Page 41 of Out of Bounds

I sent off the messages and kept walking around my dorm, waiting for her to reply. I could see her starting to message me back, and then, silence. What the hell was taking her so long?

cassie:sorry captain

cassie:its adam

I stared down at the text messages. "What the fuck?"

cassie:i swiped your phone because i thought this would be funny

cassie:srry

cassie:sorry

"Goddamn, I’m going to beat the shit—" I tossed my phone to the couch. Adam Russell, biggest prankster on my football team, and now officially the teammate who’d be lifting weights until his muscles disintegrated. Fuck, I’d do worse. He would run pacer tests until he collapsed on the track.

The phone rang and I answered it, pissed off. "What?"

"Don’t kill Adam, captain," the answer was quick.

"King." I rubbed my temple. "I’m not in the fucking mood right now."

Only silence came over the phone call and I swore under my breath.

"I’m not going to kill him," I said finally.

"And tell him not to send those messages," a voice carried over the phone.

"Is that Adam?" I demanded. "Tell him he’s doing pacer tests until he wears out his sneakers."

"Oh, man."

King bypassed the comment. "Captain, don’t send the texts to Kassie."

"What?" I frowned. "Why?"

"Don’t send them."

"Whynot?"

Only silence came over the phone call, and I started pacing in the living room again, irritation rolling off of me. I knew what King was implying. And I didn’t want to hear it.

"I’m not interested in Kassie," I snapped.

"Those are weird fucking messages." Adam’s voice was muffled through the phone. "Serial killers send stuff like that. And really horny dudes online. He’s got it bad for the art girl."

"Hey,Icall her the art girl," I warned him and stopped walking entirely like they were in the room to see. "You don’t call her that.Icall her that. Nobody else gets to call her that."

The line was quiet again and I sighed, moving to the front door and back again.

"Fuck," I muttered, running my hand over my face. "Okay. I’m not interested in Kassie but I shouldn’t send the text messages…because…they give off the wrong impression? If I was even interested in that kind of thing. Which—to be fucking clear—I’m not. But if I was…I shouldnotsend the messages?"

"Yeah, tell him that’s right."

"That’s right," King grunted in agreement with Adam.

Goddamn, this is so complicated.

"So what do I send?" I demanded.

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