Part 2 - The Middle (One)

So, today has been a killer day for me. I had two tests and a homework assignment to hand up. Not to mention, my professor was bitching more than usual today. I think he had male PMS or something I don't know.

Still, I'm able to hold a smile on my face, simply because it's another day and I got to see my delicious Justin again who is now a sinful pleasure of mine. Well you know, he sort of kissed me last night and I've been thinking about him ever since. Like I'm ever not.

He was super sweet to me too, more than usual. Plus, I noticed that he hung around the student lounge longer than he usually does today too. I wanted to shriek with excitement that maybe he did that because he knows that's where I usually hang out every day between classes but who am I kidding?

I still think today is in my favor though, so things are definitely looking up.

The day's not over yet. It's late afternoon and the sun is setting but the night is young, practically a virgin so anything is possible right?

Well, I just stepped out of one of my calculus classes. Damn I hate that subject with a passion but it needs to be done in order for me to graduate.

That was my last class for the day. Now, I need to head over to the computer lab where I'll be taking up my small job that I signed up for last semester. Justin's going to be there too so I'm happy about that.

Heading down the busy halls, I wave to a few of my fellow classmates before I bust through the doors of the computer lab.

I swear they keep in there too damn cold. I'm practically freezing my ass off. My teeth are chattering and everything!

Dropping my book bag and laptop on one of the desks, I head over to the time sheet on the front desk to clock myself in.

Reading over the names, I realize that Justin clocked in five minutes before me. Hmm, I wonder where he is.

Signing myself in, I head over to the back to grab one of the many aprons we wear from my locker. We usually put them on if we have any architectural work to do on the old computers. Sometimes, taking them apart can be messy especially if the computer is old and dusty, so the aprons protect our clothing.

Slinging my apron over my shoulder, I walk back out to the front where all the computers are situated and lined up. We also have to account for all of them and make sure that no parts are missing. It's a really boring job, but it pays well and someone has to do it right?

When I get back to the front, I notice Justin walking through the doors with none other than his best friend Trace and that bitch bimbo slut Loraine. She's a Latin bombshell with her perfect little figure and her silky dark hair and exotic looks. Ugh! I can't stand her. I mean, I'm pretty too even if I'm curvy and all that. I can't help the genes my race and family blessed me with!

Well, honestly, she's a really sweet girl, but I hate her guts because she likes Justin and word around campus is he supposedly likes her back. She's the one girl that hangs around him the most and he's always all smiles and chuckles with her. Ugh, I hate her. What is she even doing in here this late? All classes are out for the day. Shouldn't she like, head over to the mall with her airhead friends and be ditsy or something? Goddamn it.

Not minding my business since I'm too into the trio that just walked in, I strut right into one of the desks, slamming my thighs hard on the edge of the wooden furniture. As if things couldn't get any worse, I stumble back in shock and lose my balance on the freshly waxed floor, sliding and falling with a loud thud on my butt.

"Ouch...fucking hell!" I belt, forgetting that I'm not the only one in the room.

When all the talking and laughing stops, I gasp, holding my breath as I feel my cheeks reddening by the second. Oh no, this is beyond embarrassing. Uh, I want to be anywhere else but here right now.

"Vern?" Comes that smooth, soft familiar voice with a light southern twang that I love.

Oh god, I want to die.

Still on the floor, my palms fly up to my face and I shut my eyes tightly since I'm too petrified to even look at the three people who I'm sure are hovering over me right now.

"Verona are you ok?"

I can't ignore them can I? I mean, they're right there. Might as well suck it up.

Then I hear a stifled chuckle followed by a hard smack and Trace yelping ‘ouch what the fuck J?' I'm guessing Justin hit him because he was laughing at me?

Lowering my hands, I flutter my eyes open only to find three pairs of curious orbs looking down at me intently.

"Uh...hey guys." I mutter casually trying to brush my embarrassment off.

"What happened to you girl? Too caught up in Vern world again and didn't see where you were going?" Justin muses but I don't find any of this funny. ‘Vern World?' Is that what he calls my daydreaming? Wow.

"I uh...I..."

"She's speechless J. Maybe she lost her vocabulary too when she fell." Trace snickers but Justin just shoots him a warning glare before he bends down and extends his hands for me to take.

I swear I'm mortified right now. This is not a good start to try and get my crush to like me. He maybe thinks I'm such a loser. First it was the five bucks incident and now this. Fate is really fucking with me right now I tell you.

"Need some help girl? Those floors can get really slippery when they're just waxed." Justin states - still stretching his hands out for me to take.

Skeptically, and because Loraine is bunching up her pretty little nose at me right now, I decide to swallow my pride and allow Justin to help me get off my ass. Oh joy.

Placing my palms in his, I fight the urge to shiver at our skin to skin contact. This is innocent, but my mind is anything but. I'm starting to have those naughty Justin fantasies again. I swear, my brain has a mind of it's own. Ha!

Gripping my hands firmly, Justin shifts his weight and easily hoists me off the floor into a standing position.

When I've regained my balance, I mutter a thanks and I smile up at Justin before my eyes dart over to an amused Trace and a scowling Loraine. Yeah, I can't really hate her here...she really is a sweet girl and if Justin likes her, then I can get why she seems obviously jealous right now. Who wouldn't be? I mean I would be too and I have no claims over him. I can't even think straight when he's around.

"You didn't hurt anything did you?" Justin inquires as his blues leave my browns and begin roaming south, scanning my frame for any sign of injuries. Damn, I wish he was sizing me up right now but for a totally different reason if you catch what I'm saying. I'm so going to hell for my sinful thoughts.

"I...I'm f-fine." I stutter nervously. I can't help that I'm a ball of nerves around him. I mean the boy is fine! He's wearing a simple Lakers jersey and light jeans with some white Nikes and he still takes my breath away. Plus, his arms are just so fucking muscular with the way they flex whenever he moves.

"Heard that Justin? She's fine, you can let go now." Trace belts and it's then that I notice that Justin and I are still holding hands...awkward.

"What?" His head snaps over to Trace and he gives him an askance look.

Glancing back over to me, Justin's eyes widen slightly before he drops my hands abruptly. "Oh yeah...right." He mumbles uneasily before he moves away from us to head to the back.

Wiping my hands against my jeans, I shift my weight when Justin disappears to the back room to grab his apron I'd assume.

"You dropped this Verona." I hear Loraine say sweetly before she bends down to pick up my apron.

"Oh uh thanks." I give her a tight smile, taking the item from her and dropping it over one of the chairs.

"Well, I better get going. I'm meeting the girls at Trudy's house to do our nails. I'll see you boys later?" Loraine beams while looking over at Trace.

"You got it babe." He winks for her and she smiles in return telling us both a quick bye before she turns to make her exit. On her way out, she calls out to Justin, telling him bye as well and I hear him reply with a ‘see you later Lane' that makes me want to gag. Thank goodness she's gone.

So, it's just Trace and me now. Yeah, Justin needs to come back and soon because with the way Trace is looking at me, I just know he's itching to make a smart comment. Guys I tell you.

"So you all are hanging out later?" I inquire hoping that my question isn't too nosy.

"Yeah, the girls are having a little party with some close friends. Should be fun. Justin and I are going to head over there when he gets off from his job at McD's." Trace explains.

"Oh...cool." I nod, trying to the hide the fact that I'm more than crushed right now by that piece of information. Trace doesn't miss the depressed look on my face and I can see his brows quirk in interest. Well, I'm sure they'll have fun alright. Those girls are notorious for their supposed ‘private parties' on this campus. I guess if Justin's into that then...

Still eyeing me closely, Trace opens his mouth to say something else but Justin easily interrupts us by coming in and intervening.

"Ok, ready to get to work Vern?" Justin asks, walking over to Trace and me. Thank goodness. I wasn't ready for Trace's questions which I'm sure included my feelings towards Justin.

Giving Justin a small smile, I move away from them and head over to the main desk where the clipboard with our duties for the night is usually situated.

"Ok T, you need to leave. Mr. Vaughn doesn't like non employees or students with no classes to hang around here. It's the rules so no stuff goes missing though you're my boy so you're an exception." Justin explains and I hear Trace scoff.

"Yeah, I'm out anyway man. This is like, murder by boredom." Trace laughs and Justin just smirks at him in return.

"I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, later J." Trace waves before he swiftly makes his exit, leaving Justin and me alone to attend to our jobs.

Looking over our list of tasks, I groan inwardly when I see that there are three computers that need opening up tonight to work on the motherboards. It never ends I tell you.

"So, what's the verdict?" Justin whispers behind me and I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel his hot breath tickle the back of my neck. Oh my fucking god!

My eyes widen and I grip the clipboard tightly, feeling the hard edges painfully pierce my skin. Dear god, he's standing so fucking close behind me. I can actually feel his body heat as his hand snakes around my body to take the clipboard from my grasp.

"You scared me." I choke out as my breathing deepens.

"What? Oh sorry..." Justin chortles, taking the clipboard from my hold before he moves to stand at the side of me. "Didn't mean to." He mutters.

Exhaling loudly, I tilt my head to the side, realizing that his full attention is on our list of tasks as his perfect blues scan over what Mr. Vaughn left for us to do.

"Shit, this is more work than last night." Justin breathes out displeasingly as his smooth face creases into a frown.

"Yeah." I mumble mindlessly, lost in the sight of him. God he looks so...

Whipping his head in my direction, his scowl deepens as he studies me closely. "I always get a little freaked out when you look at me like that. Do I have something on my face?" Justin asks boldly and I literally jump up from where I was leaning on the table.

"What? No...uh I...sorry?" I stammer before gripping the hem of my green shirt.

"Girl are you sure you're ok? You're always so jumpy and I have to agree with Trace that you don't say much come to think of it." And his full attention is on me now. Oh no.

"Well you know...there's not much to say." Well that was the intellectual sentence of the century. Could I be any more of a mindless idiot?

"Ok, well why don't we start by getting to know each other better. I see you almost everyday but all I really know is that you're Verona Walters, you major in computers and you love the number seven meal on the McDonalds menu." Justin states with a large comical grin on his face.

"Oh, make fun of my taste in fast food...it's cool." I giggle despite myself.

"Just making a point. But really, that thing will kill you though." Justin says more seriously and I nod in agreement.

"What can I say, it's an addiction." Yeah an addiction to seeing you in your cute McDonalds uniform and not to the food. But you don't need to know that either.

"It's a bad one." He chuckles knowingly and I just shrug.

"Well, I uh, there's not much to know. I'm your average girl, nothing too spectacular. My mom and dad are one of the few couples who are still married after twenty-eight years. I have an older brother who's into law and the only extra curricular activity I ever did was volleyball when we lived back in Miami. I've been too lazy to take it up here in Cali sadly. I have no special talent...unless you call being able to bring my legs up to touch the back of my head a talent then I'm pretty talented..." I snigger but stop when I see Justin's eyes light up by my last statement.

"You can do that?" He asks in complete amazement. "That's fucking cool."

"Uh..."

"Show me." He cuts me off and my eyes grow wide as I begin to shut down and retreat into myself. Oh no. "That means that you can maybe split too right? Because that's pretty flexible, but...come on, show me the leg thing." He demands and I quickly shake my head ‘no' as I begin to panic.

"It's not that big of a deal...I mean..."

"Oh come on Vern...please? Pretty please?" He begs and holy shit, he looks so fucking adorable when he pouts. Oh god...why me?

"I...really Justin it's..."

"I'll owe you a free meal if you do." He pipes in trying to bribe me.

I mean really, if he thinks that I even remotely like McDonalds then he's wrong. Why couldn't he be on the damn menu? I mean if he was then hell yeah I'd take the offer because I'd be sure to order him with a side of chocolate syrup and I'd make sure that he came unwrapped and everything.

"Justin..."

"Aw please Verona? Just swing your leg up there, it's nothing right? I just find that oddly cool. Do you need to stretch first?" Closing the gap between us, he walks right up to me, just hovering since I'm only 5'6 with a cocky grin on his face.

I love that he's eager, I just wish it was aimed at maybe getting me undressed or something and not this. "Verona come on, what are you afraid of? Unless you're lying..." He challenges while wriggling his eyebrows playfully. I'm getting that urge to jump him again. He's being too comfortable with me and he's practically fair game right?

"I am not lying." I huff while crossing my arms defiantly.

"Then do it." Justin probes while arching his brows. "Let the sole of your feet touch the back of your head. It's simple. Plus, I don't know anyone else who can do that..."

"Ugh! Fine! I'll do it Mr. eager." I giggle, though on the inside I'm screaming. I swear I'm going to pass out at any minute. My head is really spinning right now.

"Sweet." Justin smiles with a clap of his hands. Should I be worried with how interested he seems to be in my little ability?

Caving, I move to take off my shoes and bunch up my jeans, but my actions are cut short when the doors to the computer lab swing open and Mr. Vaughn walks in.

I don't miss the look of disappointment that flashes across Justin's face since we're interrupted but I have to say, I'm thankful. Letting out a throaty groan, Justin shrugs for me and gives me a ‘this isn't over' look before he grabs the clipboard and heads over to Mr. Vaughn. And just like that, our little bonding time is over.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Sighing, I tie my hair up into a messy bun and grab my apron where I discarded it to get to work on those PCs before the night gets old. I guess it's down to work now.

Still, I kind of liked our little flirting session. Wait, Justin was flirting with me right? God, I'm such a head case.

But, the boy is hella fine and he has a cute butt too. What can I say, he's strutting over to our professor and I just had to look...so sue me.

It's only a crime if I sexually assault him and luckily, it hasn't come to that...yet.

...to be continued...