by Cole Lepley
Zander pulls his hand away and nods toward the keg. “Well, on that note I need a drink.” He gives Mackenzie’s hip a squeeze. “Need one, Sugarplum?”
She smiles up at him, but it doesn’t feel quite right. “Sure, baby.”
Baby? That’s relationship talk. Maybe it’s the reason she gets so cold with me sometimes. Loyalty is an important quality and I respect her for it—but I also kind of think she’s lying.
I wait until he’s out of earshot until I step closer to her. “So, he’s your boyfriend, huh?”
Mackenzie stiffens again. “Yep.”
I motion to Zander chatting up some guy by the kegs. He’s leaning a little too closely for a platonic dude conversation and everything clicks.
“I don’t think you’re his type.”
Her lips press into a thin and I stifle a laugh. She thinks she’s so clever.
“Fine,” she grits out. “Zander’s my roommate.”
I lean my hand against the wall behind her head and speak close to her ear. “Did you think I was hitting on you?”
“What else would you call it?” Her voice is barely above a whisper as her eyes meet mine again.
My hand reaches down to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. “I was just happy you were out having some actual fun for once. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you do too often.”
She shivers, but surprisingly doesn’t move away from me. “I think a lot of things about me would surprise you.”
The smirk that stretches across my face can’t be avoided at this point. “Enlighten me, babe.”
Chapter 6
All Bets Are Off
Mackenzie
Judah is staring at me and I can’t turn away. It’s his eyes. They’re the perfect combination of warm chocolate brown and gold that’s melting me from inside out. He’s also standing very close which is making it hard to concentrate. I take an unsteady breath.
“What did you say?”
The corners of his lips turn up again and I see the hint of a dimple in his right cheek. “You said I’d be surprised to learn more about you.” He pauses, running his tongue across his bottom lip. “Well, I’m interested.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Are you flirting with me, Judah?”
“Maybe.” He shrugs ever so slightly causing his shirt to lift and reveal a sliver of his perfectly toned stomach. My stomach churns and I wish Zander would hurry the hell up with my drink.
Placing the palm of my hand against his chest, I move him back a few inches. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
“Oh, yeah? Give me one good reason.”
Immediately at least three come to mind. None of which I want to say out loud. I choose the one with the vaguest meaning.
“I don’t date football players.”
He scoffs. “There you are, lumping me into some stereotype again.”
Zander finally makes his way back and hands me a red, plastic cup. I take a drink before I reply. “If the shoe fits.”
That cocky grin is back on his face as he takes a sip of his own drink. “If you say so.”
Judah walks back over to his friends while Zander stands beside me with his mouth slightly ajar.
“What was that all about?”
I release a frustrated sigh. “Nothing.”
Zander throws his arm over my shoulder and squeezes me against his side. “What, babe? Don’t you want me to be your pretend boyfriend anymore?”
With a laugh, I shove him sideways. “You suck at it. You were totaling ogling that guy by the keg.”
He shrugs. “One of us needs to get some action.” He gives me an exaggerated glance. “It’s obviously not going to be you. How can you not see that he’s into you?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.”
Zander bites his lip to hide the smile bursting through. “He calls you babe.”
“I’m sure he calls everyone that. Guys like him are all the same.”
Zander’s lips pucker into a pout. “Oh, I think he’s the strong, sensitive type.” He continues to eye Judah from across the room. “I have a knack about these things.”
Pulling my cup back against my chest, I watch him too. He certainly portrays a confidence about him I find kind of sexy. The only thing is, I’m not sure it’s real. I’ve seen flickers of doubt in him over the past two weeks that I can’t ignore. As much as I hate to admit it, I want to know his story too.
“What are you thinking down there, babe?” Zander says tilting his head to me.
He thinks he’s so funny. I keep my eyes locked on the beer pong tournament about to take place. I motion toward the table with my hand. “We should do that.”
“Play beer pong with Judah and his boys? That doesn’t seem like you.”
I tilt back the rest of my beer and hand my empty cup to him. “I guess I’m full of surprises tonight. I need a refill.”
I don’t wait for his reply as I take quick strides over to the table Judah and his friends are gathered around. I recognize Preston from his videos, but the other guy flanking him doesn’t register. The way most of the girls are looking at him tells me it probably should.
Judah’s eyes widen as I come to a stop beside him. “Miss me already?”
“Can I play the winner?”
Judah bounces a ping pong ball on the table with a thoughtful expression. “I don’t know, babe. I’m not really one to lose so…”
His voice trails off, but he keeps his eyes on me, taunting me even more. I take a step closer. “Well, neither am I, so I guess this time we’re even.”
He releases a throaty chuckle and my heart flutters again. “You’re on.”
A part of me knows what a terrible idea this is. The only thing I can focus on right now is how close his lips are to me and the fact that his breath smells like a delicious mixture of beer and mint. Thankfully, the sound of Preston shouting causes us to move away from each other.
“It’s going down, player,” he says with a grin while setting up the cups from his side of the table.
Judah chuckles while filling his cups half-way with beer. “Everyone knows you’re all talk, Preston.”
“Oh, yeah?” Preston runs his hand along his jaw. “That’s not what your momma said.”
Judah throws a ping pong ball at Preston’s face and he dodges it with a smirk.
“You’re an asshole, you know that.”
Preston waves him off. “Just set the cups, playboy. I’m about to school you in the art of beer pong.”
Although I find this conversation amusing, I can’t help but notice Preston’s choice of nickname for Judah. It’s obvious he’s attractive. Any girl would be blind not to notice, but I was hoping he wasn’t how I assumed he would be.
Judah nudges me, capturing my attention again.
“You ready to see how it’s done?”
Suddenly, I shake my head. “On second thought, I better get back to Zander.”
When I walk away, he grabs my hand to stop me. He leans down as he speaks. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” I blurt. “You’re fine. It’s just that we came together and I don’t want to leave him all alone.”
Judah’s eyes drift over to the kitchen where Zander is telling a very animated story to a group of girls, giggling at his every word.
He shrugs, locking his gaze back on me. “Looks fine to me.”
I let out a sigh. “Let’s not make things complicated.”
His eyebrows pull in, while his hand shifts to my waist. I pretend not to notice, but my heart has trouble agreeing, and it flutters vigorously in my chest.
“Tell me what’s really going on. A minute ago you were having a good time.”
That’s the problem, isn’t it? Judah wants to have a good time and I know all too well what that really means.
I force a smile and shift from his touch. “I am. I’ll catch up with you later.”
The lie seems to appease him for the time being. He smiles again, running a h
and over his short, dark hair. “Okay, don’t make me wait too long.”
I think he found my weakness. The sharpness of his jawline is accentuated by the grin on his face. I still haven’t figured out if it’s genuine or not, and I’m not sure I want to. With one last glance, I nod to Zander.
“Good luck.”
Without waiting for one of his quick witted replies, I take determined steps toward Zander and his current entourage. No matter what we do, he’s always surrounded by groups of people. His charisma is something you have to be born with. Everything comes easy to him. So much so, I find myself feeling envious. If only I could be comfortable in my own skin again.
His smile grows wider as I approach. “Mack!” he shouts even though I’m about a foot away from him.
He waves me to his side and I stifle a laugh. He throws his arms over my shoulder as soon as I get close enough.
“Sophie and Angela here were just sharing some very interesting information about our dear quarterback.”
My ears perk up. I’m intrigued by him whether I want to be or not.
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
He motions to the blonde in the cropped sweatshirt. “Tell her, girl.”
“Well,” she starts with an enthusiastic smile. “Rumor has it, Judah hasn’t been with anyone since he got back to school. It seems he went through an awful break-up and is still trying to get over it. I also heard that it’s so bad his friends even have a bet going about some girl.”
“Yeah,” the brunette beside her chimes in. “I heard Preston bragging about it after practice the other day. It has to be true.”
I fight the urge to call bullshit. Preston seems like a real reliable source. Even so, this new development piques my interest further.
“What kind of bet?”
The brunette shrugs, taking a sip from the cup in her hand. “Who knows? He was just going on about how Judah would fall for her because she doesn’t like him. Something about a parking space?” Her tiny nose scrunches up as she attempts to recall the memory. I, however, am having a very vivid flashback.
“A parking space, huh?”
“Whatever that means,” she says, laughing. “But who cares, right? Judah is super hot. I’d let him win any bet if it was over me.”
Zander catches the devious smile curling across my lips and we exchange a knowing glance. I tilt my cup back once more. If Judah thinks he can win me over with his charm and classic, all-American good looks, he has another thing coming. With that being said, it could be fun to fuck with him a little.
“Excuse us,” I say with a fake smile, tugging Zander by his sleeve. When we make it into the small hallway away from the crowd, I lower my voice.
“They’re talking about me, aren’t they?”
He smiles around the cup that is pressed to his lips.
I grunt in frustration. “I’m right, I know I am.”
He eyes me curiously for a moment. “Are you angry or upset? I can’t tell right now.”
I shove him in the chest. “Angry. Why would I be upset?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you don’t want to admit that you may actually like this guy.” He takes a step closer and places one hand on my shoulder. “I wasn’t lying earlier. You talk about him every chance you get. Whether you realize it or not.”
I shrug him off and swallow down my distaste for his words. If I’m being honest, he’s right. I was starting to wonder what it would be like to get to know Judah. He makes me laugh even when I want to be annoyed with him and he’s legitimately smart. That coupled with his ability to put any guy to shame on the field is a win for me.
Running my hands down my skirt, I push those thoughts aside. “Doesn’t matter. You heard those girls. This is a game to him, and I don’t play games.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Mack,” he says my name slowly. “What are you plotting? I know you, baby girl. You’re up to something.”
A wry smile spreads across my face. “Just because I don’t play games, doesn’t mean I don’t know how.”
Chapter 7
Blowing Up
Judah
“He’s going to get in trouble again,” Holden groans, holding his helmet against his side.
I glance up from my seat on the bench at Preston walking along the side of the field. He has his phone held out in front of him, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he speaks.
“Hey, it’s your boy Preston coming at you live from the field on this beautiful fall afternoon. Now I know what you’re thinking. How does he look so fly even after a grueling practice?” He pauses to give his audience a seductive wink. “Well, I’ll tell you…”
Shaking my head, I go back to wrapping my knee. “He’s an idiot. If coach sees that, he’ll get suspended.”
“I know, right?” Holden says shooting looks of disapproval over his shoulder. “The last video he posted was from the locker room and coach was heard talking shit about the opposing team.” He turns back to me and shrugs. “It was funny as hell, but very inappropriate.”
My eyes shift back up to Preston still walking backward along the sidelines, smiling without a care in the world. I almost envy the fact that he can find such joy in something so pointless. Lately it’s been a struggle just to get out of bed in the morning. I think I’m handling it much better this semester, but the restlessness inside of me is still so tightly wound.
“Judah, are you listening to me?”
Holden gives me an inquisitive once over and I force a smile. “Yeah, man.” I stand and grab my bag. “What were you saying?”
He rolls his eyes and follows me out to the parking lot. “After the game Saturday. Are you going to the party at Sig Phi?”
Last year, parties at our teammate Adam’s frat were the only thing I looked forward to. I used to drink myself into oblivion and always leave with a different girl—sometimes two. I think I may take an alternative approach this semester.
“We’ll see,” I say, pressing the button to unlock my doors.
Holden lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Really? Are you going to start bitching out on me again?”
He leans along the bed of my truck while I toss my bag in the passenger’s seat. “No, it’s not that,” I say defensively. “I might go home this weekend.”
“That’s ridiculous. By the time you get there you’ll have to turn around and come back.”
My lips press into a firm line. I say my next statement quickly. “I have to talk to Ollie.”
He pushes off from the side of my truck and does a little hop, punching the air. “I fucking knew it!” He points his finger in my face, stepping closer. “You’re going home to see Elliot, aren’t you?”
“No,” I say, swatting his finger away. “Something’s going on with him and he needs someone to talk to.”
“So fucking call him. Besides, I don’t need to remind you that his best friend is banging Elliot, so I’m sure he’s around to talk to.”
My jaw ticks. Speaking through clenched teeth, I shove him back. “I fucking know that, dick. Ollie’s my friend too, regardless of me and Elliot’s situation.”
Holden regains his footing, remorse clouding his features. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, but when is it going to be enough for you?”
“What are you talking about?”
He presses his fingertips into his temples for a moment. “I know you’re not this dumb. You spent the entire season last year chasing after her while she played your ass.” When I open my mouth, he holds his hand up. “Yeah, I know half the time you were along for that fucked up ride, but I remember what you looked like when you came home. That girl is fucking trouble and you don’t need that, man. If she really loved you, she would’ve never let any of that shit happen.”
I cross my arms and fight the urge to defend her. What’s the point? Nobody can understand what we had unless they lived it themselves.
“Just drop it, dude,” I say firmly.
He nods in confirmati
on. “All right.” He takes a few steps backward in the direction of his car. “I’m just looking out.”
“I got you,” I call to him before pulling on my door.
When he turns around to walk away, I slip inside my truck and grip the steering wheel hard. One thing most people may not realize about me is that I don’t have many friends who actually know me. At least that’s what it feels like. Being popular doesn’t always mean people like you for who you really are. They like the package you present and all the perks that come along with being associated with you. Elliot was one of the only people I could really talk to. She knew a side of me nobody ever got to see, and for that, I feel a loss.
I blame myself. In the beginning it was just about the fact that we looked good together. What guy doesn’t want to date the hottest girl in school? The best part, when I got with Elle, she was untouched. Oliver went out of his way to deter any guy who tried to take her out. I’ve never understood where his protectiveness stems from, but being on the wrong side of Ollie is a place you don’t want to be.
One of the main reasons I could get so close was because our dads worked together. I spent the entire summer over at her house almost every day before her freshman and my sophomore year. Seeing Elliot Monroe prance around in a bikini day after day is something no one can resist. By the time school rolled around, it was a given we would be together. At first, it was casual. We paraded around in the halls together, went to all the parties on the weekends, and were the names on everyone’s lips.
When you’re young, you don’t realize how your actions will affect your relationship. I’ll be the first to admit—I was an asshole. I never outright cheated on her, but I flirted with every girl I deemed suitable. I could tell it used to piss her off, but she said nothing. In fact, she took it up a notch and started doing it right back. That’s how the game started. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through of all this, it’s games like that never end well. You can’t mess with someone’s heart and expect to come out on the other side still intact.