I shrug my shoulder. "I figure that you just want to concentrate on school. There's nothing wrong with that."

Her fingers grab hold of a piece of string that's sticking out of her dress. She coils it around a finger and pulls on it until the blue strand rips from the dress. "It's that and more." She rubs the string into a ball and rolls it between her finger tips. "I used to be more fun. I loved going to parties and being the life of them. Drinking, laughing, and just having fun." Her eyes shine for a moment as she looks up at me and bites down on her lip. "And it was a good time until that one night."

I know the night that she's talking about, but I don't say anything. I feel like she needs to bring this out on her own. Let her explain what happened on her own terms.

Once she sees that I don't question her, she looks back at her dress. "I was at a friend's house. Their parents were out of town, so of course we were having a party. Underage drinking, loud music, dancing, and bright lights." Her smile breaks as the last words linger in the air. "I was in the middle of the dance floor when it happened. I-I just lost control of my body." She holds her hands out in front of her like she's afraid that it might happen this very moment. "Before I knew it, I was on the floor shaking and looking up at the ceiling before the crowd started to form around me. Everyone was just looking at me, and I wanted to scream for someone to help, but nobody did. They just watched me writhe in pain." She grabs the sides of her dress and squeezes tight.

I move a little closer and bring my hand to the side of her arm. She doesn't move away from me. I run my hand down her arm and wait for her to continue.

"At the time, I didn't know what was happening to me. All I knew was that I was going to die on that dance floor." Her voice breaks for a split second before she clears her throat. "That is, until the paramedics showed up and rushed me to the hospital. It was there that I found out that I had an epilepsy attack. The doctor explained to me that it wouldn't interfere with my life too much. And I believed him until..." She stops herself and reaches for my hand, squeezing it hard.

"Until what?" I whisper.

"Until I got back to school. Everything changed. Nobody wanted to be my friend. And on top of that, they all mocked me. People who used to be my friends would make fun of me, even drop down on the ground and pretend to be having an attack." A tear rolls down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away with her hand. With my free hand, I grab hard on the cushion to my side. High school kids can be so cruel and full of themselves. I look over at Casey and there's a subtle shake to her body, like she's getting an enormous weight off her chest.

Right then and there, I make myself a promise. That I'll never do anything to make this girl feel that kind of pain. The only pain that I want her to complain about when she's with me is from her cheeks hurting too much from smiling.

"Every day for the rest of high school, I was ridiculed and I never felt so lonely. When I graduated, I promised myself that I would never let anything like that happen to me again. I didn't want to be the weird girl with the epilepsy attacks." Her voice gets low and soft. "I'd rather just be the anti-social, shy girl who spent too much time studying. At least that way I have a choice over how people treat me." She lets out one final breath and the tension in her shoulders leaves. She hunkers over and places her forehead on my chest, which starts to shake as she starts to laugh. "I didn't think I would be so open with you."

"I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to share that with me." I let my hand move down the side of her arm and take hold of her hand. There's a slight shake in it and I rub her hand between my two palms. I need to be honest with her. Show her that I can trust her as well, especially after she just let all of that out. I let out a sigh that draws her attention to me. "I need to be honest."

There's a slight pull from her hand, but I hold it in place. She stares at me through half opened eyes, suspicious about what I'm about to confess. "I've known about your epilepsy." Her hand tilts to the side and her mouth opens a little, but nothing comes out. "Dwayne told me after you left from Luigi's."

Her body relaxes a little when she hears that. "And that didn't scare you off?"

I look into those blue pools of hers and can feel myself drawing closer to her. Each blink of her eyes breaks me from my trance for a moment, before I'm pulled right in once more. And to think I would have never gotten to know her if I weren't flunking my classes.

Maybe doing bad in school isn't that bad of a thing.

"Not one bit. It actually made me want to be closer to you," I confess. There's a flicker of a smile on her face and she looks at me, batting those long black eyelashes of hers.

"How so?"

"It made me realize that we aren't that different. We've both had to change in our new environment." My body grows rigid and I can feel the tension taking over. I've never been this honest with anyone before. It's just not something that you share with people. Better to just keep it inside myself. Deep inside.

Casey grips my hand a little tighter but doesn't say a word. This time, it's my turn to be honest with her. To tell her what I've been holding back. As I look into those eyes of hers, I can't help but think about how quickly things have progressed.

Just a couple weeks ago, I was on top of the world. Winning games and getting with any girl that I could have wanted. Not that it ever meant anything. It was always just meaningless one night stands that were over the next day.

On the outside, I was the happiest guy that ever was. Every guy on campus wanted to be me. And every girl wanted to be with me. And yet, none of that mattered, because inside of me, I knew that it wasn't who I really was. The fun and buzz of partying every night and spending the night with random girls wears off. It doesn't have the same appeal that it does in the beginning.

And that's because that's not who I was. Not who I wanted to be. And that left a void inside of me that I didn't realize until I met Casey. And in less than a month, everything changed.

"I didn't used to be like this. Never cared much about football. I was fine with just being good at it and that's all. It was just a way to get a nice adrenaline rush and that's it." I hold my breath and think of the days when I was younger and would spend my time in the library reading every book that I could get my hands on. How during my lunch breaks I would be the first to finish so that I could rush to the library and read. "I used to read a lot. The kind of books that weren't assigned just for class. I loved it all. And that's what made me the outcast."

My eyes narrow and I remember the times that I used to be picked on in middle school. How I was called a book worm. How the kids would take my glasses and throw them across the cafeteria, making me search for them blindly on the floor. "I found out at a young age that kids can be cruel. And the strangest thing is that when I did well on the field, everyone loved me. Couldn't stop being around me. The better I got at football, the less I got picked on. And over time, it was just easier to be good at that and give people what they wanted." The rage builds inside me and I can feel my nostrils flare with heat.

Casey moves a little closer and rests her free hand on my thigh. She lowers her head and places it on my shoulder, her other hand stroking at the hairs on my hand. I don't say a word. Neither of us do. We just let our confessions soak into the room and the silence takes over.

It's strange being so honest with someone that you hardly know. There's nothing stopping either of us from going out and telling the whole world our secrets. And yet with Casey, I know that I never have to worry about her telling some campus wannabe-journalist about it. There's a trust and bond that I feel with her. That I felt the moment she bumped into me on the first day we met.

I look down at her. All of a sudden, I'm fully aware of how hard my heart is beating. Casey runs her hand through her hair and brings it behind her ear. She looks at me and then down to my lips, running her tongue along hers.

My hand rises and cups the side of her cheek. For some reason, I think that she'll move away from my touch, but she doesn't. Instead, she closes her eyes and pushes against it. Her mouth opens a little and there's an audible gasp.

My head moves toward hers. It feels like time has stopped and I'm desperately trying to get to her before it's too late. The closer I get, the more I can smell her perfume. And the more I can see the subtle features of her face.

The little freckle just above her right lip. The tiny scar at her right temple. Her perfect, luscious lips parting to welcome me.

My lips crash against hers. At first, neither of us move. We let each other grow comfortable with the other. I open my mouth a little and run my tongue along her lips, taking in her taste.

Fuck. She tastes so good. I can feel the hunger building inside of me. It wants more than the taste of her lips. It wants the sweetness between her legs. My cock presses against my jeans, begging to be released.

Her tongue moves out and touches against mine, sending shivers down my spine and making me lose my breath. The blood is all rushing to my cock. If this continues like this, then it won't be long before I fall on top of her unconscious, with my cock erect like a flagpole.

I hold her face still and let our tongues grow familiar with each other. I dip into her mouth and listen to the sweet moan that leaves her lips.

Fuck! She can't keep doing this to me. Doesn't she know how much I want her?

I move a hand from her cheek and place it on her knee. Slowly, I part her legs and move toward her warmth. She doesn't fight my touch and opens her legs for me, falling back on the couch. I press my body against her and those big blue eyes of hers look up at me. She bites down on her bottom lip and runs her hands down the middle of my chest, stopping to feel the ripple of my abs.

My fingers are halfway up her thighs when she grabs hold of my hand. "We can't do this," she says out of breath. "We need to be professional about this." My hand doesn't move and she holds it still. I can feel the heat between her legs beckoning for me to take her right here. Rip off that pretty little dress of hers and show her some fun.

"Fuck being professional," I mutter and pinch at her thigh with my fingers. "I need you."

She looks at me and runs her eyes down the middle of my body, stopping at the bulge. Her mouth opens a little and a soft murmur leaves her lips. It almost sounds like she's cursing under her breath, but I can't hear 'cause there's a loud buzzing in my ears. I'm not going to last much longer.

I need her right now.

I sink my head into her neck and run my lips along her skin. Her shoulders round and she presses against mine, her breathing heavy.

"We just can't," she whispers, and before my blood deprived brain can understand what's going on, she's at the door. I get up to chase after her, but my legs don't hold my weight. I fall to the ground and bring my hands up to brace my fall. I manage to land on my side. The last thing I see is her blue dress as the door slams behind her.

The world gets dark and I close my eyes. Through the darkness, all I see is those beautiful eyes of hers.

7.

Casey

"That's it for class, everyone. Make sure that you go over your exams and fix any of your mistakes. You'll be able to get half credit if you redo them," Professor Kim shouts as I leave the class room.

I don't know why I'm in a rush. I don't have anywhere in particular to be. Not since I stopped tutoring David.

It's been a little over a week since that night in his dorm room. Everything had been going so well. I felt like we opened up to each other and I got to know more about him.

The chilly air hits my face hard when I walk outside. I bring the sides of my coat up and try my best to block out the cold. The wind blows the leaves across the concrete, and I can't help but think of David. I run my tongue along my lips, trying to bring back his vivid touch to the forefront of my mind.

His kiss was unexpected. And at the time, I didn't fight it. I gave right in to him. I couldn't resist. I'd been thinking about how his touch would feel against me since the day I met him.

My cheeks blush as I think of his fingers parting my legs. How slowly and purposefully he climbed up the inside of my legs, full of hunger and want. Almost like he wanted to devour every inch of my body. And I wanted to give into him. I really did.

I'd never felt that kind of lust from another man before. Sure, I'd been with other guys. But none of them ever made me feel the way David did. None of them looked at me like David did.

I pull open the door to my building and hop into the elevator. A couple of students shuffle in and I get packed into the corner. Everyone is talking about the upcoming game and how David won't be the starting quarterback. It's the talk of the campus. And I can't help but feel a little bit responsible for it.

The second that I left David's apartment, I called Melissa and told her that things weren't working out between David and I. She didn't ask for a reason and I didn't give it to her. She just made it clear that there was nobody else lined up to tutor David. That if I didn't tutor him, then he would fail for sure. She wanted me to reconsider, at least until she lined someone else up. I knew that I was being selfish just abandoning him, At the time, I didn't care.

I was done with him. Done with opening myself up and telling him things I never told anyone else. Done with those green eyes of his. Done with that hard, taut body of his. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Deep down, I want to get down and dirty with him. I want to see if the rumors are true about his cock and take him for the wildest ride of his life. I'm tired of being cooped up in my room, always being the good girl. Letting my epilepsy get the best of me.

I reach my apartment and a package by the door catches my eye. It's the size of a textbook and six inches from the floor. It's wrapped in white wrapping paper and on top there's a red ribbon. I look up and down the hallway. This must be a mistake. I don't get mysterious packages at the door. I pick it up and open the note that's on the outside.

To: Casey I'm sorry.

From: David I turn the note over but there's nothing else written on it. Simple and to the point. Never expected anything less from him.

I push inside my room and throw my backpack on to the bed. I set the package on the bed and stare at it like it might explode any second. I shouldn't open it. I should just send it back to him and tell him that I don't want or need his apology.

That's what I should do, but the other part of me, the more sensible side, is telling me to open it. To give him another chance and see what's inside. He is going out of his way to apologize to me, even when I might have overreacted.

I relent, and with shaking hands, pull at the end of the ribbon. I carefully peel off the wrapping paper and open it. Inside there's a white teddy bear looking up at me. The fabric is soft and plush in my hands and he's holding a small calculator in one hand and a pencil in the other. I bring it up to my chest and rest my head on it, sitting back on my bed.

I close my eyes. This isn't right. I shouldn't be so mad at him. There's hardly any reason for me to be this upset.

It's not like I did anything to stop David's advances. He's not the only one to blame for this. I wanted it just as much as he did, if not more. I push my head down on the teddy bear and listen to the beating of my heart.

Part of me wanted him to move faster. To have his fingers pulling at my panties, his thumb on my clit. I wanted to shove that fabled cock between my lips. The mere thought of it sends shivers down my spine and to my core.

I need to fix this. I reach for my cellphone and hit one on the speed dial. I don't wait for her typical response. I just blurt it out.

"Can you reassign me to David?"

Melissa doesn't say anything at first. I can almost imagine the big smile on her face. "That's not a problem. Should I tell him to meet you at the regular time?"

"That'll be fine."

"Thank you, Casey." Melissa hangs up. I squeeze the bear hard and push my head against the wall, staring at the ceiling. I bite down on my lip and let myself grow familiar with the excitement coursing through me.

I don't know why, but I actually missed David. That soft smirk of his. Those green eyes looking up and down my body. The way his hand touches mine when he wants to get my attention.

There's too much sexual tension between us. We won't be able to get anything done until that's resolved. I close my eyes and nod to myself.

There's only one thing to do.

8.

David

I rush up the library stairs two at a time. I'm not going to be late. Not now, not ever. I'm just happy that she's giving me another chance.

I guess the teddy bear got to her. If I'd known that's all it would take for her to give me another chance, I would have sent her one every day until she took me back. I take a mental note of it just in case there are anymore hiccups along the way.

I just have to remember to keep my hands off of her. I take a deep breath at the top of the stairs as her curvy body flashes before my eyes. Keeping my hands off of her is going to be harder than ever, especially after I got a touch of her. But there's nothing that I can do. She made it clear that she's off limits, at least for now.

I speed past the rooms until I get to the back of the library. I get up to the door and look inside, cock throbbing the second that I see her.

She's got her hair in a bun. She's flipping through a folder and there's a pencil between her teeth that she's gnawing on. She couldn't have been hotter if she tried. It's going to take all of my willpower not to picture my cock between her lips instead of that pencil.

And there it is. That image is going to be burned into my mind for the rest of the day. I'll have to take advantage of it later when I'm alone.

I march into the room and Casey gets out of her chair, the pencil dropping from those sweet lips of hers. There's a subtle look of embarrassment on her face, like I'd just caught her red handed.

"David-" I hold out my hand and she stops.

"Before we start, I want to apologize for my behavior." I bring a hand behind my head and rub at my neck. Apologizing to someone is not my forte. I've never done it to anyone other than my mother and father. "I lost control that night, and for that, I'm sorry. And it won't happen again." I grab the chair and sit down. I look up at her, expecting her to be nodding to my words, but instead there's a look of disappointment on her face. She's staring at the door and biting on the side of her lip like she's second guessing something.

She catches me staring at her and clears her throat. "Thank you for that, David." She sits back down and opens the folder that she was rifling through. And that's it. There's no big talk about that night on my couch. Nothing more than a just a simple thank you and moving on. Not exactly what I expected, but I would be lying if I didn't prefer it this way. Moving on and putting things behind us is a better move. She waves a pink page in front of me to catch my attention. "I've gotten your progress reports. It looks like you're still on track with all of your classes." She pushes it across to me and I just nod. It doesn't surprise me that I've been doing well in my classes.

When Casey canceled her meetings, all of a sudden, I had a bunch of time on my hands. And it didn't help that Coach Vaughn made sure that everyone on the team knew that if they invited me to any parties they would be off the starting line up. I was pretty much an outcast by the time Melisa called me to reschedule my tutoring. Out of boredom, I found myself reading and doing my homework. I had so much free time that I even found myself reading books for fun. I'll never admit that to any of the guys on the football team.