Free The Same Side (University Park #2) by CM Doporto Page B

him.
    Thirty minutes later, he replied.
    Raven: Yeah, studying. What’s up?
    What’s up? Seriously? What happened to all the flirting and dying to see me? His flirtatious swagger had completely evaporated into the abyss.
    Me: I’ve got the pictures Delaney borrowed from your mom. She even scanned them on a CD.
    I added that extra tidbit of information, hoping that would urge him to want to meet me.
    Raven: Okay. I can get them from you later.
    Crap! So much for that idea.
    Me: No problem.
    The screen remained blank and I waited to see if he would tell me anything else. More time passed and nothing. After checking my stupid phone every few minutes for over an hour, I finally turned it over and returned my focus to the paper I was trying to write. It took me four hours to type two pages. I was screwed. I’d never finish the paper in time.
    I heard the door unlock and Delaney shuffle into the suite. A loud thump sounded, telling me she had dumped her backpack in the doorway of her room.
    “Are you still up?” She popped the top on a can of Coke Zero, her favorite, and took a sip.
    I rubbed my eyes and then blinked a few times. “Yeah, I can’t seem to finish this paper.”
    “Let me guess,” she sat on the edge of my bed, “thinking about Raven?”
    Swiveling around in my chair, I sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”
    She took a few more sips. “Did you tell him you had his pictures?”
    “Yep. He said he’d get them later.”
    A frown formed across her face and her eyes narrowed. Then, like a light turning on, her eyes widened and smile crept over her face. “I’ve got a great idea.” She whipped out her phone and started texting a message.
    “Who are you texting?” I eyed her suspiciously.
    “Raven.”
    In one quick leap, I lunged for her phone. “No. Don’t.”
    “Don’t worry.” She pulled her hand out of my reach and held the can of soda up with the other, as if it were some type of defense tool. “This isn’t about you.”
    I tried to grab her phone one more time, but she crawled backward onto my bed. “Please don’t,” I pleaded, but she ignored me.
    “But I have the perfect idea.” She shot me an evil grin and then tucked her phone in her back pocket. “I need a few more pictures of Raven before next Tuesday. If he agrees, you can come with me.”
    It might have been a good strategy to see him, but the last thing I wanted was to force him to see me. If he wanted to be with me, he would tell me. His text proved that he didn’t. It was simple. Raven was no longer interested in me and I wasn’t completely sure why. That part sucked the most. My shoulders slumped and I plopped down beside her on my bed. “Delaney, if you have to trick him to see me, then forget it.”
    “Maybe he just needs a little nudge.” A few minutes later, a sound came from Delaney’s phone.
    “That’s not your text message tone.” I looked over her shoulder. “Unless you changed it.”
    “It’s not. It’s my Facebook messenger.” She hit the app on her phone.
    “Why are you messaging Raven through Facebook?”
    She arched a brow and I felt like I was having one of my mom’s blonde moments. “Because I don’t have his phone number.”
    “Well, I can give it—”
    “That’s okay. I don’t need it.” Her eyes focused on the screen. “He says he’ll meet me tomorrow at the stadium at noon.”
    “What? Let me see that.” I yanked the phone from her hand, scanning the messages.
    Delaney: Hey, Raven, I really need a few more shots of you to finish my project. Can I take some of you in your football uniform at the stadium?
    Raven: Sure. How about noon tomorrow?
    “I don’t care.” I handed the phone back to her. “You can go take pictures of him. I’m not coming.”
    “Yeah, that’s what you said last time.” Her disdaining stare irked me. Probably because I knew it was what I wanted to do. I watched her prance out of my room and shut the door behind her. Why was she always