The Perfect Play (Southern U O'Brien Brothers)

by Cookie O'Gorman

  "Mom's working on it."

  Archer lifted a brow. "Dr. T seemed to think it was important."

  "I get that," I replied. "Don't worry. We'll find someone."

  "You know, I wasn't there for the big conversation—though I feel like I was. Baylor sure acted it out for us enough times," he mumbled. "But maybe the doc wasn't one hundred percent sure. Maybe—"

  "No," I cut in. "He was. He said I was ready."

  Archer ducked his head a moment.

  "What?" I said.

  He looked back up at me, and the words he said weren't those of my older brother. This was my captain speaking. The guy who'd led the Southern University Wolves to championship after championship.

  "Chase," he said, "you've been working hard, and I know it hasn't been easy. I've been with you through it all. I want you back on the team as much as anyone. Lord knows, the Wolves have struggled without you. But…when you play again, I want to know you're prepared, physically and mentally."

  I nodded. "I am."

  "You're sure?"

  I gave another tight nod, trying to fend off any doubts. "I just need to pitch a few more, get back into the groove."

  He stayed silent.

  "Do you think I'm ready?" I asked. My tone was more hesitant than I wanted it to be, but oh well. This was my big brother, my captain, and his answer mattered. It meant a lot to me.

  "I do," he said, and I felt like I could breathe again. "I know it."

  Archer waited until he had my full attention then handed me back the ball.

  "The real question is: Do you know you're ready?"

  His words played on a loop in my head. We threw the ball for a few more minutes but decided to start fresh tomorrow. I didn't tell Arch; he probably wouldn't approve. But I went back to the field later that night to practice on my own. During that time, as I fought to regain my rhythm, to find the power I'd once had, the fearlessness, Archer's question came back again and again to haunt me.

  Did I know it?

  I used to—but now I wasn't so sure.

  CHAPTER 7: Charlie

  "Oh my God," Honor moaned. "Please don't stop."

  I closed my eyes, trying to block out her words and concentrate.

  "Feels so good."

  Yeah, it must, I thought. My best friend was being so loud I bet the neighbors could hear.

  She let out another low moan as I found the correct spot.

  "Ooh," she cried. "Right there! It's right there, Charlie."

  Like I needed her to tell me that? The knot in her shoulder was like a tiny rock. Once I felt it, I pressed hard, waiting for the muscle to release.

  "Breathe," I said, and she did. "One more… Ah, there it goes."

  I eased my fingers outward from her shoulder blade as the tension passed. Giving it a few more strokes, I pulled back, and Honor sat up, moving her head gingerly back and forth. She placed a hand on her neck, her lips parted in awe.

  "Do you know how long I've had that kink in my neck?" Her brows rose in disbelief. "It's been days! I've tried everything I could think of. Going to the chiropractor, muscle creams, a new pillow, meditation, a massage. None of it helped. "

  Charlie shrugged. "Muscles are stubborn sometimes. It can take time."

  "The massage lasted an hour," she said. "You got your hands on me for five minutes, and my neck feels as good as new."

  Another shrug. "Honestly, the massage should've helped. Maybe your person didn't know what they were doing."

  Honor smiled as she rolled her shoulders. "This is incredible. It's like magic."

  I groaned because I already knew where this was going.

  "Don't say it," I warned.

  "You're like the Harry Potter of muscle aches," she said.

  "Why must it always come back to Potter?"

  Honor shrugged. "HP will never die. Get over it."

  I rolled my eyes.

  "And you are so Harry."

  "Ugh. No, I'm not." I sniffed as she opened her mouth to argue. "If anything, I'm the Hermione. She was so much cooler and smarter than her male companions. Or actually, no! I'm Tinkerbell. She's tiny but full of sass."

  Honor nodded. "You are so Tinkerbell."

  I grinned at that while running a hand through my long dirty blond locks. Maybe that's what I could be this year for Halloween. Badass fairy sounded pretty good. I'd have to find the right dress, but I knew I could rock it.

  "Seriously Charlie, thanks," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "One of these days I may have to start charging," I said.

  It was a joke, but Honor smiled. "I know. When you get your massage license, I'll be your first paying client. You'll fill up fast once people find out about your magic touch and amazing pain-relieving skills. So I'd like to be put on the waiting list now, please."

  Her words made happiness warm my chest.

  If there was one thing I loved, it was helping people feel better—especially awesome people like my BFF.

  "No need," I scoffed. "You know best friends always come first. Everyone else will just have wait."

  "The perks of being your bestie rock," she said.

  "I know, right?"

  Honor's smile grew as the door to Magnolia House opened. Emmy walked in followed by June. They plopped down on the couch, looking beat.

  "Tough day?" Honor asked.

  Emmy groaned in response. "Intro to Statistics is killing my soul," she said.

  I couldn't help but chuckle. "You are so dramatic."

  That earned me a scowl, and June shook her head.

  "Don't laugh." June sounded just as morose. "It's true. That class is a total life suck. Mr. Demmings drones on and on, and we learn nothing."

  "Nothing," Emmy repeated.

  "Except how much we do not want to be statisticians," she added.

  "Amen, sister."

  "Ugh, we are going to fail so hard."

  Emmy gave a grim nod in agreement.

  "Have you talked to the teacher?" Honor asked. "Maybe he can offer you some extra credit work."

  The two girls were already shaking their heads.

  "We have three tests," Emmy said. "No assignments, no extras. Those are our only grades. Demmings made that clear up front."

  "Attendance counts as a small percentage, too," June added. "But that's not enough to save us."

  I tilted my head. "Have you tried negotiating?"

  Emmy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

  "I once talked a teacher in to raising my grade from a C to an A simply through the art of persuasion," I said.

  "You're kidding."

  "Nope. It happened, and honestly, it wasn't difficult." I shrugged. "Guys are easy. I'm sure your Mr. Demmings wouldn't be too hard to convince."

  "How would we do that?" June asked.

  "Flatter him," I said. "Tell him how much you're enjoying his class, what a great teacher he is etc. See if he'll cut you some slack because of whatever sob story you come up with. Bad period. Boyfriend dumped you. Whatever you think will soften him up."

  Emmy scoffed. "Yeah, like that would work."

  "It might," I said. "Some men like to play the hero—not all, but some."

  "That's so wrong."

  "Ugh, get over yourself, baby O'Brien. I'm trying to help."

  "You didn't let me finish," Emmy retorted. "I was going to say, that's so wrong…and yet, I'm intrigued. I can't help but admire your deviousness."

  "Same here," June said. "Though it does seem a bit unethical."

  I held up my hands. "I prefer to think of it as creative problem-solving. You just have to know what you want and go after it."

  "Just like that, huh?" Emmy said.

  "It really is that simple for Charlie," Honor told them. "In high school, she was so good with people. Teachers never told her no, and she got any guy she wanted."

  "Sounds nice," June said.

  "Hey, that
reminds me, did he ever call?" Honor asked.

  "Who?"

  "The guy from Village Pizza. I think his name began with a D or something," she said. "Did anything happen with him?"

  "Oh." A blush rose to June's cheeks. "His name was Devlin. And yeah, he called."

  I gestured for her to keep going. "Well? Did he ask you out?"

  "That would be a no," she mumbled.

  "Really? I can't believe it." I crossed my arms. "He seemed so into you."

  June's smile was forced, and I wanted to know why.

  "What did he want then if it wasn't to ask you for a date?"

  "He called to ask about you actually," she said which floored us all, including my bestie.

  She blinked. "Charlie?"

  June gave a shrug. "Yeah, he said she was cute and asked for her number."

  "Oh my gosh. What a jerk."

  "I one-hundred percent agree," I said. "Calling one girl to ask for another girl's number? Total douche move."

  "You're better off without him," Emmy said.

  "And cute." I scoffed. "I haven't been cute since the second grade, thank you very much."

  Honor elbowed me, and I refocused on the problem at hand.

  "June, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that," I told her. "Honestly, that Devlin guy wasn't good enough for you. Did you see that way he kept licking his lips like every five seconds? Was that supposed to be sexy? Because it totally wasn't."

  As intended, she chuckled.

  "If he couldn't see how wonderful you are, he must be blind."

  June shrugged.

  "Come over here, and let me give you a quick massage," I said. "You must be feeling tense after your stats class."

  Emmy's mouth dropped open. "Hey! I'm tense. Where's my massage?"

  I waved her off as June took Honor's place in front of me.

  "Wait your turn. You didn't have to deal with Douchey Devlin," I said.

  Honor smiled. "Hey, good use of alliteration."

  "I try." As I put my talents to good use and felt June relax, I mumbled, "That guy doesn't deserve the awesomeness that is you, June. It's his loss."

  "I wasn't really into him anyway," she said on a sigh.

  That was good. I hated the thought of her being hurt, especially after I had encouraged her to test out her flirting skills. We'd just have to be more selective, pick a better person next time.

  "There will be other guys," I said, feeling her muscles melt beneath my fingers. "Ones who are actually worthy of you. Just you wait."

  June hummed in response.

  "Okay," she breathed a few minutes later. "Thanks, Charlie. That was fantastic. I think I'm good."

  "No problem."

  As she walked away, Emmy slid into the spot in front of me and gathered her hair to one side.

  I chuckled. "Alright roomie, I've got you. Where do you feel the pain?"

  "Everywhere," Emmy said. "The pain of stats reaches far and is never-ending."

  "So dramatic," I repeated then did my thing.

  Emmy's 'never-ending' pain didn't prevent her from turning to putty in my hands. She was definitely the one I worked on the longest. Her shoulders were drawn tight. The tension was real, but it eventually gave way. I felt Emmy get more relaxed as time went by. It was one of the things I liked best about PT and massage, helping people who needed it, giving them relief.

  "You better stop, Charlie," Emmy mumbled. "Or I'll let you keep going forever."

  I smiled. "Forever's a long time."

  "Yeah, but it feels so amazing."

  "I live to serve my roommates." I sent a wink June's way. "And their friends."

  With a sigh, Emmy pulled away, and I dropped my hands.

  "Thank you, I needed that," she said then looked over her shoulder. "When can I schedule my next appointment?"

  Honor threw me a grin. "See? I told you there'd be a waiting list."

  "There's an actual list?" June said. She and Emmy exchanged a look.

  "Sign us up," they both said at the same time, and my laughter couldn't be contained.

  I held up a hand to my head. "You've both been added to my mental list of clients."

  "Thanks again," June said.

  "You're welcome." I pointed to her. "And just let me know when you want to hit the dating scene again. We can find someone so much better than what's-his-face. I'll be your wingman."

  Emmy scoffed, throwing an arm around her best friend. "Um, not necessary. She already has one of those."

  I held up my hands. "It was just a friendly offer."

  "Yeah," June said to the girl at her side, "and we might want to take it. We're not really the best at getting guys, Em."

  "We could be, though," Emmy said defiantly. "We just haven't tried yet."

  "Your brothers would kill any guy who comes within spitting distance of you," June added.

  "They…might," she conceded. "But they wouldn't have to know."

  "But Charlie's awesome at this. Maybe she could help guide us..."

  "She is really good with men," Honor put in.

  "I'm sure that's true," Emmy said. "But I don't buy all that stuff about guys being easy and there being a foolproof way of attracting them. No offense, Charlie. But I have five brothers who are all very different. I'm sure even you can admit there are some members of the male species your tricks don't work on."

  I brought a hand to my chin, feigning thought. "You're right. Men over the age of 90 don't really respond well to my methods."

  Honor frowned. "That was a joke, right?"

  "It was hyperbole," I said with an eye roll. "But I stand by what I said. Guys aren't hard to figure out. Give them the right cues, and you can attract anyone."

  Emmy lifted a brow. "Anyone, huh?"

  I nodded. "It's a fact, baby O'Brien. You'll learn as you gain more experience."

  "Want to put that theory to the test?" she said.

  "Not a theory." I shrugged. "It's been tried, tested, and proven."

  Emmy cocked her head, crossed her arms. "If you're so sure, then let's make a little bet."

  "What do you have in mind?" I said.

  She was obviously challenging me, and I couldn't let it slide.

  "You guys," Honor said, forcing a laugh, "it's not that serious."

  "Yeah," June added. "Let's just forget it. This is—"

  Emmy cut her off, speaking directly to me. "It's simple," she said. "I'll choose the guy. If you can work your magic and attract him in seven days, you win. If you can't, I win."

  I threw her a grin. "What are we betting?"

  "If I win," Emmy said, "you give me massages every night until the end of the semester. Oh, and you also admit you were wrong."

  "And if I win," I retorted, "you'll buy me pizza from the Village, whenever I'd like, until graduation. Be warned, though. Even if my body is amazing, I can put away a lot of pizza."

  She shrugged. "I'm not worried."

  "Oh, you should be."

  "Is that your way of agreeing to the bet?" she asked. "Because I'm so in."

  Taking the time to think would've shown weakness. There was no way Emmy would be able to find a guy at this university who could resist me. It may have sounded big-headed, but it wasn't. Men were something I had mastered long ago. I refused to back down.

  "I agree," I said, holding out a hand. "Honor, June, you guys are our witnesses. You heard all that, right?"

  "Yeah." Honor nodded as June grimaced. "Though I kind of wish we hadn't."

  Emmy and I shook on it, and the deed was done.

  "Well," I said, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I actually have somewhere to be."

  "Going to practice your seduction on unsuspecting guys?" Emmy snarked.

  "As if. I have a meeting with the head of the PT department."

  I looked over my shoulder as I got to the door.

  "I don't need to practice, Emmy," I said. "Just define 'attract' for m
e as it relates to the terms of our bet. What do I have to do to prove I've won?"

  Emmy thought it over for a second and then smiled. "Get him to kiss you."

  I held back a grin at her naivete.

  Was that it? A kiss? Piece of cake—or piece of delicious pizza, as was the case here.

  "Sounds good. Once you think of a name, let me know, and I'll—"

  "Oh, I've already chosen the guy," she said.

  Her tone and the wicked look on her face should've tipped me off, but I still didn't see her next move coming.

  "It's Chase," she said and cocked her chin. "You know, my brother?"

  I recovered quickly but didn't think I quite hid my shock.

  "Chase," I repeated, my voice as bland as possible. "But we've already kissed. You saw us."

  "Uh uh"—Emmy waved a finger in my direction—"that was you kissing him. He has to kiss you. Like full on, really-mean-it kiss you. And I can pretty much guarantee that that won't happen."

  June asked the question that was running through my mind.

  "Why not?" she said.

  "Because he's waiting for the one."

  Emmy's grin bloomed as I felt my face blanch.

  "He's looking for his soulmate," she went on.

  "That's ridiculous," I said. "There's no such thing."

  "And that's why I'm going to win this bet," Emmy said. "Easy-peasy. I'm looking forward to those massages, Charlie."

  "You better go," Honor said, shooting me a sympathetic look, as I stood there frozen. "You don't want to be late for your meeting."

  I nodded and had nearly made my way out the door when Emmy spoke again.

  "Oh, and the seven days starts now."

  "Fine," I replied. "I like my pizza with four different cheeses. I'll write them down so you don't forget."

  "Good luck," she said. "With Chase, you'll need it."

  The awful part was I knew it was the truth. Even her slightly sarcastic tone couldn't hide that. I wondered then if she knew about my past attempts—but she couldn't have. Her brother, Chase, was a perfect choice for our bet. At least for her purposes.

  Because when we first met, I'd tried for weeks to get his attention.

  And nothing had worked.

  My flirting sailed right over his head. It was like he couldn't be bothered to look up long enough from his phone to even see my perfected hair flip. It confused and, if I was being honest, intrigued me.