Page 68 of From Now On

I’ve worn a cowboy hat exactly once in my life, when I visited my grandparents’ ranch before it sold. The kids I grew up with wore hoodies and sneakers, not chaps and boots.

But I nod, because that’s obviously the answer she’s looking for. “Yeah, sure.”

She smiles. “Yeehaw.”

We tap bottles again. This time Sarah sways a little closer, her bare arm brushing mine. She’s wearing a top that teases the lacy strap of her bra, and a suggestive smile that makes it fairly obvious she’s flirting with me.

Jemma—my high school girlfriend—broke up with me at the start of the summer. I think she would have ended things sooner if I wasn’t her date to senior prom.

I wasn’t in love with Jemma, but it does feel strange to realize our lives are entirely separate now. And that the main reason Jemma broke up with me is as far away as she is.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, flashing an apologetic look at Sarah before answering the call. “Hey.”

“Hey, man,” my roommate replies. “You still coming to this thing? It’s kinda lame, but there are tons of people here. Plus free food.”

My stomach grumbles. The lines in the dining hall were ridiculous, and free food sounds a lot better than warm beer.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I say. “Student center, right?”

“Right. Hurry up, yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m leaving now.” I hang up with Clayton, tell Sarah I have to head out, and then walk over to Aidan.

“Hey, Morgan!” His full attention lands on me, ignoring the people trying to gain a scrap of it.

I wasn’t sure we’d hit it off. In the two hours I’ve known Aidan, he’s mostly cracked jokes, downed drinks, or flirted with the many girls who have hit on him. He’s from Los Angeles, and he has that privileged, flashy aura about him that makes me think his parents didn’t immediately turn around after dropping him off so they didn’t have to spend money on another hotel stay.

“Hey. I’m headed out.”

“Better offer?”

“Uh…” I can’t tell if he’s kidding or actually offended. “My roommate. He’s at this thing on campus, and I told him I’d stop by. I gotta live with the guy, so…”

Aidan nods. “I get it. Probably gonna bounce soon too. There’s this party on Lake with senior girls.”

“Right. Have, um, fun.”

He winks. “I will.”

“’Kay. I’ll see you at the meeting, I guess?”

We have our first team meeting with Holt’s head coach, Coach Keller, next week.

Aidan nods again, then shoves his hands into his pockets. “Or we could grab lunch tomorrow? I found this cool burrito place online. It’s just the next town over. Loughton?”

My meal plan is already paid for. I have some money saved from the summer, but the responsible thing to do would be to save it and opt for the free lunch.

But there’s no sign of Aidan’s earlier bluster now. He seems unsure, like he’s worried Iwillsay no.

“That sounds great,” I tell him.

His face lights up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Just text me.”

“All right, I will. See ya, Morgan.”

“Later, Phillips.”

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