Page 28 of Game Changer
“Well, I hope you change your mind.” Ronnie claps me on the back. “Because, kid? I’ve never seen Jake work that hard during any practice we’ve held. You’ve got a knack for this.” Then, as if he didn’t just give me one of the best compliments of my life, he blows his whistle and shouts, “Annie Rose! Pick those balls up. You’re going to go have some fun with Uncle Mark!”
“Uncle Mark?” She squeals and jumps up and down. “This is the best dayever!”
“I’mnother uncle,” Mark mutters.
Ronnie waves a hand. “You might as well be.”
But when Mark’s eyes slide to Tabi, who isn’t paying attention to the conversation at all, I don’t think it wasRonniehe was trying to remind, but rather a woman who couldn’t care less about his affection.
Fourteen
Ethan
Now that it’s October, the scorching heat has begun to subside. It’s in the low eighties during the day, which still isn’t ideal for me, but it’ll have to do. Other guys hang around campus in tank tops and shorts that end at their midthigh, but me? I’m in sweatpants and a sweatshirt year-round. Needless to say, summer is my least favorite season, and I have no complaints about it ending.
I’m not sweating my balls off now on my walk back to the dorm. Leo and I got done eating at the dining hall, and with the sun already setting in the distance, the temperature is actuallychilly. It’s enough to make me downright giddy.
“They need to work on their menu,” Leo says as we walk down the hall together. “I mean, come on. We’re college students, not prisoners.”
I roll my eyes. “The food was good, Leo. You’re being dramatic.” Because the more time I spend in his company, the more I realize he’s kind of extra. We’ve grown close over the past month, but with growing closer comes recognizing each other’s quirks and bad habits. He’s funny as hell, but when something doesn’t go his way? He acts like he’s a trust-fund baby cast into the wilderness for the first time.
We’re passing by Maya’s door when a flash of yellow catches my eye. It’s a note taped to her door that reads:READY FOR A NIGHT OUT? BOOK ME FOR THE SERVICES BELOW!A list of prices follows for a variety of services from manicures and pedicures to hair and makeup. Her socials are listed for examples of her work, and the only thing I can do is smile at the note like an idiot. I’m fucking proud of her for being such a go-getter. She’s already working at Happy Endings on the weekends, and now she’s doing this as a side hustle? Where does she find the time?
Leo chuckles when he opens our door. “You’re a goner, buddy.”
“Leo, ninety percent of the time, I have no clue what the fuck you’re saying.”
He points at the note. “For her. It’s all over your face.”
“It is not.”
Maya opens the door, freezing when she sees us standing out here. “Oh, hey. What are you up to?” She’s wearing a pair of tight leggings and a sports bra, and has a mat tucked beneath her arm. It seems she’s still doing yoga, and I donotneed to think about just how many positions she’s mastered. Neither of us has spoken about that night a few weeks ago when we shared a moment of intimacy on opposite sides of a wall. I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to call it, but I’m certainly not going to bring it up if she didn’t intend for me to listen to her. I won’t be acreep.
“Just looking at your door,” I reply, like a goddamn idiot.
Fucking hell.
You alreadyarea creep.
“The note,” I quickly correct. “About your makeup services and stuff.”
Her lips twitch. “Do you want to book me?”
“What? No, I just—”
She laughs, and at the sound, words stall in my throat. “I’m joking, Ethan. A lot of the girls around campus have been asking if I charge, so I figured, why not? Make a few extra bucks while I’m at it.” She bites her lip, seeming to contemplate before she continues. “Truthfully, it’s been a while since I’ve done anyone’s makeup. I’m nervous I’m going to fuck it up.”
Leo leans against our doorway with a grin I’m itching to smack off him. “I’m sure Ethan would be your test dummy. He’s got skin like a baby’s bottom.”
Maya furrows her brows. “Really?”
“Oh, totally. I caught him researching how to make homemade facials the other day.”
I’m going to kill him.
Slowly.
Painfully.
