The shock of electricity is hard and sudden. I’m surprised that my hair isn’t shooting up into the air in every direction. His thumb caresses the top of my hand, digging into the tension.
“Casey, look at me.” His words are rugged and more serious than ever before. Slowly, I bring my eyes up until I’m face to face with him. “Is there something that you want to talk about?” His fingers tickle the inside of my palm and I smile.
“No,” I lie. “I’m just tired. It’s nothing.” I pull away from him and wave his concerns away. I open the textbook and turn to the practice problems at the back. David looks at me like he doesn’t believe me for one second, but he doesn’t push. He just opens his workbook and starts.
Time flies by when you’re trying hard not to stare at you’re crush when your only three feet away and separated by a flimsy small table. Before I know, it our study session ends and there’s a knock at the door. The door opens and Dwayne pops his head inside.
I turn away from him and stuff papers into my backpack. The urge to get out is rising inside of me. David is the first to get out of his seat.
“I need to check out some books for one of my classes.” David holds out a folded piece of paper between his fingers. He gives Dwayne a quick fist bump and turns to me. “We can talk about our next session when I get back.” I open my mouth to tell him that he can just text me the time, but he’s gone.
And I’m left alone with Dwayne. This couldn’t be any worse.
Dwayne steps into the room. Lucky for me, he leaves the door open just in case things get a little too tense and I need to make a quick escape. I pretend that I don’t notice him and get my things ready for what I hope is David’s prompt return.
Dwayne gets up close to me and I can feel his eyes taking me in. Out of the corner of my eyes, he runs his tongue along his lips like I’m a piece of meat. The urge to gag is strong but I fight it off, not wanting to start anything.
That is, until I feel his hand running through my hair. He moves it slowly through my curls and rests it on my shoulder, pinching at my shirt. He gets a little closer and whispers, “Do you miss me? I know that you miss me.” His white teeth sparkle near my face and I can’t help but shiver.
I slap his hand off my shoulder and make my way to the door. I grip the handle and stop, turning back to see a grin on his face. “You need to forget about me.”
Dwayne takes a step forward and shakes the hand that I hit like he just burned it on a hot fire. “You were always a firecracker, Casey. And how can I forget about you?” His eyes look me up and down, and my urge to throw up is strong.
I look outside the door and see David making his way toward us. He can’t know about my history with Dwayne. That was a long time ago and it didn’t mean anything. Clearly, it didn’t mean anything to Dwayne back then, either.
I turn my attention back to Dwayne and hiss at him through clenched teeth. “You can’t tell David. I need this to stay between us.” Dwayne folds his hands together and looks at the ceiling as if he’s trying to think it over. “Dwayne!”
“Ok. Ok. Relax. I was only teasing you. I’m not that dumb.” He makes his way toward the door and I make sure to distance myself from him. The last thing I need is for him to feel me up in front of David. As of right now, I don’t know how much I can trust Dwayne. “I’m not going to mess up things with David. He and I are tight.”
David walks into the room and holds out the stack of borrowed books. “I was lucky. These were the last ones.” He looks up at me, and stops in his tracks, and the smile drops from his face. “What’s going on?” He looks at me for answers and when I look at the ground, Dwayne comes to save the day.
“Just talking, that’s all. Isn’t that right, Casey?”
“That’s right,” I say and put on my best smile. David looks at both of us and that perfect smile of his comes back.
“Good.” He looks at me for a moment longer before the clock behind me catches his attention. “Shit! We’re going to be late for practice.” He pushes Dwayne out of the room and grabs the handle, but not before poking his head back inside. “Text me.” He winks at me and they fly out of the library.
I sit down and let my heart calm down. That was closer than I would have liked. I’m going to have to tell David about Dwayne at some point. Just not right now. I don’t even know where David and I stand.
“Are you ok with that, Casey?” A hand waves in front of me and I’m brought back. “Is something wrong?” Melissa asks.
I shake my head. “Just a lot on my mind.” It’s a half-truth. Since I’ve started tutoring David I’ve been tuning out more and more. It seems like every free second is preoccupied thinking about him. Trying to figure out where he and I stand. Thinking about that one afternoon.
“Well then, you might hate me.” Melissa drops a folder on my table. Last time she did that, I got David to tutor. There’s a bad feeling in my stomach as I reach for the folder.
The folder is thick, but nowhere near like David’s. “It’s not a problem. I can handle it.” I open the folder and strum through the progress reports. And this person’s grades aren’t as bad either. Nothing that I can’t manage. “So, who am I tutoring?” Melissa has conveniently held the sheet that gives me the student’s information and schedule.
“Hannah Thomas.” She slides the information sheet across the table.
Shit! It can’t be. Please, don’t be the same Hannah. Please let it be a stupid coincidence.
I turn the info sheet over and almost curse out loud. It’s her. I bite the inside of my cheek. This just isn’t my day.
“She personally requested you.” I’m sure that she did. Melissa drops down in her chair and starts tapping away on her keyboard. Melissa looks up from her work, clearly surprised that I’m still here. “Can you fit her in?”
I don’t have much choice in the matter. It would be rude to turn her down. I’ve never turned down anyone before. And unless I give Melissa a better reason than she’s David’s on and off girlfriend, I don’t think she’ll care much.
“Definitely.” I push the folder against my chest and walk outside the office. I close the door behind me and smack the top of the folder against my forehead. This day couldn’t get any worse.
Earlier, I had to deal with Dwayne keeping his mouth shut. Now, I have to spend one-on-one time with a girl who thinks I’m trying to steal her prized trophy.
I press the folder against my head and want to scream into it like it’s a pillow that will muffle my scream. But I don’t. When I peel the folder off my face, there’s red lipstick marks on it.
Great! Now I’m going to have to figure out how to get rid of that, or Hannah will think I was making out with it.
10
David
“Let’s run the play one more time.” Coach Vaughn claps his hands together and I walk with him to the sideline. He holds his clipboard out in front of him, mumbling to himself before blowing his whistle. Practice isn’t going as well as he hoped.
Craig, the backup quarterback, hikes the ball and runs back. His eyes look down field for the open receiver, and he’s about to launch the ball when he gets tackled to the ground. There’s an audible groan from everyone.
“For fuck’s sake,” Coach Vaughn yells and shakes his head. He drops the clipboard on the ground and runs out. I follow behind. Coach Vaughn grabs Craig by the shoulder pads and picks him off the ground. “You have to be aware of your surroundings all the time. Not only be looking down field.” Craig nods along with Coach’s words but I know none of it is sticking.
I’ve been out here with the team for the last two hours and they’ve been running the same play over and over with no improvement. The team’s chances of progressing to the finals without me as head quarterback are looking dim. They are struggling with the plays that we had down at the beginning of the season.
Coach Vaughn blows the whistle and everyone rushes to form a circle around him. “That’s it for today, guys. Go home and get some rest.
We’ll pick it up tomorrow at the usual time.” He raises his hand into the air and everyone reaches out to it. “Team on three! One! Two! Three! Team!” Everyone yells and breaks the formation to run back to the locker room.
I help Coach pick up the cones on the sidelines, waiting for the perfect opportunity. I’ve been running this idea since the start of practice. I know it’s going to be a long shot but I’ve gotta try.
I rush to the end of the field, where Coach Vaughn is holding a white mesh bag open for me. I throw the cones in and he tightens the bag, throws it over his shoulder, and puts his hand on my shoulder, guiding me in.
It’s now or never.
“Coach?” He takes his eyes off the floor and looks at me. “How about I run a couple plays with the team each week? That way when I get back on the field, the team will still be fresh,” I stammer out. Coach nods his head and I can feel him warming up to the idea. “If I practice with them, it could boost morale for the team. Make sure that we’re going into the games with a clear head.” I’m rambling now, but it seems to be working.
Coach opens the door to the utility closet and throws the bag of cones inside. He slams the door shut and looks at me for a long time. The wrinkles on his forehead are getting more defined by the second. He lets go of the handle and walks off without saying anything. I catch up to him, unsure if I should say something or let him think.
When we get into the locker room, it’s empty. Everyone rushed out of here faster than usual. Probably didn’t want to be reminded of their shitty practice today. Or be yelled at by Coach.
“David, come inside.” He holds the door to his office open and offers the seat in front of his desk for me. I hadn’t been in his office since he broke the news to me. It’s been a little over two months. At the time, I was sure that my football career would be over. In my mind, there was no way that I would pass all of my classes before the end of the season.
That is, until I met Casey Boone. A mental image of her flickers in front of my eyes and I can’t help but smile. So much has changed in two months and all of it is because of her.
I’m doing better in my classes than I ever did. So good, in fact, that my teachers are skeptical that I’ve hired someone else to write my papers and take my exams. I’ve all but stopped going to every frat party on campus, spending my time on homework and reading. Things I would have never considered doing if it weren’t for her.
I’ve also stopped my one night stands. The thought of being with any other girl beside Casey makes my stomach hurt. Hell, just thinking of her makes me harder than any other girl I’d ever been with. Hannah has been on my ass all last week, trying to get me to go this party or that gathering, and I’ve rejected her every time. She’s been pissy about me ditching her, but I don’t care. I saw the hurt in Casey’s eyes the last time Hannah dropped by our tutoring session, and I don’t ever want to do that to her again.
“How are your classes going?” Coach Vaughn leans in his armchair, propping his feet on the table.
“They’re going well, sir.” I rub my palms down the side of my jeans. My foot bounces off the floor a couple times, drawing Coach Vaughn’s attention.
“Nervous?” He smiles.
“A little.”
He brings his hands to his face and rubs at the corners of his eyes, clearly holding something back. “I’ll need to speak with your tutor. If everything is good there and you’re making progress like you say, then I can consider letting you back on the field.” He opens his mouth and closes it quickly, getting out of his chair. He starts to pace from his cabinet at the back of the room and back to his chair, alternating between looking at his feet and at me. There’s something that he wants to tell me. I’ve never seen Coach like this before.
“What is it?” I lean forward in my small chair and it creaks under my weight.
He looks at me before nodding to himself and grabbing a folder off the top of his cabinet. “I wasn’t going to tell you about this.” He drops the folder in my lap and sits back down in his armchair.
I open the folder and my mouth nearly drops. “How long have you known?”
“A friend of mine sent it to me a couple days ago.”
I stop my foot from tapping and grip harder on the sides of the folder. Coach Vaughn didn’t have to tell me this. I’m sure that he’s been wrestling with how to even bring it up with me ever since he found out. This is life-changing information.
On the top of the paper in bold red letters it reads ‘Confidential.’ The rest of the page is a list of upcoming games. And at the bottom, highlighted in neon, is our next home game.
“Lester Fleming is coming to that game,” Coach Vaughn says. “He’s the top recruiter for the professional league. And rumor is, he’s coming to see you play.” Coach gets out of his seat and pours himself a glass of cogonac. He holds out a glass for me, and normally, I wouldn’t take it, but I can feel my nerves coming back. “This is your best chance to get recognized. And I can’t do anything to get you on the field.”
The hard liquor hits the back of my throat and burns my nose. I haven’t drunk anything this strong in my life. Frat houses don’t buy top shelf liquor for their parties. I let the simmering in the back of my throat die before I consider saying anything.
Coach Vaughn breaks the silence. “Right now, it’s up to you. If you do well on your next exam, then I can probably talk to Melissa and convince her to let you get on the field. Even she’ll know how important this is for you but I can’t do that until you put in the work.” I slide the crystal glass across his table.
That’s all I need to know. I put the folder on his desk and grab my backpack. I’m almost out the door when Coach Vaughn shouts at me, “Where are you going?”
I peek back inside the room and smile. “To study.”
I run all the way back to my dorm room. If anyone saw me running across the quad, they probably thought I was rushing to a party or to some girl’s room. I’m positive none of them would think that David Cooper was running to his room to study.
Coach Vaughn has given me the information I need to jumpstart my professional career. All I have to do is make sure that I pass all of my exams with flying colors. Easier said than done.
I open a power drink, turn on my flimsy desk light, and open my textbook to the first chapter. This is going to be a long night.
11
Casey
This all seems like déjà vu. My eyes move past the clock for the twentieth time. She’s over thirty minutes late. I’ve tried texting her, but she doesn’t have the decency to even reply to that.
I would have left the second the minute hand went past our designated time, if it were not for Melissa. Hell, I would have never agreed to tutor Hannah if it weren’t for Melissa. I hate the special treatment I give the students that Melissa assigns to me.
And then I remember that I did the same for David when he was late on his first day. There’s a glimmer of hope inside of me, deep inside, that this might go over better than I think.
Maybe Hannah had an emergency and she can’t get her phone. Maybe that’s why she’s late.
Or maybe I’m just a little too forgiving.
I’m about to reconsider my decision when the door swings open. Hannah walks inside, her eyes glued to her phone, and sits down in the chair across from me. She blows a big pink bubble and pops it before her tongue picks up the pieces around her lips to shove back into her mouth.
“You’re la-” I start, but Hannah holds up a finger and blows another bubble as her fingers swipe across her fancy phone. It takes another good minute before she puts the phone down and turns to look at me. “You’re late,” I say.
She looks at me like I’m speaking another language and just shrugs her shoulders. “It happens.” Her phone vibrates and she swoops it up like its her precious. The white screen lights up her face and she snorts before her fingers start to fly across it again.
My fingers grip the pencil in my hand hard. Never in my life have I wanted
to hurt someone so badly as I did Hannah. The audacity of coming over thirty minutes late and then to continue wasting time by ignoring me is too much.
“Is there a reason why you’re late?” That’s the only thing that can save her at this rate. Just give me an excuse. Any excuse. I don’t care if you have to make it up off the top of your head, just pretend like you give a shit.
Her fingers swipe across the keyboard, and she sends the text before she looks up at me. “No reason.” She bats her long fake eyelashes at me like she doesn’t have a clue in the world. Like she’s used to getting anything and everything that she wants and isn’t understanding why I’m making a big deal out of being late.
My thumb digs into the side of the pencil and I can hear the soft cracks as the pressure mounts. I close my eyes and take a breath to readjust. The first thing that pops into my head is David’s smirk. I wish that I could be tutoring him right now. At least when he was late, he had an excuse and it didn’t hurt that I accidentally felt him up. A smile starts to spread on my face for a moment. The sound of her popping bubblegum brings me out of my little day dream. When I open my eyes, Hannah is leaning back in her chair, earbuds in her ears, blasting music.
I lean over the table and yank on the cord, pulling her down to the table. The look of surprise on her face makes me want to smile but I hold it. “What the hell?” She pulls the cord out of my hand, slams her hands on the table, and gets up like she’s about to fight me right here. “What is your problem?” she yells.
“My problem is that we’re wasting time,” I lie. Usually, I wouldn’t mind giving her a piece of my mind, letting her know that my problem is solely her and her shit attitude, but I bite my tongue. If only for Melissa. I clear my throat and try to get rid of the tension in the room. “Did you bring any of your textbooks?”
Big Jock : Bad Boy Sports Romance Page 7