CHAPTER T-H-R-E-E

Standing near the fountain in the center of the courtyard, Cole Mitsuhide replaced the newborn cigarette he'd just lit back into his mouth and let his eyes fall across the distance. He wasn't exactly seeing anything as he looked, absentmindedly watching the air in front of him without registering the image into his brain; as he did so, his fingers were already searching his pockets for one particular item. When they fell upon the crisp folds hidden within his leather jacket, he pulled it out, and held it between two fingers at his side.

"This," he said, and the wad of money he retrieved waved in his hand, "is the easiest money you'll ever come across, besides being some sort of sex worker. Which is probably easier. So this is the second easiest money you can ever make." He turned his head to the side. "This big stack of moola? That comes from selling one pound. You wanna pay for that handsome dollar amount on your college tuition? This is the way to do it."

At his side, the guy he'd befriended over the past two days glanced at the stack of money like it was a joke, and rolled his eyes. It was an odd look to give to a problem-solving asset for someone who claimed to be having money troubles, but then again, this wasn't the first time since they'd met that Cole realized this guy was a different kind of duck.

"That?" The guy gestured to the wad of money with his own cigarette, refraining from placing it back in his mouth. "Are you telling me you're a drug dealer and that's where that money came from? Because if so, I don't believe you for a second." Now he put the cig back in his mouth and took a nice, long drag on it. "You probably scored that from your rich daddy who's funding this whole escapade to college, and you're eager to show it off to me because after class today we can go binge buy shit and get fucked up on beer."

Yet another surprise from him without getting much cluing in from Cole. Cole's thick black eyebrows disappeared underneath his long bangs for half a second before he replaced the money in his pocket. "Alright, so you caught me, Morro. You want a trophy?" There was no point in keeping up the charade, Cole realized after a moment. In all the times he'd tried to lie his way into seeming like one tough cat since he met Morro, not once did it actually work; it was like his new acquaintance had lie-detecting powers. And Cole was not a bad liar.

Morro smirked and kept the cigarette in his mouth. "Nah. It was obvious you're not a dealer. You're just a buyer, right?" He didn't look at Cole as he said the statement more obvious than the concept that Cole happened to do some drugs. He just half-stood there coolly, leaning back a little from his seat on the edge of the fountain.

On the outside, Morro was some sort of untouchable and, based on the reactions of all the cute girls they'd come across in the parties from the past few nights, attractive guy about to stake his claim here at Westbridge. His hair was black, fell down to nearly his shoulders, and definitely shinier than Cole's; though he had a bad case of fucked up eyebrows, that hardly stopped people from staring at him. He had this angular face and sculpted nose that apparently people found attractive. But the thing that was most captivating about the pale-skinned stranger was his eyes. There may have been seemingly eternal, dark half-moons underneath them, but the color of his irises was too stark and shocking to look away from: neon green.

Cole suspected they might be colored contacts, but if they were, Morro hadn't given up the jig just yet.

So now, here they stood, watching people flocking by to get to the heart of Westbridge Institute, where the morning classes would soon begin. (Those students were called Mornies, as Morro and Cole had decided during their 'bonding' time.) Cole was pretty sure Morro was only people watching, since the guy seemed to be only mildly interested in romance—he barely glanced at any women or men that they'd come across during their attendance at the celebratory parties here at the frat houses. He didn't flirt. He didn't wink. He didn't even grind against dance partners.

Maybe he was asexual.

It didn't matter, anyway. Cole really didn't care all that much. As he took another drag on his cigarette, his attention was directed at the crowd solely because he was looking for someone to tack his eye onto. Back in high school, his broad and muscled physique had gotten girls to hang all over him, but having them all lying there at his disposal wasn't always that fun. What he really wanted to do was find some gorgeous woman that he could try to date.

Dating was more of a sport to him than a commitment, or at least, that's how he wanted to portray it. But within, the idea of romance was exciting. Fresh. Even if he might seem like a worthless party animal, he wanted to fall in love, and this school had the best pickings for his tastes.

To his dad, though, this school was the best for his taste because he thought it could teach his son something worthwhile, since Cole downright refused to go to that Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts…

Morro seemed to be paying close attention to the silence between them. His finished cigarette fell from his hand and was quickly squashed under his sneaker against the cement sidewalk. "Find one yet?"

Cole feigned nonchalance, but his eyes didn't stop moving through the tiny little crowds of people. Most people walked alone. Others, who had already seemed to make friends during the parties or otherwise, travelled in cliques. "Find one what?"

"A babe," pronounced Morro like Cole's first language wasn't Ninjean. "You want one, right?"

"You don't?"

Morro shook his head, poking out his lower lip. "Nah," he said. "Not interested." He popped a stick of gum into his mouth.

Cole shook his head. "Because you're gay?"

"Fuck, no." Cole laughed at him, and Morro shook his head, pushing up the sleeves of his black leather jacket. "I just haven't weighed in whether or not any of these bimbos is worth my time."

"Ah, right. I forgot. The Almighty Morro needs a Queen fitting enough for his beauty or some shit, right, amigo?" Cole grinned. He was shoved gently aside by Morro when the neon-green eyes rolled in his head.

Morro's response, however, was less than joking. It came from his throat, serious, his eyes panning across the courtyard at all the distant faces, as if the answer was nowhere to be found. "I need a Queen, but none of these bitches has proven that they're worthy."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Cole paused, smirking, and pointed with his cigarette. "Not even that leggy blonde over there?"

"Are you trying to get me to shove my foot up your ass, or…?"

Another laugh from Cole. There was something about the stranger that he'd bumped into by accident at the frat party taking place on Friday that drew Cole to him. Maybe it was the fact that they were similar. They both shared the same thoughts and insights (for the most part.) They were both into the same things. He got along well, better than he expected, with Morro.

It could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

But just as Cole was standing there, finishing off the rest of his laughter and grinding the toe of his shoe into his discarded cig, something changed. Morro looked up and to the side, because there was the unmistakable sounds of high heeled shoes on the cement. Cole glanced up to follow the gaze and found there was a girl, rounding the fountain, and she was about to pass right by him.

He laid eyes on her, and things just...shifted.

She was gorgeous. Her hair was dark, so dark of a brown it could've been black, reaching to her shoulders—just a little longer than Morro's, actually. Her flawless skin was the perfect shade above milky coffee. Her face was heart-shaped, symmetric; she had a straight nose and full, red-painted lips that Cole couldn't stop looking at. Her perfectly shaped black eyebrows hooded her golden-hazel eyes, which were rimmed by full black eyelashes.

And her body… Her jeans were like leggings, running over every sculpted, thin muscle, and her hips were perfect curves. Speaking of curves, her waist was a healthy thin, and her chest… Cole smirked in delight. She was a well-endowed young woman, and the cleavage just barely she showed off was already making him warm.

She's the sexiest goddamn thing I could've possibly seen today, he thought, and straightened his back as the girl walked up around the fountain. She had on a red leather jacket that caught his eye.

This was her. This was the one he wanted.

"Hey," Cole purred smoothly. His voice drizzled from his lips, taking on the husky, melodic tone that often captivated girls' attention. Cole got to his feet and flashed her a friendly but sexy smile.

The girl looked over at him and Morro, who hadn't moved an inch and instead sat there snapping his gum obnoxiously. But she didn't slow her pace.

"Where you headed?" He asked in the most stupidly vague thing that could've come out of his mouth, and there was little he could do to stop himself from kicking his own ass for saying that. Of course she was headed to class. Idiot.

The girl snorted. "The moon."

"Not bad, not bad, but the moon is cold." commented Cole. He felt very unusually flustered by her. He'd met plenty of pretty women in his lifetime, but she...she was beautiful. Perfect. And he had to have her. "I'm on my way to Venus, myself. It is the hottest planet. Someone like you who matches that atmosphere should definitely join me there, instead."

The girl looked plenty amused by his attempts, but he did notice her pace had slowed. Ka-ching. That meant he was getting her attention. "You'd die. Venus is made of carbon dioxide, not to mention acidic clouds in its entire atmosphere, which is why it's the hottest planet. So you're implying I have an acidic, smelly, and deadly atmosphere. Which is something an asshole would say."

From behind him, Morro barked a laugh; it rang through the air. Cole could feel the embarrassment making his ears hot. "Damn, Cole. She owned your ass."

The girl seemed to derive pleasure from seeing the smile drop off of Cole's face, and she tried to pick up her pace again, move past him. But before he could catch his movements he reached out a hand to stop her. "I'm sorry. That's not what I was implying. You're not smelly or… all that other stuff." The girl stopped, holding onto the strap of her messenger bag tightly. But for once, Cole couldn't read her emotions. "I was just trying to be witty and cute but, well…" He smiled. "Your intelligence overruled my lame stupidity."

The girl actually cracked a small smile. It wasn't a big one, but the victory was enough for Cole to want to break out in dance. "Yeah, maybe brush up on your facts first before you go trying to make yourself sound smart in front of a science major."

Cole smiled his killer smile at her. She didn't flinch. Dammit. "I'll have to remember that for the next time we meet," he murmured alluringly. "Until then, there's one thing that you can get out of me that I actually know to be one-hundred percent true."

The girl smiled a little more. He was slowly but surely breaking the icy walls that she'd built around herself. Probably because she was always getting hit on; no way a girl like her was ever left alone. "And what might that be?" She said back in a tone that made him want to dance even more. She was flirting.

Cole grinned and pulled a pen out of his jacket. "My number."

Behind him, Morro made a comment under his breath about Cole being smooth. Likewise, the girl laughed; the sound sent little shocks through Cole's body. It was like wind chimes crooning in the wind. "I don't even know your name."

Cole reached out his hand to hers, making sure to look at her under his lashes. That always killed the girls. "I'm Cole," he introduced softly, dulcet tone finally taking full shape.

She reached out her hand to him. "I'm Nya." Her hand didn't have time to escape his before he swiftly pulled it towards him so he could use his pen to scribble his number onto her arm. It wasn't the prettiest pickup situation he'd ever done, but Cole was pretty confident in thinking that he'd done a successful job of reeling Nya in. She was intrigued. She wanted more.

"There," he announced when he was finished graffiting her arm, and put his pen away. Nya seemed… Surprised? That he'd written on her arm, and glanced at the black ink's scripture for a second before letting her arm fall to her side. "Don't hesitate to drop me a text or call."

There was apprehension in Nya's face that made him a little worried that maybe he didn't have this one in the bag like he hoped he had. She shifted on the thick heels of her boots like she was afraid to even dare. "And tell me, Cole, how many girls have you done this to today?"

"Just you." Honesty poured in his soft eyes, and he stepped aside for her to pass him. Nya raised her eyebrows and started walking again after hesitating. "Until we meet again, Nya."

"Maybe."

Cole stepped back and watched her go, eyes trailing down her form. The way she walked was even alluring and tempting. He backed up until his legs hit the edge of the fountain and didn't look away until she had disappeared into the building. That, he had to say, had gone pretty well, for the fact that he'd screwed up in the beginning.

His heart was, against his own will, beating fast in his chest. He couldn't explain it, other than an excitement, a desire within him that he normally didn't entertain. She was the one. He had been sitting here spending the morning keeping an eye out for some average woman who may be slightly interesting, someone he could start a thing with, have some sexy fling, and then be done with weeks later.

But Nya?

God, she'd been… More than he'd expected, and now, he may very well have her under his thumb. If not, he'd try until she was. Cole would've been a fool to pass up the chance to flirt with a girl like that.

Morro was smirking mockingly from his side as Cole came down from his high to look at him. "Well done, there, Romeo," he intoned, and then shoved Cole's arm again. "You are such a fucking wet corncob. I'm not even kidding. That was some corny shit."

"I was caught off guard," said Cole to his own defense. "Didn't you see her? She was… Wow."

"For Christ sake, speak with your big head and not your little one." Morro rolled his eyes and thunked Cole's skull to make a point, but it was like it all echoed off the inside of his mind. "She was average at best."

"You've proven that your tastes are factually very very tiny and you're not interested in looking at women, so your opinion is invalid." Cole leaned back on his palms and sneaked another triumphant smirk. "I want her."

"Something tells me, Romeo," Morro said as he got to his feet, pulling his bag up onto his shoulder from its place on the ground, "that you won't stop until you do have her."

Cole followed his movements, standing up, but he didn't have a backpack to drag up with him. "She already is mine," murmured Cole as he turned his eyes toward the door Nya had left him through. "She just doesn't know it yet."