Page 35 of Game Changer
“When are you going to make a move?” Cameron shouts in my ear. The light from the DJ booth casts his face in an orange and red hue.
“I’ve been asking him the same thing,” Leo interjects. “She’s clearly into him.”
I heave a sigh of frustration. “You guys don’tknowher. That’s just how she is! She’s flirtatious. It’s her personality.” Cameron whacks me upside the head. “Ow! Fuck was that for?”
“You’re being an idiot,” he says, taking a swig from his beer. “Dude, she asked you about sailing over spring break.Sheaskedyouto kiss her. She’s made every fucking move so far, and you’re questioning whether or not she’s into you?”
“That wasbeforeshe fucking ghosted me. Or did you forget that part?”
“Look.” He throws an arm over my shoulder. “I’ve had my fair share of experience with women, and I don’t know what happened to make her ghost you, but she’s not over you in the slightest. It’s obvious.”
“It isnotobvious.”
“She told you to find someone who would ride this cowboy hat off of you,” Cameron says slowly, as if I’m too dense to understand him. “Who do you think she meant?”
Mark slaps a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing while Leo, who’s dressed as a hot dog, blatantly chuckles.
“I don’t know!” I toss my hands up in frustration. “Maybe she wants me to find someone else so I can finally move on from her. Maybe she thinks I’m too obsessed with her, so she—” All three of my friends whack me on the head now. “Jesus!” I hiss. “What iswrongwith you guys? That fucking hurt.”
“Good,” Mark replies. “Maybe we knocked some sense into you, then. We wouldn’t be pushing you to do this—allthreeof us—if we thought there was even a chance that she’d reject you again. She’s into you, man, and it’s time you do something about it before someone else swoops her out from under you.”
“Girls think it’s hot when a man takes charge,” Cameron adds.
Mark scoffs. “Not all of them.”
Leo’s eyes snag on a girl dressed as Little Bo Peep, and with full confidence he strides toward her. “I need to find my buns for the night!” he shouts over his shoulder. “I hope you do the same, Ethan!”
Mark tilts his head to the side. “Is he always like this?”
“Dorky and embarrassing? Yeah. He got his braces off and is trying to fuck everything with a pulse. Emphasis ontrying.”
“Didn’t you say you woke up to him screwing someone?” Cameron asks.
“Thanks for reminding me of that, but, yeah. I guess his moves workedonce. Although he hasn’t gotten lucky since. And I haven’t seen that girl come around again, so . . .”
“I like him,” Mark says. “He knows exactly who he is.”
I wonder what that must be like.
Before I can respond, two girls with obvious intentions saunter up to Cameron. A girl with red hair and freckles dotting her nose and cheeks reaches him first. I’m used to girls hitting on Cameron over me, so when the blond wedges between Cameron and me and attempts to strike up a conversation, I know it’s to pass the time until she can shoot her shot with the six three football star. I got used to it a long time ago.
“Let me get your number,” the girl with freckles suggests. She blinks up at him with innocent baby blues, but Cameron keeps his eyes locked on the dance floor where my sister is having the time of her life.
“I’m taken,” he replies. He doesn’t give her the time of day, which seems to deflate the redhead’s ego. And now that Cameron is off-limits, she shifts her eyes to Mark, who seems oblivious to the interaction. He’s staring at the bar where Tabi waits for a round of drinks, and his lips twitch into a smile when he sees that along with the Happy Endings uniform, she’s wearing cat ears and has painted black whiskers on her face.
“I’m going to go irritate the Tabi cat,” he says with a wicked grin, abandoning the redhead before she even had a chance.
This leaves me, the last option on the table, but the girl doesn’t have an opportunity because Maya grabs me by the hand and tugs me toward her instead. My sister has found Cameron again, and he pulls her in for a kiss before sliding his hands down her back. I was an idiot for thinking he couldn’t change, when he’s clearly so obsessed with Maddie.
His gleaming eyes meet mine. “I think we’re going to head back to the hotel. I’ll see you tomorrow? Mark said you guys are coaching youth football.”
Of course he did.
“Heis coaching. I’m just a guest.”
“Cam.” Maddie childishly tugs on his arm, and when he stares down at her, it’s clear how strong of a hold she has on him. His entire face melts as he kisses her forehead.
“Sorry, baby. Let’s go. Do you need me to carry you?”
