a Herb and Khakis

Delores cheerily strolled across the lush, green quad with his new designer bum bag clipped across his shoulder and torso. He was the perfect picture of the quintessential preppy university student with his perfectly coiffed curls atop his head, pressed khakis, and a crisp polo shirt. Nobody could tell that beneath his polished veneer, he was anything but the perfect student. That might have been why he presented an Ivy League appearance to them all.

His phone chimed in his hand and after glancing down at the message he just received and reading the words asking him how long he would be, his lips pressed together into a thin line. Some people seriously needed to practise some patience.

He made his way past groups of his peers lounging on the grass, sipping iced coffees from one of the cafés near campus and hurriedly reading textbooks in preparation for their next class.

He slipped into a secluded alcove near the library and after glancing around furtively to make sure that no one was lurking around, he unzipped his bum bag and produced a plastic bag filled with fragrant, green buds. The skunk stench was something his senses had long grown used to as this had been his side hustle for quite some time, peddling high-quality marijuana to his fellow students without eliciting suspicion from the administration.

When he heard a throat clearing behind him, he quickly obscured his bag just in case, carefully throwing his head over his shoulder. His body immediately relaxed when he saw the familiar face of a regular. Delores realised that he had already forgotten the kid's name.

"Yo, don't sneak up on me like that," he grumbled to him warningly.

Without saying anything, the blonde student reached for a few crumpled bills and presented them to Delores. 

With a practised hand, he snatched the money out of his hand and then divided the weed into individual baggies, handing him two baggies.

"Only two?" the kid mused in bemusement, a frown curling the corners of his mouth down. "Last time I got three for that amount."

"Inflation innit," Delores muttered dismissively with a little smirk twitching onto his lips, tucking his stash securely away in his bag.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice calling out his name. He whipped his head around to see his friend striding towards him, the usual simper he was always wearing on his face.

"Oh, shit," he whispered to himself, his heart fearfully skipping a beat in his chest. Then his gaze flickered back to the blonde and he quickly shooed him away, hissing under his breath, "Yo, get out of here. Beat it!"

The guy hesitated for a moment until Delores' glare hardened on him and then he spun around on his heels and hurried off to jog up the stairs leading up to the library.

He turned to face Nicholas when he eventually reached him, trying to keep his expression casual. "Yo, what's up?"

After seeing the student who just scurried away, Nick's brow furrowed suspiciously and then his gaze shifted back to him, looking him up and down. "Delores, are you gay?"

"What the fuck are you asking me?"

"Nah, I was just asking because the way that blondie ran away, you'd swear he was giving you a private blowjob or something."

His nose wrinkled at that image being put in his mind and he rolled his shoulders back when a small shiver ran down his spine.

After glancing around at his little secret alcove, Nicholas was back to being interested in exactly what it was that he was doing. "What are you doing out here?"

At the question, he could immediately feel a bead of sweat trickling down his back.

Nick was his closest friend, the one person he could truly count on aside from Moeata, but he swore to never tell him that he had fallen into the underground world of drug dealing. He knew Nick's family situation was a sensitive topic. After being subjected to unspeakable abuse whenever his dad was high on his drug of the week, he could see the lingering trauma which shaped his every move.

So now, Delores kept his illegal activities hidden, terrified that if his friend ever found out, he would hate him. The guilt continued to eat away at him, especially knowing that he was profiting off the same vices that had destroyed his friend's childhood. Except the money was too good, the need to provide for his own dire situation was too great. He would stop one day, he rationalised it, when he didn't have student loans to pay off.

"Delores?" Nick called him musingly, pulling him out of his train of thought.

Trying to subtly change the subject so he did not have to lie to him, he asked instead, "Have you seen Inina today at all?" 

"I did actually, but she ran away from me before I could even talk to her," Nicholas answered, causing his chest to deflate in relief. Thank fuck his friend had the attention span of a peanut. "Did you already tell her how you feel about her?"

He shook his head, throwing an arm over his shoulder and together they walked towards one of the campus buildings. "Your plan was too shit for me to go along with it."

Nicholas frowned and rolled his eyes at him. "Or maybe you're just too pussy to go along with my plan. All you had to do really, was go up to her and tell her you like her. Then seal the deal with a quick shag in the girl's restroom or something."

He must see the disproving look on his face, because Nicholas quickly clarified, "Consensually, of course. I mean, you and her do it all the time. I don't see what the problem is. You look like you're about to piss yourself."

So, he did see the terrified look in his eyes? When exactly could this guy come over to collect the award for worst friend ever? He won it fair and square.

In apprehension, Delores ran a hand through his coarse hair and shook his head again. The feeling of foreboding clenched his stomach and he couldn't help listening to it rather than the idiot in front of him. Nicholas was the one who had been giving him tips and advice on how to get the girl he had been falling for, ever since they spent that first night with each other.

The advice… was not good… at all.

Their current predicament was evidence of that. 

"You don't understand." An involuntary smile inched onto his lips as he thought of Inina. "I mean, she's so fucking stubborn, but that's also one of the reasons why I'm so drawn to her. All her flaws have turned into little quirks I find amusing."

A groan brought him out of his train of thought and he gazed over at Nicholas through the corner of his eye to see him wearing a look of disgust. He shuddered just for added effect. After looking him up and down dramatically, Nicholas sighed in exasperation, shaking his head almost disdainfully.

"I dread the day I fall in love if I'm going to say some cringe shit like that," he muttered mostly to himself, but Delores was more than certain that he meant for him to hear him.

"I'm not in love with her. Besides, you'll understand when you grow up, kid."

"Nah, but you hear yourself, no? All her flaws have turned into little quirks I find amusing," Nicholas mocked him, using a tone which was nothing close to his. It sounded more like their friend, Mo's voice whose voice was somehow not broken yet. He still sounded like a seventh-grader.

He shoved him back, narrowing his eyes at him. "I don't sound like that."

Nicholas chuckled in amusement and he scowled at how his friend wasn't taking the situation as seriously as he should have been. Nick jokingly inserted, "I hate seeing you like this. It's a new low. You hit rock bottom that one time after you broke things off with Cleo, but this is just taking it to a whole other level."

"You're a prick."

"The thing is you like her, Delores," he stated as a matter of fact. "For all you know, she might like you too."

"And she might not, Nick. I mean, I can't even count the number of times I've invited her to one of our parties and she has not even shown up to one. Not even one." He raised his index finger to emphasise his point.

Nicholas stared at him unimpressed as if his statement meant fuck all. It meant a lot to him. It meant Inina did not care about spending any time with him outside of them fucking.

"Maybe catch a hint and stop inviting her to your parties, you neek. Inina doesn't seem like the type to even remotely enjoy parties."

"Okay, well, I've also tried asking her out to eat with me."

"And?"

"She just gave me this weird look and after laughing as if I had told her the funniest joke, she walked away. I—" He sighed just thinking of the rejection. "You know what? Fuck this. It's crazy and it'll never work."

His head snapped to the side when Nicholas suddenly slapped him. His eyes widened in shock and his hand came up to touch his throbbing cheek. It wasn't as painful as a punch, but it was still painful.

"Did you just slap me?"

Nicholas didn't answer him but opted for grabbing his shoulders and shaking them roughly. "Since when did you turn into such a pussy? Seriously, even with all these girls around, you smell like the biggest vagina here. Listen to me, I did not raise a koala bear who bathes in his shit. I raised a ferocious tiger who goes in for the kill."

"You did not raise me," he pointed out to him monotonously. "And I don't see what koala bears and tigers have to do with this. I don't think you're taking this situation seriously, Nick."

Nicholas slapped him again.

He threw him a death stare when his cheek stung in pain again. His jaw clenched to contain his anger. He hissed, "Nick… stop that!"

"You're gonna walk up to Inina, soldier and you are gonna grab her face and you're gonna kiss her," Nicholas growled at him. "You are gonna go in for the kill. Consensually, of course."

"No, I'm not."

He slapped him again.

"What are you? Chicken shit?" he taunted.

He gritted his teeth, clenching his fist before he punched Nicholas in the face for slapping him three times in a row. There was only so much a man could take before he lost his patience. "I'm not chicken shit."

Again, a fourth slap.

Before Nicholas could open his mouth and scold him as if he were some sort of commanding officer, Delores grabbed his collar and almost lifted him off the ground. His eyes narrowed into deathly slits. "Quit bitch slapping me, you piece of shit!"

Nicholas laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. The power goes to your head." He smiled innocently and Delores let him go roughly, turning around to rub a hand against his face in frustration.

"You seem to forget that this is Inina we're talking about. If I got rejected by her, I would be just as torn as I was with Cleo. Maybe even worse. She's not just some chick I'd pick up at one of our parties for a fun quickie. I mean, she was… but now she's not, you know?"

"Mate," Nicholas called for his attention and he hesitantly glanced at him in question, "life is about taking risks. It's about sticking to your guns and maintaining unwavering support for Man United even after they let you down time and time again. It's about taking the ball and passing it to me even though you know I'm a shit striker. You'll never know unless you try."

"It's just like you to compare my love life to football."

"Your non-existent love life, you mean," Nicholas made sure to correct him.

A sarcastic smile twisted onto his lips as he nodded in mock appreciation.

Nicholas patted him on the shoulder encouragingly. "Aight, well I have to go and have a chat with Mr Thorne about my English grade. I mean, the decision is ultimately yours at the end of the day. I can lead the lamb to the top of the hill, but I can't force it to… chew the grass? Is that the saying?"

"Why are you asking me like I'm smart?"

"You're smarter than me, that's for sure."

Nicholas then gave him a goodbye fist-bump and walked down the corridor in the direction of the English department where Mr Throne probably was, in his lecture room.

"Oh, and before I forget," he suddenly called and Delores looked up the corridor to see him shaking a packet of mint. He tossed it over at him and he caught it before it could hit the ground. "You gotta pack a mint."

"Are you saying my breath stinks?" he asks, placing his hand in front of his and inhaling to do a breath check. 

Nicholas bobbed his head up and down, contradicting his check. "You reek, mate. Ever since I met up with you've had this stench following you, like a skunk. Didn't you brush your teeth this morning?"

His eyes widened and he realised what Nicholas was on about. It was his weed. With a stiff smile of faux gratitude, he thanked him and then shoved two mints in his mouth, chewing them nervously.

"Go get her, soldier!" Nicholas saluted him. "Oorah!"

He shook his head at him. Nicholas played too much Call of Duty that was for sure. He glanced down in desperation. A hissed breath got sucked in between his teeth as he chewed on the mints in his mouth.

He did not know what to do. If he went up to Inina and she accepted him then he would be over the moon, but what was the likelihood of that happening? What if he got rejected? It had never been done by any girl before. Inina, though, did not even take notice of his advances. At all. Maybe she thought he was playing games.

He didn't blame her. They were meant to be a one-night stand before they had sex countless times after said one-night stand.

He tried flirting with her, but she just looked at him like he grew a second head and hurried away from him without saying a word, leaving him utterly humiliated. He tried playing it cocky and flirting at the same time since. That too didn't go as planned. He even went as far as to change himself for her. Yeah, that was a bad idea. His circle of friends were bursting out in laughter whenever he came around that entire week.

Well, since he did do all those things, what was one more risk?

Go big or go home. 

He turned around and walked away from the locker room. Glancing down at his smartwatch, he saw that it was five minutes before the next set of lectures began.

He didn't know when exactly he started catching feelings for Inina. It could have been after the sex or it could have been the day she stepped in class with that stand-offish behaviour rolling off her.

He had never seen a girl look so innocent and yet so fucking hot with those smoky grey eyes of hers. He also liked that she stood up for herself when Alejandro, one of Nick's friends whom he never liked, teased her. She just rolled her eyes and made a smart remark which caused the entire class to laugh at his expense. Then she smiled guilelessly, batting those money makers of hers.

His train of thought stopped when he saw a crowd of people gathering around the black, sleek Mercedes C63 in the car park. That was Cleo's car.

Out of curiosity, he walked closer towards the car, pushing and shoving people out of his way. When he was finally able to make out what was happening, he frowned in confusion. Cleo was menacingly towering an inch over Nicholas' younger sister, Talia. At least, he thought her name was Talia. She had her chin buried deep into her chest with a dejected expression on her face.

"What's happening?"

He didn't need to look up to know who the voice belonged to. Finneas stood beside him as his eyes were trained on Talia who was now picking up her textbooks.

"Cleo. That's what's happening," he answered him, glaring at the space Cleo once occupied after she had already walked away.

"What has she done now?" Finneas asked knowingly. Exasperation tainted his tone as it did whenever anyone brought her up in front of him.

"She's getting out of hand," he informed him. He then glanced over at Finneas and noticed that he was wearing a long, purple hat. He gave him a questioning look, pointing at the hat. "What's with the hat?"

"Oh, we're promoting the play the theatre kids are putting on. You know how Brandy likes forcing me to do things I don't want to do."

"She does force a lot of people to do things." He nodded in realisation.

"Anyway, is Cleo still picking on Talia?"

He released a noise of confirmation behind his throat, gritting his teeth in frustration. "You need to keep your sister on a leash, mate."

Finneas scoffed and gave him a look of incredulity. "Cleo can't be kept on a leash, no matter how tight it is. You, of people, should know that. I'm surprised she's picking on Nicholas' sister. The minute he finds out what she's doing, he's gonna tear her a new one."

"Just do something, Finn," he sighed in defeat. He was getting tired of her stupid antics. "I can't have her picking on Talia just because she's friends with Inina. And the thing is, Cleo knows that if she goes directly for Inina, Inina is going to fight back. Physical or otherwise."

"I mean, Talia's not complaining so…" Finneas trailed off when his glower landed on him. He raised his hands in surrender and then nodded, taking a few steps back. "I might not be Superman, but I'll see what I can do." He clicked his tongue, pointing a gun at him using his hand.

When Finneas was out of sight, he turned back around to see his angel. Inina.

An involuntary grin escaped him when she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, biting her bottom lip in thought as Talia probably relayed to her what Cleo had just done to her. Her smoky grey eyes darkened the longer Talia spoke and he wondered whether approaching them now was a good idea. Then again, if he didn't tell her now, he was most certainly going to bitch out later.

Walking towards Inina, he felt like he was walking on air like he was floating on air whenever he was close to her, whenever he thought of her.

All of a sudden, he tripped over something and stumbled forward. Before he knew it, he was gripping Talia's arms and smashing her into the car's side. Her back hit the C63, and luckily the glass didn't shatter from the impact. Their foreheads bumped into each other and she hissed in pain.

"I'm so sorry," he immediately started apologising profusely. "I think I tripped on something. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Her lashes fluttered over her cheeks and she tugged on her rosy lip in pain. For some reason, her reaction had his blood rushing through his veins viscerally. He had never really paid attention to it, but Talia was really pretty up close. Her dark, curly hair which was predominantly covering her left eye and her perfectly shaped lips were…

When she opened her eyes and blinked up at him in confusion, he felt his palms beginning to sweat on the fabric of her sweater and a wobbly grin tugged onto his lips.

A loud throat clearing brought him out of his trance and he looked over at Inina who had been watching the entire time. His eyes widened in realisation and he cleared his throat too, quickly detaching himself from Talia.

"Uh… Inina. Hi."

And he mentally prepared himself for the moment that would either make or break him.