Page 10 of Play It Off

“I’ll go talk to them,” I tell my brother, who practically sags with relief. I polish off one High Noon and grab another, this one pineapple flavored. Within seconds I’m standing with the girls, listening to them all talk animatedly about their class schedule, who the hottest guy is in the house, on the team, blah, blah, blah. I nod and smile, taking a sip. One after the other. Fortifying myself to get through this conversation, yet never really adding to it.

Here’s my issue: I don’t have a lot of close girlfriends in Santa Mira, and so much of that is because I don’t trust people when they try to get to know me. I’ve been burned multiple times by other women who were friendly merely because they wanted an in with the football team. And my roommate? We’re not close at all. I still live with Destiny—we just moved into a two-bedroom apartment, and we each get our own bedroom and bathroom—but we don’t really hang out. She’s a private person and a little grumpy—okay, fine, she’s a lot grumpy. It’s like she merely tolerates me, and I know sometimes I annoy her. Which is fine because she annoys me too.

But we’re good together as roommates. We leave each other alone and stay out of each other’s business. Better to tolerate someone you know versus finding a new roommate who might not work out is my philosophy. After seeming into them at first, now Destiny has zero interest in getting to know the football team, which works for me. Though I do wish we were closer ...

We may go to a big school with a huge campus, but the social circles are small. The ones around the football team? Impossibly tight. I’m rather protective of my brother and his bonehead friends and teammates. They’re like family to me.

Knowing there is a potential new member of the family—and another female—is exciting. But I don’t want to get my hopes up. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she’s weird or rude or downright cruel? I mean, who knows what she’s like? Right now she’ll be on her best behavior.

Eventually Nico ambles over, that charming smile plastered on his face, his dark eyes flashing. He is sinfully handsome, and worse? He knows it—and uses it to his advantage whenever possible.

“How’s it goin’, ladies?” His voice is a smooth, low drawl, and they all giggle while I roll my eyes.

“Nico! I’ve missed you.” One of them pulls away from the others, launching herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck while she clings to him like a lifeline. He has to push her away from himself to detach her, his expression slightly panicked.

“Yeah. Missed you too.” I can tell by his casual tone that he most likely has no idea who she is or what her name might be. He even sends me a helpless look, like I might offer assistance, and I smile at him, wagging my fingers in a tiny wave.

“See you later!” I take off, and not a single one of the women cares, though I can feel Nico’s gaze on me as I make my escape. Poor dude. I bet he wishes he was leaving with me.

Oh well. He deserves this.

I’m opening my third High Noon when I’m approached by Dollar, who is currently holding a nervous-looking woman’s hand. She must be the new roomie, and already he’s territorial.

“Hey, Sienna, have you met our new roommate, Everleigh?” Frank asks.

I’m smiling as I study this poor woman, who is now removing her hand from Frank’s. “Not yet, but I’ve heard all about her from Coop. Hiiiii.” I pull her in for a big hug, clinging to her for a moment, and I love that she doesn’t try to pull away. I’m the one to do it first, keeping my grip on her upper arms so I can examine her. “I’m so glad you moved in with them. Now I have a friend to hang out with here beyond my brother and his annoying roommates.”

“Hey,” Frank protests, but I laugh, slipping my arm around her shoulders and keeping her next to me.

“Don’t be so sensitive, Frankie. Now go hang out with your bros and let me and Everleigh get to know each other. Alone.” I shoo him away with a flick of my fingers.

“Nico is right behind you,” Frank points out.

“Oh, please.” I shake my head. “He’s flirting with the blondes. He’s not paying attention to us.”

Frank reluctantly walks away, that hangdog expression on his face that tells me he’s feeling left out. Once he’s gone and I’m positive he won’t hear me, I lean in closer to Everleigh, lowering my voice. “Is he flirting with you?”

“Who?” Everleigh looks confused.

“Frank. He’s a sweetheart and he means well, but he’s desperate to find a girlfriend. All the guys give him endless shit about it too. Poor dude.” My gaze shifts to Frank, who is currently sitting on the couch next to my brother. Watching us, though he looks away quickly when I catch him. “I saw the way he was holding your hand.”

“It was nothing.” Everleigh smiles and shrugs. I feel the need to warn her.

“Not to him it wasn’t. That’s his problem. If he could learn how to play it cool for once, he’d have women chasing after him instead of the other way around. I mean, look at Nico.” I make a halfhearted gesture in his direction.

“Right,” Everleigh says, her voice weak, her gaze stuck on him.

Hmmm. “He’s hot, isn’t he. And I hear you two are sharing a bathroom?”

The concern on her face is obvious. “Who told you that?”

“Cooper. He tells me everything. Well, mostly everything.” She appears a tad horrified by that revelation. “By the way, if you catch Nico coming out of his bathroom naked, please, for the love of God, take a pic and send it to me. I hear his dick is ginormous.”

I burst out laughing at her shocked expression, and I feel a little guilty for trying to shock her, but it’s like I can’t help myself. Am I testing her to see if she’s cool? Definitely. And I can’t help the way I talk—I sound like all the guys, but I do spend a lot of time with them. They’re rubbing off on me, and probably not in the best way.

“Oh my God.” Everleigh’s face is bright pink with embarrassment. “I really hope I never see his—dick.”

Why do I not believe her? I know I wouldn’t mind catching a glimpse, though I’m not interested in him like that. A girl’s allowed to be curious.

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