Black Number Four Read online

  I toss my keys down on the small table at the end of the loveseat and kick my shoes off, heading straight for my laptop. I pull it from under my bed and plop down, dialing my dad’s number as I wait for my Wi-Fi to kick in.

  “It’s late, son,” he answers, his voice hard as usual. So much for a “hello”.

  “It’s only midnight there, Dad. And I told you I’d be a little late tonight.”

  “Midnight here is one in the morning there, Son. You need to keep your head focused, and staying out ‘til all hours of the night isn’t a great way to start.”

  “Dad.” I sigh, typing in my email password. “It’s all good. Promise. The world isn’t ending.”

  “Don’t get smart with me, Oliver Kip Jackson.”

  I cover the phone with my hand and let out a frustrated growl. I hate when he uses my full name, not just because I’m not a fan of my first name but because it usually means that’s my last warning. It pisses me off that I’m twenty one and yet still somehow under his ruling thumb.

  “Did you get the email I sent?” he asks, getting to business.

  “Opening it now.”

  “Good. Everything you need to know for now is in there. Her name, class schedule, social media info, and a few things I managed to dig up by reading some interviews online. She has a few hobbies that are similar to yours, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to casually run into her. And remember, you have a goal. Get her close, but don’t get caught up.”

  “I know, Dad.” I let out an exhausted huff before clicking on his email and downloading the document attached. “She’s the best in the game. I need to find her weakness, figure out her bluffing face, uncover the secrets to all her wins. You know, super easy, not-creepy-at-all things.”

  “I’m serious, Kip,” he says. “I know this doesn’t mean as much to you as it does to me, but I need you to take this seriously if you want me to pay for that damn school in California. This was your end of the deal, remember? You beat her at the tournament this year or give her hell trying and at least get your name on the map and I’ll pay for the rest of your school and grad school, too – including moving you to New York after you finish at UCLA. But you have to hold up your end.”

  I sigh. “I know. I do take this seriously, Dad, I do. I’m just a little tired tonight. I know what this means to you and I’m not going to let you down. I promise.”

  “Good man,” he says.

  The document finally downloads and I double click on it, pulling the file up to fill the screen. When a photo of a girl with long dark hair and large turquoise eyes pops up, my heart stops.

  “Shit.”

  “What?” Dad immediately asks.

  No way. No fucking way is the girl I came here for the same girl I just made out with in a crowd of Greek students. No way did I just potentially fuck up the one thing I have to do to get to my dream school and enroll in the one program I’ve wanted to be in since I was twelve.

  I scroll down a little farther and get the affirmation I was afraid of. Her name is centered under the photo and written in bold.

  SKYLER THORNE.

  “What is it, Kip?” Dad asks again.

  “Nothing,” I say quickly, scrolling down a little further to glance at the information Dad had gathered. “I just, I recognize her. I met her tonight.”

  “You did? Where?”

  Oh hell no, I am definitely not ready to tell him about pledging. “They had a game night in one of the resident halls for new transfers. She was there,” I lie.

  “Did she notice you? Do you think she knows who you are?”

  You mean did she have my tongue down her throat?

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Good,” he says confidently. “You’ll need to make a good first impression. You don’t want her to feel like it’s forced. She has to want you to be around, to want to let you in and tell you about her life.”

  “I think I can handle making a good first impression,” I mumble, my head racing with the feel of her chest pressed against mine on the table at Alpha Sig.

  “I think you can, too. Now, it’s time for me to turn in. You should do the same. Call me tomorrow when you’ve got everything squared away.”

  I nod, my eyes still stuck on the screen. “Night, Dad.”

  The phone falls from my hand and down onto the bed as I scroll farther. We have one class together – Thursdays at seven in the morning. Wonderful. So much for thinking I would have time to get my shit together before having to face her knowing she’s the one person standing between me and my future.

  My phone pings and I glance down to see a three-o’-five number illuminating the screen. I slide my thumb across the number and a text replaces the Dead Poets Society background.

  - Well, it looks like the tequila didn’t kill you. Still swearing it off forever? -

  A smile breaks across my lips.

  - Stalking me already? I don’t recall giving you my number. -

  - I’m a resourceful girl. -

  - I don’t doubt that. And yes, I’m still anti-tequila. You should feel lucky, I drank it just for you. -

  I wait a few minutes, but no other text comes through. A large breath vibrates through my chest as I exhale, staring at Skyler’s photo on the screen. Of all the shitty situations I could have found myself in, this had to be it?

  I had one mission – one stupid, minor agreement to attend my dream school. Get in with the up and coming young poker star and learn her tricks. Take my game to the next level. Get to the final table with her in Vegas and beat her. Make my name known. Win for my dad, for the dream he could never live, and for me – for my independence from him and my freedom to finally start living my own dream.

  - I think it’s you who should feel lucky, Four Eyes. See you around. -

  Fuck me. Lady Luck is definitely not on my side.

  Sighing, I plug my phone in to the charger on my bedside table and stare at Skyler a few more moments before closing my laptop and tucking it in my messenger bag. I set the alarm on my phone for six and shut off the light, falling onto my back and tucking my hands under my head. Immediately, my thoughts wander to Skyler laying in this same position earlier. My cock hardens and I curse, adjusting myself and rolling over to face the window.

  I can do this. I just met this girl, it’s not like I’ve been dating her for years or something. She has no ties to me and I have none to her. It’s simple. I get in with her, do what I have to do to figure out how to beat her in May, and then we go our separate ways. She’s damn sure not going to want to make out with me after she finds out I’m in the tournament. I’m not the kind of guy to lie and manipulate, but this is the one thing that stands between me and my dream, between me and the emancipation from all the shit that’s held me back until now. One tournament, one girl, one little game to be played and then I can move on and never look back.

  Except, I’m not so sure it’s going to be that easy.

  One thing I love about this campus – they have coffee everywhere, and damn do I need a cup this morning. I opt for the Starbucks outside of the Student Union, trying the Hazelnut Macchiato at the barista’s recommendation. I sip on the hot liquid for the rest of my walk until I reach the large double doors that lead to my first class – Writing for Television. I was surprised they even offered this class, and even more surprised when I saw that Skyler would be in it, too.

  There’s only ten minutes until class, yet I’m one of the first ones here. I guess punctuality isn’t a virtue valued at Palm South. I slide into a desk a few rows from the front and pull out my MacBook Air, opening a blank document to take notes. Syllabus week was always a joke at the community college back home, so I’m hoping it’s the same here, but who knows.

  The professor walks through the door two minutes late, his messenger bag overstuffed with God knows what as he balances it along with a folder in his left hand and a thermos in the other. He plops the bag down on his desk and turns to write on the white board just as Skyler comes throu
gh the door. She’s alone, and for some reason I think it bothers her. She doesn’t look as confident as she did last night. Her ocean eyes scan the room and when they land on me, a small smirk curls on her lips and she walks my direction.

  She’s dressed in a yellow sundress and tall shoes that aren’t quite high heels. My ex back home called them wedges, I think. It’s surprising to me that she’s in a dress, I didn’t take her for that kind of girl. She’s even got pearls on and her hair is slightly curled. But, as she strides toward me, her hips swaying slightly, I notice the uncomfortable way she’s carrying herself. It makes me long for the girl in the distressed jeans and hoodie that I met last night. Seeing the yellow against her skin, I realize she’s tanner than I remember, which makes me wonder if my theory of her being a surfer is accurate. Who is tan in January?

  “Where’s mine?” she asks, sliding into the desk next to me.

  I follow her gaze to my coffee cup and smile. “Sorry, they didn’t have tequila. I checked.”

  “Damn them.” She sighs. “I need to run for Student Council so I can change that.” She offers a wink just as the professor claps his hands together and we both turn to the front.

  “Why do we write?” he asks, holding his arms out wide to the class. “Why do we put pen to paper or fingers to keys and make words into sentences into stories? What is the purpose?”

  “So other people will read what we write,” a girl calls out from the back. The professor moves toward her a bit, seeming to take in her analysis, just as the kid sitting in front of me passes back a stack of syllabi and I take one and pass them on to Skyler. Glancing down, I see the professor’s name in bold under the class subject.

  Dr. O’Neal.

  He’s a quirky looking son of a bitch. Tall, lean, his facial hair growing in a little unruly against his ashen skin. He has dark eyes that seem to move a little too quickly and his brown hair is dotted with specs of gray that look a little more dyed than natural. He’s wearing a bow tie, which usually I approve of, but it seems like he did it just to be defiant against regular ties rather than to make a fashion statement.

  “Yes, I suppose that’s the end result that we expect – someone to read our work. But, is that why we write?” His eyes move across the class, questioning.

  Someone else calls out, “I guess maybe because we’re creative and need a creative outlet?”

  Dr. O’Neal nods again. “Ah, creativity. I would say that is one of the qualities we possess that perhaps drives our writing, but is that why we write? Is the creativity burning within us or within artists or musicians the reason why we do what we do?”

  The class is silent again, and I glance over at Skyler. She’s fidgeting, her left foot bouncing a little and her pencil rolling between her fingers. I can’t tell if it’s because she wants to say something or because she’s insanely bored. I turn back toward Dr. O’Neal and raise my hand.

  “I guess I can’t speak for everyone in here, but I write for a purpose – a purpose that changes each time. Sometimes it’s to evoke laughter, sometimes to make people think, sometimes to bring a feeling to life like romance or pain, and always – no matter what the topic – to entertain.”

  Dr. O’Neal’s mouth twitches into a smile that falls a little too quickly and he points the dry erase marker in his hand toward me. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of a reason to write. By the end of this semester, I hope you’ll all be able to answer as confidently as this young man.” He turns back toward the board and starts detailing the lesson plan for the semester, covering the grade breakdown and attendance policy along with what we can expect in class.

  “You kind of have this all figured out, don’t you?” Skyler asks, tilting her head. I note the way the fluorescent lights darken the blue of her eyes.

  “I like to think I know what my passions are, yes,” I reply.

  She smiles. “Passion can be a dangerous thing.”

  The corners of my mouth creep up as I turn back toward the front. “What’s life without a little danger?”

  After class, Dr. O’Neal stops me to introduce himself. He seems taken back that I transferred here, just like everyone else I tell. Apparently no one ever comes to this shit hole half way through their college career.

  I can’t imagine why.

  When I walk out of the Visual Arts Building, Skyler is waiting, leaned up against the brick wall with her hair blowing softly in the breeze.

  “You really are stalking me.”

  She shrugs. “You should be so lucky, Four Eyes. Speaking of which, where are your specks today?”

  I laugh. “Contacts. I’m heading to the gym after my last class today and they don’t fare well with sweat.”

  Her eyes challenge mine as she chews the inside of her cheek. “You’re weird.”

  “You like it.”

  She rolls her eyes and turns, heading toward Greek Row.

  “Skyler!” I call out and she turns, waiting. “How do you take your coffee? For next week.”

  Her smile returns. “Trying to be a gentleman now?” I shrug and she shakes her head, still sizing me up. “I only like one thing on the Starbucks menu. You seem to have everything else figured out, let’s see if you can guess what it is.” She presses her lips together, fighting against a smile, and turns to leave again.

  “Will I see you before then?”

  She shrugs and keeps walking, turning just enough to let me see her blue eyes one last time. I’ve always thought my eyes were a unique shade of blue – exactly like my mother’s – but hers are on another level. It’s almost as if they change with her mood. I wonder if they’ll be the key to what gives her away at the table.

  Shit.

  Did I really just think that?

  I adjust my bag on my shoulder and turn in the opposite direction toward my next class. I need to disconnect, to uncomplicate this situation – and fast.

  I just have no idea how to do that.

  “Damn these shoes,” I mumble, making my way back to the sorority house as gracefully as I can. Ashlei and Cassie helped me get dressed this morning, as per usual. I’ve been in sorority land for a little over two years and I still fail miserably when I try to dress myself appropriately. I’m more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, but when you’re in a sorority – especially the top sorority on campus – you don’t really have the casual jeans option very often. If they do put me in jeans, it’s always with heels or wedges and some flowy top that makes me feel almost as alien as a dress does.

  I want to be president next year, to take my Big’s place and carry on our Greek line’s tradition of holding that office, but I’d be fooling myself if I thought it was going to be easy for me to do. For my Big it was, and for her Big, too – but they’re nothing like me. We’re close, and I love them both, but everything about us is different. Our style, the way we speak, our hobbies – I think my Grand Big almost fainted the first time I told her I play poker professionally. She called it a “man’s thing”.

  But, I want to be like them – I want to fit in, to blend with my sisters in one unified band of color. In high school, I was like a deep red in a sea of yellow – an eye sore, if you will. But when I rushed, my sisters took me in and made me feel like a part of something. They saw the “potential” in me, as my Big put it, and they still do.

  I just hope I don’t disappoint them.

  Jess meets me at the door, tugging on my arm and dragging me through the house. “Ex just texted us and said to meet in her room ASAP. Sounds important.”

  I laugh, yanking my arm free so I can stabilize myself in my four inch wedges before walking up the stairs. “Crisis with Spring Break planning?”

  Jess laughs but tries not to. “I’m sure it’s something equally as serious, knowing your Big.”

  She pushes through Erin’s bedroom door first, jumping into the bed to join my Little. Ashlei is propped in the beanbag chair and my Big has her desk chair pulled up to make a circle with the three of them. I kick off my shoes an
d plop down on the floor.

  “Ew, put your snatch away, Little.” Erin laughs and Jess throws me a pillow from the bed. I glance down, realizing I’m sitting cross legged in a short ass sundress.

  “Did you just call my treasure box a snatch?”

  “Did you just call it a treasure box?” Cassie chimes in.

  “Would you prefer I say vagasaurus? That’s my personal favorite nickname,” I say, propping the pillow on my lap to cover the goods.

  Cassie and Ashlei crack up while Jess looks at me appalled. “Do you really call it that?”

  “Among many other things, yes.”

  “Like what?” she asks, clearly diving into new territory with vagina names.

  “I don’t know… hoohah, muffin, pink canoe.”

  “Juice box, kitty, hot pocket,” Cassie chimes in.

  “Tampon tamer, magic bean, cubby hole. I heard someone call it a finger hut once. My personal favorite is vajayjay,” Ashlei says.

  “Oh! That’s another one I use frequently, Lei. Nice.”

  Jess still looks taken aback. “I seriously have never used any of these. I say vagina. Or occasionally I get a little Jersey Shore and say co-cah.”

  “Or cho-cha like Missy Elliot?” I pipe in.

  “Yes!” Jess and Cassie say at the same time. We all laugh and Ashlei snorts a little before Erin cuts us off.

  “Can we stop talking about penis fly traps for like two seconds? This is serious!” She tries to say it with a straight face but fails miserably, which just makes us all laugh harder. She reaches behind her for her desk and grabs a handful of highlighters, pegging us each in the head with them.

  After another fit of laughter, Jess wipes the tears from her eyes. “Okay Ex, what’s going on?”