“Unfortunately, the examining board just discovered that you cheated,” Connor replied.
“Fortunately, they realized they made a mistake and I was maliciously framed.”
“Unfortunately, they’ve decided to kick you out anyway.”
“Ugh. You suck at this game, Connor.” Jessica whirled on Katy with a raised eyebrow. “Hello-o-o, you’re supposed to be joining in, too!”
“Yeah, sorry,” Katy mumbled, trying to channel her focus back to the improv warm-up.
It was just hard, with David standing barely seven feet away. He’d joined The Dramatics with Zeke as he’d said he would, and she was doing her best not to look in his direction. But her mind couldn’t help but dwell on him. She hoped he didn’t feel too bad about her deliberately picking a different group than him.
At the same time, Cassie was still bent on trying to woo him. After the game last week, she had confessed to Katy that she had an even bigger crush on David than before, although she admitted that she’d behaved like a bit of a klutz. Katy certainly agreed with the latter, but of course hadn’t said it out loud. Cassie seemed so deliriously and obliviously happy at the prospect of trying to pursue David, Katy saw no choice but to take a step back and let the chips fall where they may. If the two of them could work out, it would certainly do Cassie a world of good.
And if they didn’t . . . Well, Katy would still be here.
Of course, there had to be some other good guys around campus—it was more a question of finding them. But, for now, Katy was content to sit on the sidelines and wait to see what would happen.
She just had to get a handle on her wanton feelings.
“So, your turn,” Jessica prompted.
“Yeah,” Katy said, yanking her brain fully back to the present. “Fortunately, Jessica was immediately accepted at Yale, but then she decided to drop out after her dorm-room start-up raised a bajillion dollars and she became Time’s Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Connor looked at Katy disparagingly, while Jessica grinned. “You are waaay better at this than Connor.”
They continued playing “Fortunately, Unfortunately,” for a short while longer, until Mrs. Clarke clapped her hands for everyone’s attention.
“All right, next up is a full group exercise. Rita and Grayson, you two get up on the stage first. Everyone else form a single-file line. Rita, you’re a student; Grayson, you’re a professor. Start off a scene, and when I clap, Grayson will leave the stage and be replaced by the person at the front of the line who will choose a different role. When I clap again, Rita will be replaced by the person next in line, and so on. Got it?”
Everyone nodded and quickly formed a line, while Rita and Grayson headed to the center of the stage.
Katy, Connor, and Jessica were already near the stage entrance, so they formed the front of the line, with Jessica first, Connor second, and Katy third. When Katy glanced back to check who would come after her, to her alarm she saw David approaching. She froze as he gave her a faint smile.
“Hey,” he said softly, his light blue eyes warming her heart.
“Hey,” she replied. Her throat felt clogged.
Fortunately, Cassie was close on his heels, so she didn’t have to respond to the question she sensed was on the tip of his tongue. Something to the tune of, “Everything okay?” It was a question she didn’t feel like answering just now.
Cassie placed a hand on David’s arm to ask him something, and when he turned to glance at her, Katy twisted and faced forward again.
Deep breaths. Things don’t need to be this awkward.
“And let’s begin,” Mrs. Clarke called, with another sharp clap of her hands.
Rita began with an inane excuse for why her coursework was late, to which Grayson responded sarcastically (pulling off the impersonation of a real biology professor at Harvard, Katy was sure). The dialogue went on for about a minute before Mrs. Clarke clapped. Jessica then rose to the stage and took on the role of Rita’s mother.
“Don’t give me that crap!” she snapped. “You could easily have submitted your coursework on time if you had your priorities straight. You need to stop juggling all these boyfriends!”
Rita’s eyes sparked. “Says the woman who doesn’t even know the father of her first child,” she fired back. “You were no different at my age!”
The argument grew more heated, and Mrs. Clarke let it simmer for a few moments. Then she gave another clap. To Katy’s surprise, Connor quickly turned around.
“Hey, can you go next?” he whispered. “I’m still thinking about how I want to portray my character.”
Katy frowned at the request but acquiesced and climbed to the stage as Rita left. She walked to the center and put a sympathetic arm around Jessica.
“It’s okay, Mom,” she said gently. “Soon enough, she’ll settle down just like you did. I think the harder you try right now, the harder she’ll push back.”
“Why can’t she be an angel like you?” Jessica sighed heavily, pulling Katy closer and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t know what I was eating during her pregnancy.”
Katy smirked. “Maybe too much salsa.”
Mrs. Clarke clapped again, and Jessica pulled away from Katy’s arms. Katy turned to glance over at Connor rising to the stage, a confident swagger to his stride. Katy groaned internally. She was already picking up douchebag vibes. Why did he always slip into this type of role with Katy? Was this why he’d wanted her to go first? She should have known better.
Scratch that, he should have known better.
Her hands balled into fists as she anticipated his first move. He stopped right in front of her, leaving a distance of barely two feet, and a broad grin split his face as they locked eyes.
“Yo. So, it’s my birthday this Friday, and I was wondering if I could ask a favor from you and your sister.”
Katy cocked her head slowly to one side, narrowing her eyes at him. “My sister’s not around right now. And why would either of us even owe you anything?”
He chuckled, shifting on his feet and slipping his hands into his pockets. “Guess you don’t. But did your sister not tell you I’m her latest boyfriend?”
Katy shook her head and continued to glare at him suspiciously.
“Well, I am. And I was just wondering if the two of you could play waitress after the party and bring me a stiff one . . .”
It took Katy a few seconds to realize he wasn’t talking about alcohol, but the audience caught on immediately—breaking out into a mixture of laughter and disgusted jeers. It was the jeers that made the penny drop for Katy.
Oh no, he didn’t . . .
She growled at the back of her throat, a curse word that would’ve made her mother weep gathering on her tongue.
She was a split second from shooting it out, when Mrs. Clarke clapped loudly. “Next!”
Katy froze in disbelief, then whirled on the woman furiously. Was she still holding a grudge against her or what? How could she stop it there? She spun back around to see Connor smirking smugly and vowed right then and there to dream up a payback that would go down in the Harvard history of awful paybacks, if there was such a thing.
She threw him her deepest scowl and strode off the stage. For now, she would have to make do with glaring daggers at him from the sidelines.
David was already striding to the center of the stage to take his turn. As soon as he came level with Connor, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply. Then he crossed his arms, opened his mouth, and—to Katy’s shock—started yelling.
“Twenty pushups! On the floor. NOW,” he bellowed in an extreme Southern accent.
Connor stared at him, dumbstruck. “Wha . . . What?”
“Don’t call me ‘What.’ Did I ever ask you to call me ‘What?’ I’m Coach to you, son. Now get down on the floor and work before I beat your ass!”
A shriek of laughter tore from Katy’s throat, and she was quickly joined by the rest of the audience as Connor was forced to lower himself and s
tart working out.
David unbuckled his belt and stalked around the guy, his expression shockingly menacing. When Connor started slacking, David bent down to his ear and yelled right into it. “I see you cheatin’ me there, boy! LOWER.”
Connor, although lean, was clearly not very fit, and by the time he’d reached twenty, he collapsed on the floor spread-eagle, his breath coming in short, sharp pants.
“Now get up and do some burpees!”
“No—Wait,” Connor panted, lifting his head and looking desperately toward Mrs. Clarke. “No way. Our time’s gotta be up by now.”
Katy traced his gaze toward Mrs. Clarke, and to her delight, saw that a wry grin was tugging at their supervisor’s lips.
“It’s over when I clap,” she snapped back, and as Connor’s expression fell, Katy could have sworn the woman looked in her direction and gave her a small wink. Warmth blossomed in Katy’s chest. All is forgiven, Mrs. Crabby.
“Burpees!” David yelled.
As Connor rose shakily to his feet, he looked more than mildly intimidated. Another wave of giggling overtook Katy. She had to hand it to David . . . he sure could act, after all. His expression was downright livid, and he looked like the kind of guy even Katy wouldn’t have wanted to get on the wrong side of. He had Connor doing burpees until he couldn’t physically go on any longer. About two minutes later he collapsed, and Mrs. Clarke finally relented, dismissing Connor and beckoning her cousin to the stage with a clap.
As Connor half crawled, half staggered his way off the stage toward Katy, she grinned at him like the Cheshire Cat. It’s called karma, bitch, she thought slyly. She probably didn’t even need to come up with a payback of her own now.
“Crazy Brit,” Connor muttered.
Katy burst into another fit of giggles.
She watched him slump into a nearby chair with satisfaction before switching her attention back to the stage. It was Cassie’s turn to burst into the scene—though, if Katy were to be honest with herself, her eyes lingered on David, anticipating what he might do next. Who would have thought he could be such a firecracker? Despite (or maybe even because of) their usually reserved culture, she knew some of the best actors in the world were British, so perhaps that’s where he got it from. Still, it had been unexpected. She hadn’t seen that side of his character.
Cassie kicked off the scene, assuming what appeared to be the role of a cheeky student trying to woo her handsome coach. Unfortunately, even Katy had to admit, it came off as embarrassing. She was just thankful it didn’t go on for too long, because David had to keep shutting Cassie down, explaining that there was no way anything was ever going to happen between them—and that he would need to report her if she kept hassling him; otherwise, he would lose his job.
Cassie looked genuinely miffed when the skit ended and David turned to leave the stage, almost as if she’d been hoping he’d agree to her advances, despite them being posed in such an inappropriate scenario. Playing along would have been something Connor would have done, not David. Katy, for one, was glad he had stuck to his guns. It made her respect him more. Surely Cassie knew it was just an improv game?
Zeke was up next to join Cassie, but Katy’s eyes were completely distracted from the stage as David reached her.
“That was impressive,” she said, grinning.
David shrugged. “Yeah, well . . . like you said: asshole syndrome. It’s a tough one to beat.”
“I’m right behind you,” Connor grumbled.
“Good,” David shot back over his shoulder, and Katy snorted.
“You’re a better actor than I gave you credit for,” she said, daring to catch his eye.
His full smile warmed Katy up on the inside, and she found it impossible to look away.
“Thanks. Connor really did make it too easy, though.”
She chuckled and felt the urge to say something more, but a moment later Cassie was making her way toward them. Katy took a couple steps back to make room for her.
“Well, that was fun!” Cassie said breathlessly. She looked cheerfully between Katy and David, though Katy sensed her expression was a touch forced. Still moping over Coach David’s rejection?
David nodded and fixed his eyes on Zeke, who was still on the stage—apparently having assumed the role of a nerdy brain box desperate for a prom date. Cassie gripped Katy’s hand and pulled the two of them into seats near Connor.
“Hey, so did you make a decision about tonight?” she asked, gazing intently into Katy’s eyes. “Lara said that most of this group is going to Michael’s to perform at open mic. That could be a cool way to spend your twenty-first birthday.”
“Umm . . .” Katy bit down on her lip. To be honest, she didn’t like making a fuss out of birthdays. She would be happier just to have a quiet night in with the girls at home, maybe curl up and watch a movie or two—
“It’s your birthday today?”
Katy looked up to see Connor staring at her. “Seriously none of your business,” she retorted, rising to her feet.
“Wait, it’s your birthday?” David asked, whirling around to face her.
Katy cursed silently. Dammit, Connor. She really didn’t want to make a big deal over this.
“Yeah,” she mumbled.
David moved closer. “How are you planning to celebrate it?” he asked softly, looking genuinely curious.
Katy glanced at her cousin, who had also risen from her chair. “Just a girls’ night in, probably,” she said, trying to make her voice firm.
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination getting the better of her, but a part of her sensed David might suggest they do something together if she didn’t have any plans, and she worried what that might do to Cassie’s already fragile confidence. Katy wasn’t blind—she’d noticed his natural disposition leaned much more toward her than Cassie. But, in fairness, Cassie hadn’t really gotten a chance to show her best side yet. She wasn’t naturally smooth around guys, and she could come off as a bit of a goof at first, as she worked to build up her confidence. She deserved a bit of a chance, at least.
“Oh, I see,” David said, glancing down, a note of disappointment in his voice that Katy was pretty sure she didn’t imagine this time.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the three of them as they stood in their lopsided triangle. And for once, Katy wished Connor would be a dick just to cause a distraction.
15
Katy
“So what’ll it be?” Michelle asked, propping her elbows over a fat cushion as she flicked through the selection of movies on the TV screen. “Romance? Thriller? Horror?”
In addition to Cassie and Michelle, three other housemates were hanging out with them in the living room, which they’d taken over tonight for a sleepover. Everyone looked at Katy expectantly.
“Ummm.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Let’s go for horror.”
“Huh, seriously?” Cassie asked, wrinkling her nose. “You always go for romance.”
The other girls chuckled, and Katy smiled ruefully. “I’m just in the mood for something different.”
Something that wouldn’t remind her of a certain situation half her brain was still wrangling with . . .
“Okay, well. I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but our refrigerator’s gone Mother Hubbard on us, so I’m going to run out and get some drinks,” Cassie said, rising to her feet. “I won’t be long, but feel free to start without me. Horror isn’t my schtick, anyway.”
She grabbed her pashmina from one of the armchairs, wrapped it around her shoulders, and padded out of the room. Katy heard the click of the front door and Cassie’s footsteps on the pavement a moment later.
“So what’ve we got here?” Sandy drawled, grabbing the remote from Michelle and taking a turn in flicking through the options. “Zombies. Slasher. Creepy haunted kid . . .”
“Honestly, any of those sounds fine,” Katy replied, her eyes glazing over as Sandy flipped through them too fast.
She leaned back i
nto the sofa with a quiet sigh, watching as the girls started to read out reviews. She probably wasn’t going to be able to concentrate much, anyway.
A sharp ring from the doorbell sent her sitting upright again.
Huh? There was no way Cassie could be back so quickly, unless she had forgotten something, like her keys.
“I’ll get it,” Katy offered, since she was nearest to the exit, and hurried out of the room. Reaching the front door, she stood on her tiptoes and peered through the peephole to see . . . David, standing there. A small brown parcel clutched in his hands.
Katy took a step back, her heart skipping a beat. David. What was he doing here?
Although she would have liked a couple more seconds to gather her wits, maybe even grab a glimpse of herself in the hallway mirror to check that her hair wasn’t sticking up at all angles, she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She quickly opened the door.
As his eyes lit on Katy, a tentative smile crossed his handsome face. He was wearing the same clothes as earlier—a pair of jeans and a casual button-up shirt—but the cool evening had prompted him to add a long, dark green trench coat to the mix. Which, Katy had to admit, looked incredibly sexy. Especially with its open and slightly ruffed collar.
“D-David,” Katy said, snapping her eyes back to his face. She pulled a smile of her own. Her hands moved instinctively to the backs of her thighs, smoothing down her pajamas. She mentally chided herself for choosing her most childish set—bright yellow patterned with clusters of floating bananas—but thankfully David didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on her face.
“Katy.” His voice sounded somehow lower than usual. And smoother . . . like dark chocolate. Or maybe she was just hungry.
“What brings you here?” she asked. Despite her nerves, genuine excitement swelled in her chest. What else could David be holding in his hands but—
“A gift for you,” he replied.
A wave of warmth rushed through her. “Really? You didn’t need to, David!”
He smiled. “I know. But I wanted to. And I, um . . . also wondered if we could have a moment.” He stole a glance past her shoulder, as if wanting to check that they had privacy.
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