Hope for Her (Hope #1) Read Online Free PDF

her.
    "You don't know me," she said, but her tone warmed my heart. I won her over.
    "Well, I'm trying to get to know you."
    "Okay."
    "Okay, what?"
    "What do you want to know?" she asked. Shy tone disappeared again. If she was trying to annoy me, her defiance only made me think of all the bad things I wanted to do to her.
    It was my turn to smile and steer this conversation in a new direction.
    "Where are you from?"
    "Dallas, Texas."
    I paused to see if she would ask me where I was from, but she drank her coffee and waited for me to continue.
    "How old are you?"
    "Eighteen."
    "What's your major?"
    "English."
    Okay, now I was annoyed. Apparently, I insulted her and pissed her off all in a matter of minutes, but I wasn't sure how. I shook my head. The tiny progress of softening her up had faded away. I tried a new tactic.
    "My fraternity is having a party tonight, come with me?" She hesitated before answering. "What's wrong, you don't like parties?"
    "No, I like parties."
    "So, what's the problem?"
    "Well, where I come from, a party isn't exactly the best environment for a first date."
    "Well—"
    "See, taking a girl on a first date to a party means you're not comfortable being alone with her. You're afraid we won't have anything to talk about? You figure at a party, you can avoid those awkward moments of silence and if the date goes south, well, there are other girls right there for you to hook up with so the evening won't be a total waste."
    "Okay, then let's—"
    "No, let's stick with the party date. It'll be fun. Give me the address, I'll meet you there."
    "Are you always like this?"
    "You said yourself; bitchy doesn't bother you."
    "I'm surprised."
    "About what?"
    "I don't know. I had this idea of what you would be like."
    "Sorry to ruin your fantasy," she said.
    I smiled. "No, my fantasy is quite intact, it just went in another direction."
    She smiled back and bit her lip again. I stifled a groan before it escaped my lips.
    Fuck, she is so sexy.
    "So, what time’s the party?"
    She gave me her phone number then excused herself. She thanked me for the coffee as she walked off.
    I stayed in my seat as my mind raced, playing the conversation back. I glanced around, wondering what the hell just happened.
    ***
    Carrington Olivia Butler
    As far as cheesy lines go, the boyfriend line topped the list.
    I gave him credit for delivering it with sincerity and the sad, but sweet, hopeful expression warmed me from the inside out.
    I watched him as we got coffee. He stood behind me and took every opportunity to touch my lower back or brush up against my arm. He seemed genuine, but he also tried way too hard.
    My skeptical side reared its ugly head and when he said I wasn't like he thought, it pissed me off.
    I excused myself and headed off to the dorm.
    I wanted to get away from him because of the way I acted around him. I spoke without thinking, which I never did. I was the type of person who measured my words and didn't believe in speaking just for the sake of speaking. With him, I babbled on and on. The nerve of him to think I would melt at his feet after a line. It brought out my confrontational side. It made me kind of hot for him, too.
    As I entered the dorm, I received a text. I hoped for an apology from Josh, but it was from Jackson. When I read his name, my insides grew warm and all the animosity from a few minutes ago left my body and a giddy calm took its place. I rubbed my chest as I opened his message and started to read.
    Jackson:  Party at 9pm, Phi Kappa Pi House, 444 West Park Avenue. Stop by.
    I grinned at the thought of seeing Jackson, but the feeling was short-lived.
    (904) 584-2112: Dude. Fuck yeah; I'll be there.
    He sent me a freaking group text.
    What the hell is with guys at FSU?
    I entered my dorm room, thankful for the silence of no roommates. I lay on my bed and curled into a ball facing the wall. My loneliness made a chill set in my bones. My plan for creating a new life for myself wasn't working out as I had