Romeo On and Off the Court
Chapter 2 - Fan of the Game
A fan of a given sport.
Bella
College life was far better than high school life. For one, I didn't have a curfew, not that I ever needed one. Though being me, I would at least let my roommate, Jessica Stanley, know. For another, those who bullied me went to other schools. My hope was I didn't run into anyone who would want to torment me for a petty reason like getting higher marks on a test than them. We were supposed to be adults now.
I wasn't thrilled when I found out Jessica was assigned my roommate; I was hoping for someone I didn't know. She and I were from the same hometown, Forks, and hadn't run in the same clique. She had been popular in high school, where I was barely noticed by my peers other than being bullied. My teachers were the one people to take notice. And it was my teachers who helped encourage me to accept the scholarship the University of Washington offered me. Not that I didn't have other universities vying for me to attend and offering scholarships.
Back to Jessica. She hadn't been one of my tormentors and always had a kind smile for everyone, including me. And was even salutatorian. I had beat her for valedictorian by three-tenths of a point. How we ended up as roommates was the luck of the draw.
As Jessica and I got to know each other freshman year, we had much in common. We both like crime shows – CSI and NCIS – and some of the same authors. We spent hours discussing various real-life serial killers, the many crime shows.
She wasn't surprised when I shared my major. My dad would say my obsession and love of crime books and shows lead me to the decision to study psychology. I hoped to one day be a forensic psychologist and that would require a doctorate. It would be a lot of work and debt, but in the end it would be worth it. While the University of Washington wasn't the best college for my end goal, it was tied for fifth place to complete a doctorate in the field. By completing my BA at the university, I was hoping it would increase my odds of doing my master's and doctorate at the school too.
I went with U of W not only because it was close to home but from enough away, three to four hours. Dad was only a phone call away if I ever needed him. Not that he ever had to worry about me. And told me countless times he lucked out on the daughter department, meaning I was as good as they came.
While my dad, Charlie, the sheriff in Forks, didn't like the fact I wanted to go into law enforcement adjacent field, he loved I was following in his footsteps. Although, he tried to talk me out of it and into a safer field like teaching. Sue, my stepmom, pointed out there were dangers in teaching too. Her argument there were grader schoolers were bringing guns to school and whether they intended to, they were shooting their teachers. Dad stopped trying to convince me to study anything different after she pointed out that mass shootings were happening everywhere, and that nowhere was technically safe.
~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~
Sophomore year began much better than freshman year, the whole year was better off mostly forgotten. I will say, it was sucky due to physical education and my lack of athletic coordination. At least my PE and health requirements were satisfied.
Jessica and I were still rooming together, and this time we chose to be roommates, having become good friends. We had even spent time together over the summer, which would have never happened if we hadn't been roomies. And best of all, Angela Weber, my bestie since first grade, transferred in from Seattle University. Once Jessica got to know Angela, we were the three amigas, and we didn't need a stinking sorority to make us sisters. Not that there was anything wrong with sororities. They just weren't for us.
My job even got better thanks to a recommendation from one of my English professors. I was able to obtain a job at the tutoring center. I loved the position way better than working in food services, bussing tables and emptying trash cans. And so far, the center's staff and other tutors enjoyed working with me, I couldn't say that about the student workers in food services. What sucked about both jobs was I could work limited hours. I capped out this semester with a whopping fifteen hours. I wished Dad and Sue could help me out more with money so I wouldn't have to work, but they helped me out as much as they could. Luckily, my scholarship covered my classes and books. I had to get a student loan to cover my room and board. Anything else I needed was on me, hence the reason I needed to work. The university was strict on the number of hours student workers could work. They wanted us to focus on our studies but understood some had to work and go to school at the same time.
The only thing I wished I could do was be a part of the Dawg Pack during basketball season. Unfortunately, season tickets were a little outside my budget, and watching the Huskies on TV felt wrong when I was so close, even the away games.
~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~
Why me? My psychology class had run over again and I had to book it to the tutoring center, not that they would mind. They understood professors running over, I just needed the little pittance of a paycheck I got from the university.
As I rushed to the center, I saw a tall guy standing at the end of the hall, right in front of the doors. I blew out a frustrated breath. It had been a while since I had run into a hesitant student. Most didn't want to admit they needed help in English or math and stood outside until they worked up the courage to walk in or away.
"Pardon me," I said. "If you not going in, would you please move to the side so I can?"
He turned and I had to look up at him. He was extremely attractive. His appearance was similar to the mythical Greek god, Adonis. His facial features are perfect and angular—high cheekbones, a strong jawline, perfect eyebrows, a straight nose, and full lips. His untidy hair was an unusual bronze shade that I longed to run my fingers through. His green eyes complimented his hair.
"Would you please move?" I asked again. "Or, I'll be late to work."
He turned back to the door and opened it. "After you," he said.