Free Soft Shock by Nicole Green

borrow
the jeep to get to a “job interview.” Owen knew he needed to take a stronger
stance with his brother, but it was hard for him to do that. Jeremy had taken
their sister’s and father’s deaths harder than Owen had. Owen had thrown
himself into work and caring for his brother and mother afterward. But Jeremy
hadn’t found a way to deal. Owen thought he was doing the right thing by
looking out for Jeremy, but maybe he’d done more harm than good for Jeremy by
protecting him from the world the way he had.
    Lil texted him
that she was outside, and he grabbed his backpack and ran out to meet her. Lil
was a pretty girl—green eyes, blond hair, preternaturally tan. Even in
mid-winter. She had an athletic build and had been playing softball since she
was old enough to swing a bat. Well, T-ball first and then softball when she
outgrew T-ball. They’d met through an intramural softball league actually. Lil
could have played for CVU, but she wanted to focus on her studies. She was a
biochem and premed double major. Smart, pretty, nice. But Owen had never been
romantically interested in her. He knew that Lil had always had a small crush
on him. Before, it’d been harmless because Lil had known Owen was with Kristin and
completely devoted to her. Now, though, he wondered how things would change. He
realized he hadn’t spent a lot of time around Lil since the breakup. Had he
been avoiding her?
    He hopped
gratefully into Lil’s heated Nissan Xterra. “Thanks for picking me up,” he
said.
    Lil gave him an
uncertain smile before reaching across to give him an awkward car hug. She
pulled back quickly and said, “No problem. I haven’t seen a lot of you lately.
I was getting worried.”
    “I’ve just been
busy. With school.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Are you sure?
Because I know how you felt, I mean, you and Kristin.” Lil tucked her hair
behind her ear, revealing a tiny diamond stud. “This breakup can’t be easy on
you.”
    “I’m fine,”
Owen said hollowly.
    “I’m here if
you want to talk about it.”
    “Thanks,” Owen
said although he had no intention of taking her up on that. “But what I want to
talk about right now is what in the world was Ming saying yesterday?” Owen
asked. “Did you understand…well any of it?” Professor Ming was their philosophy
professor, and her lectures were brain twisting.
    Lil grinned,
revealing a dimple that had probably sent more than a few hearts racing. He
thought she might be dating someone right now, but he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t
remember if she’d mentioned them breaking up or not. He hoped she was so that
things wouldn’t get weird between them. Lil was a good friend, and he didn’t
want to mess that up. “Not a clue,” Lil said. “Hopefully, the mystery will be
cleared up tonight. You’ll love Marci. She’s great. So smart and funny.”
    “Marci?” Her
TA’s name was Marci? Had she mentioned that before, and he just hadn’t picked
up on it?
    “Yeah.” She
glanced sideways at him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    “Yeah. Fine.”
He stared out of the rain splattered passenger side window. So her name was
Marci. There was certainly more than one person in the world named Marci. It
was a fairly common name. There was no way their paths were going to cross yet
again. Right?
    Wrong.
    Maybe the
universe was trying to tell them something. Trying to beat them over their heads
with it and wring their necks until they capitulated. Because when Owen walked
into the basement classroom in Grouse Hall where the TA section was to be held,
whom should he see but Marci King? Looking radiant and gorgeous even under the
harsh fluorescent track lighting. She was laughing and joking with one of her
students. She wore tall black boots over black tights that she’d paired with a
black skirt and a loose-fitting beige sweater. He’d had every lovely curve
under that sweater in his hands just a few nights ago. Saturday. Wow, had it really
been not