Page 61 of The Off-Limits Play

“What did you get caught up with?”

I watch Jolie’s fingers tighten on the door. Interesting. So, her cousin doesn’t know she’s boinking a junior.

Time for a roommate save.

Stepping around the nervous-looking blonde, I paste on a smile of my own. “Hi! I’m Nylah.”

“Oh! Hi!” Caroline’s face lights with a grin, and I welcome the stunning redhead into our room and proceed to distract her while Jolie gathers herself.

Within twenty minutes, the three of us have chosen an outfit for my Tuesday night babysitting gig, and Jolie has had time to come up with a story about hanging out with some new friends she’s made.

Caroline’s face goes all mushy as she pulls her shorter cousin into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re starting to find your place here! We’ve all been so worried about you.”

“I’m good, Cinnamon. Seriously. It just took me a little minute to find my feet.”

Leaning back, Caroline cups Jolie’s cheeks and smiles like a mother hen. “Proud of you, my lil’ Joey.”

“Okay.” She pats Caroline’s arms and steps back, so obviously forcing a smile.

Her perceptive cousin tips her head, her eyes starting to narrow, and I quickly jump in with another roommate rescue. “Anyone wanna go for ice cream?”

Jolie and Caroline turn to face me in unison, and I grin back at their beaming smiles. Caroline’s eyes sparkle with excitement while Jolie gives me a grateful wink.

“Ice cream is always a good idea.” Caroline laughs, wrapping her arm around Jolie’s shoulders. “Ain’t that right, cuz?”

“It surely is, Miss Mason.” Jolie puts on a Southern drawl that cracks Caroline up, and I suddenly wish I’d grown up around these two. They obviously have a plethora of inside jokes, and as I grab my bag, I feel a small zing of pleasure.

Look at me, making friends with my roomie. Thank God for Caroline Mason. Thank God for little secrets that I can help Jolie keep. Maybe I can have the college experience I was hoping for after all.

If things go well on Tuesday, then maybe I can come back and tell Jolie all about it. I’ll be able to tick hot sex with a guy I really like and a roommate share session off my list in one night.

CHAPTER22

CARSON

Today has been a total bust. Concentrating in class was nearly impossible, and then practice, which usually isn’t so bad unless I’m detained for extra work, sucked. The coaches ran us ragged, and we don’t even have a fucking game this weekend. We get like two weekends off the entire season, and today they acted as if we were prepping for a playoff final. I don’t know what the fuck their problem was.

Unless Coach Jones has found out about Nylah and me and he’s punishing the whole team.

There is no Nylah and you. Just shut up and stop thinking!

See, that’s the problem.

I can’t stop thinking. No matter what I try, I can’t stop thinking about Sunday afternoon in that theater… and then the way I just took off and let her face the firing squad on her own.

Standing in that alley, wondering if her parents had spotted us together, was torture. I felt like a complete douche. And then I couldn’t take it anymore and snuck around the corner, back onto the street to check on Nylah. But she was gone, and so were her parents.

I didn’t have her number or anything, so all I could do was jump on my bike and ride home.

The house was quiet when I got back. Tyrell was in the living room reading a book. He told me everyone had left and Zoey was upstairs napping.

“Sienna and Zander probably are too.” Tyrell snickered. “They looked exhausted.”

I snuck up to my room, closing the door as quietly as I could and then forcing myself to try and get some studying done. I don’t know why. I never usually study, but I needed to distract myself. It didn’t work, so after an hour of failing to finish my assignment, I watched movies on my laptop until I fell asleep.

And now I’m sitting on the couch, scrolling through Netflix and wondering how I’m gonna distract myself tonight. I should just go to Offside, but I’m not in the mood. Wily’s out. Tyrell and Grady are playing chess in the den—boring! And I don’t know what the fuck Zander and Sienna are gonna do with the kid.

She hasn’t come near me today. Not sure why, but she’s been kind of clingy with Sienna.

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