Page 13 of Courting Clemson

I grinned. “In a roundabout way, yeah, I guess so.”

It dawned on me in that moment that I still hadn’t told him my name. But by the end of our third lap around the block, he already knew more about me than most of my so-called friends.

We talked about future goals, current frustrations, and even touched on family. Luke was one of the easiest people I’d ever talked to. He was open-minded and kind, and I found myself very comfortably sharing with him.

When we brought the dogs back to the shelter, it was feeding time. For the animals, that meant they all had to go back to their kennels so no one ate another’s food. Many of the animals were on medication or special diets, so each had to eat from his or her own bowl.

The shelter was generous enough to provide some snacks and water for the volunteers, and I would’ve happily made do with what they offered…until Luke found me in the busy break area.

He had his hands in the pockets of his shorts and looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of a J. Crew catalog.

“Hey, do you want to walk down the block with me and grab lunch?” he finally managed to ask.

It sounded like a great idea, but our time was just about done here, and I needed to get back to campus.

“I’d love to, but we’re about to leave. I totally would if I didn’t have practice right when I get back.”

He scuffed a foot at the concrete floor. “Oh, okay. That’s cool. Well…” He finally looked up when I didn’t say anything. “Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”

I just gave him a genuine smile without committing to anything. There’s no way a man that handsome and put together wanted to get involved with a college student.

Eventually, he turned and left, and I watched him go until I caught him turning back for one last look. I gave him a quick wave, and he was gone.

Well, shit. I would definitely be signing up for this volunteer gig again if it meant I could spend half a day with a guy like that.

Practice was incredible that afternoon. My mood was high from the morning experience with Luke, and I had more energy and strength for my workout than I’d had in weeks.

About halfway through practice, though, I remembered I had to talk to my coaches about my grades. Somehow, I had managed to put all that shit out of my mind that morning, but it was back now. Dark and heavy, like rain clouds on the horizon.

My entire mood shifted by the time we hit the locker room, and the last thing I was in the mood for was the little girl gang who still was trying to get me to hook up with one of their boyfriend’s friends.

“Hey, Clemson. You were a machine today,” one said while towel-drying her hair. “I wish I had half your energy.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled and faced my locker. Pulling my sweats from my bag, I dressed as quickly as possible so I could catch the coaches before they left. After I hastily crammed all my stuff into my duffle bag, I turned to go find my coaches. But Charlie, the girl gang leader stepped in my path and blocked my escape.

“So, I have great news. Brad really wants to meet you, aaannndd…”

I think she was trying to build excitement, but all she did was peak my anxiety and annoyance. If I missed the opportunity to get this conversation over with because of this stupid bullshit, I’d be furious.

“Look. I really appreciate you thinking of me, but I’m not interested. I have to go talk to Coach, so, if you’ll excuse me.”

I tried to walk past her, but the persistent girl put her arm out to block my path.

“Ohh, come on,” she whined, and it took everything not to roll my eyes. “I already told him you were going to be there tonight. You don’t want to make me look bad, do you?” Something about her tone made the words seem more like a threat than simply doing a pal a favor.

“You never should have told him I was going. I thought I made it clear when you guys brought this up last time that I wasn’t interested. Now, seriously, I need to talk to the coaches before they leave.”

“About your grades?” one of the others asked.

The other two had circled behind me, so I wasn’t sure who’d said it. When I whirled around to confront them, they both stood there attempting to look innocent.

“What did you say?” I asked, looking between the two girls.

Claire had a wide, evil grin while Shelly made a ridiculous pouting face like she felt bad for me.

“This is bullshit,” I muttered and pushed past Charlie, almost knocking her to the ground when she wouldn’t fully move out of my way.

How the hell would they have known about my grades? The only person I told was Grace, and she didn’t know these girls. Or at least I didn’t think she did.

---