Page 11 of Afterglow
I ignored his persistence. “Your total is six dollars, if there is nothing else.”
Snickers and stifled laughter come from Theodore’s friends. As an ice hockey girl, I don’t know any of them except for Austin. He is dating my roommateAthena after pining all of freshman year. They began as friends with benefits but Sofia—my other roommate—and I knew the two of them were gone for each other. Athena was overly cautious to agree to go on a date with Austin as she had never received attention from boys.
“I’ll get it one day Jazmine,”
My name rolls off his tongue—desperate and rough. Fireworks explode in my core, scorching every inch of my skin. My name is a rarity from Theodore Knight, making an innocuous comment sound like a promise.
Ever since my first interaction with Knight, I’ve been covering every emotion and reaction he incites from my body. The last thing I need is for him to break down my walls and weasel into my heart.
The hours dwindle by, eventually reaching the end of my shift. I take an almond pastry with me for the walk home. One of my favourite perks is the free food. The sun is close to the horizon, preparing to be replaced by the moon. Today I worked longer than usual, but once classes begin, I will only work a six-hour shift.
My mind is running on overdrive as I plan the next couple weeks out. Although my schedule won’t be crazy busy until October, I like to be prepared. I arrive home, turning my key in the door to find a chaotic apartment.
Sofia Wells, my roommate who is majoring in fashion design, has rolls of fabric scattered on every surface. Stencils and stationary items are on the floor—I’m assuming they rolled off the coffee table—with colourful notebooks in multiple stacks on the kitchen bench.
Sofia’s past as a ballerina is evident by her perfect posture and focused gaze. Her chestnut-coloured hair is tied into a high bun, although Sofia has ditched her fluffy afro blow out, her ringlet curls never left. She has taught me so many different ways to style my curly hair. I don’t know what I would do without her.
An outburst of laughter and giggles dance into the living room, grabbing my attention. What the hell is going on? It’s not the first time I have walked in on a loud apartment, yet it surprises me every time.
Athena races out of her room, hot on her heels in Austin. Wide smiles are spread across their faces, as if they are the Cheshire cat. Austin hooks his arms around Athena’s waist lifting her onto the kitchen countertop. The sparks in the eyes make me want to resort to my bedroom.
“No sex in common areas,” I say, clearing my throat.
Athena’s back stiffens, while Sofia whips her head up at my comment, dragging her headphones to wrap around her neck.
She groans. “Stop making me feel so single,”
I laugh at her whine.
“We weren’t going to have sex,” Athena assures.
The lustful gleam in Austin’s eyes didn’t leave. “Speak for yourself,”
“Well, that is my cue to leave.” I say.
I collapse onto my bed, soaking in relief as I continue to sink into the mattress. Taking in a deep breath, I smile to myself. I have to take wins when I can so I know to appreciate the good days. Today was one of them.
Chapter 6
Theodore Knight
Strong Beans has become my favourite place to buy coffee. Is it because a certain curly-haired blonde works there?
Yes. And my teammates have been teasing me since we left the café.
“Theodore Knight, chasing a girl. I never thought this day would come.” Austin says.
In the past, I never had to chase women. Not to be arrogant but they would fall at my feet. Jazmine,however, continues to reject me as she seems to be immune to my charms.
After freshman year I was worried for her. Jazmine avidly avoided me for sophomore year, so I took initiative. Every class posed a new challenge in trying to find her and create conversation. Jaz seemed to grow in surprise every time I sat next to her in our shared lectures.
I decided there wasn’t any harm in trying to flirt with her and everything clicked into place. There were no more awkward situations, only my continuous efforts to flirt and Jazmine’s insults and witty comebacks.
“What can I say? I like the challenge,” This shouldn’t be taken the wrong way either. If Jazmine told me to stop, I would. Part of me—the place in my brain that hugs optimism and hope tightly, thinks Jazmine enjoys our banter too.
My friends and teammates laugh, although the shakes of their head tell me they find my struggles amusing. We make our way to the football fields for our last training session of preseason. The new season has come around faster than expected and with the added pressure of being captain, I am shitting myself.
Coach Morgan pulled me into his office at the start of preseason to give me the news. On one hand, I was thrilled. Last season, I would stay late at training sessions or the gym, all to prove to Coach Morgan I was ready to take over from Nick. It also helped keep my father off my back.
