Page 23 of Chess Not Checkers
When her gaze finally lands on me, it narrows. I count it as a win that she doesn’t scowl.
“Didn’t expect to see you here, Chamberlain,” I say as she approaches.
“You’re exactly where I thought you’d be,” Jasmine deadpans.
I grin. “And yet you still came.”
Carson’s incoherent babbling stops. His eyes rove over Jasmine in a way that makes me want to blacken them. Before he can say anything stupid, I redirect his attention.
“Hey, I think that guy over there is trying to steal something.” I point in a random direction.
“What?!” Carson booms, and storms off, only to immediately get distracted by a different girl in a cheerleading uniform.
“He seems…smart.” Jasmine laughs, and I join in.
“Hard to believe, but he’s actually an engineering major. Not a bad student when he’s sober.”
“I don’t think I’ll be asking him for help with my math homework anytime soon,” she says.
We watch as Carson gives the cheerleader his drink, then tries to do a cartwheel. It goes as well as one might expect. He lands in a crumpled heap on the floor, narrowly escaping taking a bystander down with him. The girl sinks beside him and checks on him, a worried expression on her face.
“I can’t believe she’s helping him.” I shake my head in disbelief.
“I watched her down three shots of tequila as soon as we got in the door, so that might explain it,” Jasmine says dryly.
“And what about you? Are you drinking tonight?” I try to pose my question casually. She’s not holding a drink, but she could have been on her way to get one when we crossed paths. If she does decide to drink, I’ll have to add her to my list of people to watch over. I hope she says no because the stress of making sure nothing happens to her will be much worse than watching over my teammates.
She laughs. “Absolutely not. My brother-in-law would kill me if he found out. So would Bash. And…everyone else in my family, for that matter.”
It’s weird that she doesn’t mention her parents, but maybe they aren’t as protective? Coach is certainly hard to beat with his speech about benching anyone who looks at a cheerleader. I suppress a cringe. I’m breaking that rule on a daily basis at this point. But watching Jasmine laugh and smile in the dim light saps away my ability to care. It’s not like anything will happen between us anyway, so talking to her isn’t a big deal. At least, that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself.
“Probably for the best,” I say.
She looks me over. “What about you? Are you drinking?”
There’s nothing in her tone to make me think so, but I can’t help but wonder if she’s comparing me to my brother again. His past is well-known. It wouldn’t be a stretch. I lift my hat and rake a hand through my hair.
I wave a hand. “Nah, someone has to keep everyone in line.”
She raises a brow. “And that’s you?”
“Your skepticism wounds me.” I place a hand on my chest in mock pain. “Iamteam captain, you know. That means Coach thought I was the most responsible player.”
The smirk that plays on her lips makes my blood heat with desire. “Judging by some of the guys walking around here, I’d say he didn’t have a lot of options to choose from. Best of the worst kind of scenario.”
I chuckle. “I take it you have higher standards than Coach?”
Someone calls out her name. She glances over her shoulder and waves, then turns back to me.
“I do,” she replies and takes a step back toward her friends.
“I think I could meet them.”
Her green eyes sparkle. “You could certainly try.” She hooks her thumb over her shoulder. “I think my friends need me.”
I dip my chin. “I’ll see you around.”
Her smile is stronger than all the alcohol in this house combined. “See you around,Captain.”
