Page 10 of Blitz'd

I grab my keys and make my way to the door, pausing when Luca asks, “Do you have your room key?”

“Yes, Dad,” I singsong, looking over at him with what I hope is a sweet expression.

He scoffs. “Don’t call me to come back and unlock the door, Zandy. I’ll make you stay outside until I’m finished studying if I’m at the library.”

Luca says that, but he always comes when I ask him to. It’s very rare, but I lose my key sometimes and he comes to help me out.

I pull my keycard from my wallet to show him. “I’m good. See you later.”

“Later.”

Just as I exit our dorm building, I see Russ walking up the sidewalk. “Good, I don’t have to walk up all those stairs,” he says, clapping hands with me. “Wanna hit the gym?”

He’s dressed in a tank top with cut open sides, his muscular torso flashing every time he swings his arms, and a pair of shorts that barely contain his tree-trunk thighs. His wired earbuds are hanging around his neck, blaring what sounds like Kendrick Lamar. His warm brown skin is a little red, so I’m guessing he jogged over. Why he wants to go to the gym after running is beyond me.

Ididwant to go to the gym, but now my muscles are screaming at me. “Nah. That game was brutal last night. My damn shoulder hurts from how many times I was thrown to the ground.”

“Suck that shit up, man.” I laugh at him and throw my arm around his neck, pulling him down to put him in a headlock. “Stop fucking complaining, you baby.”

I let him go and push him away. “Whatever. Your job is to put people like me on the ground, so you don’t understand.”

Russ is a big guy, way bigger than me, so the only reason I was able to get him in a headlock is because he let me. Dude has to be over two hundred and twenty pounds and like six foot five. He outweighs my two hundred pounds, but doesn’t tower over me since I’m only a few inches shorter than him at six two.

He’s about the same height as Kerian.

I shake that thought from my head as I walk beside Russ. “Food. Then I want to chill for a bit. Yesterday was… yeah. A lot.”

He glances over at me and I see the question in his eyes. Is he wondering if I’m gay and hiding it from him? Or wondering if I’ve stared at him or something while we showered and changed? None of that happened. I’ve never even looked at a guy twice.

“Listen man—” I say, but he cuts me off.

“It’s cool if you’re gay, bro. Doesn’t matter to me. I see you as the same dickhead I did before you went swapping spit with the quarterback of a rival team.” He pauses and peers down at me. “Has the rivalry all been like, some game you were playing so you didn’t have to tell people?”

I groan. “No. I’m not into dudes.” Russ looks like he doesn’t believe me. “I’m not. It was a stupid mistake.”

“My twin is gay, I told you that. He’s my best friend. I have no issues with gay people or he’d probably kick my ass. And he’s a few pounds heavier than me.”

I’ve seen pictures of Russ and his twin brother, Reggie. Both are mountains. I’d bet a fight between them would sound like a fight between the gods.

Another groan leaves my throat. “I’m not?—”

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Just so you know, we’re still cool. I don’t think you’ve been checking me out or some shit. And most of the guys on the team know you haven’t. If someone talks shit, I’ll handle them.”

“Thanks, but don’t worry about it. I’ll tell everyone it was a joke or a prank or something.”

“I’m sure they know it’s because of Justin and Megan.”

I stop in my tracks outside the caf, staring at him open-mouthed. “People know about that?”

Russ sighs and turns to me, his hands tucked into the pocket of his shorts. “They went to a Kappa party last night and were all over each other. From what I heard, Megan told some of her friends about breaking up with you before the game and you only kissing Slade to make her jealous. So it works in your favor that she’s a loose-lipped fucker.”

I mean, maybe. I don’t like my business being spread around the school. That’s rich, since I kissed a man after a televised game, but that’s different from my ex telling her friends that she’s been letting another dude—one on my team no less—dick her down while we were together.

Russ throws his heavy arm around my shoulders. “Don’t sweat it, my guy. Girls like Megan come and go. You were too serious with her anyway.” He opens the door to the caf and we shoulder our way in. Well, I do—Russ walks through and smushes me against the door with his bulk. Fucker.

I jump on his back and get him in another headlock. He laughs raucously and hip checks me, almost taking me down to the floor.

“You’re going to pay for that,” I roar and chase after him, my confusing thoughts about Megan, Justin, and Kerian forgotten.

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