Page 20 of The Wrong Play

Me: See? You’re a … pro.

Matty stretched out, leaning back on the bench and dragging my attention away from my phone. “So…bar?”

I nodded. “Bar.”

Because as much as I enjoyed discussing football, my ego, and my excellent dick size…right now, I wanted to celebrate.

The Tennessee Tigers were the shit.

CHAPTER 3

RILEY

This was a mistake.

The thought had been whispering in my head since the moment I stepped into the packed bar, but now, standing in the middle of a sea of bodies, shifting uncomfortably in a dress that I was sure looked terrible on me, it wasscreaming.

I tugged at the hem of the tight, black dress that I’d forced myself to wear, wishing I’d just stuck with jeans. I wasn’t a dress person. I wasn’t really a bar person. But I was trying, wasn’t I? Trying to be normal. Trying to be fun. Trying to be the kind of girl who could leave the library and dorm room without having a nervous breakdown.

I let out a slow breath, scanning the room for Tasha, the whole reason I was in this situation to begin with. I spotted her near the bar, already draped over a guy in a Tigers baseball cap, giggling at something he was whispering in her ear.

Great.

I wove through the crowd, my heels catching on the sticky floor as I made my way to her. “Hey,” I said, trying to get her attention over the pounding bass. She turned, her eyes glassy, and let out a high-pitched squeal. “Riley! You made it!”

“I did,” I said, forcing a smile.

“You look hot! Doesn’t she look hot?” She turned to the guy next to her, who barely spared my face a glance before his eyes dropped to my boobs.

I resisted the urge to cross my arms over my chest. “Thanks.”

Tasha waved a hand. “You need a drink. The drinks are free until ten—” She paused, looking around before frowning. “Oh. I guess not anymore…”

I followed her gaze to the sign over the bar that saidLadies Drink Free Until 10 PM…but there was a huge red X drawn through it. I sighed. I was really looking forward to those free drinks. That was what finally got me out of my room to come down here after hours of debating myself about it.

I guess that meant I was paying for my own drinks tonight.

Tasha shrugged like it was no big deal, already turning back to the guy, her interest in me fading fast.

I sighed. It didn’t seem likely she was going to be introducing me to other girls from her sorority. This was exactly what I’d been afraid of.

I didn’t belong here.

The crowd, the heat, the sweaty bodies pressed in too close, the way my heart was already pounding—not from excitement, but from anxiety—it was all too much.

One drink. I’d get one drink, and if the vibes did not improve, I’d leave.

One drink was social, right? And that meant progress. A lot of progress considering how I normally spent my Saturday nights since coming here. I needed to take advantage of the fact that my body was actually cooperating for once.

And being by myself at this bar was better than sitting on my bed while I pretended not to notice my roommate staring at me. Right?

Right.

Walking a little further down the bar so I wasn’t next to Tasha while she tried to eat that guy’s tongue, I waved my hand, trying to catch the bartender’s attention. He was busy pouring shots with zero urgency, but eventually, his eyes flicked to me.

“What can I get you?”

“Uh…” I hesitated, realizing I had no idea what to order. I wasn’t a big drinker. And I wasn’t about to stand here and scroll through Google for “cocktails that don’t taste like rubbing alcohol.”

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