Resplendent by M. J. Abraham

cried out.
    I leaned my head back and laughed as I put my camera in my bag. “You’re no fun!”
    Brittany looped her arm through mine and we walked together toward campus.
    “You better delete all of those,” she demanded.
    I smiled deviously and bit my lip. “I was actually thinking I could use it for my next assignment.”
    Brittany stopped dead in her tracks and pulled on my sweater, her turquoise eyes narrowing. “Savannah Martinez, I will never bring you a caramel macchiato again when you’re up at night, studying for who knows how long.”
    Crap. She’s pulling the big guns. I held up my hand in surrender and kept a straight face. “Okay, okay, I’ll delete the pictures. No need to get sinister.”
    Brittany grinned, a dimple prominent on her cheeks. “I knew you’d see it my way.” She squeezed my arm, looked straight ahead, and her smile instantly grew wider. “Hey, I know those guys. Let’s go and say hi!”
    I groaned. Were there any guys on campus that Brittany didn’t know?
    “Jake Henson in the flesh,” Brittany announced loudly. A duet of boys turned around to face us. Jake stood tall with his blonde, spiky hair and goofy grin. He smiled broadly and walked toward us. When he hugged Brittany, he lifted her up easily, thanks to his athletic build. I laughed at his playfulness.
    “Brittany,” his voice boomed. “Isn’t this your lucky day.”
    Brittany giggled and rolled her eyes. “What are you guys up to tonight?”
    Jake turned and gestured toward his friend. “We’re going to party it up at The Estate. Wanna come?” he asked, looking between the both of us. Brittany twisted her body and wrapped her arm over my shoulder. Uh oh.
    “Sounds cool. We’ll both go,” Brittany answered.
    I shook my head and held up my hands, taking a step back. “No, that’s okay, Brit — you go and have fun.”
    Brittany pouted. “Oh, come on! We haven’t hung out in a long time!”
    “Yeah, you’re more than welcome to come,” the light haired guy behind Jake spoke up. I was immediately enthralled with his piercing green eyes.
    “I’m Sebastian by the way.” He smiled warmly at me, and I took note of his dimples.
    “Savannah,” I responded kindly. “I wish I could, but I have to prepare for my thesis.”
    Brittany sighed behind me and I tried not to cringe. “Don’t take it personally. She’s always preparing for ... something.” Brittany hadn’t been able to figure me out and we’d known each other for three years.
    “That’s too bad.” Sebastian grinned at me and stuck his hands in his back pockets. He looked hot as hell in loose-fitting, light-washed jeans, a long sleeved, scarlet BU sweater and his thick hair slightly damp, as if he’d just gotten out of the shower.
    “If you change your mind, you know where we’ll be,” he told me, as his eyes traveled down my body.
    “Will do,” I smiled and pulled Brittany toward me by the arm. We had to get back to our apartment next to campus.
    “Text me the time!” Brittany turned and called out to Jake. He nodded and waved goodbye as she looped her arm through mine.
    “Sebastian was totally checking out your ass,” she whispered and bumped me in the shoulder.
    I tried to play it off with a shrug, her comment made me feel warm inside. Brittany stayed quiet most of the way to our dorm, which was odd, considering she was a talker. I glanced at her and could see the wheels turning in her head. Her eyes were looking straight ahead but her eyebrows were furrowed. I should have enjoyed the unusual silence between us, but I decided to speak up.
    “What is it, B?” I asked cautiously.
    Brittany sighed. “It’s nothing.”
    I gave her the side eye. “Really? You’re going to pull the ‘it’s nothing’ card on me?”
    Brittany let out a frustrated breath of air. “Sebastian is hot, sweet, and clearly interested in you. Don’t you want to go out with him tonight?”
    “I said that I would, but I have to study…”
    “For what