Page 14 of Changing the Play

I swallow mine. “I told you.”

He grins, dropping his head back to rest against my couch. He closes his eyes for a second, and I let myself study his face. It’s only a couple of seconds later when his eyes pop open, and he catches me. My face heats and I turn away, picking up another cookie and offering it to him. “Do you want another?”

His eyes move from the cookie to my face, and finally, he shakes his head. “No. I should probably be heading home.”

Oh. That makes sense, of course. It has to be pushing midnight, but for some reason, I don’t want him to go. He’s… fun. In a way I wasn’t expecting. “Okay. When can we hang out again?”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Hang out? Oh. Well, I mean, I’m free Wednesday for another tutoring session, if you are.”

Right. Tutoring. Because we’re not hanging out because we’re friends. We’re not even hanging out. He’s only here because he’s trying to find a way to make connections so my stupid-ass brain will remember basic fucking history. I clear my throat. “Right. Yeah, I should be good for Wednesday.”

He stands, brushing his hands on his pants. “Well, I had a lot of fun.”

That brings a smile to my face. “Me too. I’ll explain football to you anytime.”

He laughs, taking off to leave. I scramble to my feet so I can walk him to the door. Jogging ahead, I get there first and pull it open for him. He grins up at me. “Thank you again for my football education.” He pauses like maybe he wants to say something else, and I wait somewhat patiently. He opens his mouth, then closes it before blowing out a breath. “Maybe we can do more football lessons soon?”

That was… not what I was expecting. Truthfully, I don’t know what Iwasexpecting. “Am I converting you?” I ask, chuckling a little.

He shrugs, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes. “Possibly. It’s cool. The pants are a bonus. I like them.”

The… pants are a bonus? I don’t really know what he means by that, so I just smile and nod. “Sure. I’m down for more football.”

Darcy smiles. “Great. Well… I better go. Goodnight, West.”

“Night, Darcy.”

I wait until I can no longer hear his footsteps in the hallway, and then I shut the door. After making my way to the couch, I pick up the worn copy of my book, opening it to the first page and settling into the couch to read it. Again.

I can’t stop thinking about what Darcy said about the football pants. I still don’t get it. I’m glancing around the locker room, trying to be inconspicuous as I look from guy to guy, trying to figure out what Darcy likes about them.

“What are you doing?”

I damn near jump out of my skin, turning to find Benson standing beside me with a curious expression on his face. “Uh. Nothing?”

Ben raises an incredulous eyebrow. “Yeah, definitely doesn’t look like nothing, West.”

This is so stupid. Literally the stupidest. Fuck. I lean closer until I can whisper to him. Not that it matters, since the sounds in the locker room will probably drown out my question anyway. “What’s so special about football pants?”

Ben blinks at me, clearly confused. “Huh?”

“Football pants,” I reiterate, trying to act casual. “What’s so special about them?”

“What are you talking about?”

I throw my hands up in the air, frustrated that he’s not getting it. “I don’t know, Ben. That’s why I’m asking you. Is it how they fit or something? Do people like them? What’s so special about them?”

Benson studies me for a second, then he nods. “They’re tight. Form-fitting. So they show off guys legs and asses.”

His answer sends my mind into a tailspin. They show off legs and asses? Is that what Darcy meant? “So, let me get this straight. It’s like… an attraction thing?”

Benson looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Um, sometimes? What’s the context?”

I can’t really tell him the context without telling him about Darcy. It’s not that I want to keep him a secret so much as my failures, but it still feels gross to leave him out intentionally. “So, I have a tutor.”

Ben stares at me in silence. “Okay?”

“Okay,” I echo.

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