Run, Girl (If You Can)

Jennica didn't recognize Lacy Knighton until after Keeley had crouched behind her in fear. Even so, she thought it was a coincidence until her friend mentioned she was trying to avoid the woman with the black hair.

No wonder Aaron said it was a good thing he introduced her with a fake name. That psycho might have come after her if she knew who Jennica really was just for being his date!

The food had arrived and Keeley munched on her burger as if she didn't have a care in the world even though she had clearly been spooked by the near run-in with her former enemy.

Lacy was obviously interested in Aaron Hale now so who had she been so obsessed with in high school? Nobody normal would go that far to keep somebody who wasn't even dating their crush away.

Her analysis the night of the party had been right—the world of the ultra-rich was terrifying.

"Keeley, did you go to a private school?" Jennica asked. There was no way someone like that Barbie doll would go to a public high school.

She nodded with a mouth full of fries, swallowing before she answered.

"My family has this weird trust that completely covers education costs but nothing else. It's the only reason I'm able to get my PhD. I would never choose to go into that much debt."

Ah, that made sense. Keeley must really hate rich people after dealing with them for so long.

"Was everyone there a snob?"

"Pretty much. My only friends there were a couple of scholarship kids—you've met them before. We all went to Coney Island together last summer."

"I remember that," Valentina pitched in. "The girl goes to school in California and your guy friend lives in Maryland, correct?"

Keeley twirled her straw in her milkshake.

"Yeah. Lydia's getting her master's degree in social work and once she graduates in the spring she's marrying her fiancé. Jeffrey originally planned to move back to New York after graduation but he got a serious girlfriend while living in D.C. so he decided to go to law school in the area. They'll probably get married eventually too."

"All of my friends back home are already married and having babies," Valentina complained, pulling a face. "My mother is giving me a hard time because I'm focusing on my career right now."

Jennica patted her arm sympathetically.

"I feel you. My mom hates that I'm an actress. She wanted me to be a dental hygienist and marry a dentist. I haven't even been on a date in months."

"I haven't been on a date in over ten years," Keeley said casually.

They both goggled at her. "Are you serious?!"

Jennica screwed up her face. "The last time you went on a date was in middle school?!"

"…yeah."

"Girl, why?!"

She shrugged. "I don't believe in love. I got burned pretty badly by my ex."

What kind of horrible person would she have encountered as a twelve or thirteen year old that turned her off men for over a decade?! Jennica couldn't even imagine that.

"…you do realize that teenage boys are idiots, right? Men in their twenties are much more mature."

Valentina snorted. "Have you met any college boys? They aren't mature at all."

That was fair. Jennica only went to community college for her associate's degree but all of the guys there were idiots.

"Come on, there are at least some men in their twenties who are mature…" She thought about it for a minute. "Oh, what about Ryan? He's nice, smart, and has a good job."

Keeley screwed up her face at the suggestion. "Ryan? No way. We're friends."

"Don't you know friendship is the best way to start a relationship? He's cute, too!"

She had an inkling that Ryan had a crush on her roommate. She didn't know who his other friends were but it was a fact that he was the only guy friend of Keeley's that she saw regularly. Why not give him a try?

Based on all the times he hung out with them Jennica could tell he was funny, responsible, and kind-hearted. He seemed like Keeley's type. And if he liked her as much as she suspected…there was no way he would let her roommate down.

It was official. She was going to try and get this ship to sail.

Keeley deserved to be happy and she was fairly certain Ryan could give her that. They had similar jobs, goals, and senses of humor. It was a match made in heaven!

"He's a good guy," Keeley conceded. "And I do like him as a person but I'm not capable of liking anyone romantically anymore. Not with that fly buzzing around my head."

Valentina and Jennica both looked at her and spoke in unison. "Fly?"

"Ah…did I not mention I see my ex regularly because he won't leave me alone?"

No she did not! That was fairly big news; why didn't she say anything earlier in the conversation?

Keeley was such a simple, unassuming person. She rarely talked about anything remotely personal. Who would have known how much was going on under the surface of her relatively normal life?

"Who is this guy?" Jennica demanded.

"Um…I'd rather not tell. He hasn't been so bad lately though…"

He hasn't been so bad lately but he was bad enough to make her stop believing in love before? It sounded an awful lot like she was still hung up on him. This could be a problem.

"You're not still in love with him, are you?!"

"No!" she protested, looking deadly serious. "Absolutely not. I stopped loving him years ago. Now I'm just annoyed that he won't leave me be."

Examining Keeley's facial expression, she seemed to be telling the truth. She really didn't care about the guy anymore.

"Then why don't you tell him to shove it?"

"I've tried that," she sighed. "It only made him more persistent. If I avoid him completely he only chases me more. It's better to just let him text me."

Valentina's brow furrowed. "Wait…is this the guy who that girl we saw earlier liked in high school?"

Keeley's mouth rounded into an 'o' of surprise. "How did you guess?"

"Earlier you mentioned you were trying to avoid the boy she liked. I was curious whether or not it was a coincidence."

Geez. What a tangled web. The poor girl really couldn't catch a break, could she? This guy had been bothering her all the way since high school. Jennica hated people who decided they wanted to get back with their ex once they saw how happy they were without them.