped and looked at him frowning. “Parker, we have known each other for almost our entire lives, I know Lailah is not going to be your next plaything. I am doing you both a favor, just trust me on this.”
I felt like there was more to that statement than I got at face value, but it didn’t seem to matter to Parker.
“Whatever, I can be friends with Lailah,” he said and turned to me. “Would you like to be my friend?”
My head was spinning from all their back and forth. “All I want to do is go to school and keep out of the drama. I just want a normal college experience.”
“I didn’t hear a no in there,” Parker said, smiling and turned so we could head off to the bookstore.
