Scared of Beautiful Read Free

open ever so slightly, adding just the right amount of cockiness to the mix. He may be a pain in the ass, but he’s a hot one.
    Jade and I walk into our dorm room just as the afternoon sky is disappearing to give way to night. The view of the iridescent sky from our window leaves me breathless every time. “So hurry up and ask.” Jade’s voice shatters through my daydream.
    “Ask what?” I say, bending down to help collect the books she threw across our room at the sight of Jackson earlier. She eyes me off with a ‘whatever, like you don’t know’ stare. I choke back a laugh with my reply. “Seriously what? I have no idea what you’re asking me.”
    “Jackson” she deadpans. “Every female I know asks about him at least once. So why haven’t you?” She seems bored with the idea that women seem to want throw themselves at him, and doesn’t wait for my response. “Look, you’re my friend so I’ll tell you the way it is without the sugar coated shit I feed the rest of the bobble heads. He hasn’t been interested in women for a while. He’s not the kind of long-term guy a girl like you needs. You’d be wasting your time. Players like Jackson are not for nice girls, even if he is awesome, too.” How does she know what I need?
    I have to admit, my curiosity piques to discover that underneath that sculpted exterior, he may be a complex creature. “I’m not interested in him at all.” I reply with as much sincerity as I can muster. Truth is, I am not interested in anyone. I’ve had one boyfriend in my life, and relationships are an experience I would not care to relive. She opens her mouth, assumingly to call bullshit, but on a second thought, her jaw snaps back shut. I crash onto my bed and grab my well-weathered copy of Great Expectations and disappear into the familiar story. Though I really can’t explain why, I have the feeling that tomorrow is going to be a better day, after all.

Chapter 2

    Jackson
    What amazes the hell out of me about this college campus is not the awesome architecture, but the number of slutty women and asshole guys roaming around. I assume that given the Rhode Island location, a lot of these pretenders are trust fund babies. I really don’t give a damn that they have money, but some of them act like idiots because of it. My first rule for college life: stay away from assholes. While sitting in the enormous park that flanks the entrance to the main building, under a tree with the latest edition of Top Gear, I decide this is where I intend to stay when I’m not studying. I also intend to keep my one and a half good friends as they are, and everyone else will be an acquaintance. I have no time for fake bullshit. I say half because I know Jade is my friend and her roommate Maia, well, I think she genuinely dislikes me. Which is awesome, because she’s hot and sweet, and I have no desire to meet someone here at all. So long as she keeps me at arm’s length, it’s all good. Although I can’t help but feel like it might be fun to change her mind.
    I flip the magazine shut and stare up at the sky as it shoots off a kaleidoscope of oranges, purples and blues. The nervous habit I have of rubbing my palms together and interlacing my fingers causes me to look down and inspect my hands. My nails, though I attempted to scrub them well, still bear remnants of engine oil and congealed grease. The callouses on my hands remind me of the years I spent ratchet in hand, tightening bolts and clamps. Had I not had the hands of a hardworking man, looking at me you might assume that I was a pretty boy. That’s precisely why my hands are the best part of me.
    I reach into my pocket to retrieve my phone. Scrolling through the camera’s images, my fingers stop when I reach a photo of a long-haired blonde and a sweet little girl with olive skin and bouncy light brown curls. I pinch the screen until the blonde woman is completely removed from the image and stare down at the little girl’s magnified