Free Shackled Lily by T L Gray Page A

me out of the running,” I admitted. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’m not the dating type. Too much restriction.”
    “Whatever you say, but maybe you should wait until you see him first.” Her lips curled into a breathtaking smile and I knew right then she and I would be great friends. It made me almost want to thank the dark haired hottie who forced me into the seat next to Reggie. I had certainly hit the jackpot.
    The table was almost full by the time we joined the group. The blond e from earlier waved at me, but I heeded Candace’s warning and blew him off. He realized I had been warned and removed himself from the table in a huff. Candace was right about Rusty…he truly was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. Worse, he got better looking the more you got to know him because he was such a gentleman. It didn’t matter, though, he was definitely not my type and truth be told, there were only one pair of eyes that could make me swoon and it wasn’t Rusty’s,
    “Where are you headed to next?” Rusty asked when he saw me starting to pack up.
    “I have English 282 in Ericson Hall,” I answered, staring a little too long into his soft brown eyes.
    “I’m heading that way too. Want to walk together?”
    “Sure,” I answered with a smile. He may not be a guy I’d normally hang out with, but he certainly was eye candy and would keep me from getting lost as I searched for my building.
    Rusty was definitely a gentleman, opening every door for me and taking me directly to my classroom. His large frame dwarfed mine, magnified by the cowboy boots he wore.
    “So are you going to this party tonight?” I asked as we stood outside the door to my class.
    “I hadn’t planned to, but I may reconsider. Are you going to be there?” he asked with a shy smile.
    “Of course! I’ll look for you, maybe even save you a dance,” I answered flirtatiously before waving at him and bouncing away into the class. I watched as he put his hands in his pockets and walked away. I finally realized why I liked him so much. He reminded me of Danny, the sweet boy from my apartment building. We hung out for a few weeks until he ruined it by declaring his love for me. I shook my head as I remembered the drama. I thought of Rusty’s demeanor and realized I’d crush him in two weeks. Nope, I’d need to steer clear of that one.
    I got myself settled and glanced down at the syllabus I had grabbed on my way in. My dad had all the books ready for me when I got home, so I hadn’t actually looked at any of them. To my chagrin, I discovered this was a Shakespeare class.  Even worse, the dark haired stalker from my business class walked in ten minutes after me and took the seat right behind me. He made a point to ignore me, but I was pretty sure it was just another tactic to get my attention. I slouched in my chair as the TA went on and on about the class. Our first assignment was an oral presentation of one of Shakespeare’s monologues. Good grief. I was going to kill my dad!
     
     

 
     
    7 . party central
     
    “Really Dad, Shakespeare? Are you trying to torture me?” I yelled as I stormed into his office.
    He looked up from his computer and grinned. “What? Shakespeare’s great, honey. It’s full of complex comedies and heart-breaking tragedies. It should be right up your alley.”
    I ignored the obvious meaning behind his words and slumped down into the chair across from my dad, pouting. “I want to go see Mom for a while tonight,” I announced. Truth was I had no intention of speaking to my mother, who had tried to call me at least three times a day since I got here, but I needed an alibi for the party tonight.
    “That would be good; she’s been worried about you.”
    “How would you know?” I asked rudely. My father and mother hardly ever spoke.
    “Issy, your mother and I have talked every day since your accident. You should be happy. You always did want us to get along.”
    I felt rage crush my chest. “Whatever