Cute girl or not, I wasn’t feeling it, not enough to kiss her so soon. Old Guillermo was fine with a random, meaningless hookup, whereas New Guillermo wanted more.
Thankfully, by the grace of God, she soon moved away, groaning as she dug into her pocket. “He keeps texting me.”
“Who?”
“My stupid ex-boyfriend.” Despite her protesting tone, Sofia still read his text. If she were truly over it, she would’ve blocked him from the start.
“Looks like he isn’t ready to give up on you,” I said.
She softened as she read his text again. “Yeah, well, he should’ve thought about that.”
I realized I had the perfect shot at a clean getaway. A perfect excuse to leave her alone. I was doing the right thing by avoiding drama.
But I wasn’t going to make it obvious.
I placed a hand on the small of Sofia’s back, ushering her out of the room and into a quieter area.
“So what’s up? What went wrong with him?” I asked curiously.
“We always said we’d go to Akron U together, but he applied for Toledo and got in. He told me space would be good for us,” she explained. “So I broke it off. We had a deal.”
It was time to play Dr. Phil.
“Maybe—hear me out—maybe he’s right about space. Just because he wants to go to different colleges doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you or want to be with you. Following your partner to college isn’t the best idea. Sometimes things happen and you split, and then you’re stuck there sharing a campus that gets smaller and smaller each time you bump into them. Trust me, I’ve got cousins and I’ve heard it all.
“So don’t look at space as a bad thing. It gives you a chance to explore this new venture in your life on your own, and you can figure things out as you go. Plus, you get to miss your boyfriend, which makes weekends when you link up much more special.”
Sofia seemed to soak that in. Then she frowned. “You must not be into me.”
I wasn’t; my mind was elsewhere, someplace it shouldn’t be. Curious no matter the weight of the risk.
“You’re a gorgeous girl, but I’m not looking to be a rebound right now. Your heart’s still with this guy, you’re just upset he didn’t communicate with you,” I told her gently.
Sofia pouted. “You’re right. I just wish he’d told me.”
“It’s not too late to talk this out.”
Her cell must’ve vibrated again, as she peered down at the notification on her screen.
“Looks like he’s trying,” I said.
Sofia squeezed her phone tight and gazed up at me, completely vulnerable. For a moment, she reminded me of Yesenia and how trusting she was when she needed me for something. “You know, you’re a good-looking guy and you seem really nice, but I’m not ready to give up on Jesse right now. I still love him.”
Whew.
I stepped to the side. “Don’t let me stand in the way.”
She smiled wryly as she patted my chest, then walked out of the room.
As I took in the ongoing party around me, I realized Sofia and I were more alike than I’d thought. We’d met here tonight both knowing we wanted someone else.
Regan
I found Malika in the kitchen grabbing something to drink with Jasmine. The atmosphere around me was rich with excitement and Panther pride, but I couldn’t shake the sensation of being disappointed. It felt thick and cold, and my shoulders were sagging as I joined the girls at the island counter.
“Where’s Mo?” Malika craned her neck, looking for him behind me.
“With his date.” I hoped she didn’t catch the bitterness in my tone. Sofia Rios was a senior friend of Troy’s. I hardly knew her, except that she was pretty, smart, in the nursing program, and apparently single and ready to mingle, too.
Malika cringed, bringing her can of Coke to her lips. “Yikes.”
Jasmine appeared thoughtful. “Guillermo?”
Malika nodded. “Cute, right?”
Jasmine shrugged. “I guess. He’s no Troy, right, Rey?”
Troy was handsome as could be, but Guillermo was still incredibly—
“Speaking of Troy, Mrs. Jordan wants to do this whole big dinner for Sweetest Day next Saturday,” I brought up instead.
“Yeah, Tommy told me.”
“I didn’t know you two were serious.”
Jasmine was quick to wave me off. “Tommy’s my best friend and all, but we mostly only benefit from our friendship, nothing too deep.”
“Oh.”
Jasmine grinned at my reaction. “It’s cool, Rey. Not all of us can be like you. You and Troy always look so good together. You’re like the ideal couple from Arlington, a real dream.”
“But dreams aren’t real.” I knew she was trying to be sweet, but Troy and I didn’t really live up to our image. It stopped being storybook when his impatience gave me anxiety.
“Well, yeah, true, but I don’t know, you two are just perfect together.”
Perfect, right. “Yeah,” I agreed. I grabbed a can of soda from one of the coolers lining the island. Anything to distract myself.
“Hey!”
Malika’s shriek drew my attention. Calvin had wrapped his arms around her and was nuzzling her close.
“Excuse the lovebirds,” Jasmine mumbled. She tossed me a look before leaving the room.
“What up, Rey?” Calvin greeted me with a bob of his head.
In his arms, Malika was giddy, glowing, happy. Sometimes, second chances were worth it.
“Hey, Calvin,” I said to him.
“Mind if I steal my girl right quick?”
“Your girl, oh, we claiming now?” I teased.
Calvin grinned proudly, squeezing Malika closer. “Hell yeah, this all me.”
Malika’s blush had me happy for her. She deserved to be happy. We all did.
I stepped away, giving them space. Usually, I hung out with Malika at these functions. Among the sports crowd, she was my ace. There were other girls I was acquainted with, but Malika was my best friend. She belonged in this world more than I did, and being with her made enduring it all easier. Still, as I meandered through the party swallowed in my unease and claustrophobia, I decided to let her breathe. She was boo’d up with Calvin, on cloud nine, and I wasn’t about to interrupt.
I hadn’t seen Troy yet. It was an hour into the party, and he was nowhere to be found.
“Oh wow.” Ahead of me, I spotted a couple making out in a corner. The boy was much taller than the girl’s tiny figure, but upon closer review, I recognized her instantly. I’d seen the sophomore coming and going from Raviv Hadad’s house many times. I’d just seen her with him that morning, now that I thought about it. My heart plummeted for him, as he was nowhere to be found while his girlfriend was kissing some other guy.
“There you are!”
The shout caused me to turn, and I was instantly crushed in a massive hug as Troy’s body collided with mine. He’d had more than his usual one beer, and his weight nearly took me down as he embraced me a little too tight.
“Hey, baby.” I let out a giggle at how unsteady he was. “Good game. I’m sorry we lost, but you were amazing.”
Troy gazed down at me with affection in his eyes. “The scouts are happy.”
“That’s all that matters.” In the end, it didn’t matter if Arlington lost; Troy’s playing had been impressive as usual, enough to get the attention of more scouts. Rumor had it they were looking at Tommy already, too.
“Ah, man, you’re gonna kill it next year at OSU, bro. They need a player like you.” One of Troy’s teammates came and dapped him up, admiring Troy like the football god he was.
Troy proudly puffed up his chest. “You already know, they don’t call me Mr. All-American for nothing.”
His teammate ate it up. “You about to go p
ro, shit, Tommy, too.”
Troy tried to play humble before taking a sip of whatever he was drinking in his Solo cup.
His teammate moved on, but not a second later, another took his place and chatted him up. Oddly, I noticed the more praise Troy received, the more he drank, and the more his smile seemed to be as fake as the one I wore whenever I talked about accounting...or when I was with him.
“Finally.” Troy breathed a sigh of relief in between fans. The room was still full of people, but for the time being, no one was worshipping the ground he walked on.
“I swear your fan base gets bigger with every game. I saw a guy with the other team’s colors on bragging about you even,” I said.
I thought this would impress him, but instead he gave a tight-lipped smile and downed the last of his drink. “Pressure makes diamonds, right?”
Pressure. There must be a lot on his shoulders, the weight of expectations on him heavy.
“It was a good game, and you played your best,” I told him. “It’s called a team for a reason—it’s not all on you.”
His mood didn’t lift too much. “Still would’ve been nice to win my last high school game. Shit, what do I have if I don’t win?”
I moved closer, offering my support. “People will support you whether you win or lose, Troy. Because they love you. I know I do.”
He cracked a smile. “Thank you. I mean, at least it was close and we gave ’em a show, right?”
“Right.” I relaxed, seeing him visibly calm down. “So, OSU?” Ohio State University was a popular school. Other football players from Akron had even gone there and later joined the NFL.
Troy shrugged. “I’m just weighing my options, Rey. I think I’d rather go to OSU than Syracuse or Miami. My family’s here.”
“Plus me,” I chimed in as I elbowed him on the sly.
“Plus you.” His gaze ran down my body, and his smile lessened a degree. “Nice top.”
It wasn’t what he’d requested, but it felt like me. I touched the material as I tried to explain, “It’s going to storm later.”
He wasn’t satisfied. “Just for one night, you couldn’t dress sexy for me?”
I’d known he’d be a little disappointed, but the look of sheer annoyance he was trying to keep from his face set me off. “Why can’t you accept how I dress? I like my outfit.”
Troy’s focus went elsewhere as a muscle in his jaw tensed. “Whatever, Rey.”
It was his night, and I didn’t want to spend it arguing. I reached out to touch him. “I don’t want to fight, Troy. Let’s have fun.”
He still wasn’t paying me any mind and I was starting to get upset myself. I shouldn’t have to beg for his attention or apologize for my choice of clothing. A petty part of me was ready to leave and let him have his fun with his beloved fan base, but I pushed to be supportive.
I buried my pride as I tried again to make things better. “Maybe we could go out and—”
“Hey, sexy!” Out of nowhere a girl slid in between us, giving Troy a hug that felt more intimate than it should’ve been.
I took in her look for the night, a body suit that emphasized her flat stomach, curvy waist, and perky chest. Her hair was long, hanging past her shoulders, and she’d applied body shimmer to complement her brown skin. She was pretty, and she smelled like a sugary blend of vanilla and honey. Troy was entranced—I all but disappeared as his stare locked on the showstopper before him.
“Yo, Genesis, chill,” he said with a shaky grin as he held her away.
Genesis stood back and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Why ain’t you in there dancin’ with me?”
As if he suddenly remembered I existed, Troy’s gaze flickered to me. “I’m with my girl right now. It’s not like that tonight.”
His words upset Genesis and confused me. What did he mean by it’s not like that tonight?
She scowled. “You need to hurry up and dead that so you can come and have some fun with me.”
Her name was Genesis, but there was nothing holy about her. Not with the way she wasn’t holding back from giving me the stank eye, as if I were in the way of her fun with Troy. Beyond the fact that she was being blatantly rude, I had a bigger issue with Troy letting her.
I crossed my arms and eyed Troy. “What’s going on?”
I watched as my boyfriend nervously ran a hand behind his neck. “N-nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing, Troy. Who is this?” I demanded. I knew most of his senior friends, especially the girls. Genesis didn’t look familiar at all. Did she even go to our school?
By now we had an audience, and embarrassment prickled under my skin.
Genesis didn’t care. “You know where to find me, Troy.” She walked away, but not without smirking at me as she passed by.
“Troy,” I let out. “What’s going on?” I wanted him to tell me everything was okay, even though I knew in my gut that something was very wrong.
Troy blew out a breath. “Listen, I...I fucked up, but it was just one time.”
I could barely hear the gasps and commentary from the small crowd around us. I had tunnel vision for the boy standing in front of me.
“What?” I needed him to be clear. I needed to hear him say it.
Troy couldn’t even look at me. “I hooked up with ol’ girl, but it didn’t mean anything. I was just tired of waiting.”
“So you slept with someone else?” I asked incredulously, stepping away from him.
“It was supposed to be our night, our anniversary dinner, and then you went ghost on me at the club and got a ride from him. You ain’t want me, so I found someone who did.”
My eyes tripled in size. His words echoed in my ears, my pulse thudding so hard that my head hurt. “Are you kidding me? You freakin’ cheated on our anniversary?”
Instigators were quick to chime in.
“That’s cold!”
“Dudes ain’t shit.”
“I hope she don’t cry.”
“It was just one time, Rey,” Troy tried to reason as he came closer. “I slipped up, I was in my feelings, and she came out of nowhere.”
It was everyone’s fault but Troy’s.
My heart started to hurt, my back stiffened, and I could feel the freezing ickiness of being stared at by what seemed like everyone in the room. A part of me wanted to hit Troy, but I knew it wasn’t worth it.
Tears pooled in my eyes. “You don’t even have the decency to control your groupies. You got her looking at me all crazy because you’re out being dumb.”
He tried to reach for me. “Rey.”
The last thing I wanted was his hands on me. “Don’t touch me.”
He frowned before casting angry looks at those watching us. “Let’s just go somewhere so we can talk.”
“Talk? You can have your groupies!”
Sure, I could’ve heard him out, but what could he truly say? I’d put up with so much from him and he had the nerve to try to excuse his cheating over the one thing I wasn’t ready for. As if it were my fault for not just lying down and spreading myself open for him when he wanted.
If his cup weren’t empty, I would’ve drenched him with it.
Instead, I turned my back on him and took off. People stepped aside for me, watching my exit with pity and amusement.
A crowd was dancing in the next room. My vision blurred as I attempted to seek out Malika. Or anyone I knew with a car. All around me was a pit of nameless faces lost in celebration.
I took out my phone.
Me: I need to go NOW!
“Move!”
Some girl shoved me out of the way as she held up her phone and smiled toward its camera for a selfie, probably to show off her cute outfit and the people enjoying themselves in the background. She was trying to capture a moment that didn’t exist—at least for me anyw
ay.
Nobody really cared.
I gave up on Malika as I reached the front door and slipped outside.
The first breath of fresh air cleared my senses, but my belly still swirled with butterflies. I was really doing this, walking away. There was nowhere to go, I was far from home, but going back inside wasn’t an option.
Hugging myself against the chill, I stepped into the night, waiting on a heartbreak that didn’t come. My feet hit the sidewalk and I pushed forward.
Maybe it was my fault. I’d done everything expected of me, and here I was, alone and miserable. I hated accounting, but I kept my mouth shut. I hated Troy’s greedy touch, but I put up with it. My misery was my own doing.
A roll of thunder startled me, and a second later rain began sprinkling down drop by drop.
Yes, just rain on my parade.
“Regan!”
A car was coming up the street. I could barely make out its make and model as I stood back and waited.
Oh my God. I relaxed.
It was Guillermo. He leaned over the passenger seat to see me out the window.
“Hop in,” he instructed.
The rain would only get heavier, not that it mattered. With him was where I wanted to be, so I climbed in beside him.
I wiped at my face, not wanting him to see what a mess I was.
“Troy’s a dickhead,” Guillermo told me.
Great, even he had already heard the news. I sniffled and faced the window. “Don’t.”
Beside me, I could hear Guillermo turn so his whole body faced me. “You deserve better than this. You deserve a guy that understands you and wouldn’t pressure you into anything you’re not ready for. A guy that wants the best for you like you’d want the best for him. Most importantly, you need a dude that’s gonna let you do you, and even if he doesn’t like you being friends with other guys, he wouldn’t give you shit about it, ’cause at the end of the day he trusts you. You especially deserve a guy who wouldn’t hurt you and not have the balls to run after you when he’s wrong.”
My heart dropped at the reality that Troy wasn’t that guy. He never had been for me.
I was so embarrassed. “Don’t worry about me, I don’t want to ruin your thing with Sofia.”
The Right Side of Reckless Page 25
