Only Friends (Destinations Series Book 1) Read online

  Only

  Friends

  Plagiarism is a crime!

  This is a work of fiction. Although places and objects are real, the characters and the story are completely fictional. Any resemblance is merely a coincidence.

  Bibliography:

  Author(s): Kira Freitas

  Edition year: 2019

  Cover designer: Vanessa Freitas

  Diagram: Vanessa Freitas

  Only Friends

  Book 01 of the A Novel Destinations

  Brooke Evans has plans to graduate from Harvard Law School, but for this, she has the difficult mission of graduating from her chosen course in her first year. Born and raised in high society, daughter of rich parents, Brooke follows rules to please the family, so is always reserved. But deep down she hates all the ostentation of her parents, and the snobbish people with whom they and their fiancé live together. To achieve higher grades in the course and graduate with honors, Brooke should serve as a tutor in a complementary job. The problem is that his pupil is no less than Ryder Taylor, the most coveted bady boy on the New York University campus. Brooke doesn't like him at all, because Ryder is arrogant, arrogant, overbearing and dismissive in everything he does. To know that he's your only salvation leaves you upset. Only Ryder also needs Brooke's knowledge to make up for lost time. Because of his innumerable faults, he is about to fail the philosophy course and the only way to recover his notes is to form a duo with the most nerdy and sharp-spoken girl he has ever met. Little by little, an unusual friendship happens, evolving into a passion that will change the lives of both.

  Index

  Bibliography:

  Only Friends

  Index

  Chapter 01

  Chapter 03

  Chapter 04

  Chapter 05

  Chapter 06

  Chapter 07

  Chapter 08

  Chapter 09

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  About the author

  Other Works

  Chapter 01

  Brooke

  My scream echoes all over the small room in the accommodation on the university campus. I look at the clock and see that it was late, because the hands were seven and a half in the morning. In four years of studying philosophy, I had never been late. That would be the first time. First and only!

  I think as I run from side to side, tripping over an old armchair in the corner between the bedroom and the bathroom. Jane, my best friend, had already gotten up or simply hadn't slept in her bed that night. Smiling, I think I'll share the dorm with some crazy woman.

  Jane also studied philosophy at UNY and, like me, she didn't go home because her parents were as crazy as mine. We were in our senior year, with only one semester to go until graduation, but I still had a long way to go to get a scholarship to study law at Harvard.

  My father owned a multinational company and wanted me to study at Yale, because that's where he and my mother graduated, but I always dreamed of going to Harvard. For this reason, I began to save money to pay for college, since my father had said that he wouldn't pay for my studies if they weren't at Yale. My mother was director and owner of a country club. Every year she promoted a debutante ball, and women from high society made sure to register their daughters for the event. They had etiquette class once a week. It was ridiculous that there was still the clowning of presenting daughters to society and offering them as cattle to the boys of the richest families. I hated that little world of theirs. My mother made me attend events once a week. I barely had time for myself, as I study at random times and work nights as a waitress at a nightclub near the university campus. My parents loved all that status and lived traveling at company conferences. I could barely find them, so they left me with an unlimited credit card and a large allowance to spend the month while they were traveling, but I converted most of the money into a booklet for my trip to Harvard and spent only my salary.

  I didn't like nights and parties very much, so it was easy to save money and use the card only for food and, from time to time if necessary, shoes or clothes. I'd like to be reserved, so Aron's friends, my boyfriend, didn't like me very much. He was the captain of the basketball team and very popular on campus. He was surrounded by snobby, fake people, who I only put up with because I was his girlfriend. He was guaranteed a scholarship to the Harvard team because of his performance in the games. Aron also studied philosophy and intended to pursue his father's career, who was a well-known promoter for defending politicians and wealthy people. He was the total opposite of me. Sometimes I wonder what I was doing next to him, but that was Aron's way of being and I love him anyway.

  Aron had some friends with whom he was practically stuck. It was the boys on the team and their respective girlfriends who were obviously cheerleaders. Tiffany Dowson was the only one who didn't date anyone on the team. She was the only one who had grown up with us and was always flattering me. I knew it was pure falsehood, but I was trying to be nice. I was considered the geek in the group for living with my face in the books.

  I'll be ready in ten minutes wearing a pair of jeans, white shirt and a pink cardigan. I wear my sneakers and choose to stop by Starbucks to pick up a coffee on the way to college. Taking the backpack, I throw it on my shoulders and follow out of the room. The corridor was a chaos of people who, like me, were also late. I hurry to the stairs, pushing whoever gets in his way to open the way. I cross the entrance corridor when I reach the building complex where I was studying. It was five minutes until the beginning of the lesson, and if I hurried, I would be able to get there on time. I was running so distracted and hurriedly down the wide, now empty corridor that I didn't notice when the door of one of the broom closets suddenly opened, hitting precisely my already confused head. The blow was so strong that I fell backwards on the floor with all the books on top of me. So much for my chance not to be late!

  - Jesus Christ, are you okay?

  A deep, worried voice asks. The boy bends down beside me and, taking my arms, helps me stand. Breathing blink and trying to focus. I face a beautiful pair of blue eyes and soon I come across the face of Ryder Taylor.

  - Ah! It's you! - I say frustrated. - Why am I not surprised?

  I clean my clothes under Ryder's watchful eye. He was the most popular idiot on the UNY campus and perhaps from other colleges as well. He was even more popular than Aron. Ryder studied philosophy too, but I never found him in classrooms, only on trial days. He went out with practically all the girls and lived in parties promoted on the beaches with his friends, who were the total opposite of those of Aron. Ryder had a habit of taking the girls to the closet, where the janitor of the building kept the brooms and cleaning items during class hours. He liked to go to the club where I work and we used to bump into each other, since I was a lane waitress.

  Ryder was very handsome with his short brown hair that covered the back of his neck and lived messed up, always falling on his eyes. His arms were strong and muscular as if he spent the day working out. The legs were long and well turned. Ryder had a time to be jealous of any model. He was always wearing a T-shirt, leather jacket, pants and boots, because he rode a motorcycle. He was the typical bad boy. I look at him from top to bottom when my view stops blurring and I make a face. Tears of pain stubbornly blur my eyes, but blinking them in again. The black shirt was all crumpled up like he was in a fight. There was a cut on the bottom o
f his perfect lips and a small cut on the left eyebrow. That was a big mystery, because Ryder was hurt like he was constantly getting in and out of fights, which I didn't doubt, but nobody knew the reason. I found him pedantic and hated the way he treated girls. It was disgusting the way he treated them, as if they were his private little toy. The worst thing was to watch them queue up to find out who "Mrs. Taylor" would be at the time, and that was just for one night. It was amazing how easily the girls fell into his trap and liked to be the subject among people, for having sex with Ryder Taylor. It was as if they carried that as a trophy and were proud to show it off. Disgusting! Simply, disgusting!

  Despite being one of the popular girls because of Aron, I was keen to stay away from Ryder. He was always the troublemaker type and liked to break the rules. I didn't draw attention, even on account of my parents who always hated scandals.

  - My head! - I mean, putting your hand under the place where the door slammed. A rooster was already forming on my forehead. - Are you crazy? What were you doing in the broom closet?

  - If I said I was looking for a broom, would you believe me? - he asked with a debauched smile on his square face.

  I turn my eyes with grief.

  - I think it's better if I don't know! - I answer.

  - Why were you running? - he asks by frowning. - It's not fire training, is it? Because I didn't hear any alarms.

  He argues, lowering to get the books that were lying on the floor.

  - I'm late for one of the classes. - I say making a face and then I smile ironically. - Do you happen to know what this is?

  - Of course I do! - he answers in a funny tone, making me snort. - I've been late several times and I'm not dying for it.

  - Is that so? - I say in a debauched voice. - Because of you, I'll have to go to the infirmary and miss my class.

  He makes a face and puts his hand on the square chin. A thick silver ring shines on his thumb when he raises his hand, attracting my gaze to his long, thick fingers. He slowly bypasses me, like he's doing a slight evaluation, so, Ryder, to my back.

  - Relax, princess! - he says smiling and sighing in my ear. - Have you ever thought about being anything other than the nerd you're trying to be?

  The whisper of his soft, deep voice causes chills in my skin when his hot breath touches my neck. Usually I wore my hair loose, but today I didn't have much time to comb it right, so I had it stuck in a coke.

  - I'm not trying to look like anything! - I mean in a harsh tone.

  My head was beginning to throbbing, and I, who see very little without my glasses, begin to see everything cloudy. Still, I can see a girl coming out of the broom closet, fixing her skirt and blouse. I frown when she looks at Ryder playing a blinking kiss. I shake my head with disgust when the brunette passes by me with her micro skirt, short blouse hopefully falling and a ten centimetre jump on my feet. It was Janice Michel, the campus bitch. She was such a whore, she'd taken that title from Tiffany. Janice went out with everyone from college and was about to be crowned the queen of the tramps next to Ryder, who was the king of the libertines.

  - Hey, come here! You wouldn't happen to know this is a college, would you? - I ask as I go down to pick up the books that were still on the floor.

  - Why is that? - he says ironic. - Are you offering a tour to introduce me to the campus?

  I look at him quietly as I let out a laugh.

  - Dream on! - I whisper with disdain, - We'll never be friends, who'll say take walks together.

  Ryder smiles at me in a sexy way and I frowned.

  - Oh, boy. Aside from being a nerd, are you a psychic? - he asks, picking up a quantum physics book that I used to read in between classes.

  - Stop calling me a nerd! - I say snitching. - I'm not a nerd!

  Ryder laughs as he continues to pick up the remaining books.

  - Well, then it can only be the right daughter of a politician. - ...he watches in a debauched tone. - Quantum physics? Who in their right mind reads quantum physics?

  I pull the other books out of his hands so hard, Ryder makes a face.

  - People with IQ! - I answer with irony. - Since you questioned it, do you happen to know what IQ means?

  Ryder faces me with his arms crossed, making me smile ironically at him. He breaks his neck to one side and responds:

  - Who cares?

  I close my eyes to contain a feeling of fainting and, when I open them, a nausea takes over my stomach. That hit had been stronger than I thought.

  - Are you all right? Ryder asks if he'll come over and take my arm. - Come on! I'll take you to the infirmary.

  Ryder was pulling me in the opposite direction, but I pull my arm angrily causing him to become unbalanced.

  - I don't need your help or charity! - ...I'll answer with a harsh response. - I might as well find my own way. Besides, you have a visitor.

  I whisper in his ear, staying on tiptoe. Ryder was much taller than me, measuring about 1.90 in height. He looks at me confusingly and frown. With a smile of satisfaction, I point to the end of the corridor on his back, from where the dean had been taking hard passes. He makes a face knowing he's gonna get beat up.

  - Sir, Taylor! Why am I not surprised to find you here? - the dean says sarcastically. So look at me and he made a face. - Haven't I already told you that my campus is not a motel?

  My smile falls apart and I widen my eyes looking at the dean.

  - You don't think I was here with this idiot, do you? - ...I shoot indignantly with a frown of disgust. - Because if that's the case, I'm already saying that you're wrong to think that I'd lock myself with that imbecile in that or any closet.

  - Hey! - Ryder says indignant when he hears the words "idiot" and "imbecile".

  - All right! All right! What are you doing here that's not in the classroom? - the dean asks.

  I take a deep breath to contain a fissure in my forehead.

  - I was running toward his class when this fool came out of the closet and hit me on the forehead with the door.

  The dean looked at her and then frowned as I was getting paler and paler.

  - Miss Evans, are you all right? - he asks with concern pointing the rooster. - This is very ugly. You should go to the infirmary to see that rooster.

  I make a face and put my hand on my forehead.

  -- That's exactly what I'll do. - I answer with a sigh. - That's really hurting.

  - All right! All right! - the dean says smiling. - I'll justify your absence. In this way you keep your history immaculate.

  - Thank you! - I say with relief that I don't get a foul. I start to walk, until I stop to face Ryder with fun. - Oh, by the way! Good luck to you and your "Who cares". I hope you get out of this one without too much injury.

  Laughing, I walk towards the infirmary, while Ryder frown, making a frustrated face. I can still hear him banging one foot on the floor and mumbling.

  - Fucking nerd!

  ***

  After passing through the infirmary and receiving a dressing, in addition to painkillers, I follow to the next class. I sit in my usual seat and open the book. There's a buzz in the room and everybody's looking at me. I'm used to it, but today it lasts longer than usual. Thank God, Mrs. Flatcher walks into the room and the buzz stops. The rest of the class flows and I get distracted from the events. When the time is up, I decide to go to the inner courtyard and read a little. Soon Aron will come out of practice to find me. I sit on one of the benches and open my physics book. My peace is short-lived, for Aron's friends find me and sit next to me. Every time I was in the courtyard at that time, his friends surrounded me and distracted me. Aron was never around on these occasions and I did not understand why they talked about things I did not like. Tiffany was never around on these occasions either. Didn't they lame themselves that they were friends of Aron and Tiffany, not mine? And that I hated your futile and unnecessary conversations?

  While they were talking, I just sat there pretending to pay attention. I tried to concentrate hard, b
ut it was difficult to achieve that feat. Shaine and Bruce were sitting on one of the benches with Louise and Mia, respectively on their colums. They kissed fervently and I felt myself watching a live porn movie. Camila and Amanda were standing talking about maneuvers. They were Tiffany's cheerleaders and best friends. I sighed concentrating my mind on Aron. He was the son of my mother's best friend and we'd known each other since we were kids. He had black and straight hair that was always distributed to one of the sides, stretched with lots of gel. We started dating two years ago, when I was sixteen and we were finishing high school. It was during one of the events promoted by his mother at the country club that we exchanged our first kiss. He was a brilliant student, although I had the impression that Aron was studying just for fun.

  - I think it's about time I switched places if I want some quiet. - I grumble already without patience.

  My head hurt and the pain increased when they began to question the cock on my forehead. Thanks to Ryder, the speculations of his meeting at the door of that closet, were already running loose across the campus. They ask if I was going to the party at the Phi Iota Mu fraternity house that would be held that night. I say no. Because of my plans to graduate with praise, I even left the fun aside. I didn't participate in the parties and meetings promoted by the fraternities or by the friends of Aron. Even he had the custom of not going to the fraternal feasts to which he was invited. Apart from the events at the country club, Aron would just drop me off at home and then go to his apartment, from where he called wishing me good night. Aron also ran Dad's club, where I only went once. That night, I just stayed at the bar while Aron solved some urgent problem that had appeared. I hated the nightclub, which was a point for many members of high society, but it looked like a brothel with girls who looked more like prostitutes.

  - You study too much, you know that? - observed Cammi.

  - You hardly have any fun! - said Amanda. - You'll end up blinded by so much that you read.

  I sigh before answering the remarks.