Nice Guys Don't Win (A College Sport's Romance)

by Micalea Smeltzer

  “How are you feeling?” Cole asks, when he ventures out of his bedroom in the morning. I got up earlier than normal, paranoid about bleeding through my clothes again. The few hours of extra sleep I did get were a big help.

  “Better. Thanks to you.”

  He waves off my praise, heading for the fridge. He pulls out the orange juice and pours it into a cup. “I’m going to make an omelet, you want one?”

  I frown at the idea of eggs. “No thank you, but would you mind bringing me one of my Oreos?”

  I’m currently laying on the couch, burrowed beneath a blanket and don’t want to leave my comfy spot if I don’t have to.

  He grabs me two Oreos—smart man—and brings them over.

  I nibble on one, not allowing myself to worry about how this is hardly a suitable breakfast. Sometimes you have to say screw it and eat the dessert first.

  There’s a knock on the door and he arches a brow. “Are you expecting someone?”

  I shake my head.

  He crosses the room to the door and swings it open, revealing Teddy standing there with a Krispy Kreme box.

  “Morning, Dad. Mom.” Teddy smiles in my direction. “I come bearing gifts. The light was on.” He lifts the box. “Hot and delicious glazed donuts. Except for the cake batter one—the yellow with sprinkles—that’s mine, don’t think about taking it.”

  “Why are you here?” Cole asks him as Teddy pushes his way inside, setting the box on the coffee table. He picks up my feet, blanket and all, and sits down, letting my legs rest back on his lap.

  “My spidey senses were tingling and I knew you guys were missing me. Surprise! Here I am.” He tosses his hands in the air.

  Cole shakes his head, locking the door. “Trust me, we weren’t missing you.”

  “Dad, don’t hurt my feelings. They’re fragile.”

  “Yeah, talk nice to our doggy.”

  Teddy grins at me. “I like belly rubs.”

  “Go somewhere else for those. But I will take a donut.”

  Teddy leans over and opens the box, passing me a glazed. Cole shakes his head, resigned to the fact that we just can’t seem to get rid of Teddy, which is honestly comical since he was supposed to be his roommate. I’m not going to complain, though. I’m happy that didn’t work out and I ended up with a nice place to say. Honestly, this is way better than living in a dorm and Cole’s much easier to get along with than a girl can be.

  “We should do something fun today.”

  “No,” Cole and I say simultaneously.

  He’s chopping some peppers, preparing the ingredients for his omelet.

  “Fun suckers,” Teddy mutters, picking up his donut. It’s just as bright and colorful as his personality. Glancing at me, he inquires, “Do you like baseball, Zoey?”

  “No.”

  He gasps. “But I play baseball.”

  “This is good news then. You can be my favorite player.”

  “Damn straight.” He grins, holding up his fist.

  I reluctantly pull my arm from beneath the blanket and bump my hand against his.

  “You better be cheering me on in the stands in the spring.”

  “Keep dreaming.”

  “Leave Zoey alone,” Cole grumbles from the kitchen. I can’t help but notice the way his back muscles flex, even in his cotton shirt.

  “Zoey loves me.”

  “Did she say that?” Cole retorts.

  “Well, no, but—”

  “Why aren’t you with Jude?”

  Teddy pretends to gag. “He went for a run. Asked me to go, but no way in hell am I doing that. Learned my lesson with Mascen. Running’s the devil.”

  “Who’s this Mascen you guys are always talking about? Am I ever going to get to meet him?”

  “He was at the bonfire. Sorry we didn’t introduce you.” Teddy gives me a sheepish smile. “It seemed like you two had a good time, though.” He winks, reminding me of Joey from Friends. Honestly, they even have similar personalities.

  I was kind of surprised he didn’t bring up the bonfire yesterday, but maybe he was still hungover enough to not remember.

  “It was fun,” Cole replies in a monotone, sliding his breakfast onto a plate. He grabs a fork and starts digging in on his way over, where he drops into the chair.

  “I enjoyed it.”

  Teddy grins, eyes darting between us. “Uh-huh. I might’ve been making out with one of the sorority girls—Jessica? Or maybe it was Savannah? No, it was definitely Kayla. Anyway, that doesn’t matter, what does is the fact that I saw you two.” He waggles his finger between us then smacks his hands together. “Fireworks. Boom. Pow. Chemistry.”

  Cole’s eyes connect with mine for the briefest second before we both hastily break eye contact.

  “You know, I once met a fortune teller at a fair and she told me I have the Eye for these kinds of things. I’m telling you now, you two…” Teddy gives a low whistle. “Something is there.”

  Cole gives his friend an incredulous look. “You know that shit isn’t real. She was just fucking with you.”

  “She was legit man, I’m telling you. Long flowing skirt, beads, all those dangly bracelets that clinked when she walked. The things she told me man … she was the real deal, I know it.”

  Cole stares down at his eggs, lips twitching.

  “Fine, don’t believe me.” He takes a massive bite of his donut, eating almost half of it in the one bite. “But I know the truth.”

  I look back at Cole, our eyes connecting for the briefest of seconds.

  I swallow past the lump in my throat. Yeah, I think we know the truth too, but we’re both going to keep lying to ourselves and each other because it’s easier.

  11

  Cole

  I grunt, pushing the barbell up. Teddy spots me, counting out loud.

  When my arms start to shake, he yells, “Are you fucking weak, man? Push it up! I know you’re better than this!”

  Groaning, I crank out three more reps before I’m done. I’m dripping with sweat as I climb off the bench. I grab my towel, drying my face.

  Teddy adjusts the weights and then it’s his turn. I stand over him to spot, looking around the gym. I see Mascen near the end with Murray.

  I need to talk to him, I know. Selfishly, there’s a part of me that wants to put all the blame on him and make him do all the work, but that’s not how friendship goes, and if ours has any chance of survival it’s going to take both of us working at it.

  Teddy finishes up and I tap him on the shoulder. “I’m going to go talk to Mascen.”

  “Seriously?” His eyes widen, noticing him at the other side of the gym. “It’s about damn time. Get to it.” He slaps my ass with his towel. “I’m going to shower. A few of us are going to Harvey’s tonight. You in?”

  I ponder it for a moment. “Maybe.”

  “Cool, text me later if you decide to come.”

  I give him a nod and count silently in my head to ten before I walk over to Mascen and Murray.

  “Mind if we talk?”

  Murray clears his throat. “Play nice,” he jokes, walking off with a grin.

  I sigh, rubbing the back of my head. I should’ve thought about this more before I walked over, had some idea what I was going to say.

  “I’ve been a dick to you, I know,” I blurt it out there, getting it off my chest.

  Mascen’s brows rise. “You haven’t been a dick, man. Sure, you’ve been distant, but fuck, I don’t blame you.” He pushes his fingers through his sweat-damp hair. “You know I’m sorry, and I’m not the type to keep repeating myself so I’ve chosen to keep my distance and hoped … I don’t know, that one day we could move on. I don’t want to lose you as my friend, but…”

  “But Rory is more important,” I finish for him.

  Maybe it’s because I’ve been living with Zoey for a month now, but I’m beginning to see how ridiculous I’ve been about this whole thing.

  “Yeah, she is.” He gets a look in his eyes that’s impo
ssible to mistake for anything except pure love. Who would’ve thought that out of all of us that Mascen would be the one to fall in love first?

  I hold my hand out to him and he eyes it skeptically. “Let’s put this shit behind us.”

  “You sure?” He looks skeptical, eyeing my hand like it’s a snake that might decide to strike at any second.

  “Yeah.” I’m tired of holding onto a grudge that was dumb to begin with, dragging it out would be pointless and immature of me and I like to think I’m above such things.

  He takes my hand. “All right, then.”

  “Are you gonna be at Harvey’s tonight?”

  “Yeah, we will be.” I know he means him and Rory.

  “I’ll see you there, then. You’re buying my drinks.” I point a finger at him, daring him to say no. We both know he can afford it.

  He laughs. “Sure thing, man.”

  Tapping his shoulder, I walk away and head to the showers so I can get to the auto shop for a few hours this afternoon. Zoey’s supposed to be working too so it’ll be the perfect time to tell her I’m dragging her out with us. I know if it was left up to her, she’d stay in the apartment and study the majority of the time.

  Thirty minutes later I walk into the back of the auto shop and pull on my coveralls.

  “Cole,” Joe calls from beneath the hood of an old Buick.

  I jog over to him. “What’s up, Boss?”

  He wipes his blackened hands on an old rag. “Your girl is something else. Best thing I ever did was hire her. Do you know she asked me if I’d be willing to buy an iPad, so I did, and she got it all set up to keep appointments straight with alerts sent straight to my phone as reminders, even if someone cancels. Technology is amazing. I guess I shouldn’t have shit on it all these years.”

  I laugh. “Glad she’s helping you out.” She’s been working at the shop for nearly three full weeks now, and all the guys love her—some a little too much, but Zoey is quick to put them in their place.

  I don’t comment on Joe referring to her as my girl, because frankly I want to ignore the way I felt at the mention.

  Finished with the conversation, I clock in and check out what’s on the whiteboard beside my name. That’s always been Joe’s idea of organization. I’m sure if Zoey has any say she’ll be reorganizing the shop area soon enough.

  Putting my head down, I get to work. Oil changes and tire rotations are pretty much the only thing I do unless one of the guys needs an extra hand. I’m okay with cars, but when it comes to more complicated stuff, I know I’d invariably fuck it up.

  It’s after six when I finish up and take off my coveralls.

  Zoey is coming through the garage from the front, her purse slung over her shoulder. She straightened her hair today and the dark locks hang well past her breasts. She has a bit of makeup on, nothing outrageous, just eyeliner and mascara, and some kind of gloss on her lips. She’s wearing jeans and a shirt with the shop’s logo over her left breast.

  I try not to let my thoughts go there, but I can’t help it. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

  I reach out and gently grab her by the elbow as she walks past me.

  “See you at home?” she asks me.

  I jerk my head in a nod. “We’re going to Harvey’s after we change.”

  “Harvey’s? Who’s Harvey?”

  “It’s a bar.”

  Her lips thin. “I’m tired. I really don’t want to go to a bar.”

  “It’ll be fun. Just a few drinks, food, karaoke.”

  “I’m not singing.” She points at me in warning.

  “Don’t worry, Teddy will do all the singing for us.”

  “Do you sing?” Her brow arches in inquiry as we walk out the back door. I toss my hand up at Joe just before we exit. He’s always the first here and last to leave.

  “Not really.”

  It’s a lie. I can sing pretty damn well, play guitar too.

  Her eyes sparkle with a challenge as we stop beside her car. “How about this? I’ll only go tonight if you promise to sing one song.”

  I frown, acting like this is the worst proposal ever. Shoving my hands in the pockets of my jeans, I ask, “Do I get to pick the song?”

  She bites her lip, head swaying slightly side to side as she thinks. “Deal.”

  12

  Zoey

  While Cole’s showering, I touch up my makeup and change my clothes to go out. Ditching my jeans and work shirt, I opt for a yellow denim skirt and white tank top with a matching denim jacket. I haven’t had much of an excuse to get dressed up lately, and even though the last thing I wanted to do was go to a bar, I’m going to make the most of it.

  The bathroom door opens and it’s my automatic reaction to turn toward the sound, just in time to see Cole crossing the hall to his bedroom in nothing but a gray towel.

  Sweet baby Jesus.

  The man is tall, lean, and ripped. Sure, I see him shirtless often living with him, but it’s a sight I don’t get sick of. I tell myself it’s okay if I look as long as that’s all I do. No more repeat performances like the night at the bonfire.

  Cole catches me looking when he goes to close his door and winks.

  A little shriek flies out of my throat at being caught and I hear his laughter through the door.

  I cover my face with my hands, wanting to hide, which is pointless. He already witnessed me in the act.

  Heart racing, I adjust my skirt, making sure all the necessary parts are covered and slip on my favorite white Converse.

  Grabbing some cash from my wallet I stuff it in my pocket, so I don’t have to worry with a purse. Cole’s door creaks open and he steps out of his room in clean jeans and a fresh t-shirt.

  “Ready to go?” He pulls a pack of gum from his pocket and takes a piece out.

  “Yeah. Ready to hear you sing.”

  “Your ears might bleed,” he warns, following me out the door, and down the stairs to the parking lot.

  “Hopefully you’re not that bad. If you are, I’ll pull you off the stage.”

  His eyes sparkle with barely contained laugher. “I appreciate you looking out for me.”

  “Oh, it wouldn’t be to save you from embarrassment. It’s to save myself.”

  “Ah, I see.” He opens the passenger door of his truck for me to climb in.

  Before he closes it, I say, “Okay, maybe there would be like five-percent of me doing it for you.”

  “Mhmm,” he hums, dimples I haven’t noticed before popping out in his cheeks when he gives me a closed mouth smile.

  Harvey’s, it turns out, is really close to campus and though from the outside it looks like it would be a dive bar, I’m guessing from the expensive cars lining the gravel lot that it’s far from it.

  Cole parks his truck in one of the few open spaces. Picking up his phone, he types out a text to someone and waits.

  “Teddy says they’re in the big booth in the back.”

  “You know that means nothing to me.”

  He chuckles. “Don’t worry I won’t let you get lost.” He winks and my body clenches. He really needs to stop doing that. I don’t need to be feeling anything for him. No tingles. No goosebumps. Zilch. Nada.

  Slipping out of the truck, we walk side by side into Harvey’s. The place is packed, wall to wall with people standing, not to mention the crowded tables. Music blares from speakers, some kind of loud country remix. People are dancing, singing along, cheering, you name it. I notice a lot of the girls are wearing cowboy boots and I look down at my Converse. No way in hell would I get caught dead in cowboy boots. No thank you.

  Cole’s hand slips into mine and I try to jerk it away, but he only holds on tighter. Lowering his head, he says into my ear, “Don’t wanna lose you in the crowd.”

  Reluctantly, I jerk my head in agreement. I’ll just have to ignore how warm his hand is and how the large size swallows mine whole.

  Cole pushes his way through everyone, and if anyone gets perturbed by him plo
wing through they quickly get over it when they see it’s him. I eye him carefully, realizing he must be kind of a big deal on campus if so many people recognize him and bow out of the way. There are also dirty looks tossed my way by several girls when they notice him holding my hand. Alas, ladies, it’s not what you think.

  “Mom! Dad!” Teddy yells loud enough to be heard above the noise and the table comes into view. Cole was right, this booth is super-sized. I notice some of the guys I’ve gotten to know over the past month, like Murray, Cree, and even Jude. He’s dropped by a few times with Teddy now and is a pretty cool guy, kind of serious, but hot.

  A pit forms in my stomach over even thinking someone else is hot when my brain is hyper-fixated on Cole.

  Even though I wasn’t keen on coming, I’m here now and I want to have fun.

  Teddy sits down, in the middle like he’s the king and everyone else are his peasants.

  I drop Cole’s hand, realizing that we’re still hanging onto each other. He gives me a curious look but says nothing. He slides into the booth, leaving the end spot for me. I appreciate the gesture of not being boxed in, especially since I don’t know everyone.

  “Hey,” Cole says to a guy I haven’t met before, “this is Zoey, my roommate. Zoey, my friend Mascen.”

  The guy has the most unique shade of gray eyes I’ve ever seen and a broody expression on his handsome face. His cheekbones are sharp, like the kind you see on models. He wears a backwards baseball cap, but wavy brown hair escapes from underneath. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Hi.”

  “This is Rory. Mascen’s girlfriend.” Cole indicates the girl beside Mascen. She has long glossy brown hair and a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her nose. “And her friends Li and Kenna. You’ve met everyone else.”

  I exchange pleasantries with the girls and settle back into the booth. Cole stretches his arm behind me. Not on me, it’s on the booth, but I feel his presence surrounding me. A tiny shudder works its way through my body.