Page 17 of The Fake Date Agreement

She can’t be in Reynolds Hall. It’s the only athlete dorm, and we’d have bumped into her at least once over the last couple of years if she lived there. Jubilee Hall, closest to the academic buildings, is home to most freshmen and international students.

“Tobie looked around the same age as us, and she’s from Nebraska, so definitely not an international student. She has to be in Fisher or Montgomery. What do you think?” I ask the others.

Both are upperclassmen dorms unless she lives off campus. Then we’re fucked.

“Sounds like a plan,” Javier agrees, and Caleb nods.

“What did Coach want to talk to you about earlier?” Caleb asks as, by silent agreement, we leave the arena behind us and head for Fisher Hall, which is the closest.

“When?” I ask when I know exactly what he means.

He gives me a probing look that I return with a lazy smile. “You’re deflecting.”

“What I’m doing is trying to find the girl with the worst luck in the world,” I say, very much deflecting.

He stops and turns to face me. “You realize you can’t save everyone, right?”

“I’m not trying to save everyone.”

Just the few people who I have the power to. My teammates I regard as family after years of playing together. A beautiful stranger doing her best to hold back her tears after having her heart broken. And my brother, who gave up his future for me.

That’s all.

“Coach will agree,” Caleb says.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie as I walk away.

Caleb grips my arm and yanks me back. He’s got his captain face on. “You want me to have a word with him?”

I lose a bit of my tension. Some things you’re scared to want in case the universe shits all over those dreams. This is one of those things.

I shake my head. “It’s not you who has to speak to him. It’s Ryder. And it isn’t just Coach who has to agree. The assistant dean has to agree as well, and Ryder doesn’t have his bachelors. That’s going to hurt him if there’s someone else who has one.”

“A degree isn’t mandatory,” Javier says. “Experience matters more. If Coach thinks he can do the job, he’ll get the assistant dean on his side. Degree or no degree.”

I’ve spent all year trying to get anyone to take a chance on my brother the way they took a chance on me.

Like most Division 1 teams, the Wolverines have the budget for two to three assistant coaches. We have a head coach, two assistant coaches, a trainer, physio, and team doctor. With how well we’ve been doing and all our new sponsorships, Coach told us they’re looking to take on a third assistant coach next year.

My brother would be perfect for that, I thought.

It’ll be easy, Reid, I told myself. Ryder loves hockey, and he loves to pass on his knowledge. Coach can see firsthand what Ryder’s teaching has done for me. Yet, here I am, still fighting a fight I thought I would have won months ago.

“It’ll be more likely to happen if your brother comes to speak to him himself,” Javier says.

“Which he won’t because he gave up one dream for me. He doesn’t want to believe this will happen after I’ve been trying for so long in case it doesn’t work out. I wouldn’t be the player I am without him.”

“Coach knows,” Javier says as we approach Fisher Hall. “But he needs to know your brother wants this too.”

It’s a catch-22. Trying to make my brother’s dream happen when he’s given up believing in dreams isn’t easy.

Like most dorms, during the day, there’s a visitors’ office you can buzz for someone to let you in. All students have keycards to get in the building, so unless we bump into Tobie, or we can convince someone else who lives in the dorm to let us in, we have no way of getting inside. And even if we got into the building, there’s like eight floors, and fuck knows how many students on each.

We need someone who knows Tobie to confirm she lives here.

A guy is heading to the building as we approach, eyes glued to his cell phone.

“Hey, man. We’re looking for a girl,” I call out.

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