Page 13 of Kicking It with the Point Guard

In a roundabout way, I did end up officially claiming this study room. I wonder if the library assistants would remove it if I taped my name up on the door.

I smile to myself. The lights are off, and upon further inspection, there doesn’t appear to be a sleeping hottie hiding out in there either.

Perfect. Now to finish my math homework for tomorrow and get a jump on that pedagogy project that’s due at the end of the week.

A few hours and several intrusive thoughts about a certain library hottie later, I’m packing up to head back to my dorm. The library is quiet and dark, with only a few lamps lit by students pulling late night study sessions or all-nighters.

I’m reminded of the weird feeling I got on my way here, and I hesitate at the door.

Everything will be fine. Campus security is just a shout away… I peek out into the dark night. The moon is out, casting a soft glow on the courtyard and easing my fear.

I creep out into the night. The people populating the courtyard earlier this evening have retired. I slowly cross the green, and goosebumps erupt across my arms.

Across the way, a tall, loping figure emerges from the gym.

Okay. Maybe I’m still a little scared.

Cameron

God, that was a workout. The cool night air feels so refreshing after spending the last three hours at shooting practice and then a cool down workout in the gym.

I pause, letting the moonlight wash over me, relishing in the calm and the quiet that nighttime always brings.

Breathing deep, I look across the courtyard, enjoying the emptiness more than a normal person should.

I used to feel lonely. I hated it. But now, I embrace it. You can’t get hurt if you’re alone. The only person I let inside my walls is Oscar. It wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time, I had several friends. Mostly thanks to my best friend. But after what happened with our friend Katie, and then… after what she did… I distanced myself. Now it’s just Oscar and me. Like it was in the beginning. And I’m okay with that. I’ll talk to the guys on the team, but it’s a superficial acquaintanceship. They know nothing more about me than a distant relative who only visits at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A movement catches my eye, and I frown at the small shadow creeping across campus. An owl hoots somewhere in the night, and the shadow jumps, giving me pause.

There’s something familiar about that shadow.

I take a few steps closer, trying to get a good look at it, but it starts speedwalking in the direction of the girls’ dorms.

She walks under a streetlamp, and I laugh to myself when blond hair that could only belong to Bumblebee girl blows into her face from a sudden blast of wind.

If she were any smaller, she might declare the wind her mortal enemy instead of math.

“Hey,” I call out. “Wait up.”

She turns, squinting into the dark. When she sees me, she takes off again, this time almost at a run.

I sigh and jog after her. Fox University is a safe place, but no woman should walk anywhere alone at night.

Suddenly, her feet slide out from under her, and she hits the ground with an oomph. The night’s dew, which has already made an appearance, must have caused her to slip.

I catch up to her as she’s struggling to right herself. She pants like she’s just run a marathon.

“Are you all right?” I ask.

Her expression goes from frightened to recognition to annoyance all in the span of a second.

“Yes,” she says, exasperation lacing her voice. “Maybe next time you think of hollering at a girl in the middle of the night when she’s all alone, announce who you are. How was I supposed to know you weren’t here to kidnap or murder me? It’s not like I have night vision.” She huffs, trying and failing to wipe the wet grass off her legs.

“I’m sorry I scared you. But why were you creeping around like that?”

She rubs her hands across her face, leaving a trail of grass behind. “Who said I was creeping? Maybe that’s how I walk.”

I snort, reaching out and pulling one of the blades of grass from her cheek. I normally wouldn’t be so bold with a girl, but Bumblebee girl is different.

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