Page 4 of Sidelined Love

It takes a second for me to confirm with myself that her name is indeed Mya. I freeze up as she leans in close, her hand running along my chest. “Wanna get out of here?”

I pause, then give her my most charming smile. Her finger trails down my body toward my pants. I’m curious about how far she’ll go, and when she grabs my dick through my jeans, I snag her wrist. “As tempting as that sounds, I can’t leave my teammates hanging.”

Mya pouts as she shifts her gaze from my hand that is holding onto her back to my eyes. “You sure? We could have some real fun, just the two of us.”

“Next time,” I say, though I know it’s an empty promise.

Mya rolls her eyes and walks away from me. Looks like she knows my words are a lie too. It is easy to see her disappointment even with her back turned to me. I watch her go back to her friends, briefly considering chasing after her, but I stop myself. I’m prepared to be the villain tonight. Any other night, I would be more than willing, but tonight, I’m not in the mood.

I rub the back of my neck as I scan the room. The living room fits perfectly in what you could imagine is your typical off-campus house. I’m supposed to feel as if I’m in my element here. This isn’t the first time that I’ve partied here, but it is the first time that I’ve felt that I was better off staying at my place.

As the party continues to rage, my gaze drifts across the room until I find Asher Bennett, my best friend and teammate, chatting with a bunch of people by the keg. I’m willing to bet he’s talking about our win tonight. Knox Sanchez is quietly in the corner, talking to a girl that I vaguely remember seeing around campus. Even though Wilder is in another room, I can hear his laugh over the music. The guy’s a walking party no matter where he goes.

Then there’s Blaise Dalton, standing slightly apart from everyone else. He, like me, is watching the scene before him. Unlike me, I notice he is amused by the sight before him.

But I feel nothing. I know I’m just going through the motions, partaking in an act I’ve perfected over the years.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I don’t bother looking because I know who it is. He’s a big part of the reason I’m on edge right now.

“Who wants to play a round?”

I turn my attention toward the voice and find Wilder standing in the doorway. He’s pointing over his shoulder, and I shift my body until I see the beer pong table behind him. That will give me something to do to pass the time until I’ve stayed long enough that it wouldn’t look awkward for me to leave. I nod my head in acknowledgment, letting him know I will join him. Two other guys who I’ve seen around campus before joining us at the table in the back.

“I’m Seth and this is Rob,” Seth says as he holds out his hand for me to shake. His words are slightly slurred, and I wonder how much he’s had to drink before we met.

“Levi and Wilder,” I say as I gesture to Wilder before we set up the game.

When the game begins, I wait for my competitiveness to kick in, but it doesn’t. Inside, I feel nothing although I don’t show it. I’m still playing the role I’m supposed to play, yet I can’t help but feel like a fraud.

I grab a ping-pong ball and take my position. Focusing on the red Solo cup down on the table, I tune out the rest of the world and shoot. The ball arches perfectly through the air before landing with a soft plop.

“Drink,” I say with a smirk. Wilder gives me a high five while Seth takes a sip of his beer.

My phone vibrates again in my pocket. I know I should answer, but I don’t want to talk to my father right now. I can already predict how the conversation will go and I don’t want it to put me in a worse mood. I press one of the buttons on the side of my phone, sending the call to voicemail without bothering to pull it out of my pocket.

“Hey, Levi, heads up!”

I snap back to the present as the ping-pong ball comes flying toward me. I catch it easily, falling back into the rhythm of the game. The mindless activity is a welcome distraction.

As I move to take my next shot, I feel a hand clap on my shoulder. It’s Asher. “Excellent shot, bro,” he says with a grin. “You need to drink more.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” I reply. I allow myself to relax slightly.

“How about we switch things up a bit? How about a shot instead of a drink?” Asher asks.

That causes Wilder to do a double take. “I’ve been waiting for someone to say that all night.”

I raise an eyebrow at Asher’s suggestion. While he parties as much as the rest of us, I usually don’t expect him to be the ringleader of the shenanigans.

Asher grins, clearly enjoying all of this. “Well, Wilder, looks like you’re in luck.”

I watch as Asher leaves the room but quickly returns with a bottle of premium tequila, judging by the label and small plastic cups. This isn’t what we usually drink, but then again, this isn’t shaping up to be a regular night.

Wilder’s eyes light up like a kid in a candy store. “Now this is what you meant when you said we’re partying hard tonight!” he exclaims.

I turn to our beer pong competition, Seth and Rob, and ask, “Are you guys in?” I gesture to Asher, who is now slightly shaking the bottle.

Seth replies, “Fuck yeah, man.” Rob nods and places the ball in his hand down on the table.

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