Well, that’s surprising. I figured that kiss scared her away for good, but I guess she’s still determined to win over her teammates no matter the inconvenience. I never thought I’d be such a pussy about being used as a fake boyfriend. All the perks, well, except sex, and none of the downsides, well, except… no sex.
I head inside for the liquor and fill a plastic cup with Jack. Joel still buys the shit even though he hardly partakes anymore. In fact… I fill two and decide today we’re doing this up right.
The entire team shows as well as the usual girls who come to hang. I’m parked next to Joel on a lounger while we make freshmen wait on us when Chloe shows up.
“Who’s that?” Joel asks as Chloe tentatively steps outside. Cut-off jean shorts and a baggy white shirt that falls just below her boobs and hangs off one shoulder. She’s stunning, per the usual.
“That is my girlfriend.”
Joel laughs but then checks my expression. “You’re serious. When? And how?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
Chloe looks around the party. She doesn’t see me, and I can take her in without having to pretend that I’m not.
I take another drink and find my cup empty again. “Yo, Fresh.”
The three freshmen all look to me at once. “Get me another Jack.” I hold up my cup. “And whatever my girl wants.” I point toward Chloe but seems they already know my business because they don’t look to see who I mean.
She’s spotted me now and lifts her hand in greeting. I give the smallest of waves with a single pinky finger. The freshmen approach her and there’s some back and forth before one of them leaves carrying my cup and hopefully going inside to fill it. Chloe starts toward me, and I’ve got a weird mixture of excitement and dread coursing through me.
“I feel like I don’t understand what’s happening here. First off, I have no idea how you convinced that gorgeous girl to go out with you, and second—if she really is your girlfriend you should look a lot happier right now. Like get down on your knees and kiss the ground happy.”
When she’s right in front of me, staring down at me with confusion, my chest tightens.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asks, looking between me and Joel.
I don’t budge or speak, but Joel is a gentleman and gets to his feet. “Hi, I’m Joel, nice to meet you.”
“Chloe. Same.”
“Ah, you’re the new volleyball chick. Heard about you.”
Her face looks a little panicked until Joel adds, “You had a good season at Golden last year.”
She nods.
“Well, welcome. Can I get you something to drink?” He takes a step toward the house.
“I got it covered,” I say as I spot Fresh coming out with two cups.
“Alright then. Have fun. Play nice, you two.”
Chloe doesn’t wait for an invitation to take Joel’s seat. “Everything okay?”
I nod and Fresh hands Chloe her drink and then me mine and hurries off. I take another long drink, reveling in the burn.
There’s a perfect amount of alcohol that does two things. One, it gives me blinders so that the only thing on my mind is the present. Not my dead dad, my depressed mother, or my brother who is basically raising himself. And two, it allows me to sleep dreamlessly.
Too little and I lie in bed with a thousand thoughts racing through my head and too much and I wake up in a cold sweat reliving the worst day of my life.
I don’t understand psychology and the brain, but I know there’s a perfect amount of Jack that will get that bitch drunk enough to just settle in for a good time without slapping me in the face later.
I’m staring straight ahead at the party going on in front of me when Chloe climbs on to my chair. She parks herself on top of me, sitting on the chair between my legs so we’re sitting face to face. Her long legs fall over the side of the chair, and I rest my drink on her knee without thinking. Touching her has become automatic.
“You look nice.”
The green ties of her suit top are pulled in a perfect bow behind her neck. The same dark green as her eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
Being near her reminds me how much I want her and how stupid it was to agree to this fake dating nonsense. Though, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I don’t want her to go back to being isolated and the punching bag for her teammates.
“If this is about last night, I’m really sorry.”
“I get it. We had an arrangement, and I fucked with it.”
She looks pained. “We’re friends. I like hanging out with you. Let’s keep it at that for now, okay?”
“Except when your teammates are around?” I don’t mean for it to come out in such a bitter tone, but it does. I rub a hand over my unshaven jaw. “I’m a dick right now. Give me a few more and I’ll be the life of the party.” I lift the cup and take another swallow.
Chloe takes my cup mid drink, puts it on the ground, and then stands and takes my hand, tugging me forward. I stand and follow as she walks away from the pool.
“Where are we going?” I ask when she leads us inside.
She doesn’t answer and I keep on following along like a chump through the house and out the front door. A silver Mercedes is parked on the curb. California plates C MAC.
“Nice ride,” I say, but she doesn’t get in.
We cross the street past the fieldhouse and the baseball field until I’m sure she’s just fucking with me when the sand courts come into view.
Wordlessly, she unlocks a cage of balls and takes out six of them. She lines them all up in a row, save one she rolls in her hand. She kicks off her sandals and stands just behind the boundary tape. Tucking the ball between her elbow and hip, she leans down and grabs a hand full of sand. As she rises, she lets it fall through her fingers. Then, standing tall, she serves the ball. A mean hit that lands just in bounds on the opposite far corner.
She hits all six balls before she switches sides and does the same thing. I watch her work out her frustrations on the ball. She’s badass. Surfer Princess is tougher than I’ve been giving her credit for.
After the third switch, she lines up the balls and then looks to me. “Your turn.”
I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, so I kick off my shoes and go to her.
I toss the ball and jump, mimicking her movement and hitting it so hard it flies two feet out of bounds on the opposite side.
The alcohol makes me feel invincible, and I hit the next five in steady succession, each one harder than the last.
I collapse to the ground when I’m done. “I should have picked a sport where you can hit things.”
Chloe lies beside me in the sand. “Right? It’s the best therapy.”
My breaths come quickly, the buzz I had wearing off. I should apologize for being an asshole, but that opens a door I’m not walking through. She doesn’t press, though, just lies beside me in the sand, not taking my shit but helping me work through it without internalizing it or giving me a pass.
I want to stay mad, feel anything but what I do, which is like I’m falling for a girl who doesn’t feel the same way I do.
17
Chloe
When we get back to The White House, the number of people out back has tripled. Nathan’s still quiet, but he seems more relaxed now.
“I’m gonna change my shirt real quick. You need anything?” Nathan asks as we stand in the kitchen, staring at the party outside. His black t-shirt is covered in sand.
“I’m good.”
“Be right back.” He races off to his room, and I fill a cup with vodka and Sprite Zero.
I hesitate, trying to decide if I should make him a drink. Is that blurring the lines too much? Too girlfriend-y? It has to be some sort of record for overthinking a drink when I’m still undecided after a solid minute. I finally say screw it and fill a cup with the Jack he was drinking earlier.
“Double fisting it. Nice.”
I jump and turn to find a pretty bl
onde smiling. She must have come through the front.
“Sorry,” she says with a laugh. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I was in my own little world.” I motion upstairs. “I’m waiting for my… Nathan.”
This excites her, and her glossy lips pull into a big smile. “Oh, me, too.”
Oh, no. I wonder if this is going to be another Maureen incident. Trying to get ahead of another situation, I extend my hand. “I’m Nathan’s girlfriend. Chloe.”
She doesn’t take my hand, though I don’t think she’s trying to be rude. She just sort of stares blankly at me. I pull my hand back and wave.
“Nathan? Nathan Payne?” She searches my face with wide eyes.
I nod.
“Since when?” The smile on her face is my first indication that I’ve screwed up. She doesn’t look jealous. She looks happy. Really, insanely happy.
“Oh, it’s recent.” The big smile she’s giving me is unnerving. “I’m sorry, what did you say your name was?”
She shakes her head. “Oh, God, right. I’m Gabby.”
“Gabs, what are you doing here?” Nathan comes into the kitchen pulling a navy t-shirt over his head. Monochrome t-shirts are all I’ve seen him wear, but he pulls it off like they were Burberry instead of Hanes.
“Zeke’s in Vegas for the weekend, so I came back early.”
Nathan looks between us.
“I just met Chloe. Your girlfriend.”
I glance from Nathan to Gabby. I can’t tell if she’s buying the story or not, but I’m ready to fall on my sword.
“I can explain.”
Nathan sweeps in beside me and wraps an arm around me. “Chloe’s a transfer. We met a few weeks ago, but I wasn’t sure if she was interested so I didn’t say anything.”
“I’m really happy for you,” Gabby says to Nathan and makes a sweet face at him. Something about the way she says it and how I can feel how much she actually means it makes me feel awful for lying to her.
Gabby shocks me by taking my hand and turning a mischievous smile to Nathan. “I need to hear the details from your girl. I’m stealing her so she can tell me how you made an adorable ass of yourself asking her out.” She looks at me. “He did, didn’t he? I can just picture it.”
I laugh uneasily, and Nathan offers me a reassuring smile.
“Relax. Gabby’s good people,” he murmurs in my ear, and I hand him his drink before Gabby pulls me outside.
She’s a fiery little ball of energy. Short and petite, big blonde hair and green-blue eyes. She has some scarring on one side of her face, but she’s stunning. I wish I could dislike her, I mean, the girl keeps a swimsuit in my boyfriend’s bedroom, but she’s just too damn nice.
After I’ve given her the quick version of the crazy how-we-met story Nathan and I concocted, she changes her focus to getting to know me.
“Where’d you transfer from?” We’re seated on two lounge chairs facing one another and she rests both elbows on her knees, totally hanging on every word. I thought she had been putting on a show for Nathan’s sake, but the longer we sit here, the more I’m convinced she’s truly interested in getting to know me.
“Golden in California.”
“That’s awesome. I’m a transfer, too. Well, sort of. I was an online student, so this is my first semester on campus.” Gabby smiles a little shyly. “Are you a sophomore?”
“Senior actually.”
She looks appropriately surprised. “You transferred your senior year?”
“It’s a long story.” Gabby looks like she’s ready to settle in and hear every sordid detail of my life. “Tell me about you and Nathan, he says you two are close.”
It’s then that I notice the gigantic engagement ring on her finger. She holds her hand up proudly.
“I’m engaged to his former roommate, Zeke. He graduated last year and moved to Phoenix to play for the Suns, which is why I haven’t been around as much. I’m splitting my time between Valley and Phoenix. But actually, it’s Blair I have to thank for introducing me to Nathan. Blair, my best friend, is dating the other former roommate Wes. She’s not here because Wes is an assistant coach now, so I doubt they’ll be around much. He wants to let the guys relax and have fun without the coach killing their fun. Anyway, when I moved to Valley, Wes and Zeke were living here and so we spent a lot of time here. Nathan and I became close. He’s the best. Joel, too. Have you met him?”
She doesn’t wait for my nod. Gabby goes on to fill me in on people I haven’t met or even heard of, but I’m smiling at her animated descriptions and updates for each of them. Also, I’m slightly concerned she hasn’t taken a breath.
Nathan slides in behind me. “All right, you’ve stolen her for long enough,” he says as he bear hugs me. His mouth brushes my ear. “Whatever she told you about me is all lies.”
“As if we were talking about you. Big head, much?” I flash Gabby a conspiratorial smile. It’s fun to have someone to joke with, I realize.
Gabby watches us interact, and I can’t shake the unease of this whole situation. Lying to her makes me feel super guilty. She’s the first person I’ve met, besides Nathan who’s welcomed me with open arms. Maybe it’s silly to want her to like me, but I do. I like her, and I don’t want to screw up Nathan’s world while trying to fix mine.
As the night wears on, people begin to trickle out until it’s just the roommates, me, and Gabby. The guys want to play Tecmo Bowl so we head inside.
“We’re having a girl’s night Monday to celebrate my engagement. You should come.”
I glance at Nathan for help, but his eyes are glued to the TV screen where little football men run down the field.
“That sounds fun, but I have volleyball practice every day throughout the week.”
“So come after.” She lifts a shoulder and lets it fall. Taking out her phone, she says, “Give me your number and we can text to figure out the details.”
My mother calls just as I pull into the Prickly Pear Monday night. I’ve been dodging her calls for the past few weeks, but I know I can’t avoid her forever.
“Hi, Mom,” I answer, killing the engine.
“Well, it’s about time. Your father was prepared to borrow the Johnson’s jet to come see you if you didn’t answer.”
“Sorry, Mom. I’ve been busy.”
She knows it’s a cop-out, but she doesn’t call me on it. “I have news.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“We talked to the university, and they’ve agreed to reverse your expulsion. Isn’t that great?”
“How?”
“Your father told you he’d take care of it; he took care of it. Do you want us to fly out to help you move or we could hire a moving company and you could drive back this weekend?” She continues making plans for my assumed return to California.
“Mom, wait. I don’t understand. How did this happen?” A little thrill runs through me at the prospect of going back to my old life, but just as quickly it vanishes, knowing there’s no going back. That life is gone for good.
“Chloe, the details aren’t important.”
A heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach. “Mom?”
“We made a donation to the school to add a covered parking lot on—”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, I’m quite serious.”
“No, I mean, I am flabbergasted that after everything that went down, you two would think buying my way back in would make me happy. Did you learn nothing?”
A fine and a slap on the wrist is all the repercussions my parents faced for buying my way in, and I can’t help but wonder if they realize how much more I was impacted since they got off basically scot-free.
“Stop being melodramatic. Chancellor Tomason understands that your father and I only want what’s best for you. The gift was not contingent on your re-acceptance.”
“Oh, well, then it’s perfectly fine.” I roll my eyes even though she can’t see me. “Mom, I appreciate the gesture, but
I’m not coming back.”
“Chloe—”
“No, Mom. I need to deal with this my way. It’s important to me to do this on my own. You can’t buy me back.”
She starts to speak again, but my mother knows just when to turn on the doting mother switch and I can’t handle it today. “I love you, and I forgive you. I know you were doing what you thought was best, but I’m not coming home like this.”
I hang up and let my shoulders droop. Unsurprisingly, she can’t let me get the last word. I open the text message and hold my breath.
Mom: Just think about it. We miss you.
Me: I’m not going to change my mind. I miss you too.
And because I feel guilty for going against them when they’ve always tried to give me the world, I send one more text.
Me: I love you. I’ll call soon.
I walk inside the bar, a bundle of nerves. I’m anxious about making friends with my fake boyfriend’s best friend. Attaching myself to anyone associated with Nathan feels risky, but I miss having friends.
Camila and I text almost every day, but it’s not the same as having friends to do things with. Nights watching TV, weekends getting dressed up and going out, hanging out on campus and re-telling stories from drunken nights… I miss having all of that.
At Golden, I had a variety of friends. Being part of a team gives you an instant set of friends—well, assuming they don’t resent everything about you and wish you had never come to their college—but it’s nice to have people outside of that world too. Sometimes a girl needs to vent and let loose.
Being on a team is a delicate balance of friendship and respect. Camila was the best of both worlds. Outside of volleyball we still have a lot in common. We were paired together right off freshman year and were inseparable on and off the sand until I left.
Gabby spots me from the table she’s sitting at. She waves and stands and starts walking to greet me. Three more heads turn to look at me from her table.
“I’m so glad you came,” she says, hugging me and pulling me toward the group. “This is Blair, Vanessa, and Katrina.” She points to each of them individually. “Guys, this is Chloe. I was just telling the girls that Nathan finally settled down.”
The Fake: A College Sports Romance (Smart Jocks #4) Page 12
