Page 48 of Teasing the Winger

“I’m going to clear things with Hailey. Text me once you have your room number, and I’ll meet you there,” he tells me as we get off the bus. Then he pecks my cheek and rushes off to find his friend.

“You still good with the plan?” I check with BooBoo as we wait for our room assignments and key cards.

He nods. “But I meant what I said. If you two start fucking, I’m going to pour ice water on you.”

I laugh and hold my hands up. “No need to threaten such levels of violence.”

It doesn’t take long for us to get our key cards, and BooBoo and I head to our room to get settled.

“Are you hanging out with Hailey until curfew?” I check, and he shrugs.

“She said she had to call her grandpa. I guess it’s his birthday, and now is the best time to get ahold of him. If she gets off before then, we might hang out.”

“You guys sure seemed to be getting cozy on the bus,” I note, making him blush.

“She’s pretty awesome.”

“Why haven’t you asked her out yet?” I inquire.

“Because I’m pretty sure she’ll shoot me down, and I haven’t always been the best at handling rejection. I mean, I don’t pull any bro shit and get mad at the girl, but I always end up feeling really down afterward. Especially when it’s someone I’m really into, like Hailey.”

I nod. “I get it. Being demi means I’m not sexually attracted to someone until I’ve developed a close relationship with them. And sometimes, when those feelings do show up, the other person has no interest in you that way at all, and it can sting like a bitch.”

A knock on the door stops our conversation, and I instantly move to open it.

“Long time no see,” Sasha says when I open the door.

“I know it’s been ages,” I joke back.

“Are you sure you’re cool with this?” he asks BooBoo, who nods.

“Absolutely, I still feel bad about that video going viral, so consider this my apology.”

BooBoo doesn’t know all the details about why Sasha has been on edge, but after a mini panic attack this morning when BooBoo tried to scare Sasha, I had to fill him in on the basics.

“It’s not your fault. Nobody knows that I was hiding from someone. And it has been seven years, so in theory, that person shouldn’t be a threat anymore.”

“It still sucks that you had to be put in the spotlight without your permission,” BooBoo mumbles.

“Shit happens,” Sasha tells him with a shrug. “I promise I’m not mad at anyone. And I’m sure my anxiety will go down in the next couple of weeks once the smoke settles and we aren’t as viral as we are now.”

BooBoo nods, but having known him for as long as I have, I can tell he’s still beating himself up, which I completely understand. I’ve also spent some time beating myself up over being the reason Sasha was in that video in the first place. But no one could have predicted how viral that video got, so there really isn’t anyone to blame.

“Should we check out the TV guide and see if there’s anything good on?” Sasha suggests, and both BooBoo and I nod.

Sasha grabs the remote then we both get comfortable on our bed while BooBoo settles in on his.

There’s a channel playing back-to-back reruns of the office, so we turn it on and spend some time vegging and laughing as we relax.

A good laugh session is exactly what all of us needed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

SASHA

The entire week flew by, and before I know it, I’m back in the mascot costume cheering on the GSU soccer team. Since this is a home game, I have a few more of the cheer squad with me tonight and am able to perform more than I am at away games, which is always a great time. Although I have stumbled a few times tonight when I look too closely at the crowd. I keep imagining that Lux is there even though I know he isn’t. Thankfully, no one has mentioned my mishaps.

This game has been a lot closer than the other ones since their major loss and I’m pretty sure the entire crowd is biting their nails hoping the team pulls off another win.

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