Page 74 of Out of Bounds

"You know those art chicks love skinny indie band guys. Which is not you. In every way possible."

I stared at the linebacker. "You don’t think I’m her type?" Adam gave me a long look, and when I turned back, King shrugged reluctantly. I couldn’t believe it. "I’m not Kassie’s type?"

"There’s no way in hell," Adam said.

"You don’t need to be someone’s…exact type," King argued, just confirming I couldn’t check Kassie's boxes.

Adam rolled his eyes. "No, but it’s going to make it a hell of a lot harder. Ryan, you don’t need to be straining over this. This doesn’t need to be a problem. Go find a bleacher bunny. Get a blowjob. Come on her face. Done."

I nodded. "I hear what you’re saying."

"Good. Finally."

"I’m going to ask Kassie out in December."

"Goddammit." Adam leaned back in his chair as far as he could and folded his arms behind his head. "Nobody listens to me."

"I don’t think December’s a good idea either, captain," King admitted.

"Why not?"

Adam breathed out through his nose. "King’s trying to nicely say that we’re enrolled in a university with forty thousand students. Statistically speaking, twenty thousand of those don’t think with anything more than their dick. That’s it."

King hesitated. "Kassie’s a good-looking college girl, captain."

"And?" I demanded. "I put an off-limits tag on her. She’smine."

I couldn’t resist the twinge of jealousy. It wasn’t like Kassie wasn’t gorgeous but nobody else got to have her. The off-limits tag proved that. Even hearing other guys comment on her appearance made me tense. Both of my teammates knew it. I already had to have a sit-down with some basketball players who wouldn’t stop commenting on her account. And now they weren’t allowed in the main gyms at the training center.

Fuck around and find out, assholes.

"You need to lock it down," King told me plainly.

"Ornot." Adam gave both of us a look of disbelief. "Why am I even talking right now—we’re football players. Are you serious? I mean, captain—no offense—but, yeah, you’re cyberstalking this girl. How long has it been since you hadanypussy?"

For a long moment, I nodded, and then I pushed back to give King my full focus. "How do I lock it down?"

Adam groaned.

"You have to do something to show you’re invested," King said. "You can’t let her think you only see her as a friend."

"Because friends fuck other people," Adam sang out, his voice low.

I shot him another dark look and he held up his hands.

"What does Kassie like?" King pressed.

"Uh…" I thought long and hard about it. "Cartoons."

"Awesome. You figured it out." Adam threw finger guns at me. "Once you turn into a cartoon character, you’re in. Jesus, dude. This ispainful."

"Take some kind of next step," King suggested, and both of us swiveled in our chairs to ignore the linebacker. "You’re still under the contract but that doesn’t mean you can’t show her you won’t be down for December. Show her you’re invested in the future."

29

Kassie

Not Supposed To Be Here

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