Cathleen Cole - Heart of Steel

J esus Remi! Bridget gasped as I peeled into the university parking lot. I whipped my car into an empty space, about two feet in front of the car that was waiting to pull in. A long blast of the other vehicles horn told me exactly what the driver thought of my stunt. I couldnt be late for my first class of the morning.

Sorry Bridge, but were going to be late. I stepped out and gave the other student a semi-apologetic smile and a shrug. Opening my back door, I grabbed my backpack and slung it across my shoulder.

So what? Bridget said with a careless shrug as she slammed the door after grabbing her own bag.

I eyed her stylish clothes and high heels. Bridget was majoring in fashion. Her dad was the former mayor of Austin, so shed gotten used to dressing a certain way. As a kid, it was expected that she always looked well put together. That had carried on into college. There were times I wished I had the desire to dress like her. Once Id become the owner of my late fathers company, Mackenzies Trucking, Id let her talk me into a shopping trip. Now I owned more business clothes than I could ever wear but I still mostly wore jean shorts, tank tops, and sneakers.

Your professors may not mind you walking in late. But this is the class where the professor locks the door right at eight a.m. This hadnt been the first time Id been late and therefore been locked out of class. I needed to pass this class so that I could start its consecutive course next semester. I was desperately trying to finish my degree a year early.

If Uncle Caleb had to spend another year running dads business, Id likely lose the only family I had left. Or the only family I chose to recognize. Sorority girls had been passing out Mothers Day flyers for the last few weeks and it had been making me think a lot about the mother whod abandoned me hours after giving birth to me. She tried coming back every year, usually around my birthday, but I refused to see her.

It had to have hurt dad to have her come around, but he never complained. He never spoke badly about her, just encouraged me to let go of the past. He never tried to force me to see her, but hed said it would be healthier for me to forgive her, for myself, if not for her.

Normally I found it easy to ignore thoughts of Rhonda but with the bubbly college girls popping up around every corner and reminding us to take care of the special ladies in our lives, it was getting harder to do. I shook the old memories out of my head as we moved across the parking lot.

I watched in amusement as people started calling out greetings to Bridget. She was, by far, the biggest social butterfly in my group of friends. She had always drawn people in, and the rest of us were happy to let her have the limelight. Not that I had trouble making friends, I just didnt seek it out like a moth to a flame the way Bridget did.

Oh, they hate it when Im late. Im just better at getting myself out of trouble than you are. Bridget stuck her tongue out at me, and I rolled my eyes. She wasnt lying, Bridget could charm the pants off damn near anyone.

I didnt bother to respond to her but increased my speed across the parking lot. Bridget huffed a little as she had to double-time it to keep up with my long legs. At five-four she was having a hard time keeping up with my five-eleven frame.

Bridget darted in front of me to cut between two cars. We were finally reaching the end of the lot where the road met up with the buildings. She would have to head past the building directly in front of us to go to her class, but luckily mine was here. I had to give it to her. It impressed me that she could run in those heels.

I glanced at the thick leather watch on my left wrist and groaned. Ten minutes. I had ten minutes to get into my class. Fuck! I bellowed in surprise when I slammed straight into Bridgets body. She had stopped suddenly when I wasnt looking.

She let out a squeak as she stumbled forward. I yelped, more in surprise than pain, when she smacked the back of her hand into my stomach. Quit walking so fast and you wouldnt be in danger of mowing me down.

Dont stop so suddenly when were rushing to get places. I glowered at her when she just smiled at me and dug in her purse for some gum. I was boxed in on three sides by her and the cars. I could go around but it would be faster to just wait her out. This was going to be a shitty day, and it was only eight a.m.

Finally, Bridget started moving again but stopped a few steps later. I groaned, and she shot me a dirty look. She jerked her head in the direction of the road. Who brought the delicious man candy?

I stepped forward and followed her gaze. Sitting at the curb were six huge men on motorcycles. They were wearing jeans, white or black t-shirts, and leather vests. Bridget was practically drooling now. The last two had females sitting behind them on the bikes. In Bridgets world that meant the first four were hers for the taking.

I rolled my eyes. Seriously? I dont want to be locked out of the classroom. Lets go! I trotted across the road and felt a stab of relief when I heard the click of her heels behind me. The dean was rushing out the side door of the building adjacent to the one my classroom was in as we crossed the road. He paused when he saw me and glanced at his watch. Looking back up at me, he frowned and held up his watch. Most students would never meet the dean. I, however, was one of the unlucky ones that he knew personally.

Rolling my eyes, I slowed and nodded my head. Mr. Richards was a dick. He really didnt like me, and he took every opportunity to point out when I was doing something wrong. Normally, I would try to stay off the radar of any of the faculty, but right before my dad died thered been an incident. Id ended up punching a girl in the cafeteria. Shed had it coming, and I had a hard time controlling my temper in the best of times.

That hadnt been the best of times, so when shed bumped into me on purpose, causing me to spill my lunch down the front of me, Id kind of snapped. Rachel had gone to the same high school as me. Shed been the typical cheerleader bully. On top of the fact that she enjoyed picking on kids, Rachel had been in love with my boyfriend Scott. We had just broken up, and she had thought that it was the perfect opportunity to make me look like an idiot in front of him without incurring his wrath since I had embarrassed him by dumping him.

College hadnt humbled her at all, and it certainly hadnt made her smarter. Id broken up with him. If shed wanted him, I wasnt standing in her way. Id like to think giving her a black eye had knocked her down a peg, but now most of the faculty of the University of Texas in Austin, knew exactly who I was and that I didnt care for. The idea that they all knew who I was and thought I was a troublemaker made me cringe.

Ms. Jordan! Richards yelled across the courtyard, and I realized I had lost Bridget somewhere along the way. I turned and groaned. At the motorcycles. I had lost her at the motorcycles.

Well, rather at the bikers, I thought wryly. Bridget was standing there, twirling her pale blonde hair around her finger and batting her lashes at a guy on one of the bikes. She completely ignored the dean yelling at her across the walkway. Bridget was a bit of a princess around here. Everyone knew her and clamored to be her friend. She sucked people in like a black hole.