Page 16 of Neo

“Good luck,” Kennedy says sarcastically, rolling her eyes for good measure, but I don’t care about any of that. She’s Shane’s problem.

“See you later, Violet,” I say and watch closely as her eyes lower to her lap, her hands fidgeting.

I can tell she wants to say something, maybe to tell me to fuck off. I’m not sure, but she holds back her words and tightens her lips. It’s disappointing, but perhaps I can get her to talk a little more freely once she’s over at the house. I’m hoping a fruity drink and fifteen minutes is all I need to figure this one out and move on to more important things.

The upcoming season.

neo

“That hadto be the first game in a long time, where you weren’t constantly in the penalty box,” Bass chuckles as he works on tapping the keg.

“It wasn’t a real game.”

“Yeah, but you had the rest of us out there playing hard like it was a real one,” Bass retorts.

“What are you trying to say?” I raise an eyebrow, wondering if my friend is questioning my leadership. I’m touchy about that shit.

“I was just making an observation, asshole, relax.”

Bass hands me a cup of beer, and I take a sip of the cool amber liquid, savoring the taste. I only allow myself one cup of celebratory anything, so I need to make it last half the night. After that, it’s Gatorade for me. I learned my lesson back when I was a fat head freshman and celebrated a little too hard during training camp. Coach showed me no mercy that week. I puked for three days straight.

“We know you play every game, exhibition or not, like it’s your last. I’m just glad you’re actually going to party with us tonight instead of being a grumpy old man and staying up in your room.”

Tonight, the entire team, minus the coaching staff, are getting together in the ice house, which basically serves as a frat house for members of the team. We’re so revered by VCU alumni that a group of boosters bought the adobe-styled house for us to live in. Not all of us live here, though. The younger guys on the team live in one of the university’s athletic dorms, but they party here with us on the weekends and holidays. As their captain and head of the house, it’s my job to stay clear-headed and make sure nothing gets out of hand, so most of the time I’m in my room watching game tape.

“I’m not grumpy,” I grunt. “I just have stuff to take care of most weekends.”

“Just remember to take care of yourself too, Cap,” he says, using my team nickname.

“Where’s Shane?” I ask, changing the subject. Sometimes Bass tries to give guys on the team life coaching (particularly me) when nobody asked him for it and a change of topic is the only way to handle him.

“I think I saw him talking outside with Kennedy. You know how he is, probably driving that girl completely crazy with his passive-aggressive teasing.”

A part of me that lurks somewhere down deep lights up like a Christmas bulb.

“Kennedy’s here?”

“Yeah?” Bass responds suspiciously.

“Who’s she here with?”

“I don’t know,” he says disinterested. “Some new girl.”

I take another swallow of my beer and walk away from Bass. It pisses my friends off when I decide to end a conversation by simply walking out of a room, but they should be used to it by now.

It doesn’t take me long to walk through from the back of the house to the front, and immediately see Shane’s large limbs around the shoulders of two small women, Kennedy and Violet. Their backs are to me and my eyes hone in immediately on Violet’s ass.

It’s perfect, just like I thought it would be.

Fuck.

The last thing I need is to actually be attracted to this girl. This is supposed to be an information gathering mission only.

“Hey, Neo.” A random girl that I may or may not have slept with at some point last year is sitting on top of a wood cabinet in a skirt so short I can see the color of her red panties. “You were great tonight,” she slurs, definitely drunk or high on something.

“Thanks.”

“How come you never call me?”

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