The Bad Boy Next Room (Charlie and Taylor) novel Chapter 1

‘I love you, Charlie, and you’ll always have a special place in my heart, but I need space. Let’s break up,’ Luke’s words the other night rang in Charlie’s head. ‘I need to focus on my studies and basketball. Scouts will be in town this year, and this might be my only chance to get into the NBA. I hope you understand, Charlie.’

He meant that basketball would be his life from that moment on, and she was nothing more than a distraction.

To think, Charlie was ready to introduce Luke to her family. Luke would have been overwhelmed, but sadly, he ended it before he could truly know the real Charlie Rae King.

Charlie was watching the game between Luxford University’s the Atomic Heat and the Wall Street Warriors. Their school had four basketball teams, and each year, they competed for the chance to represent the school at the National College Basketball Association.

Luke Sullivan was the captain of the Wall Street Warriors. They represented the business courses, whereas the Atomic Heat represented the school’s engineering students.

On the court, Luke was dribbling the ball. The intensity of the game tousled his dark brown hair. His sharp jawline and focused expression added to his striking appearance. With each controlled dribble, his toned arms flexed, and his athletic stance showcased his strength.

‘He is handsome, smart, athletic, and has a good background,’ she said regretfully. ‘My parents would have loved him.’

‘It’s his loss! He won’t be part of my awesome family,’ Charlie concluded, but the more she stared at him, the more it hurt. After all, Luke was her first love, her boyfriend of two years.

“Oh, my god, Luke has the ball!” Ashley, Charlie’s red-haired best friend, screamed.

“He is aiming for a three-pointer. Go, Luke! You can do it! Go!” Charlie’s other best friend, Sofia, cheered.

Then, the two ladies paused. They realized how their cheers were affecting Charlie.

“You are not mad, are you, Charlie?” Ashley asked.

Before Charlie could respond, Sofia groaned. “Oh, no! Taylor fucking West snatched the ball from Luke!”

The dismay on her friends’ faces was evident. Charlie was a business major, and the Wall Street Warriors represented their department, but she could not help but rejoice at how Luke lost the ball. She considered it her mini-revenge for breaking up with her the other night.

“I swear, I just hate Taylor West!” Ashley screamed.

“I hate him too!” Sofia echoed. She looked so frustrated; her brown eyes flickered with anger, and she ran her fingers through her brown hair. “He is so cocky!”

Taylor West was Luke’s number-one rival. For the past three years, their teams competed in the championship. Because of Luke, Charlie had declared Taylor an enemy too, but at that moment, she did not hate him at all.

While her friends talk dirt about Taylor, Charlie said nothing. She returned her attention to the game. The Wall Street Warriors tried to recover, but no matter what they did, the Atomic Heat continued to lead the game. It was primarily thanks to their captain, Taylor West.

Before they knew it, the game was over. The Atomic Heat won, which meant the Wall Street Warriors had to win against the other two basketball teams at Luxford University to qualify for the finals.

“God! I can’t believe we lost to them!” Ashley groaned.

“Things will turn around, you’ll see. The team has been working hard. Maybe Taylor got some steroids or something,” Sofia muttered while rolling her eyes. “They just got lucky this time.”

“Yeah, the Wall Street Warriors will definitely bounce back, and when the finals arrive, Taylor and his team will lose face!” Ashley declared.

Then, they all turned to Charlie and asked, “Hey, you haven’t said a word. Whose side are you on? Don’t let your relationship with Luke affect you. At the end of the day, we still represent the Wall Street Warriors.”

Why were they so affected? This was because Luxford University had boosted the basketball tournaments. When Charlie started her first year in college, all the students raved about basketball as the ultimate obsession. Every basketball player, no matter which team became an instant celebrity. The same goes for whoever dated any basketball player. The competitiveness in each college department was over the top; students sometimes fought when cheering for their representatives.

So, hearing her best friends question her loyalty, Charlie answered, “Of course. I’m with Wall Street Warriors all the way. I’m just… feeling a little down.”

“Aw,” Ashley said with her brows meeting. Her eyes flashed with concern as she hugged Charlie. “I’m sorry Luke broke up with you. I wish there were something we could do to make him reconsider.”

Sofia joined in the embrace and added, “Don’t worry. We are here for you. We’ll help you get over Luke. We are best of friends, after all.”