Page 8 of The Fake
She eyes me suspiciously. “Did Bri send you over here to mess with me?”
“Who’s Bri?”
She sighs and takes a seat next to me. “Roommate, teammate, captain, arch-nemesis.”
“Bad combo.”
“Who are you hiding from?”
“Myself. Everyone. No one.” I drain the rest of the bubbly in my glass and pull out my cigarettes. “You mind?”
She gives her head a little shake and watches as I light up.
“You want one?” I ask after I take my first drag and feel her eyes still on me.
“No. I just haven’t seen anyone smoke in… forever. You know what those things do to your lungs, right?”
I chuckle.
“Guess that rules out track.”
“What’s that?” I ask. Glancing over at her, my gaze is drawn to her green eyes—the color of summertime in northern Michigan where I grew up.
“I was trying to guess which sport you played.”
“Not track,” I confirm.
“Baseball?”
“Nope.”
“Football? Quarterback maybe?”
I shake my head. “I could just tell you.”
“What fun is that?”
My soft chuckle lingers between us, and we smile back at one another. It’s the first real smile to come from me all day. I put the cigarette in my mouth and extend my hand. “Nathan.”
“Chloe.”
4
Chloe
“Wanna tellme why your roommate hates you or do you want me to guess?” Nathan leans back on an elbow, his long jean-clad legs splayed out in front of him. Most of the athletes here tonight are dressed up, but he pulls off the dark jeans and black t-shirt like he’s red carpet ready.
I shift my weight, giving one butt cheek a reprieve from the hard ground. We’ve been sharing information for the better part of two hours, or rather, we’ve been trying to guess information about the other. So far, I haven’t learned much, but he’s been surprisingly accurate in his assessment of me.
He takes my silence as an indication I want him to guess.
“You slept with her boyfriend?”
“Oh, my God, no, of course not.” I laugh, and he joins in.
“Kidding.” He considers me for a moment, his blue eyes scrutinizing me in such detail, I feel the blush creep up my face. “She’s jealous of you.”
“No.” I roll my eyes at the thought of Bri being jealous of anyone. She’s captain of the team, she’s beautiful, she seems well-liked, if not a tiny bit feared. It’s more like the other way around. I’m jealous of her. Of her position on the team—one she earned—and the respect and friendship of her teammates.Ourteammates. I’m jealous that she doesn’t have to start over with a new college, different city, and an altered perception of the past three years.
