Page 17 of Front Runner

“Did you read that already?” I nodded at the syllabus and assignments in her hand.

Her dark eyes flashed to me for a second, and I felt the impact in my chest. “Yes. After I showed up on Monday to an empty class.”

“Good, then you can talk to me and you won’t be missing out on anything.”

She matched my position. “Who says I want to talk to you?”

We hadn’t been this close since before the meeting, and I had a hell of a time not stretching my arm across the back of her seat to play with the ends of her hair. Instead, I pulled my phone from the front pocket of my backpack and set it in my lap. If nothing else, I could pretend to take notes.

“Maybe I want to talk to you,” I said.

Her lips pressed together briefly, and I got another quick glance. “About what?”

“I try to get to know everyone on the team.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Ididwant to make a connection with everyone, but with over a hundred people on the roster, it was mostly a nod and fist bump situation. “You weren’t here over the summer, so I’m doing it now.”

She finally gave in and met my eyes. “Why do I feel like the universe keeps throwing us together? I’ve been here for less than a week, and you’reeverywhere.”

I shrugged. “Just lucky, I guess. What were you doing over the summer?”

Riley picked at the edge of her paper. “I was a counselor at a summer camp back home.”

My brows rose. “That was more important than camp at TU?”

“I told them I’d come, and I don’t break my promises.” Her lips curled up in a slight smile. “And I signed a contract.”

“Was it fun?”

She tore tiny strips off the syllabus as she thought about it. “Yeah. I like working with kids, especially since I was in charge of the sports. There’s nothing like teaching little girls they can throw and catch just as well as the boys. Well, almost nothing.”

Her gaze sharpened, and I knew she was thinking of that last pass at practice—the perfect moment when we were in sync and everything fell into place. Did she feel the same connection I did?

Riley blinked and moved away. “I answered your questions. My turn.”

Despite the setback, I grinned. At least she was still talking to me. “What do you want to know?”

She nodded at the phone in my hand. “Tell me what’s on your playlist.”

After a quick glance at the prof to be sure she was busy with the rest of the class, I pulled out my earbuds and handed one to Riley. “Hear for yourself.”

“Am I going to regret this?” she teased.

God, I hoped not. My gaze lingered on her lips for a beat too long, then I shook myself out of my own stupidity and cued up my music. Not the Chill the F* Out playlist, that one was reserved for before practice and games. We weren’t there yet.

“This is my Study Now or Pay the Price playlist.”

“You name your playlists?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” I hit shuffle and electric violin filled my head.

Interest lit her face. “What else is on here?”

“Mostly Lindsey Stirling and video game soundtracks, a couple of trip-hop songs.”

I hit the skip button to give her a sample, and the opening drumbeat of “I’ll Make a Man out of You” made me swipe frantically at the screen.

“Fuck,” I muttered as the song got louder. I’d forgotten Mac had added that one.

Riley tried to smother her laugh, but she was loud enough to draw attention from the rows around us. I closed the app and shifted to accommodate my sudden hard-on. She looked up at me with a real smile, one I’d helped create. My chest filled with the need to make her laugh like that again.

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