Game Changer: #UofJ Book 2- A Second Chance Romantic Comedy Sports Romance (U of J)
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#UofJ2
Game Changer
#UofJ2
Alley Ciz
Also by Alley Ciz
#UofJ Series
Looking To Score
Game Changer
Playing For Keeps- Preorder, Releasing December 3, 2020
*An Untitled Royalty Crew U of J Spin-Off Novel*- Preorder, Releasing March/April 2021
BTU Alumni Series
Power Play (Jake and Jordan)
Tap Out (Gage and Rocky)
Sweet Victory (Vince and Holly)
Puck Performance (Jase and Melody)
Writing Dirty (Maddey and Dex)
BTU6- Coming 2021
@UofJ411: Thought you didn’t fumble @CasaNova87? #OffYourGame #LosingMoreThanTDs
I had the girl—THE girl.
Kay. My Skittles…MINE.
The a blitz from the past flattened me like a linebacker.
Time for a new playbook.
Mason Nova is…argh!
I told myself to stay away.
Warned my heart not to fall for him.
Did it listen? NOPE.
Now it feels like it’s crushed under a fallen cheer pyramid.
Sorry to tell you, but you are NOT a game changer.
GAME CHANGER is book 2 in the U of J Series and cannot be read as a stand-alone. It picks up right from the cliff LOOKING TO SCORE threw you off of. Can our too-charming-for-his-own-good Casanova win back his pint-sized, rainbow-haired sass queen in this second chance sports romance? The banter between these two continues until Mase and Kay’s story concludes in PLAYING FOR KEEPS out in December.
Game Changer (#UofJ2)
Alley Ciz
Copyright © 2020 by House of Crazy Publishing, LLC
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, medium and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Copyright © 2020 by House of Crazy Publishing, LLC
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-950884-13-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-950884-14-8
Cover Designer: Julia Cabrera at Jersey Girl Designs
Cover Photographer: Wander Book Club Photography
Cover Models: Megan Napolitan & Wayne Skivington
Editing: Jessica Snyder Edits, C. Marie
Proofreading: Gem’s Precise Proofreads; Dawn Black
Created with Vellum
To Jenny! You are so much more than my PA, you are literally the other half of my brain most days, as well as my best friend.
#YesWeKnowMaseIsYours
Author Note
Dear Reader,
GAME CHANGER IS BOOK 2 in the U of J Series. You must read book 1, LOOKING TO SCORE, prior to this installment to follow the story properly.
If I’m new to you and you haven’t read my BTU Alumni books you’re fine.
If you have met my other crazy squad of friends and Covenettes there are a few cameos in here you might enjoy, with a tiny time gap between the two series.
XOXO
Alley
IG Handles
CasaNova87: Mason ‘Casanova’ Nova (TE)
QB1McQueen7: Travis McQueen (QB)
CantCatchAnderson22: Alex Anderson (RB)
SackMasterSanders91: Kevin Sanders (DE)
LacesOutMitchell5: Noah Mitchell (K)
CheerGodJT: JT (James) Taylor
TheGreatestGrayson37: G (Grant) Grayson
ThirdBaseAdam16: Adam
CheerNinja: Rei
TheBarracksAtNJA: The Barracks
NJA_Admirals: The Admirals
TightestEndParker85: Liam Parker
Nicknames
Mason Nova: Casanova/Mase
Kayla Dennings: Kay/PF/Smalls/Short Stack
E (Eric) Dennings
CK (Chris) Kent
Em (Emma) Logan
Q (Quinn)
JT (James) Taylor
T (Tessa) Taylor
Pops (James) Taylor Sr.
G (Grant) Grayson
D (Dante) Grayson
Mama G- Mrs. Grayson
Papa G- Mr. Grayson
B (Ben) Turner
Contents
Playlist
1. Kayla
2. Mason
3. #TheGram
4. Kayla
5. Mason
6. #TheGram
7. Mason
8. Kayla
9. Mason
10. Kayla
11. Mason
12. Kayla
13. Mason
14. #TheGram
15. Kayla
16. Mason
17. Kayla
18. #TheGram
19. Mason
20. Kayla
21. Mason
22. #TheGram
23. Kayla
24. #TheGram
25. Kayla
26. Kayla
27. Mason
28. Kayla
29. Mason
30. Kayla
31. Mason
32. Kayla
33. Mason
34. Kayla
35. #TheGram
36. Mason
37. Kayla
38. #TheGram
39. Mason
40. Kayla
41. Kayla
42. Mason
43. #TheGram
44. Kayla
45. #TheGram
46. Kayla
47. Mason
48. Kayla
49. Mason
50. #TheGram
51. Mason
52. Mason
53. #TheGram
54. Kayla
55. #TheGram
56. Mason
57. Kayla
58. Mason
59. Kayla
60. #TheGram
61. Mason
62. Kayla
Randomness For My Readers
Acknowledgments
For A Good Time Call
Also by Alley Ciz
About the Author
Playlist
“Haunted”- Kelly Clarkson
“Dark Side”- Bishop Briggs
“Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)”- Plain White T’s
“Blurry”- Puddle Of Madd
“Notice”- Little Mix
“Malibu Nights”- LANY
“All Around Me”- Flyleaf
“Wasabi”- Little Mix
“Guys Don’t Like Me”- It Boys!
“Haunted”- Taylor Swift
“Trust Issues”- Olivia O’Brien
“Up & Down”- Dana Dentata
“Make You Miss Me”- Sam Hunt
“Break Up With Your Girlfriend (I’m Bored)- Ariana Grande
“Just A Man”- SoMo
“Unsteady”- X Ambassadors
“The Heart Wants What It Wants�
�- Selena Gomez
“Nights Like This”- Kehlani feat Ty Dolla $ign
“Fuck Apologies”- JoJo feat Wiz Khalifa
“Call You Mine”- The Chainsmokers feat Bebe Rexha
“My Kinda Party”- Jason Aldean
“Human”- Rag’n’Bone Man
“Frustrated”- R.LUM.R
“Low”- Greyson Chance
“Sound Of Your Heart”- Shawn Hook
“Suffer”- Charlie Puth
“Brokenhearted”- Karmin
“Don’t Stop”- 5 Seconds of Summer
“Close To Me”- Ellie Goulding with Diplo
“Never Really Over”- Katy Perry
“Dangerously In Love”- Destiny’s Child
“Falling”- Harry Styles
“Just A Friend”- Biz Markie
“STFU & Hold Me”- Liz Huett
“Hallucinate”- Dua Lipa
“Pom Poms”- Jonas Brothers
“A-YO”- Lady Gaga
“I Love Me”- Demi Lovato
“F.F.F.”- Bebe Rexha feat G-Eazy
“Teenagers”- My Chemical Romance
“Distraction”- Kehlani
“Ruin My Life”- Zara Larsson
“Play With Fire”- Sam Tinnesz feat Yacht Money
“Castle”- Halsey
“Thunderstruck”- AC/DC
“Unstoppable”- The Score
“BLOW”- Ed Sheeran feat Chris Stapleton
“How To Start A War”- Simon Curtis
FIND PLAYLIST on Spotify.
#Chapter1
“This was a mistake.”
Replaying the words in my head does nothing to dilute the painful memory of them.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” I implored. The irony of it all…the campus playboy, Mr. Casanova, accusing me of being a cheater.
“No. I mean this.”
Tears fall again at how callously he classified us.
“This is the reason I don’t do relationships.”
More tears, so many more.
“Oof. What the?”
Dimly I’m aware of being stepped on…neither the pain nor the sound of a body stumbling to the ground next to me really registering, lost inside my head…
“Are you breaking up with me?”
Even now I cringe at how pathetic I sounded.
“Yes.”
One word. One syllable. One finite answer and he was gone.
“Kay?”
Wait…
That was said out loud. I heard that with my ears, right?
“Kay?”
I know that voice.
“Kay?”
Why is JT calling me Kay? He barely ever calls me that, not since he coined my PF nickname.
PF.
Thinking of the name makes me scowl.
“Why don’t you tell me, P. F.” Mason spits out each letter of my nickname like it offends him.
How could two letters be the catalyst for destroying such a vital part of me?
“Kay, what’s wrong?”
Everything.
“Oh my god, Kay.” Em crouches down at my side.
“Why is she in the hallway? Is she hurt?” Q drops down on my other side.
I’m still in the hallway?
Hmm…
I wonder how long I’ve been here. If they’re here, it must mean the game is over, so I guess it’s been a few hours. Have I really been sitting in this spot the whole time?
It’s happening again—the breakdown, the foggy haze, the complete loss of time, the inability to speak, the shutting down. It’s like an old habit I can’t break.
The breakup, though debilitating in the moment, isn’t even the worst of it. That’s the biggest blow. I thought I’d grown stronger, thought I’d learned ways to cope, ways to never fall victim to the crushing weight of my emotions again.
“Kay, talk to me.” Strong hands grip my shoulders but, again, I barely register the touch, like a ghost floating, taking in the scene from above.
“Kayla, what the fuck is going on?”
Fingers pinch my chin and lift until I’m no longer staring at the floor. Instead, as my vision clears, the haze dissipates and a new stream of tears starts to fall down my cheeks as I meet a concerned set of whiskey-colored eyes.
I watch as those same eyes track the drip of tears onto my chest, like a leaky faucet I can’t turn off.
“Why are you crying?”
Because…
I don’t answer. I can’t even think it; how am I supposed to voice it?
“Em, check the Gram,” JT instructs, doing his best to piece together what happened without having the puzzle pieces.
“Were you even bullied? Or is that just some lie you used to get me to stop pushing the issue of posting about us on my social media?”
“Nothing since they figured out she’s PF Dennings from NJA.”
I flinch at the name, my body having a Pavlovian response. I close my eyes to shut out the pain but then force them open again, anchoring myself back in the present by locking them onto my oldest friend.
“This doesn’t make sense.” JT runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “She wouldn’t just be like this. Something happened.”
Just my heart being broken.
“Should we call Mason?” Q asks.
I jerk in JT’s hold. Why am I fighting the numbness? I should give in, let it take me away again so I can just stop hurting.
“He didn’t answer.” Q’s voice sounds like it’s coming from inside a tunnel, but I still manage to be conscious of her relaying the information to JT.
Of course he wouldn’t answer.
“Try again,” JT instructs.
I should tell them not to bother; the result isn’t going to change. Mase—no! He’s not Mase; it’s Mason now—won’t answer. He’s done with me.
“Are you breaking up with me?”
“Yes.”
“Kayla, I swear to god, if you don’t open your mouth and use your words right now, I’m calling E.”
The threat is enough to pop the last of the bubble of gloom surrounding me.
“Can we stop with the Kay/Kayla stuff? It freaks me out.”
JT sags like a deflated balloon, his body falling forward, his head pressing into my lower belly as puffs of air ripple the fabric of my sweatpants.
“JT is just a friend. He’s as much a brother to me as E.”
“Yeah, and in Biz Markie’s song, that’s exactly what the bitch says when she’s actually hooking up with the other guy.”
“Fuck, Kay.” JT’s arms band around my hips and he holds on to me like he’s the one in need of the lifeline and not me.
“You’re still doing it.” I bring a hand up and start to run it through the short dark auburn hair on the back of his head. The action soothes him, but I do it more to reaffirm to myself that he’s real. As close as E and I are, JT has always been my anchor.
Our friendship may not be the most conventional, but it is purely platonic. JT is legit my bloodless brother.
Mason isn’t the first person to think there’s more to my relationship with JT than there is. It’s one thing to think it; it’s entirely another to believe it. I know there are parts of me, things I still haven’t told him, about how bad things got after my dad died and the events that led to the deletion of my Instagram…but, seriously, after all the stories he’s heard about JT and me growing up…how? How did he come to such an incorrect conclusion?
“—you didn’t want things posted of us because you were worried about your other boyfriend finding out.”
I’m not a liar, and I’m certainly not a cheat. For Mason to accuse me of being both those things is what hurts the most. Yes, I’ve kept parts of my past secret. It was a way to protect myself, to shed the veil of being a victim, to keep my heart safe.
Fat lot of good that did.
“What happened?” JT tries again.
Both Em and Q fidget, unsure what to do. I don’t blame them. Bei
ng aware of the fact that I fell apart in high school is tough enough, but witnessing it is a whole other level. For as bad as this scene is coming across, it isn’t anywhere near me at my worst.
“J.” I choke out the single letter, giving away my desperation. It’s as rare for me to drop the T in his name as it is for him to call me Kay.
With a muttered curse, I’m lifted from the floor and cradled in JT’s lap. My nose brushes along the skin bared by the V of his cheer uniform’s collar and sweatshirt, the familiar scent of sweat and eucalyptus keeping me from the brink of total collapse.
“What can I do? What do you need?” he asks in a distressed plea, taking on the anguish bleeding off me.
“Home,” I sob.
I can’t be here, in the place where I first started to fall for Mason, surrounded by memories that are mundane but still hold weighted significance.
“Okay.” With the ease only a person used to tossing girls over his head can exude, JT rises from the ground, still holding me in his arms, and follows Em’s directions to my bedroom.