Unintended Consequences

Chapter 4

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    BANG! I shot straight out of bed as a loud commotion sounded outside the door.

    "Shit!" A woman's voice cut through the walls making me curious. I opened the door and peaked out only to see a tall, slim, model of a girl bent over a box. It looked like it had been tipped over, with clothes splayed across the floor.

As she straightened to look at me I took in her appearance. She must have been almost six feet tall, with beautiful dark skin, bright red lips, and tight curls that fell wildly around her shoulders. I couldn't help but notice she was dressed better than I ever could imagine being—especially first thing in the morning. She had on tight black leather leggings, a slightly sheer white button down, and black stilettos.

    Feeling very inadequate, all I could manage to squeak out was, "Uhm... Madeline?" She responded with a sparkly white smile as she strode over to me and reached for my hand.

    "Yeah sorry about the loud entrance! These damn boxes are not my friends. I kept hoping some hot guy might show up to help me but apparently college campuses are pretty quiet on Sunday mornings. Anyways! You must be Charlotte?"

I almost couldn't reply I was so shocked by her overt confidence. Somehow I managed to stutter out a response as she went back to grabbing her boxes. She seemed very friendly but I still felt overwhelmed. Meeting new people was never easy for me and I had put so much pressure on myself not to make this girl hate me. I decided to go for a run to give her some space to move in, and if I am being honest I needed a little space too.

    I went back into my room, slipped on some nike shorts, an over-sized t-shirt and my runners. I rushed into the bathroom to throw water on my face and brush my teeth before saying bye to Madeline and leaving. I plugged my ear pods in as I stepped outside and stretched against a railing that ran down to trails.

Just as I was about to start my run the front doors flew open and a large group of guys came falling out. They were loud and rambunctious during the quiet morning so I stood aside and froze as they passed. They were all pushing each other and shouting back and forth as they made their way into the parking lot. More than a couple heads snapped in my direction and I averted my eyes as a chill ran down my spine. I never liked getting too much attention, especially when I was fresh out of bed, with no makeup on, and a ratty old Chargers shirt.

    Once they had passed, I shook off the discomfort and ran down the path that my mom and I had walked yesterday. My worries washed away as I pumped my arms harder, propelling myself forward. My lungs burned, but my head was finally clear.

    I was so zoned out as I pushed myself further and further down the path that I didn't realize someone else had joined me. I jumped as I looked up—a large man ran right next to me smirking down at me. The fright threw me off my balance and next thing I knew I was falling down onto the pavement. Pain burst through my knee as it slammed into the concrete and a whimper left my mouth when I attempted to catch myself with my hands.

    "Shit Smalls! I am so sorry! Fuck... I really didn't think you would get that scared."

    "Emmett?" I grumbled as I turned my music off. I looked up at the apologetic face of the guy I had met the day before. "What the heck... I thought someone was attacking me."

He threw his head back and let out a loud barking laugh, "Uhm I don't think people usually wait for you to notice them before they attack. Just a helpful hint for next time." I started to stretch my leg to assess the damage and cringed at the sharp pain that shot into my knee. "Shit girl... Do you need help back to your dorm? That looks painful."