AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Having money would make life so much easier though,” I muttered, watching as the scenery flew by. We were heading away from campus and to a breakfast diner, where I assumed we’d order some food to bring it to Declan. Even though I hadn’t eaten in what felt like forever, I wasn’t too hungry.
“Some things, sure,” Will said. “But other things…money just makes it worse. When money is involved, you get the greed. You don’t know what a person is capable of until you’ve seen them deal with money. When you look at someone and see the money sign flashing in their eyes, it’s…” He quieted. “You grow up learning not to trust anyone.”
I never knew how badly money could fuck people up. Made sense, I guess, but still. “Your dad?”
“When you grow up surrounded by inground pools and mansions, it’s hard to realize what the real world is like.” Will apparently refused to say anything about his dad, and I didn’t know why. Dean Briggs seemed like a decent enough guy. Kind and warm, just like Declan. Maybe it was his mother who had the dollar signs flashing in her eyes. “It’s why I try my best not to use my family’s money. I got a job once I started school, bought this girl myself.” He rubbed the dashboard lovingly, almost like he was petting a beloved dog.
“Does she have a name?” I asked, wondering why all men called their cars women. Was it because they rode them? …sex joke, because I’m eternally horny, lady blue balls and all that.
We were at a red light, and Will turned his face to me, grinning a boyish grin. “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.” Spoken with such seriousness, I couldn’t help but laugh. He joined in, and within a few minutes, we pulled into a parking lot.
I got out, stretching the non-splinted arm as I gazed up at the blue sky. “I’ve never owned a car,” I said. “I had jobs, but I gave most of my money to my mom, to help with the bills.” We walked to the front door of the diner, and Will held it open for me, again being a gentleman. He better be careful, otherwise I might start to get used to this kind of treatment, and none of the guys at Hillcrest would ever be able to stand in Will’s shadow.
“It was that bad?” Will asked, sounding genuinely curious about where I’d come from, what I’d lived through.
Oh, if only he knew.
I nodded, biting my lower lip, not wanting to talk about it anymore. I shouldn’t have brought it up. These rich guys never realized how bad it was for other people, but still. I didn’t want to be a charity case, even if that was the only reason I was attending Hillcrest University.
When the hostess came over and asked if we wanted a seat, Will said, “We’d actually like to order to go.” He gave her a charming, dimpled smile before grabbing a menu and starting to rattle off the things he wanted, and she did her best to write it all down and keep up. I was no expert on breakfast foods, but it sounded like a lot. After a while, Will looked at me. “What’ll you have?”
I shrugged. “Surprise me,” I said. Any food at this point would be better than nothing.
Will turned his smile on me, and I had to look away. “And another order of the French toast. Thank you.” He gave the hostess back the menu, and she told us it’d be about a half-hour wait. Will started walking to a nearby booth, asking, “Can we get some coffee while we wait?”
“Sure,” the hostess said, practically bouncing on her feet as she went to grab two cups and the coffee container. She was a pretty woman, younger than thirty, and she was a bit rosier when she left than when we came in.
Hmm. Maybe I wasn’t exaggerating when it came to Will’s attractiveness. Maybe it wasn’t just my horny side showing herself.
When the hostess came back, she barely glanced at me as she set the mugs down before us and poured us two cups of coffee. The smile she gave Will before sauntering off was a killer; I bet it had ensnared many men before.
But Will didn’t seem too affected. He only thanked her, and the moment she walked off, he started pouring creamer and sugar in his cup, so much so that the coffee turned a light brown color.
“Would you like some coffee with that sugar?” I asked him when he was on his fifth sugar packet. I didn’t think I’d ever seen someone dump that much sugar in their coffee. Then again, I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker myself. I’d make an exception today, due to the fact that I’d gotten no sleep last night.
Will grinned, flashing a set of perfect pearly whites. “I’m bad, I know, but I find the taste of strong, black coffee disgusting.” His fingers hooked through the handle of the mug and brought it to his lips. I watched them part slowly before taking a small sip.
I grabbed my own cup. “This stuff?” I said, taking my own sip, watching as he widened his eyes in shock.
“How are you not gagging right now?” he asked, completely serious.
I laughed. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not the best taste in the world, but…” I shook my head, leaning back in the booth. “I’m not a huge coffee drinker anyway. I prefer pop.”
“Pop, huh?” Will ran a hand through his hair. At least I wasn’t the only greasy one here. We both needed to take a shower as soon as humanly possible. “What’s your favorite food?” I couldn’t tell if he was just being nice, trying to keep up the conversation, or if he really wanted to know.
Either way, I said without a second thought: “Chicken nuggets.”
He was in the process of taking another sip of his coffee, and he nearly spat it out. “Chicken nuggets?” he echoed, his dark brows lifting. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Not even a little,” I said. “My favorite are the ones from McDonald’s.”
“You’ve heard all the news stories about what gets found in their nuggets, right?”
“Have I been living under a rock for my whole life? Of course I’ve heard the stories, I’ve even seen pictures.” I shrugged once. “Sometimes I think about them when I’m eating the nuggets, but you know what? I don’t care. That shit’s good, and nobody is going to convince me otherwise. I would eat those chicken nuggets every day if I could. It’s a good thing McDonald’s isn’t on the meal plan, otherwise I’d gain a hundred pounds each semester I’m here.”
The corners of Will’s eyes crinkled. “I’ve never met someone as enthusiastic about chicken nuggets before.”
I ran a finger around the rim of my coffee mug, my splinted hand resting in my lap. “That’s because you’ve never met someone like me,” I spoke without a second thought. Way to sound overconfident. As if I was the most special snowflake ever to roam this side of the States.
