Alive (Mended Hearts #1) (2 page)

Jesse

I love California. There is no place else in America that I would rather be, which is why I chose to go to college in my home town. At least this way, I will have all of my friends here with me, and I can go home every night without having to sleep in a crowded dorm room. Another plus is that I know all of the easy girls around campus. I’m not going to lie- I’m a bit of a man whore, but at least I let the girls know that I’m not looking for a relationship when we hook up. They know the score before they sleep with me, so I guess that makes them as bad as me. Oh well, that’s their choice.

College starts up again on Monday
, but Coach needed me today to help with the tryouts. So here I am, Friday afternoon, and it sucks ass. I could be out surfing the waves all day, but instead, I have to not only do demonstrations but watch the potential players in the scorching heat. I guess that’s what I get for being captain of the football team. I’m a sophomore here at CSUF on a full football scholarship. I’m determined to be someone and do well in life to prove to my mom that I’m nothing like my pathetic excuse of a father.

Leaving my house, I
hop on my baby, my Ducati. No one is allowed to ride her except me. Not even my friends go near her. They know better. I bought her cheap and done her up by myself while working over the last year because I’m a mechanic on the side of college. See, the logic behind it was that chicks dig motorbikes, especially a good looking guy with muscles and tattoos riding one. It was a win-win situation!

After s
tarting the engine, I floor it and cruise down the road at 80mph. I love feeling the breeze run through my hair and the thrill of riding my baby fast down winding roads.

Driving past the beach
, I look at the ocean. Man, it’s a perfect day for surfing. I feel like turning my bike around, going home, getting my wetsuit and board, and saying
fuck football tryouts!
I know, though, that Coach will kick me off the team faster than I can say surfing. Coach Burns is a mean, old, no-nonsense bastard, but he is the best coach we could have. We didn’t lose a single game last season, and we don’t expect to lose this year.

I pull
into the parking lot, jump off my bike, and a release a sigh. Looking around, I don’t see Brandon’s car. I pull out my cell phone and send him a text, asking him where the hell he is. That boy is always late. However, Brandon is like a brother to me, and he has been there for me during the hard times in my life and helped pull me through them. I don’t know what I would do without him, as feminine as that sounds.

As I walk
down the sidewalk toward Café Blanc to see if Brandon is there with the guys, I see a girl bending over a pile of boxes. She must be new with all the boxes she has. Yeah, she’s definitely new; I would remember an ass like that from anywhere. She is wearing short shorts that show off her long, tanned legs that seem to go on forever and a yellow t-shirt. From her position, I can’t see if she has boobs to match that delicious ass. Hey, I’m a red hot blooded male, so don’t judge! All I know is that I have to get a look to see if she’s fit. Deciding that the best course of action is to ‘accidentally’ bump into her, I walk closer to the edge of the sidewalk. I know this is a dick move, but I’m determined now. She is fresh meat, so she knows nothing about me or my reputation.

When I’m one step away from her
, she suddenly turns and smashes straight into my chest. I’m stunned for a few seconds because whatever she has in that box is hard as shit! She looks up, and as I look into her eyes, I can tell she is going to tear into me. It will serve me right, to be honest. I am an asshole. But then something in her eyes changes, and where she was about to say something, nothing comes out and her mouth is just left hanging open. I tend to have this effect on women, and it’s amazing! I notice that she is checking me out, so I take the time to also check out her goods. She’s beautiful in the girl next door kind of way, with brown hair stopping in the middle of her back and the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen on a girl. She has a few freckles dotted across her cheeks, which make her look adorable; I could gaze at them all day. I mentally shake my head. What the fuck was that about? Carry on with your inspection. She will snap out of her daze soon, so I don’t have long left! I sneak a look down at her chest and am greeted with two perfectly sized perky boobs; they would fit into my hands nicely. I could have some fun with them. She has a slim waist which leads to those beautiful long legs that I saw from a distance. She must only be about five foot four. She is tiny!

“Excuse me
, please.” I hear her say. I snap my eyes up to meet hers and give her my signature smirk. It works on all the girls. I’ve heard many girls call it a panty melting smile because it brings out my dimples, and girls are a sucker for them. That’s one thing I can be grateful to my dad about. I got them from him.

Now that I’ve seen what I wanted to see,
and I have to say I’m very pleased, I say, “Sorry darling.” I give her a wink, then turn and walk off. The only thoughts in my head while I walk away are of getting dirty with Little Miss Girl Next Door.

****

Café Blanc is the local hangout between classes, and for me, it’s also a great place to pick up girls. Girls love their coffee, so they are always hanging out in coffee shops. Checking the cafe, there’s still no sign of Brandon. Where the hell could that dipshit be? Deciding that it might be best to call him to find out where the fuck he is, I pull out my cell to dial his number.

“Jesse, baby. Where have y
ou been lately? I’ve missed you,” Tiffany whines in my ear. Tiffany is my go to girl. We hook up regularly if I can’t be bothered to find different pussy. She knows how I like it, which is an advantage. Sometimes, when I hook up with someone, they can be absolutely shit, and I’m left unsatisfied, so it’s easier just to go see her. She’s a good looking girl, which is a positive thing. At five foot seven, with long straight bleach blonde hair, wide green eyes, and a slim figure most girls would kill to have, is Tiffany Dawson.

“
Tiff, I’ve been busy. You know I’ll call you when I get a spare minute,” I reply.

“
Okaaaaay, I just miss you is all. Come on. Let’s go over to the group.” Pulling on my hand, she drags me over to our friends.

“Hey
, guys. How’s it hanging?” I say to no one in particular.

“
Yo, Jesse, we’re good man. Haven’t seen much of you this break. Where you been?” Tom, one of my team mates, asks.

“Busy
, my man, very busy,” is the only reply they are going to get from me. I can’t exactly say that I’ve been hooking up with a different girl nearly every night or Tiffany will get pissed off, and then who will I call? Putting my arms around Tiffany to keep her sweet, I keep up with pointless chit chat and try to act interested. I get the sensation that someone is watching me, so I look out the corner of my eye as not to make it too obvious and see the girl with the perfect ass from the sidewalk. She hasn’t noticed that I’ve caught her staring right at me. Well, I might as well make it worth her while. Spinning Tiffany in my arms so she is facing me, I drop my head to hers and kiss her. I need to make it a little more x-rated if I’m going to give Little Miss Girl Next Door a show. Deepening the kiss, I gaze out the corner of my eye and see that she looks disgusted. Oh yeah, she is wishing it was her I’m kissing, even if her face has disgust written all over it.

“
Yo, Jesse, what’s up man?” Brandon shouts while walking over to us. About fucking time he showed up.

“
Hey, Brandon, been looking for you all over man. We have to head down to practice in thirty minutes or Coach will kick our ass!” I make my way over to him and slap his back in greeting. Noticing that Little Miss Girl Next door is ordering her drink, I think of a quick plan to get her attention. “Hey, Brands, I need your help.”

“
Whatsup, brother?” he replies.

“You see that girl over there?” I whisper and point to the girl.

“The one with the brown hair? What about her?” he asks.

“I need you to do me a favor and ‘accidentally’ push me into her. I’ll fill you in on the details later
, but this is important. Okay?”

I move
over so that I’m practically standing behind her, and then give Brandon the signal to push me on the count of three. One, two... He shoves me full pelt into the girl just as she picks up her drink, which ends up down the front of her shirt. Result, it’s going to go see through. I just hope that wasn’t a hot drink in there. Shit, it’s a bit late to think of that. God, I’m such a douche! Putting my hands up in the air, in a surrender motion, I remain still and wait for her fury.

“YOU!
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU’VE BUMPED INTO ME TODAY! WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?” she screams at me. Jesus, this girl obviously doesn’t care that everybody has stopped what they were doing and are now staring at the scene unfolding before them.

Liking her feistiness
, I smirk. As I pull out my lady killer dimples, I say, “Well, aren’t you a little fire cracker, darling?” A bit of the anger in her eyes dissipates. I know she’s forgiving me a tiny little bit. Ladies can’t resist my charm.

“Don’t call me darling, I am not your darling! Now answer my question
. Why do you keep bumping into me? You’re lucky this latte is all over me, or it would be in your face right about now!” Okaaaay, maybe I was wrong. Wow, this girl is confusing. I never EVER have trouble when it comes to reading girls. They are like an open book to me, but this one has got me stumped!

Trying to act indifferent to the situation, I say, “Okay
okay, whatever you say, darling.” I wink at her for good measure. “But for the record, this morning you bumped into me. I was just walking on the sidewalk like normal people do, minding my own business, when you turned around and smashed a big, hard, heavy box into my chest. And this time, I apologize. My friend and I were messing around, he pushed me too hard, and I fell into you. I am so sorry. Let me buy you another drink?”

Little Miss Girl Next Door as I
’m going to call her, because I don’t have a clue what her name is, stutters, “O-o-kaay...” Staring into her eyes, I can tell she has calmed down. The fire has dimished from her beautiful eyes. She turns back to the barista, ready to order another drink. I’m completely blindsided when she whips around to face me with the thunderous look back on her face or when she opens her mouth to speak. “No, actually, it’s not okay. I can buy my own drink, thank you very much, though I wouldn’t have to if you were watching where you were going! And, for the record, as you put it, you could clearly see I was bent over picking something up off of the sidewalk. Now, if you didn’t have your head shoved so far up your ass, you would notice this, wouldn’t you? Actually, don’t answer that. Of course you wouldn’t. Please, just go away. You’ve done enough damage today already.” Then she’s walking away

Staring at her retreating form, I’m left wondering what the hell just happened
. My plan definitely backfired. Why is this girl immune to my charms? I’ve only seen her twice, and I already know that I need to figure her out.

Chapter 2

Maisie

My first semester starts today. A new chapter of my life is starting today. A lot is starting today... This is a very important time for me
, and to say that I’m a little scared would be a lie. I’ve never been so petrified in my life. I’m starting my future by myself, without the help of my friends or family. Yes, I have my best friend Chloe, but we are taking different classes, meaning I will be all on my own. That is some scary shit!

Entering the campus office
, I collect my schedule from the front desk. Checking it over, it all seems to be correct, which is great. This saves me the hassle of having to get it corrected.

I feel
my leg vibrate, so pull my phone out of my pocket. Chloe is calling. “Hey Chlo,” I answer.

“Maisie, where are you?” Chloe sounds half a
sleep. She didn’t get in until three this morning from a party that she attended last night with the guy she met at the coffee shop the other day. Apparently, his name is Ryan, and he’s a really nice guy, but I wouldn’t know. I chose to stay in and get prepared for today rather than getting drunk with a bunch of people I don’t know. Parties aren’t my scene anymore, for reasons I don’t wish to remember.

“I’ve just picked up my schedule. I have to go get my books and supplies for my classes,
then I’ll be back,” I reply.

“WHAT?
Why didn’t you wake me up? How big is the line? Please tell me it’s not huge?” Chloe begs through the phone.

Chuckling at my best friend, I turn my head around to look at the office and see that the line is now out of the door. I’m going to have to lie
, or she will never come to get her schedule.

“Erm... No
, it’s not very big. I’d say about ten people.” Yeah, more like thirty people. Oh well. “And I didn’t wake you up because you came stumbling in at three this morning. I thought you could use the sleep.”

“Oh
, Maisie, that was such a good party. You should have come!” I just cough to remind her. “Oh, come on, Maisie. You can’t stop living your life forever. This was meant to be a fresh start for both of us, remember? You can’t coop yourself up in the dorm room doing homework for the next year. I won’t allow it, okay?” she rants down the phone.

“Chloe, look
, you know why I don’t want to go to parties, so just drop it, okay?” I’m getting pissed now. She’s my best friend and has been by my side through the tough times, so she should understand more than anybody. I huff, telling her, “I’ll be back when I’ve got what little I need for classes. I’ll see you soon.” Then I hang up before she can reply.

****

Two hours later, I’m finally ready for my first class. As I walk into my English class, I stare around at the huge room and decide where to sit. It’s not too packed yet as I made sure that I arrived early. Picking a seat near the back, I unpack my laptop, then decide to text my mom and dad to let them know that my first class is about to start.

A bag dropping next to me startles me.
I look up and am surprised to see Jesse standing there staring at me with a big smile on his handsome face. I blink a few times to see if it is actually him standing there. I know that half of the seats in this room are unoccupied, so I ask, “Do you have to pick here to sit when half of the other seats are empty?”

“I like the look of this seat. Good view from up here. Plus
, it’s not like we’re strangers. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting twice now. Would you prefer to have a complete stranger sitting next to you?”

“Yes
, actually, I would rather a stranger sits next to me. They probably wouldn’t cause damage to me, unlike you.” He can’t sit here. I won’t be able to concentrate on my lessons at all! My pulse is accelerating by the second with him just standing there!

“Well
, tough.” With that, he sits down, putting his legs on the table and crossing his ankles, with his hands behind his head. I’m about to pick up my stuff to move, when the professor walks in. Great timing, NOT! Can I ask him if he could come back in two minutes time so that I can move? Okay, I guess not... Suck it up, Maisie. He’s just a guy. There are plenty of them in the world. So he may be a douche, a sexy douche at that, who is sitting next to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk to him. I focus my attention on the professor and try to ignore the beautiful man sitting next to me.

Luckily
, I get through the whole lecture without having to speak to Jesse, but as I make my way out of the door, a hand lands on my shoulder to stop me.

“Save me a seat tomorrow
, darling.” I can feel Jesse’s hot breath on my ear. Shivers run down my back, and goose bumps cover my arms. Damn you, traitorous body!

“My name
’s not darling. It’s Maisie,” I whisper.

“Well then
,
Maisie
, save me a seat tomorrow. I like sitting next to you.” Then he’s off down the hall, and I’m stuck on the spot. My legs won’t move! I can’t keep letting him affect me like this. He’s such a cocky jerk and thinks he is God’s gift to women, by the looks of it. Well, I’m going to have to show him that I’m not all women. I will not fall for his charm, and he definitely won’t be sitting next to me tomorrow.

Jesse

When I stepped into my English lecture this morning, the last person I expected to see was the girl who has been playing on my mind all weekend. I woke up this morning with a plan of keeping my distance if I ever bumped into her again. It’s not in my nature to be thinking about a girl for forty-eight hours straight. I’ve turned into a pussy, and I don’t even know her, but when I saw her sitting there looking all sexy, that plan went right out the window!

Sitting next to her for ninety minutes was torture. I kept getting whiffs of
strawberry every time she moved. I just wanted to sniff her neck for hours on end, and I would have had it not seemed creepy. I was entranced by the smell of her. I noticed that when she was confused, she scrunched up her nose. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Oh God, now I’m calling her cute. I need to get laid pronto.

When class finished, I was going to go straight to football practice
, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to say something to her. I knew my speaking into her ear had affected her the minute her skin got covered in goose bumps. Maisie is what she said her name is. It suits her; a sweet and innocent name for a sweet and innocent looking girl. I know I should just turn around and forget all about her because I will just end up breaking her heart, but every time I think about letting her go, I feel like someone has kicked me in the gut. Not good, Jesse. Love is a disease, remember? Look at what happened to your mother. Do you want to end up like that? No, so forget about her. It’s easier said than done, though, isn’t it? She’s a challenge. I never give up on challenges.

I tried harder during practice today than I
ever have in my life. I battered myself, but Maisie only escaped my mind for a few hours.

Deciding on an early night, I fall asleep picturing the darkest pair of brown eyes I have ever seen
.