Chapter One of Every Which Way

I reached a 100 'Likes' on my Fb page!!!! *yay!* May not seem like a lot, but to me it's a HUGE goal that's been reached!!
I said I'd post Chapter One, and here it is!!
Severine's story is amazing to write, to experience. It challenges me, and pushes me forward. I can't wait to share it with you!!

-Calia

Chapter 1  The fresh scent of coffee dominated the room. Severine took a deep breath and leaned back into the couch. The aroma always offered her a sense of comfort and left her feeling warm and sated.      She placed her cup onto the table in front of her and looked down at the textbook in her lap. Who wouldn’t find a coffee shop the ideal place to study? The quiet environment merged with the soft music playing helped Severine to tune everything out and focus on her never-ending studies.  The leather across from her creaked and she lifted her face to look at her friend Lilly, slithering deep into the chair. It looked like the worlds most awkward position.  “Umm.. what are you doing?” Severine asked with a smirk.   Lilly’s dark blue eyes bulged, “Are they gone?” She mouthed slowly.   Severine looked around the coffee shop, at the people sitting around them. There were only two other customers. One was some emo dude in the corner, brooding over a notebook, probably writing heartbreaking poetry over the turns in his life.   The other, a middle aged woman sat in the center of the coffee shop, and pretended not to be reading the romance novel in front of her. It was highly doubtful Lilly was hiding from them.   “Who are you talking about?” Severine asked. She placed her books next to her on the couch and leaned closer to her friend.   Lilly made a frustrated noise and motioned with her eyes for Severine to turn around. “You idiot. Look. At the cash register.”   “If you can see them why are you asking me if they’ve left yet?”   Lilly ignored her, and shifted in her seat. Her entire face was covered with the nearest magazine. Too bad she picked up the one titled, Maxim. The cover featured some gorgeous actress, pouting. Her fingers were hooked around her lacy underwear, and somehow her white blouse was magically open, showing off  her cleavage.  Keeping it classy for the world.   Severine, ignoring her friend’s request to act nonchalantly, simply turned around to stare curiously at the three males ordering drinks. The trio were unaware of being gawked at. Severine kept it that way, and turned back to Lilly with her eyebrows cocked high in confusion.   “I made out with the buff one last year.” Lilly whispered.   Severine’s mouth formed a perfect O. She quickly slid closer to Lilly, away from the guys at the register. Lilly kept her face buried in the magazine and Severine yanked it away. “Talk. Now.”   Lilly shrugged like it was no big deal. She was still hunched over in her seat like a paranoid escapee. “I was really drunk. I think I spent the evening trying to get his friends, Thayer’s attention, but I ended up with Chris instead. Not a bad second place if I do say so myself.” Her eyes danced impishly.   Severine gawked at Lilly with surprise. The sweet, gentle blonde sitting across from her never got drunk and certainly never made out with random males, no matter how yummy they looked. But, then again, the girl in front of her now wasn’t the same one that grew up in a strict, religious family. Naïve Lilly was shed the minute they slammed the trunk of her car, and drove out of their small Iowa town. This was her time to be free and she was coming into herself. Severine was glad that they were together on this journey.   “Which one is Chris?”   She went to turn around but Lilly grabbed her arm quickly. “Don’t turn around,” she warned.   “Come on! I need to see this random dude that my shy Lilly made out with.”   “That’s just it. He’s a random dude. Nothing much to say about it.” Quickly, she glanced up, her eyes drifting past Severine. “But Thayer isn’t random. That dude’s a freakin’ legend.”  “Legend? So he’s a thing of the past? How long has he been in college for?” Lilly stared at her blankly. “Oh God, don’t tell me we have a Van Wilder on our hands!!”   “Not that kind of legend! He’s amazing at sports. Came here on a basketball scholarship-”   “I stopped listening at sports.” Severine said dryly. “Anywho, I’ve never heard of him.”  Lilly threw her hands in the air. In a gesture that said, ‘How’s that my fault?’ “Maybe you’ve never heard of him because you were absorbed in some other dude that week, or month, or whatever the hell you were doing.”   Severine ignored her friends words. “Am I allowed to look at him? I need to see how good looking this Chris and Thayer are. My hot-guy tracking system has never steered me wrong.” Lilly nodded her head in defeat. Severine anxiously turned, not caring if she looked like a stalker. She glanced at ‘Thayer the God’ and it became obvious why he was here on a basketball scholarship.   If any guy stood over six feet she was elated, and this guy seemed to surpass her height requirement easily. She could wear any Jimmy Choo heel available and still feel tiny. Severine glanced at his faded, dark green shirt. It embraced his shoulders perfectly, showing just how much sinew of muscles were withheld from sight. Truthfully, even if he was wearing a cut-off with creepy pictures of wolves on the front, and a fanny pack wrapped around his waist, it wouldn’t matter. She’d still think he was drool worthy.   His head moved up and down as he spoke with the server. Severine watched as he reached towards his back jean pocket. A feeling of warmth consumed her body and spread throughout quickly.  There was something teasingly dangerous about watching him. He could turn around and catch her red handed, and Severine secretly wanted him to do just that.   Her eyebrow rose as she watched him reach for his wallet, his actions inciting the muscles cording up his arm to spring against his skin. Even from where she sat, she could see the rough appearance of his hands. It shaped quality for any guy, showing just how active he was in life.  This guy looked good. More than good.    She turned back towards her friend, and was met with a smug grin. “Am I right. Or am I right?” Severine gave a brisk nod, “Not bad.” She tried to character someone uninterested. If she was even remotely believable she should consider changing her major to creative arts.     “Not bad? The hot Calvin Klein models we taped in our lockers in high school were ‘not bad’.” Lilly inclined her head in Thayer’s direction. “That’s look at the sky and scream, ‘Thank you God,’ as loud as you can!”   Severine grinned at Lilly’s example. “So is the dude a man slut?”   Lilly sipped on her coffee, “I have no clue. I don’t remember much about that night, but I’m pretty sure I almost vomited all over his shoes.”   “Charming.”   “Now do you understand why I kept that night to myself?”   “I could see how that might be marginally embarrassing. How have I not seen this crazy, wild side of you until now?” Severine asked with raised brows.   “It was a one time thing. Honestly. If only my life was that exciting.”   “Was I with you?” Severine asked.   Lilly frowned over at Severine, and tightened her loose pony tail. “Of course, but you were dancing with some guy.”   “I just don’t know if I can trust you any more.” Severine said, faking a sad voice. “What else are you hiding from me? When you say your going to the library are you really meeting up with these gorgeous hunks?” Severine clasped her hands behind her head, and glanced at Lilly mischievously.  “Please.You know if I was meeting up with any gorgeous guy at the library I’d stalk you with texts.”  Severine nodded solemnly. “I’d expect nothing less.”   Lilly, once again, hid her face from view. Only this time, she actually read the titles on the magazines before grabbing one. Severine ignored the books around her, and spun back towards the front counter. Her name would be the first listed underneath the group, ‘Gawkers and Proud!’ It was more than rude, but if her name was written down first, Thayer’s name would be listed next, because he was staring right back, carefully scrutinizing her.  To Severine, his expression was blank. Spotless and clean. She wondered what it’d be like to create a mess in his eyes, to leave an imprint. How much money did she want to lay down that she’d be the first??  Her thoughts bolted in different directions, but all she wanted was to focus on the unspoken challenge between the two of them.   A muscle in his jaw ticked and Severine smirked. She knew what he’d be like. Being near him would first start out as a rollercoaster ride. Her nerves would be frayed, she’d be completely terrified. With every inch towards the sky, Severine would want to be back on the ground.   Then the ride would take off. She’d have no time to think; the ride would direct her body which way to go and her stomach would drop at the rush of speed. Her eyes would be clinched tightly because she’d be too afraid to look around. At the end, everything would slow and it would all be over.     With her pulse racing, a high running through her system, she’d walk away, swearing she’d never return. But she would come back again, and again. Anyone would.   His name was called and he turned. Their gaze was broken, and Severine felt victorious.  Lilly was texting on her phone, completely lost in her own world. Ignoring the pile of massive textbooks sitting next to her, Severine picked up the newest Marie Claire instead. Every few pages she’d pause long enough to flick a glance over her shoulder. During the fifth glance she spied Thayer walking through the door, followed by two guys, one who looked like he had more muscles than brain, probably Chris.   The third male, his hair covered with a baseball cap, looked familiar. Severine was positive he was in her Lit 105 class. He sat near the front and never talked to anyone. She watched as he turned around, and held the door open for a stranger. His face was nothing but sharp angles, and the dark stubble scattered around his chin and cheeks intersected any ability of his face being too pretty.  His back pressed against the glass door as he looked at Severine. His focus was centered at her eyes, and his gaze seemed to spotlight every hidden secret she kept private. His lips kicked up in a grin, and her heart came to a grinding halt. The bell attached to the door jingled loudly. Announcing she had lost that round. Her high from Thayer had vanished. Severine now knew what was like to feel cold and hot at the same time. The sensation was consuming. She looked down at the couch, and blankly followed the cracked lines of the leather.      “The guy wearing the baseball hat? That’s Thayer’s brother, Macsen.”   Of course he was.   Lilly smiled ruefully, “Are you regretting your decision to study here?”   Severine shook her head, and grabbed her laptop from the table. “How many cute guys are on campus?” Lilly stared at her blankly. “Too many to count. They’re forgettable.”   Severine glanced at Lilly, and saw her repeatedly banging her pencil against her notebook. “Macsen’s in his second year like us.”   Her nod was brief as she stared at the jumbled words before her. “Good for him.”   Lilly nodded her head, and went back to taking notes. The conversation was closed. Within the last five minutes, Severine’s emotions had been twisted and warped dry. The confusion she was experiencing was foreign to her. Unconsciously, Severine rubbed between her eyes and re-read the paragraph she had been working on for the last five minutes.