The truth? The truth was that I’d never learn. If I was teachable about these things, I would’ve already known enough to steer clear of him, but I didn’t. I went and purposefully poked the beast—then fucked the beast—and now I had to deal with the messy aftermath.
I pulled up my pants, zipping and buttoning them up as I met his eyes once again. I didn’t see lies in his eyes, but then again, those eyes were liars. I knew that by now, so I didn’t know why I expected to finally see his truth. Levi kept whatever he was feeling close to his chest. Closed-off, quiet, yet cocky and confident. Even after all this, he was still a riddle to me.
He was a riddle I’d have to leave unsolved, now.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, although maybe he should be the one thanking me. I said nothing else, tearing my gaze away from him, from his ridiculously handsome face and his equally ridiculously sexy body.
Levi said nothing as I pushed past him, heading out of the parking lot. I didn’t even know if he watched me go. If I looked over my shoulder, would I see his intense expression, a scowl, or would I see something else? Maybe he wasn’t even watching. Maybe he’d simply left to head back to his place, too. That whole encounter probably meant nothing to him, which made me hurt a bit.
Me, Kelsey Yates. It was stupid. I was the one who always hurt the other person, not the other way around. Until now, I never let myself get too close. I never wanted to be close…but Levi had changed that. Yep, he’d changed it, and just as I was starting to see the error of my ways, he pulled the rug out from under me.
I got what I deserved, for thinking that we could maybe make it work.
Stupid. I’d been stupid.
I swore to myself, as I walked back in the darkness to my dorm, that I’d never be stupid again.
Chapter Twenty-One – Kelsey
The days became a blur once again. I tried to focus on my schoolwork, on my classes and the papers I had to write while in the library—even though Mel offered me her laptop when she wasn’t using it—but it was hard. It was so inherently difficult to focus on those stupid things when my mind refused to move on from Levi.
In bio, I did my best to ignore his presence entirely, although it was near impossible when he kept tossing looks at me and purposefully brushing against my body every time he walked by. The fucking asshole. I paid attention to my new lab partner, to the workbook and our experiments. Levi would get nothing from me. Absolutely nothing.
It was one sunny yet chilly October day when I was walking back from the union, a sandwich tucked into my backpack—my late lunch—when I literally ran into the one person I did not want to see or talk to, ever.
And, no, I didn’t mean Levi. I meant the other person.
Dean.
Dean’s black hair was getting a little long, but then again, Dean so obviously wasn’t my type of guy. He was a dick. I liked dicks, but not that kind. And if you’re wondering, yes, there were different kinds of dick out there.
I’d just left the student union through the side door, rammed myself into his chest, and was moments from apologizing when I realized who it was. Needless to say, the apology died somewhere between my brain thinking it and the words actually forming in my throat.
“You,” I simply said, shooting him a frown. He was a cute enough guy, but nowhere near Levi’s level. Still…I could understand what Mel saw in him, especially since they were high school sweethearts. Sometimes first loves never died.
Uh…hold up. That was a bad thought to have, wasn’t it? Not that I was saying I was in love with Levi or anything, but…
“Me,” Dean said, smirking. “I know, I know. I’m amazing.”
“That’s not exactly how I would describe you, but okay.” I tried to sidestep him, but he only got in my way. Over and over, the bastard wouldn’t let me pass. Shooting him a glare, I asked, “Is there something you want, Dean?”
Dean’s black eyes studied me. I hated the way he looked at me, like I meant nothing. Like I was just some tool for him to use against Mel, to try to win Mel back. Stupid, considering I knew he got around. That girl at the party had been all over him, and I was sure she wasn’t the only one.
How could he even hope to get Mel back when he was still fucking around? Granted, I did think people could change, but a party boy like him? Not so fast. Maybe in ten years when he was a real man, but right now I thought the last thing he would possibly do was change so drastically. Once a cheater always a cheater.
“Yeah,” he said, frowning. “I want to know why you don’t think I’d be good for Mel. What makes you such an expert on the subject?”
“How can you want her back when you’re still sticking your dick in other girls?” I shot back, not bothering to keep my voice quiet. Other students walked around us, but I didn’t care if they heard me. “You’re not good enough for her.”
Dean crossed his arms. He was not as muscular as Levi, but he was big enough to make me want
