Twisted Fate Chapter 3

Focuses on Kaleigh's life at the University & the first time she meets Jacob.

Chapter 3: Sunshine Valley University

I woke up really early to get ready for my first day of class. I figured I would need the extra time to calm my nerves. I was right. I was mostly nervous about the unknown. I only had one class with Emily and one with Alexis. I was nervous about my professors and meeting new people.
     I was thankful that I did get up early. I rushed to take a shower and get out of the bathroom. I had woke up before Alexis, she always took forever in the shower. I came out and Emily beat Alexis to the door. They were fighting over the door like two teenage sisters. It was really funny.
    I finished getting ready. I decided to curl my hair. My hair looked really pretty when I did that. I put a little make-up on and I checked my phone. I noticed that I had a text. Aiden had wished me a good day with my classes. I quickly sent him a text to wish him luck while I waited on Emily to get finished getting ready.
    Emily walked into the living room. She had straightened her hair and it looked really pretty. I decided to compliment her. She smiled. "You ready?" She asked. I nodded and got all of my things together. We walked out of the apartment and made our way to Emily's car.
    The university wasn't too far away. The college was pretty big. It was both exciting and scary to be going to my first class. I was a little worried because my first class I would have, would not be with Emily or Alexis. So, I wouldn't know anyone in that class. At least I would be early.
     I walked into the class. The professor looked up to see what she heard. Then she went back to getting all her materials assembled. I took a seat at a table in the middle of the class. Each table had room for only two people. I wondered who would be my partner in this class. I got my supplies out and prepared for class to start.
    A few minutes later, I heard someone put their things on the table.  I knew who it was right away. How could I forget him? "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked. I would have to try extra hard to pay attention in this class and try hard not to stare at him. He was so gorgeous. It would be very hard to concentrate in class now.
    "Of course not. I don't mind at all." He pulled the seat out and sat down next to me. This was going to make this class very interesting. He smiled at me and leaned back in his seat. It would be very hard to concentrate in class. I could hardly keep my eyes off of him now. I had to learn to control myself.
   "How's your ankle doing?" He asked. Of course, he had to bring that up. I giggled a little. So, the football guy remembered quite possibly the most embarassing moment of my life. In a way, I hoped I'd never see him again because of the embarassment. But sitting here now, I now knew that I wanted to see him again.
     "It is as good as new." I said as I gestured him to look at my high heels. I had wore a white skirt today with a pink shirt and jean jacket. He admired my bottom half a few seconds too long, but it was flattering. I was right, I was going to love it here.
    "I'm Jacob Carter, by the way." He said. So the football guy actually had a name. Jacob's name perfectly suited him. It was such a simple, cute name. Jacob had light, sandy brown hair with green eyes. He was tall and very friendly.
    "I'm Kaleigh Wilson." I said as he smiled. Suddenly, the professor interrupted the whole class. It was time for class to start. I had to be focused on the class. I was really looking forward to maintaining good grades, just like I did in high school.
    The class wasn't so bad. I could tell that it would be a little challenging. But, it definately wouldn't be more than I could handle. I got my things together as the professor dismissed us. Most of the class rushed out except me and Jacob.
    "Hey, don't fall down anywhere." He warned. I laughed. I wondered if he was joking with me. He smiled, so he must have been joking. "I'm just kidding, Kaleigh. I hope you have a good day. See you tomorrow."
    "You have a great day too, Jacob. Oh by the way, don't knock anyone down today." I laughed.
    "Ouch, that hurt." He joked at the insult. "See you tomorrow, Kaleigh." He said as he walked out the door. I didn't have time to think about that conversation, I had to rush to my next class or I was going to be late. Thankfully, it was my class with Emily. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. I thought it was a very productive day.
    I was glad to be home. It was nice to hear how Emily and Alexis' day went. Alexis couldn't wait to go out again and forget about her own responsibilities. Emily and I had an english class together, so we decided to work on our homework together.
    She asked about my classes and I told her about having a class with Jacob. She couldn't believe I had ran into Jacob or even had a class with him. It was late when we got our homework done. I was ready for bed. It was a long day and I couldn't wait to get some sleep.
    Getting ready for classes wasn't much different than the day before. Of course, I was the first to take a shower and Emily and Alexis fought over the bathroom. I decided to straighten my hair today and wear jeans and a tank top.
    I was glad I knew what to expect today and I felt I was ready to take on the day. I was confused though. I wondered why I couldn't wait to see Jacob. I had never been this connected to anyone. I was happy knowing that I would see him soon. I guess I felt that way because he was so friendly and happy all the time and when I was around him, he made me happy too.
    Emily and I left early again for school. So, I was early for class again. I was suprised to see that Jacob was already there. He looked gorgeous, as usual. He was actually reading material to prepare for class. Not only was he handsome, but he was smart too. Everything about him seemed ideal and perfect. I wondered what was imperfect about him. So far, I hadn't found one flaw in him.
    He looked up and smiled at me as I sat down next to him. "Good Morning, Kaleigh." He closed his book and turned towards me. "How are you this morning?" It seemed like he couldn't wait to talk to me. There's no way I could have that effect on him for two reasons. One reason was we hadn't known each other that long. The other reason was that he was way out of my league. He was far too gorgeous to be attracted to me.
    "Thanks for asking Jacob, I am great. How are you?" I smiled. I proceeded to get all my supplies out for class. I noticed the professor  walking in and getting settled in. The few times that I had been around Jacob, time just flew by for some reason.
     "I am doing good too." He smiled. The professor started discussing a new project we would be doing with a partner. We would be working on it for the next few weeks. She informed us we would have to work on it outside of class as well. Jacob seemed really happy. "Looks like we will be spending alot of quality time together, partner." He laughed.
    I got nervous about spending alot of time with Jacob. It sounded great, in theory. But, I would be nervous the entire time. Spending a couple hours in class with him made me anxious enough. It would be good though. I was looking forward to getting to know him better.
    "So, are we going to your place or mine?" Jacob asked. I figured it would be a safer bet to just meet at his place for the project. If he went to my place, Emily and  Alexis would be there and it would be too akward for me.
     I had all my regular classes to go to today, but I could not concentrate on any of them. As hard as I tried to focus, I could not stop thinking about Jacob. He was so easy to like, but I wondered why I was always thinking about him. The day seemed so long.
     Jacob and I decided to go home first and then he would come and pick me up around 4 p.m. Emily and I were driving home. I let her know of my plans for the next couple of weeks, but I let her know that I did not want Aiden or Alexis to know what I was doing. Especially, Alexis. Alexis was a flirt, and the thought of her flirting with Jacob drove me insanely jealous. I didn't know why I felt that way. Afterall, Jacob wasn't my boyfriend or anything even close, but I did not want her to have him. Or for that matter, I didn't want anyone to date him.
     I knew that these feelings were irrational. But, I was having alot of irrational feelings about Jacob. I wanted to be friends with him, of course. I also wanted to be more than friends and that scared me. I had never fell for someone so fast. Jacob was so easy to fall for. He was nice, friendly, polite, gorgeous. I just couldn't help it. The last two days, Jacob and I had talked alot about classes and college life. We had spent quite a few hours talking in class. It felt like we could be great friends, like me and Aiden were.
    Emily understood completely. She knew how I felt about Jacob and she was very supportive. In fact, she liked Jacob's friend, Landon Hayes. They had a couple classes together and they were getting to know each other better. Emily was really my only supporter because I couldn't tell anyone else. Mom would worry I was moving too fast with a stranger, Alexis would flirt, and Aiden would be mad. He never really liked any of my boyfriends and I never understood why.
     I went straight home and got ready. I changed my clothes, fixed my hair, and put my make up on. I wasn't sure how I looked, so I asked Emily. She was busy studying. She looked up and gave me two thumbs up and smiled. I looked at the clock, Jacob would be here in five minutes. So, I got all my things together and walked out of the apartment.
     When I walked out the door, I saw Jacob in his truck. He smiled at me. He was always smiling, everytime we were together he seemed happy. I hurried a little and climbed into his truck. I was excited at the oppourtunity of spending time with Jacob.
    "Kaleigh, I'm kinda glad that Mrs. Patterson assigned us this project. I am looking forward to getting to know you better." He said, as he turned to look for on coming traffic. We started driving toward his house.
     "Me too, Jacob. I would love to get to know you better too." I said. I blushed a little. Maybe that statement was a little forward. Jacob chuckled only once and gave me a huge smile. He seemed to like that statement by the look on his face.
     "Well, I'm yours for the day. Ask anything you want." I was stunned by that statement. I liked it a little more than I should. I should not be falling for Jacob in the way that I was. I barely knew him. I decided that I would work on trying to get to know him better before I would allow myself to fall for him anymore.
    "So where are you from?" I asked. That seemed like a reasonable question and one that would be suitable to ask first. This would set the flow of the conversation up. Hopefully there wouldn't be any pressure after this question.
    "I was born and raised here in Sunshine Valley. I have always lived here. I love it here so much, I could never move away." Jacob rambled. It was sweet that he had lived here his whole live and never wanted to leave. It showed me that he was committed to his decisions and once he made a decision, he kept it. "What about you, Kaleigh? Where are you from?"
     I sighed, only because my life was utterly normal and boring. " My mom and I live in a little town in Florida called Sunset Avenue. It's about 5 hours from here." Jacob was pulling into a parking lot. He must live in a apartment like mine. We pulled into the parking lot. Jacob came around and opened my door. He led the way to his apartment.
     He opened the door and let me walk in first. For a guy's apartment, it was fairly clean. It wasn't just Jacob's apartment, he lived there with Landon Hayes and Caleb Johnson. Both guys were sitting on the couch playing a video game system. "Dude, I'm going to demolish you on this round." I heard Caleb say to Landon. I chuckled as I heard the two boys argue over a video game.
     "Caleb, Landon, this is Kaleigh. Kaleigh, this is Landon and Caleb." Jacob introduced us. I waved to them and said hi. They looked away from the screen and welcomed me there.
     "Hi, Kaleigh. We've heard alot about you." Landon said as Jacob slapped him on the back of the head as he led me to his room. So, Jacob had been talking about me. I wondered what he had said. Maybe he felt the same way about me as I did for him. I just shook that feeling off. It was way too early to start some wishful thinking.
     I heard Landon yell. "Ow Jake! What was that for?"
    Jacob yelled back. "Just for being an idiot." We got to his door and he opened it for me. "Take a seat wherever you like and we'll get started." I opted for the bed. We would need all the room we could get for the project and his desk was too small. We discussed the project for a few minutes and started on it.
    Jacob seemed very focused on the project. He wanted an A on the project just as much as I did. He wanted to do everything right. I was glad that he was my partner. I didn't want a slacker as a partner and get a bad grade.
     Jacob looked up at me and smiled. "Kaleigh, you said you lived 5 hours away. What made you choose Sunshine Valley? I couldn't imagine being so far away from home and my family." He said.
     I thought about what he said for a moment and answered him. "I wanted a new change in my life. I researched alot of colleges. I wanted to go somewhere safe and somewhere in Florida. So, here I am." I said.
     "I'm glad you chose this place. I know you said that you lived there with your mom. What about your dad, where is he?" Jacob asked. As soon as he asked I saw regret on his face. I knew he regreted it because he could see the pain and hurt on my face.
     My heart betrayed me. I knew I was going to cry. I still missed my dad and the pain was still raw. "Umm..." I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn't. "My dad was killed last year in a car accident by a drunk driver." I had seen a bathroom on the way inside the house. I got up and ran to it, shutting the door behind me. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. Especially, Jacob. I was so embarassed. Why did I have to lose control at this exact moment, I wondered.
     I looked in the mirror. I looked horrible. How would I ever face Jacob again? What would I say? I didn't have much time to process any of this, when I heard a knock on the door. "Kaleigh, are you okay?" It was Jacob. He sounded worried. I wondered what I should do. Before I could answer, he spoke again. "Please let me come in."
      I thought about it for a few seconds. I had to face him sooner or later, so I figured I might as well get the embarassment over with. If I had a chance in hell with Jacob before, I sure didn't have one now. No guy wanted a girl who was so emotional. I just blew any chances I had with him. I would let him in and get my things together because I knew he would be taking me home really soon.
      I opened the door. Jacob came in slowly, shut, and locked the door behind him. "Kaleigh, are you ok?" He asked. I shook my head up and down. He looked down at the floor ashamed. I figured he was going to offer to take me home now. He looked back up. "I had no idea you had lost your father. I am so sorry, Kaleigh. Please forgive me for bringing it up."
     I was dumbfounded. Did he just apologize to me. I didn't know what to say, but I knew I had to say something. "It's not your fault, I---" he wouldn't let me stop.
       He put his hand on my face and wiped my tears away. "Kaleigh, you have started to grow on me. I care alot about you. This isn't your fault. Let's just start over okay?" He asked. I shook my head again. "Good, now clean that pretty face of yours and whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting on you in my room." He said as he quietly shut the door.
      I took a few minutes to figure out what just happened between Jacob and I. Most of the things in the conversation definately crossed the line of friendship. Was it possible that Jacob wanted to be more than friends? I was sure that I was overreacting. Anyway, I was going to do what Jacob asked. I washed my face, took a deep breath, left the bathroom, and pretended that the last 10 minutes never even happened.
      I walked into the room and Jacob was working on our project. I smiled. "Hey, this is a group project. You are not allowed to work on it without me." He laughed, put his pen down, and smiled. He patted the mattress, gesturing for me to sit next to him.
     I sat down. "Okay partner, what should we do next on this project?" We spent the next few minutes working on our outline for the project. We had another two weeks and a half to work on it, so we set up a schedule. We would be working on it every couple days.
     "Alright, Come and get it!" Caleb called. I looked at Jacob suspiciously. Jacob grinned. One of the boys had ordered pizza. Jacob led the way to the kitchen.
     "Well, you gotta eat. I wasn't gonna let you starve." Jacob said. So, he was the culprit. I eat a couple pieces of pizza and listened to the guys debate about a video game. So, Jacob liked video games too. I was glad I came and got to know him better. It was time for Jacob to take me home. I sat in the living room with Landon while Jacob finished eating.
     "Kaleigh, can I ask you something?" He almost whispered. I could tell it was something that he didn't want the other guys to know about. So, I whispered back to him when I answered.
       "Sure Landon, ask me anything." He seemed so sincere. So, I knew it was something that was really bothering him. I wondered what it could be. I didn't know Landon that well, so I had to wonder if Jacob put him up to asking me something.
     "You live in the same apartment as Emily Reynolds, right?" Ah, it's about Emily. I shook my head yes. "Well I would like to get to know her better and I'm not as confident as Jake is with you. Oh, pretend I didn't say that." He winced and I laughed. "Anyway, you know her. So, what do you suggest I do?" Landon asked.
      I was flattered. Now I knew that Jacob liked me too and I would process that later when I was alone. I thought it was really sweet that Emily liked Landon and was shy about it and Landon liked Emily too. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give Landon an advantage. "Just tell her you want to know her better. Let me tell you a little secret. She likes you too. Make a move." I said as I punched him on the shoulder.
      Landon smiled at me as Jacob walked into the living room. Jacob smiled and asked me if I was ready. I gathered all my things and told the guys bye. We walked out to his truck and he drove me home. It was the shortest drive ever. I did not want to leave. I couldn't wait to talk to Emily, but at the same token, I didn't want to be away from Jacob. I knew I would see him in the morning, but now, that wasn't good enough.
     "Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning. I had a really great time tonight, Kaleigh. I'll walk you to the door." He said before I could say anything back to him. We made it to the door and I stopped to tell him goodbye.
     "See you tomorrow, Jacob. I had a really great time tonight." He smiled and opened the door for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emily and Alexis spying on us. Great. I thought. Now I was going to have to tell them every detail of my day.
     Jacob grinned. "Mission Accomplished then. Have sweet dreams tonight. See you tomorrow." He said as he walked away. I was in total bliss. I couldn't believe we were moving along so fast, that scared me a little. I was so glad that I had moved to this town and that Jacob had ran into me, literally.
     "What. A. Hottie!" Alexis said. Emily was smiling too. "You gotta give us details, Kaleigh." She said as she jerked me down on the couch to sit down. So I proceeded and I told them everything except the part about Emily. I would save that for later tonight when I could get Emily alone.
     I waited until Alexis had went into her room. I knocked on Emily's door. I walked in and she put down the book she was reading. I told her the conversation that Landon and I shared. I left out the part of me telling him that she felt the same way. She was excited, but nervous. I hoped that he would make a move on her the next day, but I would have to wait and see.
     I ran back into my room because the phone was ringing. I hoped it might have been Jacob, but I was disappointed when I heard the voice on the other line. "Kaleigh, where have you been today? Your mom just bit my head off because I didn't know where you was. Some roomates you have, they wouldn't even tell me where you was." It was Aiden.
     I frooze. What was I suppossed to tell Aiden or my mom, for that matter? I couldn't tell them that I spent the evening with a guy I barely knew. Then I decided, that it really wasn't none of their business. Mom would just have a heart attack and Aiden would be jealous. So, I played it cool.
     "Aiden, I was out, exploring the town. I don't need a babysitter, you know." I snapped. It made me furious that I was being treated like a 15 year old. I was old enough to make my own decisions. They both needed to chill.
      "Kaleigh, you know I promised your mom...." I didn't want to hear it tonight. I was so happy and I didn't want anything ruining that. I was going to change the subject quick.
      "Just tell mom I am safe and at home. Let her know that I am very tired and I will call her tomorrow." At first Aiden wanted me to call mom, but he eventually gave in. I promised him we would hang out this weekend if he would call her. He agreed. I ended up settling down and going to bed.

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