Page 9 of Resist Me

Shaking my head, I held the ball with both hands. “Let’s just get this over with.”

He listened while I went over what I knew about the other team. At least, I hoped he was listening. His gaze never stayed on me for long and there was a tight set to his jaw.

“So…” I prompted. He still didn’t look at me. “West. I’m trying to help you prepare. Are you listening?”

Blue eyes met mine. It felt like something crawled across my skin. West’s usually flippant demeanor had been replaced by seething intensity. I didn’t know if it was anger. He’d been pissed at me before, but this looked different.

“You don’t know anything about me,” he said, his tone level in an unnerving way.

“I’ve been around people like you. You need validation and you seek it like a child instead of dealing with your shit. Did you never learn to self-soothe?”

He laughed dryly. “Self-soothe. No, Lincoln. It’s kind of hard to take the time to worry about yourself when every day is about survival and there’s someone more important than you to protect. But sure, tell me how much you know about people like me.”

Swiping the ball from me, he set it up and kicked it expertly into the goal. I brushed off his statement and tried not to be impressed. I was shit at kicking, not that it mattered. If I wasn’t interested in something, I didn’t do it, so I’d never put in the time for it.

“I don’t care about your personal life,” I drawled, feigning boredom. “The only thing you should be focused on is winning the game tomorrow.”

“I’m gonna win the fucking game,” he muttered.

Did he know how annoying he was and just didn’t care? I’d tried to actually help him for a minute but of course, he didn’t really care. After he realized his mistake, maybe he’d chill the hell out. Or he’d drop out. He could go back where he came from and become the washed up quarterback who never managed to do anything useful with his life.

I watched him run to grab the ball and thought about the upcoming game. Maybe they’d win tomorrow, but I didn’t feel confident about it. The other team was good and West simply wasn’t prepared for it. He wouldn’t listen to me, so I clearly couldn’t fix that, even if there was enough time. So, I’d let him sink or swim and see what he was truly made of.

*****

Blowing out a long breath, I tossed my keys onto the kitchen counter. With only the light above the sink on, it was dark in here, but I could see enough. I didn’t want any more than this. It was peaceful and quiet, which was perfect.

I could’ve stayed at my frat house since it was closer to campus, but I wanted to be alone. My studio was thirty miles outside of Seattle, which was what made it slightly more affordable than living in the city. I was the type of person who needed my own space, so even though I was part of the fraternity, I was here at least half the time.

The best part: Nobody knew where it was. Once we finished the game tomorrow, I could decide to hole up here for a few days without talking to anybody. My only responsibilities would be my classes, which were easy enough. For now, at least.

I was graduating in June, but what I hadn’t told most people was that I’d still be in school. I knew they’d find out eventually when they saw me around campus but frankly, I was tired of being the guy everybody wanted to talk to. It was a stepping stone and I’d enjoyed it, but I was starting my PhD program in September, which definitely took precedence.

Yeah, imagine that. The quarterback of Harmon University wasn’t only good at football. It was pointless to tell people that. Just like whoI dated and what I did in my free time, it wasn’t anyone’s business. Everything I did was for me; nobody else had any bearing on my life.

Was I antisocial? Maybe a little. Don’t get me wrong; I liked talking to people, but if I was given a choice, I’d probably choose to go the fuck home.

Swinging the fridge open, I leaned back against the small island and scanned the shelves. Damnit. I’d been so busy lately that I didn’t pay enough attention to the things I needed. The last time I ordered groceries was over winter break.

Apparently, I made a drunk phone call during that time too. I didn’t remember it at all. In the future, I’d have to hide my phone or something. It wasn’t like I drank often outside of parties anyway. And March fifteenth, but that was its own issue.

I grabbed a container of leftover Thai food and dropped onto the loveseat. Pulling out my phone, I started making an Amazon Fresh order to get delivered this weekend. Then, I could stay in the house and say goodbye to my football years. It was sort of bittersweet.

After taking a bite of the cold food, I paused. I could get a whole cake delivered with my groceries. That was stupid. But now it was in my cart because I’d be celebrating and I could give myself a break on the calories. It wasn’t like I had any more games.

I thought about the one tomorrow and couldn’t help but wonder if I was a dick by giving up on my efforts to coach him. The thing is, I let a lot of things roll right off of me. The fact that West had driven me to this point said a lot.

On the first day of practice, before school had even started, he came up and challenged me to a duel. Yeah, a duel. I still didn’t know what he meant by that because I brushed him off immediately. He stole my towel while I was showering after practice, so I had to walk back to my locker with my dick swinging. I wasn’t embarrassed, just pissed. I almost smashed his head into the wall but decided I’d let him have fun that once.

Wrong move.

By not responding to his challenges, I fed his need for attention. He put an unwrapped fish in my gym bag, tried and failed to poach my friends, and started a fight with me on Halloween. If Kai hadn’t been there, I might’ve shut West up for good. He justwouldn’t stop.

Tomorrow, I’d be celebrating more than just finishing my four years of college football. I’d be celebrating freedom from that annoying bastard.

So, no. I wasn’t being too much of a dick. He’d soon have people feeding his ego constantly, just like they tried to feed mine. In fact, I could probably be more of a dick if I wanted to, but I wasn’t West.

I just needed to fucking vent or something.

---