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  Full Count

  By C.A. Williams

  Full Count

  Text Copyright 2012 C.A. Williams

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  All rights reserved. This edition is copy-written by C.A. Williams and any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of the author, except for the brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Tanya Keetch

  Cover Photo:

  Istockphoto.com

  Cover Design:

  C.A. Williams

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  The feel of the car slowing down caused my eyes to flutter open. Cars were lined up in streams, with parents and students loaded down with boxes, filing in and out of the rows of dorms. I had finally made it. I felt a huge grin break out over my face, even though the butterflies had already taken flight in my stomach.

  “We’re finally here, Paige,” my dad stated with a big yawn, while patting my knee.

  After much deliberation and thought, I had finally decided that I was attending the University of South Carolina. Most of what was holding me back was my dad. It had been just the two of us since my mom had died when I was ten years old and I didn’t want to leave him alone.

  But Max Brinton wasn’t having that, he wanted me to go where I wanted and I really wanted the hell out of Florida. For some reason, I just had this itch that I needed to go somewhere else. So after receiving several acceptance letters, I decided I wanted to stay in a warm climate. I couldn’t really picture myself going anywhere with snow and just the thought made me cringe. USC had a pretty good reputation for being a great school and it ended up being my choice.

  I pulled out my ear buds and stuffed them into my bag, grabbing my phone that had been on vibrate. My dad had insisted on making the almost six- hour drive to campus and I was pretty glad he wanted to, I really was going to miss all of our time we had together. Of course, my phone was jammed full of messages from my best friend, Jake Niles.

  Since I grew up with my dad raising me, I turned out to be a bit of a tomboy, so most of my friends ended up being guys. Girls just weren’t in to playing or watching sports much, so I did all of that with Jake. And then most of the girls started hating me because instead of Jake paying attention to them, he was hanging out with me.

  I think Jake was more devastated than my dad was when I decided on USC. He had already accepted a full scholarship to play football for the University of Florida and was getting a lot of media attention for it since he was practically a hometown boy.

  I scrolled through my messages and rolled my eyes as I read them:

  I already miss u

  I’m sure you’re beating off the guys with a stick by now

  Call me as soon as u get there

  Can’t wait till Oct. 20

  Since I had never dated in high school, besides going out as groups with Jake, I wasn’t sure what guys I would be ‘beating off with a stick.’ Jake had always been protective of me and any guy who did get too close was promptly introduced to his fist. Maybe being away from him would be a little bit of a good thing.

  “Those from Jake? I thought I heard it buzzing while you were out,” Dad asked giving me a sideways glance as he somehow managed to wrangle an empty parking spot right in front of Patterson Hall, where I would be living for the next year.

  “Of course they are. I don’t know how that boy is going to survive without me. I figured he would be pretty busy with all of his football stuff.”

  Dad let out a booming laugh and patted me on the knee before he pressed the button to pop the trunk. “Paige, that boy will always make time for you.”

  I punched Jake’s number in while rolling my eyes at my dad’s comment. He was convinced Jake was head over heels in love with me, but he had it all wrong. Besides having a protective streak that only seemed to show up when I was involved, he treated me like one of the guys. And I was glad. If he ever did show any kind of feelings like that towards me, it would just make things awkward.

  Obviously, I had never been in love before, but I never got any of those tingly feelings for Jake like I heard other girls talk about. I always just thought of him like the brother I never had. I wondered if something was wrong with me with the way girls trailed after him, always talking about how hot he was.

  I mean I wasn’t blind, I could see what they were talking about it. Jake didn’t look like any other guys at our school. He was well over six feet tall with a six- pack that most college guys never achieved. His blonde hair that was bleached by the sun was always a mess, falling into his face, hiding those piercing blue eyes that made all the girls swoon with one look. But I had known him when he was just a gangly little kid in elementary school, picking his boogers and trying to steal his dad’s Playboys.

  “Hey baby girl,” he answered after one ring. I could hear loud voices in the background and I figured he was probably with the rest of the team. He had to leave for campus two weeks before I did, even though our hometown was just about 20 minutes from the University of Florida, the football season would be starting soon and they were starting practices.

  “Hey Jake,” I answered back. “I finally made it; I figured I would give you a quick call before we unload the car.” I looped my arms through my backpack and hopped out of the car, with my phone wedged between my ear and my shoulder. Dad’s arms were already loaded down with two boxes and there was still a lot left in the trunk. I was amazed I had so much stuff to bring with me once I was all packed up, I was a pretty basic kind of girl and clothes weren’t really my thing, much to my dad’s relief.

  I heard a muffled noise and someone yelled out, ‘Ow’. “I said she’s not my girlfriend and don’t you fucking say anything else about her,” Jake bit out in a warning tone and I had to stifle a laugh. Leave it to Jake to already start beating the shit out of someone over me and I’m not even there.

  “Sorry about that, Paigey. You can tell guys up there I’m your boyfriend if you want though, I won’t mind.”

  “I think I’ll be ok. I’ll call you later after I unpack my stuff and meet my roommate. I just wanted to let you know I made it safe and sound.”

  Dad trailed behind me as I led the way up to Patterson Hall, even though I really had no clue where I was going. We had done a tour of campus before I decided on coming here, but Patterson Hall was kind of a last minute thing. It had just been renovated, so I figured I really had no chance at getting in.

  We stepped into the lobby that was freshly painted and found the welcome desk so I could sign in. I got my keys and packet for orientation quickly and we headed to the bank of elevators.

  “This
one still has some room,” I heard a man shout and a hand stuck in between the doors to keep it wedged open.

  “Thanks,” my dad replied as we shuffled in. “What floor?”

  “Eight, please.” A girl that was standing next to him that I assumed was his daughter, gave me a small smile and said in a quiet voice, “That’s what floor I’m on too.”

  By the looks of her, I was secretly hoping she might be my roommate. She looked like a little bit of a bookworm, with glasses perched on the tip of her nose and her mousey brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was dressed similarly to me with just a t-shirt and shorts on, not trying to make any kind of fashion statement.

  The elevator dinged alerting the arrival to floor eight and the doors creaked open. Ok, this is it Paige. Deep breath in, deep breath out. I had heard from a lot of people that your roommate could base how your whole year would pan out, which I believed. I mean, you do have to live in the same room with this person.

  “Any chance you’re in room 814?” I asked elevator girl, who shook her head at me. “No, but I am in 816. I think that makes us suitemates. At least we’ll share a bathroom.” She giggled softly and stuck her free hand out to me. “I’m Madison Rollins or you can call me Maddie, most people do.”

  “Paige Brinton,” I replied as my dad stopped in front of 814. “I’m sure we’ll get to know each other soon enough.”

  The door swung open before I even had a chance to slip in my key and I was instantly wrapped in a tight hug. My dad let out a chuckle and I tried to release myself from the grip of the person I could only assume was my roommate.

  “I’m so glad you’re finally here, Paige. I don’t live too far so I got here nice and early. I didn’t have to fight any of the crowds. Plus I have three brothers, so I let them and Daddy do all of the heavy lifting. No need to mess up my nails, right?”

  “Nice to meet you too…” I looked blankly back at the girl standing in front of me, who looked like the complete opposite of everything I filled out on my roommate questionnaire. She actually looked like my worst nightmare. Her blonde hair was pin straight and fell well past her very tanned shoulders. I mean I was semi-tan, if you live in Florida it kind of happens that way, but she looked like she laid out for hours on end. She had on a bright tangerine sundress paired with wedge sandals, which I probably couldn’t even walk in, and her nails looked like they matched the dress perfectly.

  “I’m Kitty Chapman, honey. Didn’t you get the information mailed to you?” I glared at Dad who was looking sheepishly down at the floor with his hands stuffed in his jeans. I’m sure I probably did, but Dad had a habit of letting the mail pile up.

  “No, I didn’t actually. I really wasn’t expecting it.” I would have been looking for it, if that was the case. Just the name Kitty Chapman alone would have had me changing roommates. I mean, who really names their child Kitty?

  “Oh, well, my full name is Katherine, if you were wondering. I never liked the name, just thought it was way too stuffy. My brothers nicknamed me Kitty when I was four because they were always chasing after me like our cat, Tabby, and it just sort of stuck,” she explained like she was reading my thoughts.

  “Well it’s so nice to meet you…Kitty.” I wasn’t sure if she was going to meow at me any second or what. I never really dealt with girls so I wasn’t really sure how to carry on a conversation. “We have a few more things to grab, we’ll be right back.”

  “Ok, I’ll be waiting. I can’t wait to set up our room,” she replied in a singsong voice. Dad let out a quiet laugh as I jammed the down button on the elevator repeatedly. Of course this was happening to me. How exactly did I fill out my questionnaire and end up with that? I was supposed to end up with someone like Maddie, not the southern Barbie.

  “It’ll be fine Paigey, you’ll see. Maybe being around someone like that will get you out of your shell a little bit and you can have some girlfriends. I know how you liked spending all of your time with Jake, but college is all about new experiences. Try not to be so negative and be open to the situation.”

  “Whatever you say,” I grumbled out as we headed back out to the car. Maybe it wasn’t too late to go to the University of Florida with Jake. At least if I went there, I knew I would have him around. No, no, no Paige. Just like Dad said, I need to be open to the situation. College is a brand new place, where really no one knows your name and now is the time to make something new of yourself.

  Chapter 2

  “Is that really all of the clothes you brought?” Kitty whispered out through the hand that was covering her mouth, like she was in shock from my apparent lack of clothing. It sure seemed like a lot to me when I unpacked everything, but once I compared it to her half of the closet, it seemed a bit lacking.

  “Well yeah,” I answered back while looking at her side of the room compared to mine. She already had it decorated in various shades of pink, of course. Her loft style bed that was identical to mine was piled high with silk throw pillows and white flowered lights were twined around the rails. At least a dozen picture frames were already covering the surface of her dresser and computer table. Compared to her side, mine looked equal to a jail cell.

  “Didn’t your Mama take you shopping before you came? Mine went nuts with the whole decorating thing, as you can see.”

  “Um no,” I replied, a little uncomfortable that this question was already coming up. I didn’t know too many people my age that had lost a parent. Sure, divorce was a common thing, but it was totally different to just having your parents living in separate houses. “My mom died when I was ten, so it’s pretty much just been me and my dad for awhile.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that Paige,” she replied in a quiet voice, a single tear running down her face. And that right there was why I hated telling people. I hated the pity, but Kitty took it to a whole different level with the tears.

  I pulled out the one and only picture frame I had brought along and set it next to my bed. It was one of Jake and I that someone had captured without us even knowing. My arms were wrapped around his neck while he was carrying me piggyback style and both of our heads were thrown back, probably laughing at one of his goofy jokes.

  “It’s alright, really. My dad did the best he could to play Mom and Dad. I turned out ok.” She stood up and patted me on the back, while looking over my shoulder.

  “That you did. I just can’t imagine,” she took a big sniff and wiped at her face. “I’m sorry, I’m just a softy. My brothers are always teasing me for it. Anywho, I need details on who that is.” She tapped on the glass with her manicured nails and her painted lips curved into a smile I knew all too well when it came to Jake.

  “That is my best friend, Jake. He had a fit that I didn’t go to the University of Florida where he’s playing football, but I felt like I needed a change.”

  “Best friend?” She raised a perfectly plucked brow at me and crossed her arms over her chest. “How can you be best friends with that?” She tapped on the picture again to emphasize her point and I swear she was practically drooling.

  “Well, I really didn’t have any girlfriends back home and we grew up together. I just don’t see him in that way. I’m a bit of a tomboy if you can’t tell.” I pointed down to my simple t-shirt and shorts, something I hadn’t seen in her entire wardrobe, even her pajamas were those matching silk sets; color coordinated and lined up in the closet on hangers.

  “Hmm,” she replied with a finger to her lips still staring at the picture. “I can’t wait to meet him.” She walked over to my side of the closet and started flipping through hangers.

  “Now about your clothing situation and your room stuff. Are you happy with all of that or would you like some help? I’m not going to be one of those nagging roommates or anything and try to change who you are, but shopping is kind of my specialty. What do you think?”

  I chewed on my thumbnail while I thought it over, a bad habit I had picked up after my mom died, and one reason why I never had paint on my nails. Kitty look
ed like she genuinely would do whatever I wanted. Maybe I was a little too quick to judge her, she just reminded me of all of the girls back home who had been bitches to me growing up.

  “Ok, sure why not? Do you have a car on campus?”

  “Nope,” she replied while tapping away on her pink crystal studded phone. “But all of my brothers go here and Daddy said that they had to chauffer me around. Not that they wouldn’t anyway, I have them all wrapped around my finger. Christopher especially.”

  She picked up her purse and scooped her keys off the dresser that were attached to a giant pink K. “C’mon, he should be here any minute.” We walked out into the hall that was filled with the sounds of girls yelling back and forth to each other.

  I specifically picked this one as my first choice because I knew it was a female only dorm. It was also nice that everything had just been renovated, so it still had that smell of fresh paint and look of cleanliness. I had searched online for hours when picking out dorms, reading horror stories about broken a/c’s, mold, and even mice. I may have been raised by a guy, but I was still Daddy’s little girl and he always took care of those kind of things.

  Kitty took a different route than I had, passing up the set of elevators. She called out to several girls as we passed and I wasn’t surprised that she knew almost everyone’s name. We passed by the kitchen that I knew every floor had, which was another plus. I figured I would probably get sick of eating at a cafeteria for every meal, so the kitchen would be nice even though I could barely boil a pot of water.

  We went down the eight floors of stairs, which didn’t bother me at all since I kept pretty active with Jake, I figured Kitty would be out of breath, but she didn’t even huff once and she had heels on. “Here we go,” she held a door open for me on what looked to be a brand new silver pickup truck that sat high off the ground. I placed my feet on the running board and still had to hop up. Kitty slid in next to me and I looked into the front seat at the two boys who were currently assessing me with their eyes.

  “Now you boys betterbehave yourselves, this is my roommate, not one of those girls that fall at your feet. Paige, that’s Christopher,” she pointed to the driver, who basically looked like a clone of Kitty. His features were obviously manlier, but his face was almost delicate looking.