“Hey, Travis,” a girl said from the end of the sidewalk.

Travis nodded at her and then elbowed me, hard. “Later, cousin. While you’re listening to boring shit, I’m going to be balls-deep in that brunette.”

Travis greeted the girl, whoever she was. I had seen her in a few campus basements the year before when I came with Travis to his fights at The Circle, but I didn’t know her name. I could watch her interact with Travis and learn everything I needed to know. She was already conquered.

Travis’s weekly count had slowed down a little since his own freshman year but not by much. He hadn’t said it out loud, but I could tell he was bored with the lack of challenge from the coeds. I was just looking forward to meeting a girl he hadn’t bent over our couch.

The heavy door needed more than just a tug, and then I stepped inside, feeling the instant relief of air-conditioning. Rectangular tables pushed together, end over end, made five lines, separated strategically in areas for flow and access to the food line and salad bar. One lone circular table stood in a corner, and there sat the blonde with her friend and a flamboyant fellow with a bleach-blond faux hawk that seemed to have slammed into a wall at his hairline.

Darius Washington was sitting at the end of the line of tables, sufficiently close to the round table, so I waited for him to see me. Once he looked over, he waved like I’d hoped, and I joined him, pretty stoked that I was less than ten feet from the blonde. I didn’t look back. Travis was an arrogant ass more often than not, but being around him meant free lessons on getting a girl’s attention.

Lesson number one: Chase, but don’t run.

Darius waved to the people seated at the round table.

I nodded at him. “Do you know them?”

He shook his head. “Just Finch. I met him yesterday when I moved into the dorms. He’s hilarious.”

“What about the girls?”

“No, but they’re hot. Both of them.”

“I need an introduction with the blonde.”

“Finch seems to be friends with her. They’ve been talking since they sat down. I’ll see what I can do.”

I laid a firm hand on his shoulder, peeking back. She met my eyes, smiled, and looked away.

Be cool, Shep. Don’t blow it.

Waiting for something as extremely boring as orientation to be over was made even worse by the anticipation of meeting that girl. Once in a while, I could hear her giggle. I promised myself I wouldn’t look back, but I repeatedly failed. She was gorgeous with huge green eyes and wavy long hair, like she’d just been in the ocean and let it air-dry in the sun. The harder I listened for her voice, the more ridiculous I felt, but there was something about her, even since that first glance, that had me planning ways to impress her or to make her laugh. I’d do anything to get her attention, even for five minutes.