I try to reassure her with a smile. “Mom, I’ll be okay. I’m a short drive from home.”
“Remember that if you need something, call me. And if you feel even slightly unwell, call 911 and then call me.”
“I know the drill, Mama. This isn’t the first time you’ve dropped me off at school,” I remind her, kissing her on the cheek.
She looks at me adoringly. “This time is harder than the last.”
“Let’s hope this time is better than the last. I’m only a ten-minute drive away,” I tell her, smiling yet still holding back tears. The truth is, I’m scared too, but I won’t admit that. It’s hard enough already.
“You could always live at home and take classes on campus?” she insists.
“The doctors said this would be okay. Dr. Roman said the treatment’s working and that I should be fine. She said I can live a normal life, Mom. This is part of me living a normal life.”
Ignoring me, she says—almost desperately, “Robert, I don’t think she’s ready to be on her own yet.”
My father’s rests his hands on her shoulders and says, “Dani, I don’t want her to stay here either, but we have to let her make her own choices.”
“Yes, you do!” I chime in. “I stayed home for a full year of college. I want the full experience, so I’ve got to submerge myself in it, dorm living and all.”
“Not the full college experience,” my dad corrects.
I smile at them innocently. “Most of the typical college experiences.”
“Some,” my dad fires back, causing my mom to smile and shake her head.
The smile soon falters though. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, Zo?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m done letting illness control my life. And if something comes up, I know what to do. Cancer has taken too much away from me; I don’t want to let it take any more.”
My mother tears up as she moves towards me with open arms. “You are so strong, sweetheart.”
I hug her back tightly. “You’ve taught me that, Mom—you and Dad. We’ve been fighting for my life for a year now. It’s time I get to live it, don’t you think?” I ask, discreetly wiping away the tears sliding down my face.
“Yes, it is. You fought and kicked cancer’s ass. College will be a walk in the park in comparison.”
I pull out of my mother’s embrace and wipe away her tears. “Okay, enough with the crying,” I tell them.
“Danielle, it’s time to go.”
My mother takes a deep breath. “Fine,” she says, giving me one more hug before standing next to my dad.
“See you for Sunday lunches?” Dad asks, but I know it’s more of an expectation.
“Always, Dad.”
“You can bring Jesse too if you’d like?” my mother says with a devious smile. I could see my father visibly stiffen next to her.
“I’ll think about it,” I reply with a smile.
“Call me every day,” Mom adds before twisting the knob on the door.
I smile coyly. “I will, and I’ll tell you all about the boys I meet and the parties I go to.”
“Zoe Evans,” my dad says sternly.
My mom smiles. “Very funny,” she says. I walk over to where they both stand and give them each a hug goodbye, then close the door behind them. I know today is very emotional for all of us, but I think in a weird way it’s also a relief. I mean, we’re all going back to a normal routine.
I’m here.
I’m alive.
I’m a normal college student. There’s got to be some joy in that.
School isn’t a place I saw myself going back to, and while I know my parents hoped I would, they didn’t know either. This step? It’s monumental for us, despite the fact that it scares the hell out of me.
I will be okay though.
I look out the window and see the quad right below me. There are students sitting on the grass with books in their hands. At the other end, I count a group of five students playing Frisbee, tossing it back and forth and laughing. Students are everywhere—just like I remember—except this time, I taking it all in. I’m stopping to smell the roses, as they say, because I didn’t know what I had until it was ripped away from me.
I grab my cell phone from the study table at my end of the room and type out a quick message to Jesse, letting him know I’m here.
This place just got a lot better.
I grin like an idiot.
This year is going to be great.
Bragan University, I’m back.
15
ZOE
The distinct sound of jingling keys, followed by the twisting and turning of a doorknob, causes me to open my eyes and sit up immediately. I look around for my phone, my eyes adjusting to the light coming from the window.
The keys rattle a little more before the door bursts open and a blonde girl wearing glasses walks in.
“I’m so sorry!” the girl exclaims, dragging in a suitcase after her.
Pulling my blanket towards me, I ask, “Can I help you?”
“Uh, I don’t think so,” she responds, looking around the room. I clutch the blanket a little closer, wondering why there’s someone in my room this early in the morning.
“My name’s Emma,” she says, extending her hand to me.
I blink, immobile for a moment. “Hi, Emma. I’m Zoe,” I say, shaking her hand cautiously.
When I realize she isn’t going to let go of my hand, I pull mine back. “Crap, I—sorry,” she says, finally looking chagrinned. “I probably should’ve started by saying I’m your roommate. Sorry if I woke you up.”
Of course she’s my roommate! I think. Why else would she have a key? “No worries. I should’ve already been up by now,” I say, yawning. I’m surprised I slept this much. I was prepared to have a sleepless night, being in a new place and all, but I guess I was wrong.
“Are you a freshman?” I ask, hoping she isn’t. Freshmen tend to be kids whose biggest worry is how they can become popular, and I’m not up for that.
She pushes her glasses up a little higher on her nose. “No, actually. I’m a Junior.”
“Great, me too!” I say, relieved. “So why are you switching dorms your junior year?”
“I had a few issues with my previous roommate and decided it was time to switch it up.”
My eyes widen. I really hope she isn’t going to be problematic.
“Oh no! Not like that! My roommate was the problem, not me,” she says.
“Okay.” Though I’m not sure I believe her. I mean, why would she admit to being the problematic one to a new roommate?
“I know you have no reason to believe me, but my old roommate was a bit of a bully,” she adds, readjusting her glasses once again.
“Remind me never to play poker,” I mutter under my breath.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I say. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“Don’t worry about it. Hey, so I’ll be coming in and out of the room to move my things in today. I’m basically just walking them from one building to the other, so it’ll probably take me the whole day. Sorry I woke you up, but I don’t know how much sleep you’ll get with me settling in today,” she says without pausing to take a breath.
“Do you need any help?” I ask.
“No, I’m okay,” she replies, sitting down on her unmade bed. I have a feeling she’d like the help but is the type of person who doesn’t want to feel like she’s bothering anyone.
“I can help,” I insist, a little surprised I’m so willing to help out a stranger. Then again, we’ll be sharing this room, so we might as well start off on the right foot.
“Are you sure?”
I look at her—really look at her. She’s very pretty—tall, with long blonde hair that cascades over her shoulders.
I push the blanket down and get up. “Yeah, I’m sure. Just give me a few minutes to brush my teeth and throw on some clothes.”
“You’re a saint! I’ll do another trip while you get ready,
” she says, already walking towards the door.
“I’ll be ready in five if you want to just wait for me?”
“Sounds good! I left another box downstairs with the RA. I’ll go grab it, and then I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
A jiffy? Interesting choice of words.
“Great,” I answer just as she walks out the door.
I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and run the hairbrush through my hair. It isn’t anywhere as long as what it was before the cancer, but it’s growing. Sweeping it up, I secure it into a ponytail, change into shorts and a T-shirt, then exit the bathroom.
As I sit down to wait for Emma to return, my phone starts to ring.
I search all over my bed until I find it wrapped inside my blanket. I press the center button and see Jesse’s name and an incoming text.
I have practice today but we should grab food after. Sorry I couldn’t meet you yesterday!
He practices a lot from what I can tell. Last night, he apologized for not coming to welcome me. He’d had an out-of-town scrimmage with another team.
I’ll think about it… My new roommate is moving in today and I might try and do something with her.
Already replacing me, I see?
I smile.
Not yet, Falcon. I’ll see if she wants to do something and let you know.
I’ll be waiting.
I find myself re-reading his message a few times, but before I can respond, I hear the doorknob jiggle again and I get up to open it for Emma. She’s balancing a giant box in one hand and holding the keys with the other.
“I can help with that,” I tell her, grabbing the box and awkwardly setting it down on top of the vacant bed next to my own. “Jeez, what have you got in there?” I ask, shaking out my arms.
“Books!” she beams. “And thank you.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Let’s get this over with,” she says with a chuckle.
JESSE
I put my phone in my pocket when I realize I’m not getting a response. Typical Zoe—always keeping me on my toes. I couldn’t help her move in yesterday because we had an away pre-season game, and by the time we got back, it was too late. Plus, the guys wanted to celebrate—and I couldn’t back out.
I guess it makes sense that she wants to get to know her roommate, but I can’t help wanting her to spend time with me. I haven’t seen her in about a week, and that’s starting to feel weird.
I take the stairs two at a time and join Zack downstairs. We walk out of the Football House together and start toward the field for practice.
“Dude, look at that fresh meat!” Zack says a little too loudly as we reach the quad. I have a pounding headache from all the drinks the douchebag dared me to have last night when we got home. I don’t know how he can drink so much, then wake up in the morning and be all jolly and shit like he didn’t get hammered the night before. In his defense, I could’ve turned down the dare.
He punches me in the shoulder. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he asks again. I look around, seeing all the different girls walking around the quad. Yes, they’re pretty, but that’s not new, so I’m not sure what he’s babbling about.
“Dude, that redheaded chick is hot!” Zack says, pointing in a different direction, and my eyes follow. I can’t help but nod in agreement when I realize he’s talking about Zoe. I watch as she walks next to another girl I assume is her roommate. She looks so happy and carefree—like she belongs here, but she also stands out. Her red hair is a striking contrast to the other girls.
I clear my throat and look back at Zack. I see the way his gaze lingers on her, and I’m automatically on guard.
“What about the blonde one?” I ask, trying to distract him.
“The one with the glasses?” he asks in disbelief.
“Yeah, that one.”
“Reminds me too much of Natasha—Natalia—whoever the heck it was!”
“Oh, you mean one of your generic hookups?”
“Not generic. More like necessary maintenance.”
I burst out laughing at my teammate’s choice of words. “I don’t want to know,” I say, hoping to never have to hear one of his stories again.
“You already do. What can I say? The girls love it, and I have it. So, I use it.”
“You should be careful,” I warn him.
“I wear protection every time,” he says with a wink, and I shake my head. Zack will do what Zack wants to do, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
“What are you guys talking about?” Nick says, startling us.
“Fuck, Nick! Stop ambushing us like that,” Zack says.
Nick grins. “I can’t help that I have mad ninja skills.”
We continue to walk slowly towards the field.
“We were talking about Zack’s hookups,” I say, hoping this new conversation pushes away the old one.
“The hot redhead over there,” Zack answers, and I wish he hadn’t brought up Zoe because Nick stops to watch her too.
“Don’t tell me you already hooked up with her?” Nick asks Zack.
“Not yet,” Zack says with a shit-eating grin.
“Cut the shit, Hayes,” I practically growl.
Zack ignores me and says to Nick, “I haven’t seen those two around before.”
“The semester just started,” I say.
“Hey, ladies,” Nick shouts, causing the people sitting on the quad to turn and stare. The Hunter Effect is what we’ve come to call this. It doesn’t matter which Hunter is in the area, they somehow have the power to command everyone’s attention. Baby brother loves it. Older brother hates it. And well, the sister is somewhere in the middle.
“Not interested,” Zoe shouts back without missing a step. I stare at her until she looks at me, a knowing smile playing on her lips. My breath hitches. I smile at her discreetly and wave from my place behind the guys.
“See you around,” Nick adds, and I can tell he’s embarrassed that he wasn’t given the time of day. I laugh out loud.
That’s my girl.
Shit.
Friend—that’s my friend.
“What are you laughing at, Falcon?” Nick asks, turning to me with a sour look on his face.
I smile wider. “Just at seeing you fail, Little Hunter,” I tell him, ruffling his hair. When I see the look of determination in his eyes, I realize he’s taken my words as a challenge. I curse under my breath.
“Not failing. She’ll warm up to me,” he says confidently.
Hell no, she won’t.
I’m about to tell him to back off when Zack says, “What are we doing tonight?”
Nick starts talking about a party he wants to go to, and I take that moment to send Zoe a quick text.
Sorry about my teammates. Remember that long line of guys waiting for you? I told you it would happen.
Those are your friends?
I smile down at my phone.
Yup. I’ll introduce you to them at some point, just not yet.
Gotta wait to make sure I’ll stick around?
You’re not going anywhere.
I just want it to be us for now. As soon as the guys find out, they’ll either hit on her or assume she and I have something going on. I’m not ready to field questions. Zoe and I are just friends, but I have a feeling the guys won’t take my word for it.
I hear Nick say, “Let’s throw a party at the house!” just as I put my phone in my back pocket.
“We had one last night,” I say, trying to be the voice of reason.
“That was just us drinking. That wasn’t a party,” Zack states matter-of-factly.
I turn to Nick. “Do you think Big Brother will let you?”
“Big Brother is too cuffed to Mia to pay any attention. When was the last time he spent the weekend at the house anyway?” Nick says, sounding a little bitter.
“He was there yesterday,” I remind him.
“True, but I’m sure we can convince him.” Nick rubs his hands togethe
r like he’s coming up with a master plan. “We’ll just convince Kaitlyn to convince Mia to convince Colton.”
“That’s a lot of work,” Zack says, and I chuckle.
Nick shrugs. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”
“Speaking of having to do something, do you think Coach is going to make us run a shit ton again today?”
We all groan. Summer training has been brutal, and with kickoff starting soon, the practices are getting worse.
“You know he will,” Nick says.
Let the semester begin.
16
ZOE
The next day, I familiarize myself with the campus again, and by the time I return to my room, I’m exhausted. Stretching myself out on my bed, I try to get some rest.
“Hey,” Emma says, and I crack my eyes open a little to see her coming out of our bathroom with one towel wrapped around her head and the other around her body.
I point at the door. “Aren’t you glad we have a bathroom inside of our dorm room and not out there?”
“Yes! I’m so freaking relieved. My last dorm had co-ed bathrooms outside. I had to carry all my clothes with me, and you know, wait until really late to shower so I didn’t run into anyone else
I laugh. “The horror!”
“Seriously. You do not want to be walking around a co-ed hall in just a towel.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” Seriously. That’s too much exposure—way more than I’m comfortable with.
“Anyway,” Emma says, standing in front of her dresser.
“Yes?”
“I walked by your desk before, and a few papers fell… I picked them up from the floor…” she says, opening both doors on her closet and staring inside. “I saw one from the hospital. It was your discharge papers. I didn’t mean to…” She turns to look at me with guilty eyes.
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