The Catch (Smart Jocks #0.5)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  “An honest answer. Finally.”

  I take a seat next to her. “What is all this?”

  “Rush week. We put posters up all over campus and Blair and I are in charge of making them.”

  I pick up one closest to me. Someone abandoned it halfway through when they ran out of space writing the word Omega in block letters.

  “My arts and crafts skills leave something to be desired.” She snatches it from me. “Which is why I need to get back to it. At this rate, I’ll finish by winter break. Thanks for coming by or whatever.”

  Flipping over the poster board, I scan the selection of markers and pick up a red. “You haven’t even let me ask you out yet.”

  “Is that what you’re trying to do?”

  “Come to dinner with me Friday night.”

  “Can’t.”

  I concentrate on keeping my hand steady as I draw, but I can feel her watching every stroke of the marker. “Can’t or don’t want to?”

  “We have a lot of work to do here over the next two weeks. I doubt we’ll be going out much.”

  “Well, what about the rest of the week during the day?”

  “This is the agenda pretty much all week. After the posters are done, we’ll work on skits, clean the house… it takes weeks to get everything ready.” She leans against the back of the chair and I can feel a little of the anxiety she’s carrying. Sorority induced anxiety—wouldn’t have guessed that was a thing.

  Her voice softens and she nods toward me. “You’re good at that.”

  With the side of my hand, I push my finished artwork in front of her. “Thanks. My mom’s an artist. She taught me to draw a little. Haven’t done it in a long time, though.”

  “One done and twenty or so more to go.”

  “Let me help.”

  “You want to spend your day making signs? Don’t you have practice or something?”

  “Already done for the day.” I grab another poster board. “What’s next?”

  Each design gets more elaborate as Vanessa sees what I’m capable of and lets her ideas run wild. I don’t mind. While I draw, I hit her up with questions and she’s distracted just enough to answer.

  “Okay, okay, tell me where you stand on the toilet paper debate—under or over?”

  “Under.”

  I groan. “You were almost perfect.”

  She rolls her eyes.

  We continue until we’ve crossed off all the easy, get-to-know-you questions. I learn she’s twenty-one, a business major, has no idea what she wants to do when she graduates but isn’t concerned. In her words, “I’ll figure it out.”

  We’re opposites in a lot of ways, but we share a love of lemon muffins and Stranger Things. Both juniors, love our friends and spending chill nights with them drinking and hanging out just about anywhere.

  And that’s to say nothing of how good it is sitting next to her and chatting about random things. Comfortable but exciting. She feels it too, I think, though I doubt she’d admit it if I asked so I don’t.

  Blair pokes her head into the room as I finish up the last poster. “V, we’ve got the social with Phi Kapps in twenty minutes.”

  “More sorority obligations?”

  “We have an ice cream social with the guys from Phi Kappa Theta before their party tonight. Are you going?” I hate to name the look on her face and the tone of her voice, but it seems awfully close to hopeful.

  “Actually, no. That’s partly why I wanted to find you today. Now that practices have started, I’ll be going to bed early and rising way before the sun.”

  “Brutal.”

  “It’s only for a week or two. Seniors like to scare the new guys a bit.”

  “Well, thanks for the signs.”

  “What’s on the agenda tomorrow?” I stand and she walks me to the door and then in the opposite direction we came, down the stairs and to the front entrance.

  “Cleaning and skit practice every day for the rest of the week. You don’t happen to have skills in singing and dancing, do you?”

  “Uhh, no, but I could come back and help you clean.”

  “That’s okay. Really. It’s an all-day thing and the whole house pitches in so we can get it done. Usually we have our skits already planned out, but the girl in charge of it got mono and isn’t coming back until September.”

  “Well since you don’t have any more menial tasks for me, can I get your number?”

  “If I don’t give it to you are you going to show back up here unannounced?”

  I flash her a smile. “More than likely.”

  She laughs and holds out her hand. I place my phone in her palm and she enters her number and passes it back. “See you around.”

  I’m on cloud freaking twelve as I drive back to the house. The guys are in the living room playing Xbox and I sit down on the couch with a big, goofy grin.

  “Where’ve you been?” Stephens asks. “What’s up with your face. You look weird.”

  “Chi Omega house.”

  He pauses the game and the guys look to me for an explanation.

  “What would you boys say about spending tomorrow with a houseful of sorority girls?”

  Manual Labor

  Mario

  “You’re not cleaning our house.” Vanessa looks at me and the guys like we’ve asked to come in and rob the place.

  “Oh yes, yes they are,” Blair insists, stepping in front of her and motioning the guys inside. “They’ve just saved our asses and you know it.”

  “Why?” Vanessa asks me.

  “You said you needed to finish getting the house ready before you could work on the skit or whatever, so this way you can get started while we clean.”

  “How did you get them to agree to this?” She glances at the guys now taking directives on what needs to be cleaned.

  “Wasn’t really that hard. I said sorority house, and they perked right up.” Which is one-hundred-percent true. Who knew we were all so eager to see the inside of a sorority house that we’d willingly clean it? Only Stephens put up any kind of fight, but I won him over easy enough with a case of beer and a promise he wouldn’t have to clean toilets or anything that involved hair in drains.

  “Thank you.” Her body language softens. "We’ve been at it all morning and all we’ve managed to cross off is the outside of the house.”

  “No problem. I should…” I jab my thumb toward the guys.

  “Right. Of course. Me too.” She motions her head toward the girls who are circling around to talk about… whatever it is they’re doing. I’m still not positive what it is they’re working out, but the small smile on Vanessa’s face as she leaves me to join her sorority sisters—totally worth it.

  The Chi Omega house is much larger than it appears outside. The bedrooms aren’t on the list (much to the guys’ dismay) but we’ve got a living room, a piano room, a room with a bunch of owl figurines and pictures, three bathrooms, a kitchen, and a dining room all on the list. Under each room there are bullet points for the tasks such as take out trash, wipe down sink, etc. These girls aren’t messing around.

  We start on the second floor and work our way down, saving the dining room for last because that’s where the girls are. We’re hot and sweaty, covered in grime, but our exhaustion fades when we walk into the space where the girls are practicing and they give us a collective once-over.

  Some of the guys have taken off their shirts, which I’m sure adds to the appeal, but there’s something about putting a group of men under the same roof as a group of women. Doesn’t matter if any of us are truly interested—we’re gonna sneak glances and act dumber than we usually do. And that’s if we weren’t interested. The fact that we are makes it that much worse.

  We’re wiping down surfaces and fixing the legs on tables and chairs while the girls play some cheesy boy band song. Six girls are lip syncing and they’re choreographing some sort of dance to go with it.

  Vanessa is among the dancers. She’s in tight, athletic shorts and a tank top that
rides up showing her stomach and lots of tanned skin every time she raises her arms. I catch her eye during one of their breaks and wave, wet rag in hand.

  “Man, these are some real desperate times if you’re having to use manual labor to get laid.” Travis claps me on the shoulder leaving a dirty handprint on my white shirt. He follows my line of vision to Vanessa. “She’s probably the only girl on campus that wouldn’t be all up on your jock at the snap of your fingers. The world is your oyster right now. All this for one girl? Want my advice?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “Aim lower.”

  He’s already walked off when I respond, “No chance.”

  It’s lunchtime when we finish. The girls invite us to stay and order pizza to thank us.

  Vanessa and I hang off to the side. I should grab a slice to feed my angry stomach, but every second chewing is a second I can’t convince her to go out with me. So… I guess you could say I have priorities.

  “Is this going to become a habit? You showing up here every day? Because I’ve got a lot of tasks I’ve been putting off that I could line up for you.” She smirks.

  “Is that what it’ll take to get you to go out with me?”

  Shaking her head, her mouth pulls into a big smile. “I’ll agree to coffee but not until after rush week is over.”

  “No deal.” I lean back on the wall where their house pictures are framed dating back twenty years. There’s more upstairs. Nineteen to be exact. I should know, since I dusted all of them. “That’s too far away. And I know for a fact you’re free for a couple hours this afternoon. I saw the schedule downstairs, remember? By the way, props to you guys for being so organized. It’s impressive, really.”

  “I was planning on napping, but I guess I can do that after our date.”

  One of the girls calls out that lunch break is over.

  “Pick you up at two-thirty?”

  “That doesn’t give me any time to change.” She glances down at her clothes.

  “Not necessary. You look beautiful.” I step away. “Come on, guys.”

  I back out of the room and shoot her a wink.

  “Does this walk end somewhere else or did you really bring me to campus a week before school starts?”

  I take her hand, lacing our fingers loosely. “I want to show you something, but first, fine dining.” I pull her inside the engineering building and up the stairs to the second level. It’s almost as hot inside as it is outside, but she doesn’t complain.

  “Lady’s choice. Anything you want. Nothing but the best for you.” I lift my free arm in a grand gesture toward the vending machines.

  She plays along, eyeing the choices carefully. “Wow. There are so many good options. I’ll have a bag of your finest pretzels and a Diet Coke.”

  After selecting the items and a couple of my own, we head back outside.

  “You sure know how to treat a lady,” she teases as she pops a pretzel in her mouth.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I like real dates going out to restaurants or whatever, but there’s something about just chilling with a person somewhere you’re comfortable that gives you a better idea of who they are.”

  Nodding, she considers it while she chews. “Food’s better at a restaurant though.”

  I extend my bag of M&M’s to her.

  “No thanks. I don’t like chocolate.”

  “Well there’s your problem. You don’t know the delights of melted milk chocolate.” Tipping my head back, I finish off the bag and toss the wrapper in the trash nearby.

  “Campus is really pretty. I’ve never seen it so empty.”

  “You should see it at five a.m. Still dark out, no one in sight, just the sound of the fountain in the background and the sprinklers along the sidewalk.”

  “Five a.m.?”

  “We run the campus before field drills.”

  “Oh man. I can’t wait to tell the girls they’re only steps away from a free show every morning. You’ve got quite a fan club, you know? At least six of my sisters have delighted me with stories of your heroic lifesaving moment last spring.”

  I make a face that has her laughing. “It was pretty incredible. I looked it up after the fifth time I heard the story to see how much they’d exaggerated. You’re a real hero.”

  “I don’t even remember it. Not really. I remember the panicked look on his face from far away and I remember when it was over, but it wasn’t a conscious decision.”

  “Maybe not, but you still saved that kid’s life.”

  I lead her toward an archway at the west entrance of campus. “Here we go. My masterpiece.”

  “Oh my gosh, Mario.” She drops my hand and walks the length of the banner I hung earlier today. The sorority name is in big, red letters along with a sketch of their house and a caricature type drawing of a group of girls standing out front.

  “Is that me?” Vanessa asks, pointing to the girl in the middle.

  “Yeah and Blair’s on the left, or my attempt at her. I had a harder time recalling her from memory.”

  “I can’t believe you did this. It’s amazing. Thank you.”

  “It was no big deal.”

  She turns, facing me and closing the space between us. “I can’t decide if you’re just an incredibly nice guy or that incredibly determined to win me over.”

  I shrug. “Can’t it be both?”

  “Not in my experience.” Her small palm settles on my chest as she leans in to press her soft lips to mine. The wind blows her hair into my face, tickling my cheeks and encapsulating me in the smell of her clean, floral shampoo. The contact is gone almost before I can savor it, but my body vibrates all the way to my toes when she smiles at me and slips her hand back in mine.

  As we continue the loop around campus that will eventually take us back to the sorority house, we talk about our friends and families. I avoid asking her anything heavy, though I can’t totally push the idea that she’s been hurt in the past out of my mind.

  “Come over tonight before the party or tomorrow, both if you’re free.”

  She swings our arms between us. “Me and a few of the girls are staying in tonight to nail down the dance.”

  “Tomorrow then.”

  “I’ll call you.” She walks backward toward the house, holding onto my hand until our bodies are too far apart to maintain the contact. “Thanks for today.”

  Vanessa James is spellbinding. Yep, pulled that word out of my ass, but it’s the only one that accurately describes the way she’s entranced, not just me, but all the guys at the house.

  When she arrived an hour ago, I had every intention of taking her out back or up to my room so I could spend time with her alone, but she sat right down on the couch, comfortable as can be, and is chatting up my roommates.

  And it’s not like chicks never come over. Girls are over all the time, but usually they sit around, hanging on whichever guy they’re interested in and not really talking to anyone else.

  Stephens and Travis are playing Xbox and Matt is skipping songs on his phone trying to find something for us to listen to.

  “Pick a song already,” Travis complains when Matt skips three songs in a row.

  “Give me a second. I’m finding the perfect one.”

  At the first note, we all bust up laughing. The song the girls were rehearsing all morning plays and Travis bobs his head. “What the hell are they saying? And why is it so catchy?”

  When they get to the chorus, he and Stephens explode into song, “I need you, girl.”

  Matt gets up and does a really bad imitation of the choreography.

  “That’s actually not bad.” Vanessa chuckles and gets up and joins him. When the chorus comes back around, Stephens and Travis join in. What the hell is going on in my living room?

  Vanessa turns so she’s facing me and crooks her finger at me.

  I shake my head, but she pulls me to my feet anyway.

  “Come on, Hero, don’t act like it hasn’t been playing in your head all day long,�
�� Travis says.

  Mirroring her movements, I’m only half trying. Mostly I’m watching her. She mouths along, moving her hips from side to side and tossing her hair around. Girl loves her some BTS.

  When the song ends, she’s laughing and breathless and I take the opportunity to guide her away from the guys and out onto our back deck.

  “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Nah, I’m good.” She lifts her hair away from her neck. “Your boys have moves. Maybe we should have switched duties yesterday and had the guys dancing and the girls cleaning.”

  “After seeing the way they jumped at the opportunity to make fools of themselves just now, I have no doubt they would do just about anything you asked of them.” I lean against the railing and pull her against me. “You make it look way better though.”

  She presses up onto her toes and brushes her lips to mine. Her arms wrap around my neck so that she’s flush against me. Deepening the kiss, I slide my palms to her back to keep her close. She runs her hands through the hair at the nape of my neck, threading and curling her fingers around the strands.

  I tip my head back and rub my head along her fingers like a scratching post. “That feels so good.”

  “I like your hair.”

  “I like your everything.”

  A soft laugh leaves her lips. “You don’t know everything about me yet.”

  I bring my head down so I can look her in the eyes. “No, but I aim to, and so far, I like it all.”

  Her hands fall away, but she stays close. “You’ve got good lines; I’ll give you that.”

  “Is it so hard to believe that I mean it?”

  She nods, a flash of insecurity in her expression. “Yes.”

  “I haven’t given you any reason not to trust me.”

  “No, but you’re not the first guy to spit sweet lines at me.”

  She’s basically telling me she’s been burned before, which pisses me off, but makes me that much more eager to prove to her that there are guys out there that won’t screw her over. Actually, I just want to prove that I won’t.

  “Have dinner with me tomorrow night? A real date.”