Life Unexpected Novel – Colton, what’s going on? He finally lifts his gaze to meet mine. Taking a deep, pained breath, he closes his eyes before muttering. I’m so sorry, Isa. See, Alexander speaks again, returning my attention to him. “I made a bet with our star quarterback here that he couldn’t get a loser virgin like yourself out of her panties.” He looks to Colton, who’s still unable to face me. “Guess he proved me wrong. If we hadn’t busted through the door just now, you would have been deep in virgin, Cole.” “Isa,” Colton finally finds the courage to meet my eyes. And I see genuine sorrow in them. But I also see guilt. I rear my arm and give him a stern fist to the cheek. I give Colton one last look, whispering my final words. “I hate you.”
Isabelle “Well, looky what we have here, boys. My innocent stepsister isn’t all that innocent now, is she.” Alexander starts to clap, and the other guys huddle beside him with smirks on their smug faces. I want to die. “Harris, shut you mouth.” Colton hisses with an expression of guilt on his face. What does he have to be guilty about? A sudden eerie feeling takes over. Something doesn’t feel right. “Whaaatttt?” I stutter, unable to speak. “Is this?” Colton averts his gaze from me. “Do you want to inform your girl Jacobs, or should I?” Alexander asks with a sinister smile. Inform me about what? Colton visibly swallows. Still clutching my shirt, I turn to him. “Colton, what’s going on?” He finally lifts his gaze to meet mine. Taking a deep, pained breath, he closes his eyes before muttering. “I’m so sorry, Isa.” “Sorry?” I ask, still uncomprehending what is happening.
“See,” Alexander speaks again, returning my attention to him. “I made a bet with our star quarterback here that he couldn’t get a loser virgin like yourself out of her panties.” He looks to Colton, who’s still unable to face me. “Guess he proved me wrong. If we hadn’t busted through the door just now, you would have been deep in virgin, Cole.” “Isa,” Colton finally finds the courage to meet my eyes. And I see genuine sorrow in them. But I also see guilt. Guilt that he got caught. Selfish prick. I rear my arm and give him a stern fist to the cheek. I’ve been told I hit like a boy before. His head swivels to the side from the force of it. I give Colton one last look, whispering my final words. “I hate you.” “BEEP BEEP BEEP.” My alarm clock jolts me awake from the memory that’s haunted me for the past four years. Reaching over to my nightstand, I silence the thing.
Remembering I start my college courses today, and it’s something I was excited for. Until. Last night when, I ran into Colton Jacobs. My enemy. The boy who broke my heart. Made a fool out of me. The memory of running into him at the party last night returns; It’s something I’m trying hard to forget but failing miserably. My nerves are at an all-time high right now. Standing in the floor-length mirror, I take in my appearance. I look like a total seductress. “That’s the outfit girl.” My new roommate and fellow sorority sister, Sienna, screeches excitedly. She’s the only girl in the house that’s been kind to me. All the other ones act like their doesn’t stink when I can smell it from a mile away. Stuck up bitches. Four years ago, I would have laughed in your face if you asked if I would ever join a sorority in college. I would have told you inferno to the fricken no.
One of the reasons I never joined the cheerleading squad. I hate everything they stand for. Not that I would have been able to join the cheer squad anyway. I was what the cheer captain and queen B Ava Harrison called pugly. I had an extra roll or two, braces, and my signature black-rimmed glasses. I was the high school pariah. Not anymore. After that devastating night forever burned in my mind, my mother and lovely stepfather shipped me off to live with my deadbeat dad in Boulder, Colorado, where I was born. Me and my father were strangers. Since I was little, he put booze before me. That hadn’t changed when I moved back. The only difference is that I could reconnect with my childhood best friend, Ella. Most of my time was spent at my BFF’s house. For a while, though, the past four years, I’ve struggled with boughs of depression, which did affect my friendship with Elle. Luckily, she was the only one who could see I was struggling before it was too late.
The girl saved my life. I wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t pushed me to seek help. That’s not something I’m ready to talk about, if ever. It just makes me hate Colton Jacobs even more. I have tuned him and my prick of a stepbrother out over the years. Luckily, my mother and I barely speak, so I didn’t have to hear updates on what was happening back in Baltimore. The last time I spoke to my mother, about a year ago, she had filed for divorce from my prick of a stepfather, Johnathan Harris, after she caught him drilling his secretary when she went to deliver him lunch at work. I’m sure he’s been cheating on her for years, but she was too blinded by her lavish lifestyle to see it. I’m not sure what happened to my stepbrother, Alexander. He was the one who started the bet. Not that he’s just to blame. Colton is equally responsible. That just made me hate the prick even more. Alexander Harris lived to make my life miserable. At least the torment stopped when I switched schools.
No one cared how I looked here. I didn’t get called brace face, nerd, or pugly. It was just Isabella. I tried to spend as much time away from my dad as possible. While Elle’s family loved having me around, I’m sure they also sometimes got sick of me. After Elle got me to seek treatment, I was prescribed medication to help with the depression. I started jogging and lightly working out to help with my anxiety—the anxiety I had never had before that night. With the exercise and clean eating, I dropped a ton of weight. Senior year, my braces came off, and the last thing to do was ditch the glasses. Although I rock the black-rimmed frames when not wearing my contacts, primarily for reading. I grew my hair out lengthy. Before, it ended just above my shoulders. Now it reaches my hip. I also added a tint of red to my chocolate brown locks. It makes the green in my eyes stand out. I finally have my confidence back. “You don’t think the shorts are a bit too much?” I ask my new friend Sienna.
Turning, I stare at my hip, where my cheeks partially peek out. I’ve noticed most of the sorority sisters dress like this. Is It because they want to draw attention to themselves? I only joined the sorority to appease my mother. Not that I should care what she thinks. Like I said, we barely speak. But as sad as it is, I have always craved my mother’s approval. Sienna lays a smack to my hip, and yes, it has a bit of jiggle. I look and feel good but still have flaws like any twenty-year-old woman. I’m not perfect, far from it. “Girl, the guys are going to be drooling over you tonight. Ohhh,” she says like a lightbulb went off in her head. “Cody will be there with his best friend. I will have to introduce you. But I should warn you he’s a total player. I hear he’s this big.” She holds up a twelve-inch ruler, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. Then she burst out in giggles.
“Okay, he’s not quite that hung, but he’s a good nine inches. I’ve seen the goods.” I narrow my eyes at her. I know she’s very loyal to Cody. I met him the other day. He’s easy on the eyes, that’s for sure, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Sienna is drop-dead gorgeous with olive skin, long silk black hair, and curves in all the right places. She makes me a bit self-conscious. “Hey,” she points a finger at me. “I’m loyal to my man, but I practically live with them, and he has a habit of not locking the bathroom. So I may have seen him come out of the shower undressed a time or two.” “You don’t think this is too much?” While I may be more comfortable in my skin, I don’t usually dress this scandalously. I’m not sure I feel all that comfortable going to a fraternity party dressed like this. “No way. Come on; you are perfect. Wait.” We’re about to leave our room when she holds her palm up and picks up a pink lip balm from her vanity. “Pucker up.” The party is in full swing as we enter the fraternity. All eyes immediately turn to Sienna and me. And it makes me want to hide in a room and cower.
I don’t like bringing attention to myself. Not since that night. An hour In, I’ve already been hit on by the entire fraternity and half of the football team. This guy named Troy has a particular liking to me. He won’t take his eyes off me. I guess he’s a wide receiver for the Columbia Lions. I don’t date football players. And Sienna says the guy drills anything with legs. That’s a hard pass. We’re standing by the snack table when Sienna’s eyes grow wide with admiration. I’m guessing she spots her man. Cody walks over, and she throws her arms around his neck. It’s then I feel a presence behind me. And smell a scent I haven’t smelled in over four years. Cinnamon and Spice. “Sienna, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?” My body goes rigid. I don’t rush to turn around. No No No It can’t be. “Isabelle, meet my boyfriend’s roommate.”
Sienna doesn’t have to finish that sentence because I already know who it is before I turn around. The one person I tried too hard to escape is standing directly behind me. I take a deep breath and spin around, only to come face to face with my enemy. “Colton Jacobs.” “Isa,” he faintly whispers. And I want to punch him in his beautiful face again for calling me the nickname he no longer has the right to speak. “You two know each other.” Sienna’s boyfriend Cody asks. I remain silent, glaring into Colton’s caramel-brown eyes—the ones I used to lose myself in for hours. As much as it pains me to admit, he’s even more gorgeous now than he was four years ago, and I didn’t think that was possible. I finally gained the courage to speak.
“Key word we “used” to know each other.” I sneer, my eyes never leaving Colton’s. “Small world, am I right,” Sienna says, trying to break the tension you can feel in the air. “Isabelle, this is Colton. Cody’s roommate.” So Colton was the guy she was mentioning that has a nine-inch. “And Colton, this is Isabelle, my new roommate.” We stand there staring each other down. Colton eyes me with pure rage, which makes me more enraged because if anyone has a right to have hate in their eyes directed at the other person, it’s me. Colton hurt me. Broke me. Then why is he looking at me like I broke him? I feel a muscular arm wrap around my shoulder. “See, you met my new friend Isa, Jacobs.” The football player from earlier stands beside me, who hasn’t been able to take his eyes off me all night. He smells like a brewery mixed with cigarettes. I can’t say I like it.
I prefer the cinnamon and spice. Wait, no, I don’t. “Beat it, Troy.” Colton spits with gritted teeth. “No, he can stay, but you can go.” I sneer, folding my arms. I can see his fists clench at the sides from my irreverence. “Burn.” Troy chuckles. “Looks like you need to work on your game, Jacobs.” “I said.” He gives Troy a hard shove back. A rough hand wraps around my wrist, making me wince. I’m dragged from the crowded living room into a dark, tiny space. The light ahead of us clicks, and I see we’re in what looks to be a small laundry room. “What…” Before I finish my words, Colton grips my hips, lifting me onto the washer. With my hands up, I start swinging at the prick. To no avail. Colton grasps both my wrists. “Let me go, Colton.” “Not until you calm down.” Colton brings my arms up over my head with just one hand. I hate having no control. I squirmed beneath him, but he pinned me between his body and the washer. “All I have to do is scream, and any of those guys out there will come to my rescue.” Colton drops my arms and, with one hand, gently grips my throat. He inches his face closer to mine.
Hovering his lips over my ear. “Scream, Damsel. No one will hear you. If they do, they won’t save you. That’s my job.” “Ahhhhh,” I scream, but no one comes to my rescue like he said. The house is booming; no one can hear my screams. I’m entirely at Colton’s mercy, and I hate it. Or do I? A warm feeling shoots through my body at Colton’s breath against my skin. He tightens his hold on my throat. “I told you no would would save you. Now, you ready to calm down and answer some questions.” He lets go of my throat but doesn’t step back. “What are you doing here, Isa?” Then the prick adds, “At my college.” I shoot him a glare. “You arrogant son of a woman. Last I checked, Columbia University is an Ivy League school. So I have just as much right to be here as you.” “Answer the question, Isa?” Growing annoyed with his proximity, I decided to try a new tactic. I soften my expression. “Colton.” I place my hand on his chest, feeling the chiseled muscles that I’m sure he works hard for.
His body relaxes. Now is my time to strike. In one quick motion, I jerk my knee up, hitting Colton right in the groin, causing him to keel over, covering his junk. Jumping off the washer, I stand over a cowering Colton. “This is your only warning. Stay away from me, Colton Jacobs, or I will make you regret it.” With those threatening words, I run. It’s on now. One Isa. Zero Colton. “Well, morning, Sunshine.” Sienna comes strutting out of our conjoining bathroom in a tightly wrapped towel. “Morning,” my tone is clipped. I feel off today, probably because of the show last night. It’s not Sienna’s fault that I know Colton. “So, are we going to talk about it?” I know what she’s asking, but I play dumb anyway. “Talk about what exactly?” Going to my dresser, I pull out a pair of leggings and slip those on. Then I go to my closet and slide on an extra-large Columbia University sweatshirt I bought at the school’s gift shop, the only size left. Sienna stalks over to me, rips her towel off her hips, and playfully whips it at me. “You know exactly what.” The girl has a body to die for, making me self-conscious despite being fully dressed.
“We went to high school. It was nothing.” It was everything. “Girl, he didn’t look at you like you were nothing. Did you guys hook up last night? He couldn’t get you away from Troy fast enough.” No, we didn’t hook up. The prick dragged me to a laundry room against my will and gripped my throat. Why didn’t I hate it? I have a sudden urge to clench my thighs together. No. Colton Jacobs does not get to control my body or mind. Ever again. I arrive at my first course of the day, writing and literature. The class is quickly filling up in the lecture hall. “There’s a seat over here.” A good-looking guy with black curls on top and big brown almond-shaped eyes gestures to a seat. Checking my surroundings, I see that most seats have already been filled. “Um. Thank you.” “Elijah,” he holds his hand out as we sit; such a gentleman. Unlike one douche, I know.
Inferno bent on ruining my life. “Isabelle, but people call me.” “Isa,” a dark, gruff voice replies. Turning to my side, I see none other than the prick himself. Colton slides into the seat beside me. His cinnamon and spice scent wafting through my senses, further aggravating me. I can’t escape him. “To you, she’s Isabella. I’m the only one allowed to call her Isa.” Colton inches his lips to my ear. “Isn’t that right, Isa?” I turn back to Elijah, who’s sitting there equally confused. “You can call me Isa or Isabella, whichever you prefer.” Elijah looks over at a glaring Colton. “Isabella.” He nods, and thankfully, the professor calls for class to start. I feel a large hand graze my thigh. Sliding my hand underneath the table, I swipe Colton’s hand away.
Then lean to the side. “Touch me again, and I’ll stab my pocket knife through your hand.” He lets out a soft chuckle. One that only I can hear over the professor’s speech. The professor passes our class syllabus for the semester. I lean in to grab mine from Colton, but he grips my arm, jerking me toward him. “You may have been able to escape me four years ago, Isa. But there’s no escaping me this time.” His warning should have me running far away, but it only entices me. For four long years, I’ve been running. Now, it’s time to stay and fight. Only this time, Colton Jacobs won’t win.