Chapter Three

The shades were open in the living room, letting the light from the August mid-afternoon illuminate the room. Carter walked from her room at the back of the apartment to her roommate, Lyndsi Harlow's, room at the front of their apartment. She stood in the doorway and leaned against the door frame. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched Lyndsi type feverously at her desk.

"I found a new victim." Carter said, making Lyndsi jump in her seat. Carter ran her fingers through her unwashed, blonde hair as she stared at her roommate.

Lyndsi whipped her head around and placed her hand over her heart, "I hope it's not me."

Carter laughed as she threw a grape into her mouth. She laughed, "No, no. I've already conquered you." She walked out of the doorway and sat on the couch in the living room, "You're old news." She crossed her legs and turned on the TV.

The college station was on. They were showing previews of the year's sports teams. She narrowed her eyes at the television as she tossed another grape into her mouth. "This guy," She said calmly and pointed the remote at the television.

His face came across the television and Lyndsi immediately poked her head from her room. "What is he, like, a freshman?" She stepped out of her room and into the kitchen. Grabbing water from the refrigerator, she said, "He looks like a baby."

Carter shook her head at her roommate, "What he looks like is the perfect prey." She stood in front of the TV and watched him carefully. "He has this girlfriend, who he is, like, just infatuated with but…" She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts, "I don't know…"

Lyndsi threw her a bottle of water and interrupted her roommates thought, "I met a boy."

"You met a boy?" Carter asked as she swallowed a gulp of water.

Lyndsi nodded and repeated herself, "I met a boy."

Carter raised her eyebrow, "And…"

"He's nice." Lyndsi walked back into her room without saying another word.

Carter followed her, "You bring up the fact that you met a boy after you have been single for…" Carter looked at an imaginary watch, "Like, ever, and all you can say about him is, 'he's nice'?" She threw her arms into the air, "That's it?"

"Well he is." Lyndsi whispered calmly. "I don't know what else you want me to say."

"Um, well," Carter put her hands onto her hips, "A name or where he goes to school, or something like that would be nice."

"Lucas, UNC, and…" Lyndsi turned around, "He's nice."

"Ha." Carter walked back to her room without another word to Lyndsi. She knew exactly what would happen. Lyndsi would fall hard for this guy, obsess over him, run him away, and then sulk about it for two years just like she did with her last boyfriend, JB.

JB Browning was a junior just like Carter and Lyndsi. He was a Lambda Sigma and infamous for being a playboy even before he got to Duke. People had heard stories about him before he stepped on campus. Lyndsi met him at a Golf Pros and Tennis Hoes date party their freshman year. They were immediately inseparable. That was until JB cheated on her with one of her sorority sisters at the Lambda Sigma /Phi Omega winter formal.

Lyndsi was still working on getting over him.

This new Lucas character was the first guy Lyndsi had even talked about since JB.

Carter stared out her window and noticed at black explorer pull into the parking lot. She watched a tall guy get out of the car. She ran to the front door and then out onto the deck/stairs. Leaning over the bars she yelled to the guy, "Stalk much?"

He looked up at her. It was Nathan. "Oh great, it's you," He said with a smile.

She smiled back at him, "What brings you to these parts little boy?"

"Little boy?" He laughed, "My friend lives in building five."

"Ah," Carter replied with a smile. She looked over her shoulder to glance back at her apartment door, "Well, I live in building four…" She turned back around, "If you ever wanna… ya know, get out of the dorm life."

The edges of his lips curled up, as he looked at her, "Okay… thanks."

Nathan nodded at her and continued on his way to building five. His cell phone rang from his pocket and he quickly answered, "Yeah?"

"Nate, I really don't have all day, where are you?"

"Brooke, chill out. I am coming." Nathan said to Brooke Davis, his on and off friend, trying to calm her.

She swung the door open to see Nathan standing in the doorway. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Brooke threw her arms onto her hips, "He is seeing another girl." She paused and threw her arms into the air as she stomped across the living room, "Another girl!" Nathan kept silent. "Are you hearing me?" Brooke put her hands onto Nathan's shoulders, "Your brother, my ex-boyfriend, is… seeing another girl!" Now, she was practically screaming.

Nathan nodded slowly, "I get it, I get it." He walked across the living room and sat on the couch, "Really though Brooke, I wouldn't get too worked up about anything yet."

"Oh, trust me," She put her hands over her heart, "This is not worked up." Brooke let it be silent for less than ten seconds. "It's just… we just broke up, like, two months ago."

Nathan continued to nod and "mhm-ing" at each of her comments. He wasn't paying attention; he was too busy eating her M&M's and watching her new flat screen television.

"… and then she said….Haley was like…" Brooke continued on.

Nathan looked up as soon as he heard Haley's name. "What did Haley say?"

Brooke raised her eyebrow, "You weren't listening to any of that were you?" Nathan shook his head. "Well, your girlfriend, who may not be your girlfriend for much longer if you aren't careful, said that you were so late the other night that you didn't even get to hang out." Nathan said nothing. Brooke leaned against the island in the kitchen and took a deep breath and then letting out a long sigh, "Nate, you can't be doing that. Seriously."

"I know, I know. I messed up." Nathan leaned back on the couch.

Brooke reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a Diet Pepsi. She took a long drink and asked, "Where were you Nate?"

He shook his head and then lowered it into his hands, "I was with this girl I met." Brooke looked up at him quickly and narrowed her eyes at him. He shook his hands at her, "No, no, no. It's not like that at all. It's just this girl… I met…"

"Nathan Scott, honestly, you can't be pulling crap like this." Brooke walked across the room to set next to him on the couch. She lowered her head on to his shoulder, "You are going to break her heart," she whispered.

He nodded slowly and put his arm around Brooke, "You're a good friend to her."

She turned to look at him, "But you're my friend too." She patted his leg and stood up. "Just…don't throw what you all have away."

Nathan stood up and kissed his friend on the forehead. They smiled at one another and Brooke pushed him toward the door. "Go see your girlfriend, please?" She put her hands together, "Please, I beg of you. If I get one more late night phone call from Haley James… your dust pal."

He laughed at her and opened the door. He stepped out and turned back around to see Brooke standing in the doorway. She winked at him and he said, "Thanks Brooke."

Brooke nodded at him, "Go, go see your girlfriend."

Nathan practically ran to his car and Carter watched him from the window in her living room. She smiled at his actions and slowly closed the shades. It was better that way.