Page 32 of Untouchable Player

Her eyes light up, everyone likes being told they were right. It works and she lets go. When I start walking again, she steps in beside me. It’s easier talking to her like this, without having to look her in the eye.

“He’s… nice.”

I’m sure she’s suppressing a squeal. I don’t dare look at her. I wonder if she can see how hot my face still is.

“He’s not just a big stupid jock, I was wrong about him.”

“And do you still think he’s gay, or bi?”

“No.” Honestly, I haven’t thought about the picture on the dating app for a while. I’ve just been enjoying getting to know him.

“Why not?”

I shrug. I have no idea if Jesse is gay or not, but it feels like a betrayal talking about it like this, even with my best friend who I know would never out him. I feel like Jesse has opened up to me, and seeing him vulnerable makes me want to respect that and keep all his secrets, even if he hasn’t asked me to.

“You like him,” Katie says.

“No, I mean, yes, as a person, I like him.” I think about the towel, howgoodit felt getting myself off with it, knowing it had touched Jesse’s naked skin.

“So are you going to carry on tutoring him?”

My heart sinks, “I don’t think so, he doesn’t really need me, I think he just needed someone to motivate him.”

Katie pokes my cheek. “You like him.”

Jesse

I get to class early for once. Since Nate started tutoring me, I’ve actually had a reason to open my book. It hasn’t even felt like being tutored. It’s felt like studying with someone. Someone way smarter than me, but still. I’m kind of disappointed that we won’t be doing it anymore, but I get it. Nate is an academic. School is the most important thing to him, and he wants to get more than just a passing grade. I don’t want to get in the way of that.

When I sit in class, I don’t feel completely lost or bored or anxious like I want to escape. I’m not shitting myself that prof will pick on me, though I still don’t want her to.

I wait until the usual students who linger after class to speak to her have left. I can tell she’s surprised that I haven’t run out the second she called the end of class like I usually do.

“Hey, uh, I was just wondering if I could talk to you about my essay question.”

I think she’s going to tell me to come back during her office hours or something, but she puts her bag down and gives me her full attention.

“Sure, go ahead.”

I go through the plan I worked out with Nate and prof listens quietly, not giving anything away on her face, so I start to think maybe I’m fucking it up. But when I finish speaking, she smiles and tilts her head.

“Jesse, that sounds great, I see you’ve really been applying yourself, and it’s so early in the semester, you have plenty of time to do this.”

“I know prof…essor, I just thought about what you said in our meeting, and, I got someone to tutor me.”

“Oh, who?”

My face gets hot, “just the brother of one of my teammates, he’s a junior, and he doesn’t take this class, but he’s really smart.” The more I talk, the hotter my face gets. Is that a smirk in the corner of prof’s lips?

“Well, whoever he is, he’s really brought out the best in you, well done Jesse.”

I’m beaming like an idiot when I leave the building, and all I want to do is text Nate and thank him. But when I do, he doesn’t reply. I remind myself not to be disappointed. He’s probably got his head in a book and won’t come up for air for hours. I smile, thinking I kind of like this about him. It’s the kind of dedication my dad would say I don’t have the capacity for.

I head back home, hoping I’ll have the place to myself so I can hit the books. It feels weirdwantingto study.

I keep checking my phone, but there’s still no reply from Nate.

Nate

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