Page 1 of Fair Catch

Prologue

Kason

April — Junior Year

Today might be the most Monday of all Mondays to ever Monday.

In the course of my morning, I’ve managed to crack my phone screen on the edge of the toilet before it promptly droppedintoit, found out my essay for the elective history class I’m taking didn’t save on my computer, and I caught my belt loop on the door handletwicetoday, the second time ripping it clean off.

And on top of all that,it’s now downpouring outside, and I don’t have a jacket or umbrella with me as I go to meet with this new roommate prospect.

“Well, that’s just fucking great.”

I should’ve asked Hayes if we could reschedule our meeting.

My mood is still in the dumps after the conversation I had with Phoenix last night—explaining my plan to move out when our lease ends in July being one of the many things we discussed. Add in the Monday from Hell, and I’m in no state to have a first meeting with the person I’ll be living down the hall from next year.

Potentially,because it’s not set in stone yet.

Throwing my car into park down the street from Page Turners, I steel myself to brave the rain and shove open my door. I make a beeline for the locally owned bookstore near the edge of campus, complete with what might be the world’s best coffee shop tucked off to one side.

At least I know Hayes Lancaster has good taste in coffee if this is the location he chose to meet.

My clothes are half-soaked with rain by the time I push open the front door, and I’m equally annoyed, frustrated, and just meh. I let out a sigh and check my watch. I have five minutes until I’m due to meet Hayes, which is just enough time to grab a hot cup of coffee to warm up and—

“Kason, hey!” a soft, feminine voice calls from behind me, drawing my attention.

Turning, I find Ivy, the sweet little bookseller one of my friends is dating, and offer her a genuine smile. “Hey, Ives. I didn’t realize you were working today.”

“Feels like constantly this semester.” Her head cants to one side before her eyes make an assessing sweep of my body. “Where are you off to in such a rush? And looking like a half-drowned rat?”

I could do without the rat comment, but if I know anything about Ivy, it’s that she’s brutally—albeit not very tactfully—honest. “I’m meeting a potential roommate for next year at the coffee shop.”

She frowns and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Things with Phoenix are really that bad, huh?”

Clearly she was filled in on the drama that’s occurred in the past couple months.

Talking about everything that’s transpired between my best friend and me is the last thing I want to do at this moment, and even if I did, I don’t have the time. Which means she gets the condensed version of yesterday’s heart-to-heart.

“We need a break from each other. Can’t really do that when we’re still living together.”

Ivy offers me a sympathetic smile before gently resting her manicured hand on my arm. “Time and space can be good for a friendship. It’s not a death sentence.”

So everyone keeps saying, but I’m no closer to taking those words at face value than I am to becoming the next President of the United States.

“Look, Ives, I’d love to catch up with you, but I’m actually running late to meet him.”

I’m technically not lateyet,but I want to grab a drink before sitting down with him for this littleget to know yousession. Plus, with him being my only prospect as a roommate, I need to make a lasting good impression. Showing up late to meet him for the first time isn’t going to do that.

“Oh, yeah! No worries at all.” She’s already taking a few steps away from me when she quickly adds, “I hope you like your new roommate!” And with that, she flits off in the other direction, disappearing within the rows of books in an instant.

I hope so too.

The thought isn’t a new one; it’s been in the back of my mind since answering the ad one of my teammates had sent me last week.

Hayes has been hard to get a read on through the emails and texts we’ve sent back and forth since I initially reached out, though I blame that to lack of emojis on his end. From the little I’ve gathered, his personality is very cut and dry; no nonsense or funny business. Besides that, the only real thing I really know about him is he spends a lot of his time studying as a double major, and his current roommate is Quinton de Haas.

Not sure how the hell that pairing happened, but at least this guy is aware of the comings and goings of a D-1 athlete. It’ll make my schedule less of a shock to him than it would most other people.

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