Lance cheered throughout the game, and she and Abby joined in when it seemed appropriate. They giggled together about anything and everything, barely paying attention to what was happening on the field. Neither of them cared much about football. Megan could follow the game because she’d grown up watching her brothers play, but she hadn't been to a game since high school. Once her middle brother graduated, she hadn't felt the need to go. Sitting in the stands again—even if they weren’t the same stands—made her miss him.
She had fun seeing names she recognized on jerseys again—Chris and Matt’s and a few other guys she’d met at parties with them over the summer—even if they weren't related to her.
It was a hard-fought game. At halftime the other team was up by a touchdown. They maintained their lead throughout the second half until the end of the fourth quarter, when Chris caught an interception. Megan and Abby stopped talking, watching as he ran it back, dodging and twisting to keep away from would-be tacklers. Megan held her breath when a CCC player got ahold of his jersey right before he got to the end zone, trying to drag him down, but amazingly he stayed up, leaning forward and plowing toward the goal line.
The crowd rose to its feet, cheering him on. Lance's deeper voice cut through the surrounding noise, screaming for Chris to keep moving. Megan bounced on the balls of her feet yelling, “Go! Go! Go!” Abby stood between them with a hand clapped over her mouth.
Chris struggled against the weight of the other player, only a few feet from the goal line, but Megan feared he wouldn’t get across it before he went down. Then Matt came out of nowhere, wrapped his arms around the CCC guy's legs, and took him out. Chris managed to shake free and ran the last few steps down the field, spiking the ball just before his teammates jumped on top of him in a victory dog pile.
The whole stadium erupted. Lance screamed while she and Abby jumped up and down, wordless cheers coming from everywhere. The last play of the game was a two point conversion, putting Marycliff ahead. CCC made a valiant effort for a final touchdown, throwing a long Hail Mary pass. The Marycliff fans held their breath as the receiver touched the ball with the tips of his fingers, but fumbled it before he could pull it in. Marycliff players covered the ball, taking final possession. When they lined up for the next play, Marycliff took a knee, and the last few seconds on the clock ran out.
Excitement streamed through Megan’s blood as she joined in the cheering as the Marycliff players left the field victorious, all signs of boredom from the first half gone. That last five minutes of play had been pure adrenaline, and it made sitting through the rest of it worthwhile.
Lance led them down to the player's entrance to catch up with Chris and Matt and some of the other guys. They hung out for a while, chatting and reliving those last exciting plays while they waited for the team to complete their post-game rituals. Soon enough, players started trailing out alone and in small groups. Several of them stopped to talk to Lance, the ones who recognized her and Abby giving them nods and smiles as well.
Megan waved at Cooper, the guy she'd met at the pool party right before classes started, as he walked past. But instead of returning her wave, he stared at her for a long moment before lifting his chin in that universal guy nod, but didn't approach, his eyes focused on a point over her shoulder. Confused, she looked behind her. Chris loomed over her, his eyes hard and his jaw firm. She looked back at Cooper. His eyes flicked to her and back to Chris, then he turned and walked away.
Megan turned toward Chris, who still watched Cooper's retreating back with the same stony expression. “What was that about?”
Chris waited a beat before giving her his attention. With a slow exhale, his puffed-out chest returned to its normal dimensions, and he shook his head once. “Nothing.”
Before she could push for an actual explanation, he turned away from her to talk to Lance and Matt, effectively blocking her out. Now irritated as well as confused, she looked at Abby, who'd watched the entire thing with raised eyebrows.
When their eyes met, Abby stepped closer to her. “What was that?”
Megan looked over at the trio of guys talking and laughing like nothing had happened. They were caught up in the details of the game, congratulating Chris on his interception and touchdown. She shook her head, mystified. “I have no idea.”
“C’mon.” Abby grabbed Megan’s arm. “Let's go to the bathroom before we head out. I don't think we're going home any time soon, and I have to pee.” She waved to get Lance's attention, let him know where they were going, then grabbed Megan and pulled her along.
Once they were around the corner and out of earshot, Abby stopped and turned to her. “Okay, I know we haven't talked in awhile, but I thought you’d fill me in on any major developments. What's going on with you and Chris?”
“Don't you have to pee?” Megan didn’t know what was going on with her and Chris, and she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Not until she could get things straight in her own head.
“Yeah,” Abby waved a dismissive hand, “but not that bad. You normally tell me everything that's going on, and I haven't heard anything about Chris going all macho and possessive around you. Why are you holding out on me? I never thought I'd be the one hounding you for information.”
Megan rolled her eyes, but she had to admit the turnaround was funny. “That's because there isn't anything to tell.” She started walking again, heading for the bathroom, knowing Abby would follow. “The guy I waved at danced with me at a party the weekend before classes started. The way he reacted, though, confirms that Matt and Chris scared him off without me realizing it at the time. And I have no idea what that was about back there.” She stopped and did her best impression of how Chris had puffed out his chest, then relaxed with a laugh and kept walking.
Abby laughed with her and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She pushed open the door to the bathroom and held it for Megan. “Weren't you guys flirting quite a bit over the summer?”
Stopping halfway into a stall, Megan narrowed her eyes at Abby's faux-innocent expression. “Yeah, so? What's your point?”
Abby shrugged and went into her own stall. “No point. Just asking a question.”
“Right. No point at all, I'm sure. The answer to your real question is no, nothing's going on there. We flirted over the summer, yeah, but he's barely spoken to me since I've been living there. There's been nothing that could even be remotely construed as flirtatious in any dimension since the day I moved in.”
Conversation stopped until they were both washing their hands, and Abby looked at Megan in the mirror. “Did something happen on move-in day?”
Megan considered the question for a moment before she answered. Did something happen on move-in day? She couldn't put her finger on anything specific, but it did seem like that was when everything had changed between her and Chris. Their relationship had gone from easy and flirtatious to uncomfortable and barely speaking to one another. She and Matt had gotten closer since then, but Chris was always prickly and monosyllabic whenever they were in the same room for more than a few minutes. It had gotten to where she didn't even try to engage him in conversation anymore, which was why dinner the night before had been so surprising.
She shook the water off her hands and reached for a paper towel, bringing her eyes back to Abby's face. Megan shook her head back and forth while she thought about it. “I can't think of anything, really.” She filled Abby in on the basics of what had happened at the pool party, pausing for a second to think before she finished. “Chris got really drunk even though he was supposed to drive, and Matt ended up driving. I don't know what that was all about.” She grinned at Abby. “They don't give in to my bullying for information as easily as you.”
Abby laughed at that. “They just haven't learned how persistent you can be. Plus, I bet you don't follow them into their bedrooms or the bathroom continuing to pester them until they give in.” She arched one blonde eyebrow at Megan.
“True. Chris makes it clear he doesn't want me ar
ound. And Matt's like my big brother. I don't want to see him naked.” She shuddered and made an ick face. “And I have the feeling that if I followed him into the bathroom, he'd pee in front of me regardless. You're too shy to do that, so I could always hold you hostage that way when you wouldn't fess up.”
“That is one thing I definitely don't miss about living with you.”
Poking out her lower lip in a fake pout, Megan sniffed like she might cry. “You don't miss me?” She sniffed again.
Abby just laughed at her. “Of course I miss you. It's weird living with a boy.”
It was Megan's turn to laugh. “You practically lived with him all summer.”
“I know, but it's different now that it's our place. Before it was his place, and I just stayed over. Now I'm actually living with him, and we share a bathroom and a kitchen and stuff. I haven't lived in the same house as a guy since Daniel bailed on Mom and me, and he was my brother, so it's not at all the same thing.”
Pulling her phone from her pocket, Abby checked the screen and chuckled. “Lance is wondering if we got lost. We should probably head back.”
Megan held the door open for Abby before following her out. Linking her arm in Abby’s, she laid her head on Abby's shoulder for a moment as they walked. “I know what you mean. It is way different living with guys. I miss being roommates. You're quieter and cleaner and not gone for days at a time for football games. It's weird. I get used to having them around, farting and burping and making boy noises all over the house, and then they're gone. I just start getting used to being alone, and then they're back, tromping around, slamming doors, and playing video games till late.”
Abby snorted. “I told you it would be weird.” She pulled them to a stop so she could look at Megan's face. “You are doing okay, aren't you? You'd tell me if it was too much, right?”
“Yeah, I'm fine.” Megan waved away Abby’s unnecessary concern. “It's only been a few weeks. We're all still adjusting. You're happy with Lance, though, right?”
The grin that split Abby's face was answer enough. Megan tugged on her arm to get her moving again. “Good.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Dude, what was that all about?”
Chris pulled his eyes away from the retreating forms of Megan and Abby to give Lance his attention. “What was what about?”
Lance laughed. “You went all possessive caveman around Megan when she waved at that other guy. I didn't recognize him. He new?”
“Yeah,” Chris shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant instead of like he wanted to strangle the little asshole. Lance was wrong about his assessment of Chris’s behavior. He wasn’t being possessive. He was being protective. That was the dick who’d been talking shit about Megan in the locker room. Just because she didn’t know the dude was a little asswipe didn’t mean he’d allow her to be friendly to the guy. “He's a sophomore, I think. It's his first season here.”
“Right,” Lance drew out the single syllable, his tone dripping with disbelief. “And your little show of intimidation? You screwing her or something?”
Chris shoved Lance, more irritated with his friend than he had a right to be. But he didn’t want anyone talking about Megan like that. Not even Lance. “Fuck off, man. It's not like that. That little asshole was talking trash about her in the locker room. I just wanted to make sure he remembers to leave her alone.”
Lance laughed again, but when a glance at Matt confirmed Chris's story, he turned serious. “What was he saying?” He took a deep breath, expanding his chest in a more subtle version of Chris’s show of intimidation.
That was more like it. Lance should have his back and Megan’s back, since Megan was friends with Abby.
Clenching his jaw and flexing his hands, Chris tried to keep control of his temper as he relived the memory of what those little shits were saying about Megan. “I don't want to talk about it.”
With a raised eyebrow, Lance glanced at Matt again, obviously hoping he’d fill in the details, but Matt shrugged and shook his head. “I don't know, man. I walked in just in time to stop Chris from breaking the guy's face. I didn't hear what he said, but from what Chris told me, it wasn't very flattering to our little roomie. It's probably good I didn't hear, or we'd've all gotten suspended for fighting.”
“So what's the plan for tonight? I need to blow off some steam.” Chris interrupted, needing to end this conversation. Megan and Abby could be back any minute. No way did he want either of them knowing what happened in the locker room. That anything had happened in the locker room. Not when he already knew Megan had some other asshole bothering her too.
Turning to Chris, Lance shook his head. “Huh-uh. Don't think you're getting off that easy. Something else is going on there. I've never seen you get all defensive like that about a chick before. You don't do attachments, and that looked like some attached shit going on.” Lance crossed his arms and tipped his head back to stare Chris down.
Matt watched him, too, that same watchful expression on his face that he'd been wearing since Megan had moved in with them.
Fuck.
Chris rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, wishing for a way out of this interrogation. “There's nothing going on. She's our roommate. I don't want assholes using her and tossing her aside. That's all.” It was the truth, even if there might be more to it than that. He’d gotten to know her since she’d started hanging around over the summer. Flirted with her. Bantered. Spent more time with her than any single girl he hadn’t fucked. Couldn’t fuck. Dammit.
“Since when have you ever cared if a girl gets used and tossed aside? Isn't that your standard MO?” It was Matt's turn.
Chris rounded on him, thankful for a target to unleash his frustration on. Besides, a lot of this was Matt’s fault anyway. He’d invited Megan to move in, and he was the one who’d firmly placed her in the off-limits category. “What's your problem, dude? You've already warned me off her, and I'm leaving her alone.” Chris looked Matt up and down, his expression calculating. “Unless there's something you'd like to share with the group?”
Lance raised his eyebrows and turned toward Matt. “Yes. That's a good question. Megan said she's tutoring you? That’s an interesting development.”
Matt laughed at both of them, like they were making some hilarious joke. “Yeah, she's tutoring me. We have some classes together, and she's really smart. She hides behind her party girl reputation, but she works hard in school.”
“Uh-huh. And?” Lance gestured with one hand for Matt to go on. Chris watched with a smug smile.
“And what?” Matt spread his hands in a so what? gesture. “She's smart and funny, and she plays video games with me now that all Chris does when he's home is grunt at us and hide in his room.” He shrugged. “We hang out some outside of the tutoring, but that's it.”
“She plays video games?” The look of longing on Lance’s face made Matt laugh again.
“Yeah. She sucks, but it's more fun than playing the computer. She's super competitive and gets mad when she fucks up. It's cute. Can't get Abby to play, huh?”
“No.” Lance almost looked like he was pouting. Chris couldn't help laughing too. Which brought the attention back to him. Shit.
“So, now you know what the story is with Megan and me. We’re friends. She’s like a surrogate little sister, and she helps me with my homework. Now it's your turn to share with the group, Chris.” Matt made a sweeping gesture with his arm.
“My name's Chris, and my friends are assholes.”
Lance and Matt both laughed, but didn't stop looking at him, obviously expecting more than that.
He sighed. “There's nothing going on. She's our roommate. I'm not going to stand by and let some little asshole sophomore run his mouth about her.” He looked at Matt. “You wouldn't either, so why is it a big deal when I do something about it?”
“Because Matt will actually date a chick that he likes,” Lance put in. “He doesn't just fuck 'em and drop 'em like you do.”
“You
're one to talk. Didn't you do the exact same thing?” Chris shot back.
Lance flashed him a cocky grin. “I always took them out to dinner first, at least.”
“It's not my problem that you felt the need to pay for it before you got pussy-whipped.”
“Jealous?”
Chris snorted. “Not hardly.”
Lance gave him a speculative look again. “I seem to remember you trying to get into Megan's pants this summer. What happened? She turn you down?”
“No.”
Lance's eyebrows climbed further up his forehead. “You fucked her? And you still had the balls to ask her to move in with you guys?”
“First of all, it was Matt's brilliant idea to ask her to move in. And no, I didn't fuck her.”
“But you want to.” Lance made it a statement, not a question.
Chris shrugged. “She's hot. I wouldn't mind a piece of that, but Matt keeps warning me off like a jealous boyfriend.”
“I told you, man. I’m not interested in her,” Matt finally jumped in. “I just don't want you to fuck up our roommate situation. Do you want to have to find someone mid-semester?”
Lance was still eyeing Chris. “I think you like her, and you want more than a one-time fuck.”
“What? And get pussy-whipped like you?” Chris snorted again, even though having more than once with Megan didn’t sound like the worst idea. He honestly hadn’t thought ahead more than that. He enjoyed spending time with her, or he had before he saw her drooling over his teammates and dancing with assholes who wouldn’t treat her right. And then started avoiding her because of Matt’s interference.
Lance shrugged, unaffected by Chris's derision. “With the right pussy, it's not a bad thing at all.” A grin split his face. “Try it sometime. You might like it.”
Players of Marycliff University Box Set, Books 1–3 Page 29