Bad Rep (Bad Rep #1)(32)
Author: A. Meredith Walters

The air was thick with the sexual tension between us. I tapped my fingers on the table. “So, tell me why are you so done with Pi Sig? I thought you were Mr. Fraternity,” I asked, trying to refocus the conversation on something with less potential for an explosion.

Jordan cleared his throat. “I used to be. I mean, I like the guys alright. But I get sick of the backhanded bullshit that goes on. Do you know what I’m talking about? I mean, you’ve got to see it over there with the Chi Delts,” he said.

I nodded, understanding him exactly. “Yeah, it’s kind of like swimming with sharks at times. I worry they’re going to take off my foot if I don’t toe the line,” I joked.

Jordan frowned at me. “Well, why do it then? You don’t seem like you belong with Olivia’s herd.” I didn’t know if I should be insulted or not.

What was he trying to say?

“Well, I wanted to make some new friends. So I figured why not. And I like the girls in Chi Delta. Most of them are really nice,” I said defensively. The truth was, I got what he was saying and I wondered how I would survive in the dog eat dog environment the school’s Greek system bred. You had to fit the mold or get out. Which was so against everything I had always stood for. But now, I was doing nothing but spending my energies on trying to fit in.

“Well, I guess that’s what’s important,” Jordan mused, looking as if he didn’t believe me. His attitude was making me a little angry. Nothing pissed me off more than when people questioned my choices. It made me feel inferior and insignificant. As though I were incapable of making a reasonable decision.

“What does Olivia have to say about you stepping down as president?” I asked sharply. Jordan’s face darkened a bit.

“She doesn’t know,” he said, taking another drink of his coffee.

“She doesn’t know? You didn’t tell her you were going to do it?” I scoffed, not believing he could keep something like that from his girlfriend.

It was Jordan’s turn to get defensive. “Yeah, well, Olivia has her own shit going on. I knew she’d freak out if I told her, so I just did it. I don’t need to hear about how stupid I am for giving it up,” he said bitterly.

I couldn’t cover up my surprise. Jordan met my eyes. “I told you before that things have been strained with Olivia and me,” he said quietly, reminding me of our disastrous conversation after he had asked me out and I had discovered he was taken.

This time, I didn’t want to shut down the conversation because of my fears. I wanted to hear from him what was going on. “What do you mean?” I asked, moving my empty coffee mug to the edge of the table and taking another bite of an eclair. Jordan leaned back in the booth with a sigh.

“Have you ever been close to someone for a while and then realized that the two of you had absolutely nothing in common?” he asked me. I shook my head.

“No, not really. What are you getting at?” I asked him pointedly.

Jordan sat up and crossed his arms on the table. “I started dating Olivia when we were freshmen. We met the second week of school. She was a different person back then. Over the years I’ve realized we want different things. I mean, I care about her. But I just don’t think we fit in each other’s lives anymore.” His words left me raw. Was he saying that he planned to break up with Olivia, even before he asked me out?

So where did I fit into all this? I really wanted to know, but I was too much of a chicken to come out and ask that. “Does Olivia know you feel this way?” I asked, feeling a little sorry for my sorority sister. Because I knew she loved Jordan. You could tell that when she talked about him. But I had also seen the way she so easily disregarded his feelings. I understood what Jordan was saying about them being two different people. Because while they may look like they belonged together, personality wise they just didn’t fit.

Jordan looked frustrated. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like we talk about anything that isn’t Greek related.” He shook his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts. “Enough about my Olivia drama. How are classes going?” I was thrown by the sudden change in topic, but I allowed it. I didn’t want to focus on Olivia any more than he did.

We spent the next twenty minutes talking about school. Jordan revealed that he still had no idea what he wanted to do when he graduated. He was an Accounting major, mostly because his dad wanted him to become a CPA, like he was, and partner with him at his accounting firm. I could not see Jordan as an accountant. Didn’t they wear glasses and buttoned collared shirts with Chinos? How could his dad even begin to think that would be a suitable career path for Jordan? I had known the guy for all of two minutes yet I knew unequivocally that he was meant to do a hell of a lot more with his life than crunching numbers.

Jordan explained that his mom owned her own chocolate shop and imported sweets from all over the world. He spoke warmly of his mom and I knew that even though his feelings for his father were strained, his mother was his rock.

He talked about staying in town after he graduated and playing with Generation Rejects. That seemed to be where his passion lay. His face lit up when he talked about playing shows and his dream of making music for a living.

“My dad would never go for it though. I’ve been told enough times, by a lot of people, that I need to concentrate on making a proper living and not put my energies into something that will never happen.” He sounded sad and I couldn’t help myself from reaching over and putting my hand on his. Jordan turned his hand so that he pressed his palm against mine and laced our fingers together. It felt right. As though our hands were meant to hold each other.

“Are you an only child? Or do you have any brothers or sisters?” I asked. Jordan shook his head.

“Nope, just me. So I am the lone recipient of my dad’s disappointment.” He let out a frustrated breath. I squeezed his hand before pulling away.

“The only child club kind of sucks sometimes, huh?” I asked lightly. Jordan cocked his head to the side.

“You too?” he asked. I took another bite of my eclair.

“Present and counted for. My parents were older when they had me. My mom was forty-two, my dad almost fifty. They didn’t think they’d be able to have any kids. So when I happened, I became their sole focus. Their last ditch effort at realizing their dreams.” I admitted harshly.

Jordan’s eyes didn’t hold an ounce of judgment and he looked at me as if he got what I was saying. “My dad is this uber successful guy, you know? He has this amazing career that he worked his whole life to have. He came from nothing and he thinks I’m throwing away all of the opportunities he never had. He calls me a f**k up because I’d rather play drums than stare at math problems all day.” Jordan said, sounding unhappy. I understood exactly where he was coming from.