Page 59 of Blood Sport

“Yesterday. I met him at Bluebird Co. on campus. He and his dad are in town checking out the facilities before the game.”

“Is he cute?” Candie asks, her eyes big and bright as she awaits my answer.

I smile. “He’s very boy next door cute, and funny, too.” The girls sigh happily, swooning over Kale. I totally understand their reaction. I’m sure that's the effect he has on most women he crosses paths with. “I’ll point him out at the game.”

“But what about Jaylen?” Jaycee asks, reaching over to grab a handful of pepperoni. She’s dressed in a baggy T-shirt and pajama bottoms. We all decided to wear matching pajamas for the occasion, so we all look the same as we stand around the kitchen island.

I frown, looking up at her. “What about Jaylen?”

She shrugs. “Aren’t you guys like…”

I scoff, shaking my head. “We’re not anything, Jay. I don’t know what the hell is going on with him, with us, but we’re certainly not anything as far as I know.”

“Look, I think it’s great that you’re putting yourself out there,” Rylee interjects with a smile. I eye the smear of flour across her cheek. “Just keep being yourself and living your life, and I’m sure everything will fall into place, whether that’s with Jaylen or Kale.”

I have to agree with Rylee. After Jaylen took me out to his favorite spot in Pullman and ravished me on his motorcycle yesterday, I thought that maybe going out with Kale might be a bad idea. But after thinking about it some more once Jaylen dropped me home, I realized that I can’t wait around to see what is going to happen with him because realistically, I’m not sure if anything can happen at all.

Yes, I’m attracted to him, but knowing that Miles is always going to be there keeping a close eye on me makes it harder for us.

Jaylen says I’m his girl, but am I really? And what does that mean to him?

“You’re right,” I say as I sprinkle some ground beef onto my pizza. “I’m just going to let the universe guide me through this, and what will happen will happen. There is no point in fighting it.”

Jaycee sips on her wine before nodding in my direction. “Does Jaylen know that you’re going out for drinks with Kale?”

“He does.”

“Girl, you’re playing with fire here,” she says, licking her lips. “But I trust you. Just… be careful, okay?”

I give her a reassuring smile. “I always am. I can handle Jaylen, don’t worry. I won’t get myself into something that I can’t get myself out of.”

Candie stiffens, her eyes looking behind me as she stops putting toppings on her pizza. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Amara standing by the refrigerator watching us. Her brows are furrowed as she observes the scene before her eyes move to me.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” she says, fiddling with the messy bun on top of her head. “Who is this Kale guy you speak of?”

“It’s none of your business,” I say through gritted teeth, turning to face her fully.

“If you’re dating someone else, that means Jaylen is free game,” she smirks, folding her arms over her chest that is covered by a worn oversized T-shirt.

Her words leave an odd taste in my mouth. I know she has a history with Jaylen, but it seems he doesn’t care for her the way she does for him. That was evident from what I overheard after the game a few weeks ago. I wish she would get the hint, but it’s not my place to say since nothing ia going on between me and Jaylen. But still, her words rub me the wrong way.

“If I were you, I’d get the fuck out of my face before you regret it,” I say as calmly as I can. “If you want to go for Jaylen, be my guest. Just don’t drag me into your shit.”

Amara stares at me for a moment, her eyes hard, before she huffs and leaves the kitchen, her feet slapping against the floorboards. When she is out of sight, I sigh and turn to face the girls. I can feel their eyes on me, wanting to say something but all that fills the space around us is silence.

“That was… woah.” Candie is the first to break the silence. “What the hell happened there?”

I shake my head. “She just gets on my fucking nerves, that’s all.”

“I feel that,” Rylee says, offering a comforting smile. “But don’t worry about her, okay? Let’s enjoy some homemade pizza, a glass of wine, and a fun and flirty romcom.”

I smile, grateful for the support of my friends. My head may be a fucking mess because of Jaylen and now Kale being thrown into the mix, but I’m glad I can switch off when I’m with my friends and not think about what’s going on outside of being with them.

It’s not something I realize I enjoy so much until this very moment.

“You’re right,” I say, picking up my glass to sip on the crisp white wine. “I’m going to switch off and forget about everything that’s going on in my life and focus on the present.”

The girls smile as we lift our glasses in the air to cheer to my words, and I can’t help but giggle and lean into my best friend as we continue to decorate our pizzas.

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