Her text surprises me since I didn’t really talk to the girls much at the bar. If I’m honest with myself, I think after what happened with Liza it’s made me wary of trusting other females. But it’s wrong of me to put all girls in the same box. Not every girl is Liza. And … not every guy is Todd.
Me: Sure. That sounds fun. What day are you thinking?
Rory: Does tomorrow night work? 6pm?
Tomorrow is Thursday.
Me: That should be fine.
Rory: Cool. We’ll see you then. I’ll send you their dorm information, so you have it.
Tucking my phone away, I pull out of the driveway and head home.
Trudging up the stairs to the apartment I blow out a tired breath.
When I open the door, I nearly cry with the pure unfairness of it all over the sight of a shirtless Cole, wearing only a pair of low hanging sweatpants, standing in the kitchen.
“Are you making root beer floats?” I blurt out, locking the door behind me.
“Yeah,” he grins boyishly at me, scooping vanilla ice cream into a mug. “You want one?”
I smile back, something in my stomach spinning and dancing—and if I’m honest with myself it has nothing to do with the floats and everything to do with the maker. “Yes, absolutely.”
Cole pulls out another mug from the cabinet while I take my bag back to my room. Turning on the ceiling light, I pause when I notice something on my bed. I walk over and pick up a stuffed dog sitting next to a pack of red velvet Oreos. This has to be Cole’s doing.
But why?
“You were sad earlier, I wanted to cheer you up.” I jump at the sound of his voice, turning around to find him standing in the doorway with the two root beer floats. He strides in, handing one to me. “But I think I’m about to break your heart.”
“Why?” I ask hesitantly.
“There was only one pack of your favorite Oreos left and I asked about it…”
“Where are you going with this?”
“Turns out, they’re being discontinued.”
“What?” I shriek. “Not my favorite Oreos!”
“Yes, your favorite Oreos. I hope stuffed Teddy can help you through this difficult transition.”
“Teddy?”
He hands one of the floats to me and takes the stuffed dog, showing me the collar, he added around the neck with Teddy scrawled on it in his handwriting.
I bust out laughing, forgetting about my beloved cookies for the moment. “This is amazing.” I take my stuffed dog back from him, cuddling it. “Thank you.”
I can’t get over the thoughtfulness of my roommate. He knew I was hurting when I left work and he wanted to cheer me up, so he went out of his way to get my favorite Oreos and a cute stuffed dog that we can all laugh over. I can’t wait to introduce Teddy to, well, Teddy.
“Any time.” He puts the dog back on my bed and I follow him back to the living area, both of us sitting on the couch to enjoy our floats. “Did your dinner go okay?”
“Yeah, it was nice. I’m going to take my little brothers to the movies soon.”
Cole smiles over at me. “That’s nice of you.”
“They’re cool kids. I got a text from Rory.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, she invited me to a girl’s night tomorrow.”
“Are you going?”
“I said I would.” I stare into the depths of the mug.
“Rory’s cool. So are Li and Kenna. You’ll like them.”
“She’s the same Rory you mentioned you were interested in last year, isn’t she?” It’s not like Rory is a popular name, so I don’t imagine there are many floating around on campus.
“She is, but there’s nothing there now, and honestly there wasn’t anything there last year like I thought.” He gives a shrug, twisting his lips back and forth.
“There’s someone out there for you.”
He looks me over, a soft sigh echoing in his chest. “Yeah, for you too, Zoey.”
Silence descends between us and I don’t like it one bit.
After work I head to the apartment for a quick shower and to change my clothes before I go back to campus to Kenna and Li’s dorm. Rory, I found out, lives with her boyfriend Mascen.
I manage to get into the building behind someone else and ride the elevator up to the dorm.
Knocking on the door, I wait for barely ten seconds when it swings open revealing Rory.
“Hi, Zoey!” She beams, eyes shining with excitement behind her glasses. “Come on in.”
“We’re about to order the pizzas,” the pretty girl with dark, nearly black hair, named Kenna says from the couch where she lays on her stomach, legs in the air. “What kind do you like?”
“Uh … I can eat whatever.”
“Just tell her what you like. She ends up ordering us all separate pizzas because Kenna is extra like that.”
“No, I’m not!” She pouts, staring at her phone.
“You totally are,” Li, the gorgeous Asian girl from the other night, enters the room from a side bedroom. “Hey, Zoey. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Hi.” God, when did I become so fucking awkward?
“This is our new roommate Ophelia since Rory ditched us this year for her bad boy,” Kenna adds, wiggling her fingers at a fourth girl I didn’t notice.
“Hey.” Rory tosses a pillow at Kenna.
The pillow bounces off her and onto the floor. “I can’t blame you. I’d live with my boyfriend too if he looked like that. But alas, I’m as single as they come.”
“You can sit down, Zoey. Make yourself comfortable,” Li tells me, passing by me to the little kitchenette. “Anyone want anything to drink?”
“Do you have root beer?” Dammit Cole, stop rubbing off on me.
Rory giggles. “Cole’s rubbing off on you isn’t he?”
I sigh, sitting on the couch by Kenna. “Apparently.”
Li passes me a can, it’s not the same brand as the glass bottle kind Cole gets so I have no idea if it’ll be as good, but I’m not going to complain.
Looking around the dorm, it’s pretty nice—nicer than the one I had at my old school, anyway.
There’s an open living space with enough room for a couch and chair, TV, and coffee table. There’s a small table with two chairs tucked into a back corner near the kitchenette. There are three separate bedrooms and one shared bath. The one I had was just a room shared with me and another girl. Definitely no kitchenette and we shared a bathroom with all the other girls on our entire floor.
Fun times.
“Pizza?” Kenna asks me again.
“Uh … I like Hawaiian.”
“Ew.” Kenna wrinkles her nose. “Pineapple does not belong on pizza. Ham either.”
Ophelia laughs and leans over from the chair for a high-five. “Finally, another Hawaiian lover. I’ve been mocked for it my whole life.”
“It’s the only way to go,” I agree.
“Okay, order placed!” Kenna bounces up off the couch, spinning dramatically into the kitchen. “I got champagne!” She grabs a bottle from the fridge, fiddling with the cork. It explodes with a loud pop and I hope someone on the floor doesn’t come to investigate.
She pours the champagne into glasses and passes them around while Li brings up Netflix on the TV.
“What movie are you guys in the mood for?”
I take a sip of the champagne, trying to hide my distaste at the tang. I set the glass down on the coffee table and Ophelia giggles, her glass joining mine. I guess that makes two of us who aren’t on the champagne train.
“How about Pride and Prejudice?” Rory suggests.
“You always say that.” Kenna plops onto the couch beside me. “Not that Matthew Macfayden isn’t nice to look at, but you have to admit that movie is kind of a bore.”
Rory gasps, her hand flying to her chest. “No, it’s not!”
“Ladies,” Li interrupts, “let’s focus. Last time it took us an entire hour to pick a movie. I think we should let Ophelia an
d Zoey pick since it’s their first time with us.”
“Good idea,” Kenna agrees.
“All right,” Rory pipes in. “It’s up to you guys then.”
Li hands me the remote and I pass it to Ophelia. “Whatever you pick will be fine.”
Ophelia’s eyes widen like a deer in headlights. “Don’t put all this pressure on me.”
“You’ll be fine,” I assure her.
She flicks through the options, settling on What A Girl Wants.
“Ooh I loved this movie when I was little.” Kenna claps her hands gleefully. “Don’t laugh, but I had the biggest crush on Colin Firth.”
“Me too,” Rory sighs dreamily.
Li gives them a funny look. “You guys are weird.”
The movie starts and we maybe get twenty minutes into it when the pizzas arrive, and Kenna runs downstairs to get them.
My phone vibrates in the pocket of my jeans and I pull it out, smiling when I see a text from Cole.
Cole: How’s it going with the girls? Teddy showed up and won’t leave me alone.
Me: So far so good. Be nice to Teddy I like him.
Cole: You like him? Interesting.
Me: As a friend, nothing more. He’s funny and sweet.
Cole: I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone call Teddy sweet before.
Me: I kind of feel bad for him.
Cole: You do? Why?
Me: He seems lonely.
Cole: I’ll be nice.
Me: Good. Kenna’s back with the pizzas. I’ll see you later.
I put my phone away, my stomach growling at the scent of the pies. I haven’t eaten since a very early lunch around eleven and it’s nearly seven now. She sets the boxes down on the coffee table and we figure out everyone’s, settling back to focus on the movie.
When it ends, I stand up and stretch. “This was fun, guys. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Any time. We try to do this at least once a month.” Li smiles at me, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“It was really nice to meet you,” Ophelia says with a slight blush. I’ve gotten the impression tonight that she’s fairly shy, but she’s putting in effort with her roommates and with Rory and me as well. I have a feeling I could be really good friends with her if I give her a chance. It’s just difficult after my falling out with Liza to trust again.
Saying my goodbyes, I take what’s left of my pizza home with me. When I get back to the apartment, I swing the door open and nearly drop to my knees at the shrill scream.
“You scared me!” Teddy accuses me. Cole looks ready to punch him in the face.
“Why are you screaming at me?” I grumble, shutting the door and locking up behind me.
“No more scary movies for you.” Cole changes the channel on whatever they were watching.
“Hey, I wanted to keep watching that.”
“Spoiler alert, more people die and you’ll scream every time it happens.”
“Don’t ruin my fun.” Teddy tries to wrestle the remote back.
Setting my pizza box in the refrigerator I stifle a yawn. “Have fun boys. I’m going to bed.”
“What? You just got here! You’re way more fun than this dude.” Teddy playfully pushes Cole’s shoulder.
“Sorry. I’m tired.”
“Party pooper.” Snapping his fingers, he says, “Cree, you remember him, right?” He doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “He’s having a party at his place this weekend after the first home game. I don’t really know why since the dude plays hockey not football, but hey, a party is a party. You guys want to go?”
“I don’t kn—” Cole starts.
I shrug. “Sure, why not?” I’m not a big party girl, but I need a break in the monotony.
Cole clears his throat. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”
“Bring your own beer.” Teddy crinkles his nose. “Or in your case root beer, I guess.”
I can’t believe I’ve agreed to go to a party with a bunch of jocks.
It’s ironic, really, since I always swore to stay away from that type, especially basketball players because of my dad. But now here I am living with one and becoming friends with other guys in sports. Todd was the complete opposite. He was the tall skinny, nerd. Cute in his own right, but he wasn’t showy. He wasn’t a king on campus like I’m gathering these guys are. I thought he was safe. But he broke my heart.
Did he really, though? My thought stops me in my tracks. You can’t break something if it was never yours to begin with.
And if I’m honest with myself, despite agreeing to marry him, Todd wasn’t some great love and therefore he’s not the great loss I’ve made him out to be either.
I glance over my shoulder, barely catching a glimpse of the two guys before I walk into my room.
I think I’ve been looking at things all wrong.
15
Cole
Whenever something’s on my mind, I find myself with a basketball standing on a court somewhere. When I’m there, ball in hand, dribbling up and down, it’s like I can focus my thoughts better than any other way.
Lifting the ball, I toss it. It swishes through the net on the small court next to our apartment beside the playground.
I don’t know what to do about my growing feelings for Zoey, so here I am.
I jog after the ball and grab it before it can roll into the bushes. Bouncing it up and down, I walk around the court. I’ve been out here for a while already, my body damp with sweat, but for once I’m not getting the answers I normally do.
I’m still confused, lost when it comes to my complicated feels for her. I like her. She’s quickly become my friend, but I can’t ignore that tug, the undercurrent for more. She’s like a magnet, pulling me in.
“I wondered where you were. I saw your truck, but you weren’t in the apartment.”
Her voice rolls over me. My eyes roam over to her where she stands at the edge of the court. She’s in the same ripped jeans and Aldridge University t-shirt she cut into a crop top that she wore to go with the girls and some of the guys to the football game. I lied and said Joe called me into work today so I wouldn’t have to go. I needed time away from her, to figure out how I’m feeling, but it hasn’t done me a whole lot of good like usual.
“I needed to be outside,” I go with, instead of the honest truth of wondering how the hell I’m going to get her out of my system.
“Pass me the ball.” She walks forward hands held out. I bounce it to her, and she catches it with a tiny smile. She looks at the ball in her hands with wonder, like it’s both somehow familiar and mysterious. She walks over to where I stand, dribbles it three times, and shoots. “I still got it.” She does a little dance when it goes in.
Fuck me. Clearly, my time out here has done me no good, because I find myself wanting to take her by the waist and pull her against me, press my lips to hers. I wonder if they’re as soft as they look.
Snapping myself out of my thoughts I jog after the ball and toss it back to her. “Think you can do it twice in a row?”
“Is that a challenge?” She holds the ball against the side of her hip, brown eyes sparkling with humor.
“If you want it to be.”
“What do I win if I get it in?”
“I don’t know. What do you want?” I shove my hands in the pockets of my loose athletic shorts.
She thinks for a second, tapping a finger against her lips. “If I make the shot, you have to make me dinner. Whatever I want.”
I laugh. “That’s all you want?”
There’s a hesitation in her eyes, like there’s more, but she shakes her head. “That’s it.”
“And if you miss…” I rock back on my heels. “You have to tell me a secret.”
Her breath catches. “What kind of secret?”
I itch to step closer to her, to wrap a curl around my finger. But I don’t. Touching her is dangerous. I’m a moth to a flame when it comes to this girl.
“Something good.”
She bites her lip and nods. “Okay.” Inhaling a breath, she dribbles the ball and sets her eyes on the net.
She lifts the ball and tosses it, wrist following through the end. Her tongue sticks out as she watches it hit the rim and roll around and around. I’m holding my breath, waiting to see if it goes in or bounces out.
It slides through the net.
“Woohoo!” She cheers, arms in the air. She dances around me, rolling her arms. “You owe me dinner.”
I sigh heavily, like it’s an incredible hardship, but it’s really not. She could’ve asked for something much worse. “Name the meal and when.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ve made up my mind.” She scoops up the basketball, looking at it again with that same curious expression.
“Did you use to play?”
She bites her lip, eyes hesitantly meeting mine. “From the time I could walk through middle school. I … I stopped after my parents divorced. It was sort of my thing with my dad and I didn’t want to do it after he left.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” She looks around the court. “I don’t know why we let ourselves give up on things we love because of people that hurt us. We’re only punishing ourselves. I let my dad do it to me and I’ve let my ex do the same.” She shakes her head, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “Except that’s not true at all. They didn’t do it to me, I did it to myself.” She pushes air out of her lungs in a big breath, her lips forming an O.
“What are you going to do about it?” I tilt my head to the side, curious.
She stares at the orange ball like it holds all the answers to the world. “Forgive and forget.”
She gives me a small half smile and closes her eyes, a contemplative expression on her face like she’s making a wish. She throws the ball up and behind her. It sails through the air. Eyes popping open she gives me a look I feel all over, like maybe she’s really seeing me for the first time.
Walking off the court, she doesn’t turn to see if the ball makes it into the hoop, but I see.
Whatever she wished for, or whatever baggage she let go of, I hope it makes all the difference for her.
I knock on Zoey’s half-open door, and it squeaks as it moves, swinging fully open.
Nice Guys Don't Win (A College Sport's Romance) Page 10
