One of Them Girls by Cala Riley (the gingerbread man read aloud txt) 📕

me to admit, but I’m accustomed to having money. I mean before Jack I didn’t even know you could have friends who didn’t care about your money. Well, and Tinsley, but she had more money than I did. I guess, the simple answer is I’m scared.”

She pats my shoulder. “That’s brave of you to admit. It’s okay. You’ll get there. So tell me about what kind of trouble a young Avi got into,” she teases.

I tell her all about my childhood, her telling me about hers. The rest of the hike we keep to lighter subjects. Our likes and dislikes and before I know it we’re cresting the top of the mountain. Walking toward the edge of the mountain, we look below. Solid red rocky cliffs surrounding us as we look down into the valley. It’s desolate and makes you feel so small.

“It’s beautiful in a way only a desert can be,” she murmurs.

“I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

“I packed some trail mix and whatnot for us. We should eat some and hydrate before we start back down,” Cassi says as she pulls her pack off. “I put some snacks in the outside pocket. I figured when we hit the first town, we can grab some food.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She shrugs. “I invited you, the least I could do is make sure you have something to munch on.”

Sitting on the ground, we snack as we point out different things we see. Once done, we put our trash back into our packs.

“Ready?” Cassi asks as she brushes her butt off.

Without thinking, I pull my phone out and snap a picture of her. Her hair all over the place, making her look like a beautiful mess.

“Hey.” She frowns.

“What? I like taking pictures of beautiful things.” I shrug, taking a photo of the view.

She slowly approaches. “Well then, how about a photo together? To remember this by.”

I pull her into my side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

“Say cheese,” I tell her, snapping a photo of the two of us.

4

Cassi

Headphones in, head down, I run through the study guide the professor gave the class. I don’t know why, but for some reason, math makes my head spin and I rather do anything else instead of trying to figure out algebra. It didn’t make sense in high school, and it definitely doesn’t make sense now.

Dropping the sheet, I cover my face, groaning in frustration.

Would getting a tutor help?

How will I ever pass this class?

Maybe I can find someone to do it for me.

Uncovering my face, I take a deep breath and pick the sheet back up.

You can do this.

“Boo,” he rasps in my ear, making me jump.

“What the hell, Avi,” I whisper-shout, slapping his shoulder. Xavier laughs, sliding into the seat next to me.

“What are you doing?” he asks, making himself comfortable.

“What does it look like?” I grumble.

“Considering you’re in a library and look frustrated, I would say school work.” He smirks, picking up the paper I dropped. “College algebra?”

“Yeah,” I say, rubbing my temples.

“College algebra should be pretty much the same across the board, right?”

“Probably.” I frown, wondering where he’s going with this.

“When’s it due?” His eyes focus on the paper.

“Thursday,” I tell him.

“Well, how about I keep this.” He waves the paper back and forth. “And I’ll look over it. Then I will help you out.”

“Really?” I say skeptically.

“Really. I won’t do it for you, but I will help you learn the material.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, running my finger on the edge of the table, unable to look him in the eye.

“Hey,” he says softly, tugging on the ends of my hair. I look up and see him biting his lip. “You want to get out of here?”

“That sounds awesome.”

Xavier watches me pack up my belongings before resting his hand on my lower back and walking me out of the library.

Once outside. he turns. “What would you like to do?” he asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“What would you normally be doing if you hadn’t invited me out?”

“Playing video games with Jack.”

“Oooh. Let’s do that. It sounds fun.”

“Really?” he says skeptically.

“Yep. Loser buys pizza.”

“I’m game. Let me call Jack and have him meet us at the dorm.”

He dials Jack as he leads me to his car.

“Hey, you at the dorm?”

I smile as I hear Jack’s voice on the phone. I can’t hear the words, but his tone always makes me smile. He has an infectious smile, and the boy is never serious.

“Cassi and I are joining you. We will be there in ten. For the love of God man, pick your drawers up off the floor.”

He clicks the phone off as he opens the passenger door for me. Then he rounds the front of the car, jumping in.

“I’m surprised you want to play video games with us. Usually girls hate that kind of thing.”

I watch as he turns out of the parking lot, staying quiet for a moment.

Then, I turn to look at the side of his face. He is handsome. Even with his city boy style, I can’t deny I’m attracted to him.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

I brush the thought away.

“I’m not a normal girl. I think you’ll find we are a different breed down here.”

He chuckles. “You’re right. It’s a whole different world down here.”

“What do you think of it?” I ask, realizing I never asked him if he even liked it here.

He glances my way, smiling. “It’s interesting. The people are different. Jack, for example, is a goofball, but he’s loyal as fuck. I’ve never had that for myself before.”

“Jack’s a special one.”

“It’s not just him, though. The people here are friendlier. Do you know how many times people wave at me or even give me a simple smile?”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure the girls are falling all over you,” my sarcastic tone hides the twinge of jealousy that I feel when I think about it.

What the fuck is that? I think to myself.

“Sure. The girls are friendly, but it’s not just them. Everyone