Harper's Rules 1 & 2

Chapter 21: Harper

A/N: Mature(ish, I know 🤪) content.

"Hey," I grunted out my greeting at Li.

Most of Li's classes were in Boyer Hall, a tall building with square cement forms and large black windows stacked up like columns. After a close encounter of the 'what the fuck just happened?' kind, I sat down on a thick cement wall, tinted the same pinkish-peach at the bricks on most campus buildings and internally stewed until my roommate's small form approached me.

I couldn't imagine what looked like more of a hot mess on me, my still braless pajama state, the sweat that dripped down the sides of my temples from how quickly I stomped away from Jake, or the most likely enraged, feral animal look that burned my corneas because he'd shown up here on my first fucking day of class.

He's got balls, I'll give him that.

No, no I won't. Don't think about his balls Harper.

Worst part is I still have no idea why he showed up.

"Hi Harper." Li shot me the same deer in headlights look that pretty much every oncoming sidewalker gave me, but thankfully she followed it up with just a shaky smile and pointed at the sidewalk away from her lecture hall building. "First class go... okay?"

"That was fine," I muttered, then lifted my eyes to the grassy area ahead of us.

UCLA didn't have a central 'quad' area like most schools but sure had a lot of grassy areas between its wide sidewalks. On this particular day, while Li and I walked through Royce Quad, basically a patch of grass between the Royce Hall, Powell Library, Haines Hall, and the Humanities buildings, my mind was zeroed in on one topic, a very unwanted off-campus visitor.

How the fuck did he find me? I never once mentioned the School of Law to him.

While Li and I walked to lunch, my ears tuned out the UCLA facts she offered, like which four buildings were the school's original campus buildings that inspired the overall architecture for the rest of campus. Instead, my attention fixed on the rows of tables that lined each side of the sidewalks.

"Student club day," Li explained with one hand cupped over her eyes under the bright midday sun. "So if you want to join any -"

"I'm good," I cut her off with a raised palm because, frankly the last time I'd joined a school club, I'd flashed the computer science club guys my breasts in exchange for on-demand computer hacking-related services.

Still worth it.

Nevertheless, Li and I weaved past yellow and blue cloth-covered table after table of student representatives and her polite nature slowed us down on our way to lunch. Despite how Li's eyes lit up at certain options, I made sure that we quickly bypassed past both the Quidditch and Disney Clubs. My feet stopped abruptly at a relatively nondescript table that had drawn the most interest going off the crowd that lingered in front of their blue tablecloth.

From three tables up, all I saw was two chiseled guys sat on stools behind their table like every other club representative, veiny forearms crossed over their broad chests. But once I recognized those two particular guys, one blonde and the other my paralegal class neighbor, Quidditch and Disney both became the most fascinating club ideas I'd ever heard of.

"Oh shit," I mumbled and turned so I guided Li in the opposite direction but she had other ideas.

Fortunately, Li had stopped a few tables behind me, her nose buried inside a pamphlet for the Entomology Club. A bright smile lit up her face and her dark eyes sparkled over the red-eyed grasshopper or cricket on the cover.