Loving Grayson ✓ (Book 2, the Hating Series)

03

Grayson

"Dude, this room is sweet." Says Mitchell as he plopped his bags down onto his new bed.

"Right?" I concurred.

Originally, Mitchell and I had wanted to attend UCLA under an athletic scholarship, which was pretty much like reaching for the stars. Though I recovered pretty fast from being swacked off of the road by a drunk driver, not all of me had recovered, and I unfortunately would never play another sport again. Luckily, my best mate Mitchell got in under an athletic scholarship. Me, on the other hand..

My mom had offered to pay for my tuition, but I decided to use money from the settlement instead. And now that an athletic career was out of the question for my future, I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

"This year is gonna be epic." Mitchell said. "I can feel it."

I nod my head in agreement before taking a seat on my bed.

Honestly, a huge part of me didn't even want to go to college. I'm not exactly smart. Hell, I barely even graduated. I am convinced the only reason I got accepted was because of the accident.

I look over at Mitchell and he is smiling down at his phone before he begins typing something.

"Somebody's smitten." I stated.

He sends the text then sets his phone aside before responding. "I am not smitten."

"Sure you aren't." I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you just ask her out already?"

He glared over at me. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because she's..." He paused, as if thinking of what to say. "Just 'cause."

"I just don't get it, you guys have been talking nonstop over the past year, like, how are you both not together?" I wondered out loud.

"We should hurry up and get going." He says, changing the subject.

Right.... We were supposed to meet up with Dallas and his friends this afternoon. And one of those friends just happened to be Lucy, who Mitchell was so obviously crushing on. They've had this weird texting thing going on for the past year, which is why it is so surprising to me that they haven't hooked up yet.

"You ready to go and see your girlfriend?" I joked with him.

"You ready to go see yours?" He quipped, which caused me to disapprovingly shake my head at him.

"Too far?" I asked.

"Too far." I told him.

"Right, sorry." He frowned. "Please don't tell Dallas."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "It's funny to me how you are so afraid of your little brother." I say.

"Well, if he attacked you because you made fun of his outfit, you would be afraid of him too." He responded. "He's psychotic."

I chuckled, knowing damn well how angry Dallas can get at times. One time he kicked me off of his bed because I mocked him over one of his favorite tv shows: Gossip Girl.

Mitchell and I both head out to go and meet Dallas and his friends. We had all agreed to go for dinner tonight. Well, Dallas and I had plans to go for dinner, but Mitchell insisted that we hang out with him and Lucy—with Hannah and Cody as fifth and six wheels.

He is down for her bad.

An hour or so later, we are seated in a park where there are a few food trucks parked by the sidewalk.

"Where is he?" Mitchell wondered.

He's talking about Dallas. The park where we agreed to meet is much closer to his campus than it is mine, so he should have been here before us, yet, here we are, and here he is not.

"I don't know, I'll text him again." I respond.

Me:
Dallas?

Where are you?

I've already texted him a dozen times, and still, he has not responded.

"Do you think something happened to him?" Hannah wondered.

"Hannah, why do you have to be so dramatic all the time?" Lucy queried. "I'm sure he's fine, maybe he just got held up on campus?"

"God, I'm hungry." Mitchell complained. He did that a lot.

"Is that him?" Cody asked the group, pointing across the park. "With Lucy's cousin?"

I followed his pointed index finger, and there he is, laughing as he walked alongside Lucy's cousin.

"Thank god." Mitchell groaned.

"I know, right." Dallas laughed as they approached.

"Oh my goodness, thank god you're okay." Hannah says, getting up to hug Dal.

"Uh, okay?" Dallas was confused.

"So... What are you guys talking about?" Lucy wondered.

"Oh, nothing. You guys wouldn't get it." Lucy's cousin responded.

Rude much?

"Van, this is my dumb brother, Mitchell." Dal points to Mitchell. "That's Hannah, Cody, and this is Grayson."

Saved the best for last?

"And you obviously already know Lucy." Dal added.

Wait, did he just say Van?

"What kind of name is Van?" I wondered.

"My parents have a weird sense of humor." He says. "Great meeting you guys, and good seeing you little cuz, but I have to go." He turned to Dal. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure." Dal smiled as Van walked away.

"What took you so long?" Lucy asked Dallas.

"I'm so sorry, it's been a strange day." He says.

"Before you tell us all the boring details, can we please go and get something to eat?" Mitchell groaned, again.

"Okay. What are we getting?" Dallas asked.

"Anything edible." Mitchell says, already headed towards the nearest food truck.

Lucy, Hannah and Cody follow after him as Dallas and I lingered back.

"I missed you." I tell him, taking his hand in mine.

"I missed you too." He says.

Awkwardly, he takes a look around before he tiptoes and plants a kiss on my lips.

"How was moving into your new dorm?" I asked him as we slowly followed the group towards the food truck.

"Well, considering I walked into a porno scene..." He says, causing my eyes to widen.

"Wait, what?" I was shocked.

"Okay, it wasn't an actual porno scene, but my new roommate was making out with a girl in the room when I walked in. If I had walked in a minute later, It definitely would have been a porno scene."

I laughed.

"What should we get to eat?" He asked me.

"Whatever you want is fine, babe." I told him.

"No. Don't ever call me that." He warned.

"What should I call you then?" I asked.

"My name?"

"If that's what you want, darling."

He groaned, and I laughed.