Page 17 of Jace
It takes mere seconds before a reply pops up. I know she was waiting for my outreach–I always make the first move when we’re having issues.
Kaylee: No worries, I get it. How about you come over on Sunday and spend the night?
I mentally sigh again as I reply with an affirmative and get out of the car. I think we’re okay again, but the fact that she didn’t offer an apology back still nags me as I enter the jock house and find some of my teammates and close friends engaged in a shooter on the PS5. Well, at least I’m not the only one who’s having a low-key Friday night, like the bunch of boring jocks we are.
FIVE
I place my flip-flopped feet on the dashboard of Tyler’s truck and lean back as he begins the journey to his parents’ house. He tosses a protein bar in my direction, and I happily unwrap it.
“Thanks. So, are you ready to admit yet that I'm the superior runner?” I inquire, referring to our morning jog when, somehow, I managed to beat his sporty ass. Or perhaps ‘fine ass’ is a better term for it, given that I loved the view anytime I trailed behind him.
“Depends,” he sort of mumbles after taking a bite of his own protein bar.
“On what?”
“On whether you're ready to concede that you completely stole my style.” He gestures toward my head, currently adorned with a dark blue denim baseball cap. It's positioned backward–just like his–since I rushed to get ready after my shower before he arrived. Honestly, backward just looks better. It's probably an unwritten rule. If it’s not, I’ll make it one.
I snort. “It's not a style. A baseball cap is basic men's attire.”
“Hmm hmm. If you say so.” He grins at me, his eyes concealed beneath the aviators he's wearing, before making a left turn and driving south along the beachside road. “And how the hell are you so fast in the morning? I thought you had a late night performing?”
“How did you find that out? Are you secretly one of my crazy social media stalkers? Did you go all incognito and watch me from somewhere in the back? Preferably dressed in a skintight black outfit to blend in seamlessly with the background?” I grin. “If that's the case, feel free to spill. I can keep a secret.”
He winces. “No, absolutely not. But my girl went to see you in Yetties.”
“Ah, and that bothers you?” I inquire, assuming as much since he’s frowning.
“No, it's not that. We kind of, maybe, had an argument last night. Nothing major, really.”
“You sure? Want me to fill you in on what she was up to last night? To the best of my knowledge, she just shared some drinks with a bunch of Barbie Doll-esque girls.”
He cocks his head. “You know who my girlfriend is?”
“Perhaps,” I admit sheepishly. “I sort of fell into a social media rabbithole yesterday. I needed to know more about this hot stalker guy who's invited me to meet his parents.”
He chuckles at that and reclines against the seat, steering with one hand and finishing his protein bar with the other. His biceps strain against the gray material of his polo shirt. “Well, who’s the stalker now? Find anything intriguing there?”
“Not much. Your football stats posts are rather boring in my humble opinion, so naturally, I clicked on the girl that was tagged in the few selfies that you do have. Her profile was way more interesting than yours.”
He laughs again. “Well, I can't argue with that. She's stunning.”
I give him a thorough once-over, and I think he catches me in the act, shooting a glance my way from behind his glasses, so I smirk. “Nah. I like this half of your dynamic duo way better.”
His big body quivers as he chuckles silently, a head shake accompanying his amusement. “So what? You’re implying she’s not that attractive?
“Nooo,” I exaggerate. “She's definitely hot, but you’re on another level. And since I’ve decided to swear off women for now, you’ll have to suffice.” I take my first bite and moan around it because shit, I love chocolate. Even if it’s so-called healthy chocolate wrapped around the nasty protein stuff.
“Swear off women?” He ignores my indecent chocolate blowjob. “What did they do? Not like your music?”
I swallow. “Well, thatisa valid reason. But no, I made some questionable choices.” I grimace. “So now I've temporarily shifted all my attention to men. Lucky you, huh?”
“So lucky,” he deadpans. “So, men are better?” He sounds genuinely curious. “Is that rude to ask? Sorry if I’m being nosy, I don’t have many queer friends. Or do I say LGBTQ friends? Do I have all the letters? I don’t really know the lingo.”
“Queer works fine for me,” I reassure him with a smile. “Feel free to ask anything; I don't mind. I identify as bi, but I do leanmore towards men. I like girls too, but menarebetter in my opinion.” I can't resist winking at him, which earns me a grin.
“So, why go through the whole thing with girls then?”
“Because I swore off men first.”
