It's Not Perfect

Chapter 4

I sunk lower under the water and bubbles of my bath, the water so scorching that it burned my skin with every inch I dipped under it's surface. But I didn't mind, I liked my baths hot. The mirror was fogged and a soft steam had settled in the bathroom, mornings like this were my favorite.

But this past weekends events still lingered in my mind and I couldn't shake them no matter what I did. And the bruise on my leg was only another constant reminder. That man who grabbed me had a very strong grip and now that I looked back on his, he deserved what he got from Ryder.

And that brings us back to...Ryder Cleminton.

From the rumors and gossip at school, I would have pegged Ryder as a 'I-don't-care-about-anyone-and-I-don't-really-want-to' kind of guy. But that wasn't at all the man I saw in the ally two nights ago on Saturday when Brooklyn and I went to Charlotte. Ryder protected us, saved us. He was a modern day hero. So why did everyone here at University of North Carolina think that he was a bad boy in need of an attitude adjustment. I had never taken time to stop and talk with Ryder before Saturday, so I guess I didn't know he even had a nice side. But then that lead to another question:

Why did Ryder hide his kind side?

I guess probably for the same reason I hid my wild side, something happened in the past and caused him to harden his heart and put walls up so no one could hurt him again.

“Excuse me, has someone in there forgot what time it is, and what day it is, and whose still waiting to get into the shower before classes start?” Brooklyn called from the other side of the bathroom door, impatiently.

I sighed and unplugged the drain, the water flushing loudly down the new opening. Then I stood up, letting the bubbles run down my sleek body, and eventually climbed out of the tub. The air was still warm which allowed me to get dressed without getting the goosebumps. When I opened the door I saw Brooklyn waiting on the other side, tapping her foot quickly. She had her hair thrown up and was still wearing the sweats she had worn to bed last night. She was also wearing her glasses which was a foreign sight to me considering she almost always wore her contacts.

“Morning.” I walked past her, the hot air flowing out from behind me as I exited the bathroom.

Brooklyn made a face at me, “If you used all the hot water, I'm going to kill you. Right here and now. And since I'm studying law I can guarantee no one will find your body.”

I laughed, “Don't worry, there's some hot water left for you. I'm going to stop by the cafe before class starts to get some coffee so I'll just meet you there.”

“Pick me up a-”

“White chocolate caramel cappuccino.” I called out before she could finish, I knew my friend so well. Probably better than she knew herself to be completely honest.

I closed the door to Brooklyn's and my apartment, and headed to the end of the hall to catch the elevator. We lived in an on-campus apartment building where many students who didn't want to deal with the struggles of a dorm room stayed. They were fairly nice. We had a large living room with two separate bedrooms on either side, one for me and one for Brooklyn. We also had to share a bathroom which tended to cause problems at times but we made it work, and there was a small kitchen to finish off our little apartment.

The elevator binged and let me out onto the floor level. There was a small lobby where students could hang out, study, or just relax. Brooklyn and I had spent many afternoons lounging around in the sun, watching the other students scurry by.

As I walked through the lobby I saw several people sitting on the couches or at the tables, most of them with a book laid out before them. How could people possibly be studying, we had just got back from Christmas Break.