Page 17 of End Game

I’ve played a variety of positions. Defensive lineman. Offense. Hell, I was the quarterback my last two years in youth football before I started high school.

Despite helping get us to a league championship my eighth-grade year, that wasn’t my favorite position. I much prefer being a wide receiver. Catching the ball and running it into the end zone? A total glory moment. Helps that I’m fast as fuck.

Hey, it’s the truth. No point in being modest.

I’m tall and solid, but Coop has me beat size-wise. But he’s an offensive lineman who protects our QB, so that makes sense. Dollar is shorter than me but bulkier. He’s a defensive lineman but didn’t get much play last season due to injuring his shoulder, which ended up requiring surgery. He’s hopeful he can get back out on the field and play the regular season, but I don’t know. He’s not as quick as he used to be and a little tentative on blocking. I think the shoulder injury fucked with his head a little bit, making him wary on the field.

All these thoughts run through my mind as I sip a beer and pretend to listen to the multitude of conversations happening in our living room. Coop’s sister is chatting a mile a minute with a couple of other girls who just magically showed up with some of the guys from the team. I don’t even know who they are, but a few of their pretty faces are familiar.

Groupies. We’ve got them. That they’re even in our house I’m sure feels like a major win to them.

I kind of hate that they know where we live, but too late to worry now. What’s done is done.

“Where’s Gav?” I ask when there’s a lull in the conversation. I’m referring to our quarterback and one of the team captains, Gavin Maddox. One of my closest friends, and not just because we work so closely together on the field. He’s also a good guy. A solid leader. Smart as hell and already being courted by a few NFL coaches, the lucky bastard. He almost dropped out of school at the beginning of the year to go into the NFL draft in the spring, but he decided to stick with the team one more season and try to win that championship.

We got so close last year and worked so hard for a repeat of what happened our sophomore year, when we won our first national championship. He was so incredibly frustrated at not winning this last season.

Can’t blame the guy. Last season was frustrating as fuck. There were mistakes made. Injuries that couldn’t be avoided, like Dollar’s. Other teams were coming for us. Eager to destroy us so they could be the ones to say they took us down.

Fuck that. We’re not going to let it happen again. This season we’re making sure our heads are on straight and in the game. We’re more focused than ever and doing everything it takes to ensure we’ll meet our goal.

And gain another national championship before we graduate from college.

“Gav texted me earlier that he’s coming over,” Coop says with a nod, glancing over at Sienna. “God, she’s loud.”

I chuckle, watching Cooper’s sister’s mouth move about a hundred miles a second. “She never stops talking.”

“Tell me all about it. She’s driven me crazy since the day she was born.” His voice is full of affection—he loves his little sister and is very protective of her too. They’re pretty close, and I like Sienna a lot. Even contemplated hooking up with her once or twice a couple of years ago when she first arrived here on campus, but realized what a mistake that would be.

Mostly because if I ever unintentionally broke his sister’s heart, I think Coop would destroy me with his bare hands. It’s easier to just keep her in the friend zone.

Hell, all of us on the team keep her in the friend zone out of respect for Coop, who is one of our team captains. I’m a team captain as well, but not everyone loves me like they love Coop. Everyone also cares about Coop’s hot sister.

But none of us touch her, much to her disappointment.

“She’s not so bad,” I finally drawl, shifting my gaze to the hallway, wondering when our new roommate is going to make an appearance. “You think she’ll be friends with Everleigh?”

“I already told Sienna about her.” That’s Cooper. Always one step ahead of me. “She’s eager to meet Everleigh and warn her about us.”

“Is that what she said?”

Coop nodded. “I think she might be referring to Dollar.”

“Right.”

“And you,” he adds on.

I glare at him, making him crack up.

“Face facts, my friend. You have a reputation that you consistently hold up,” Coop says with a grin.

“Don’t remind me.” Player. Manwhore. Fuckboy. I’ve been called all those names and more, and I’ve never cared about it. What does it matter what people think about me when it comes to my sex life? Most of the rumors that swirl around me are not necessarily true, anyway. For some reason a threesome story always seems to spread like wildfire every season, and truth be told ...

I’ve never been in a threesome in my life. That’s just too much work. I’m more of a one-on-one-for-one-time type of guy.

“Girls are gonna flip the fuck out when they find out you have a female roomie,” Cooper says conversationally.

My gaze slides back to Coop. “Won’t they flip when they find outyouhave a female roommate?”

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