Convenient Fall (Players of Marycliff University Book 2)

by Jerica MacMillan

  The side door slammed shut, alerting her that one of her roommates was home and pulling her out of her thoughts. The sound of the screen slamming again meant both guys were home. Despite all living together and going to the same school, their schedules were different enough that they took separate cars every day.

  “It smells good in here.”

  Megan turned to see Matt coming into the kitchen. She smiled at him. “I hope you guys are hungry. I made dinner.” They'd become friends over the last couple of weeks, hanging out together at the house and during their tutoring sessions. He reminded her a lot of Charlie, her middle brother, goofing off and joking around a lot. Chris avoided them for the most part.

  Matt laughed. “We're always hungry. Especially after practice.” He peered at the stove over her shoulder. “I didn't know you could cook.”

  “I made brownies for the Fourth of July party.”

  “Baking's not the same thing.” He stuck a finger in the sauce before she could smack him away and stuck it in his mouth. “Mm … and you're a good cook, too.” He winked at her. “I could get used to this.”

  Megan smacked him on the chest. “Keep your fingers out of the pot. I don't want your dirty hands messing up my food.”

  “I just washed them, I swear!” Matt held up his hands, his eyes dancing with laughter. Megan laughed along with him. He surprised her by swooping down and giving her a hug, lifting her up off her feet for a second before setting her down again.

  A throat cleared in the entrance to the kitchen and they turned to see Chris standing there, arms crossed, muscles bulging, jaw clenched. Matt dropped his hands from her and took a step back. “Hey. Megan's making dinner.”

  Chris just nodded in response.

  “Are you hungry?” Megan tried to keep her voice upbeat, but Chris glowering at her made it difficult. He was acting … jealous? Angry? Was he mad that Matt was touching her? Why? He had no reason to be jealous. For one thing, nothing would ever happen between her and Matt. They were just friends. And for another, nothing was happening with her and Chris. That was out of the question too. The roommate thing meant they couldn't get together. Plus, Chris was more of a manwhore than Lance had been from what she could tell. At least Lance had taken his conquests out to dinner first. It would be unwise to get involved with him given his history and proximity.

  Chris just stood watching them, Matt leaning against the counter near the stove. She looked from Chris's stony face to Matt's watchful one and back to the food on the stove. She cleared her throat. “The food's almost ready. Matt, why don't you get bowls for everyone. Chris, will you get us all drinks please?”

  She kept her back to them, facing the stove. Matt started getting bowls and silverware right away. It took Chris a little longer, but she eventually heard him opening the refrigerator to get out the pitcher of water they kept in there.

  By the time Megan had dished out the food, the tension had mostly drained out of the room. Chris wasn't clenching his jaw as much and engaged in conversation after a few minutes, even answering questions with more than one word. Matt was more subdued than he had been when he first came into the kitchen, his eyes watchful on Chris and on her. Megan tried to keep things light, directing conversation to how classes were going and how they thought the season was shaping up.

  “So far we're one and one. We have a bunch of new starters on the offensive line this year. A lot of guys graduated since last year. Or at least they've been in school too long to be eligible to play still. We lost a couple starters because they were academically ineligible. Coach Hanson was pissed when he found out.” Megan had to make an effort not to freeze in shock. She didn't think she'd heard more than two or three words at a time come from Chris since she'd moved in.

  She nodded in understanding. “So, are you keeping up with your classes pretty well?”

  Chris shrugged and mumbled something.

  Megan frowned. “Seriously, Chris. Aren't you supposed to graduate in December? Why wouldn't you make sure you're keeping up with your classes?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not going to be graduating in December.”

  “But I thought over the summer you guys said you'd both be done after this semester.” Megan looked over to Matt, who looked surprised as well.

  Chris shrugged. “I probably will be done after this semester. I just won't be graduating.” He shoveled a forkful of pasta into his mouth, clamping his lips shut while he chewed and keeping his head down.

  Megan sat stunned, unsure how to respond to that. She looked to Matt again, but he just stared at Chris too, with his fork frozen halfway to his mouth. “Um, well, couldn't you graduate in May, then? It's pretty normal for student athletes to take five years, isn't it?”

  Chris didn't respond, not looking up from his plate. She looked at Matt again. He'd managed to get his fork to his mouth and was contemplating Chris while he chewed. Megan did finally manage to catch his eye. He shrugged one shoulder, nodding and swallowing. “Yeah. Five years is pretty normal. I had some transfer credits from dual enrollment in high school. That's why I'm able to graduate in December instead of taking until May.”

  She turned back to Chris. “If you need help, I can—”

  “Drop it.” His eyes were on his plate, but his voice was steel.

  “But—”

  He silenced her with a look, his eyes hard, his voice harder. “I said drop it.”

  She looked at Matt again and he gave a fractional shake of his head. Megan took a deep breath and looked down at her plate, pushing the remaining food around. Just before she got up to clear her plate, having decided she wasn't hungry anymore, Matt spoke.

  “So are you coming to the game tomorrow?”

  Megan looked up at him. “Uh, I don’t think so. I don't usually go to football games.”

  “What? You have to come. You're our roommate. Isn't it your job to support us now?”

  Megan smirked. “Yeah. I'm your roommate. Not your girlfriend. Would you try to sell me that line of bull if I were a guy?”

  Matt nodded. “Probably. But a guy wouldn't make us dinner, so it's a moot point. Come to the game.”

  Megan was about to beg off again, when Chris spoke up. “You should come.” His voice was softer now than it had been. She looked at him. His face was neutral, not telling her anything. He held her gaze and she couldn't look away.

  Finally, she nodded. “Alright. I'll come.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Megan looked up at the bleachers. About halfway up on the right a girl with strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail jumped up and down while she waved. Megan waved back and made her way up the stairs to where Abby waited. Lance stood up from his seat on the end, towering over both of them, so that Abby could pull Megan into a tight hug.

  “I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!” squealed Abby.

  Megan squeezed her back before they broke apart. “It's only been a couple weeks, and we've been texting.” She moved past Abby to the seat they'd saved for her.

  Megan leaned forward so she could look past Abby, letting her gaze roam over Lance. He looked good as always in a Superman t-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders, the breeze ruffling his dark hair. Abby had lucked out when she scored this one. “Hey, Lance. How's it going?”

  He grinned back at her, his dark eyes warm. “Good. You? How's life in my old house?”

  “Uh, it's interesting.”

  Lance laughed. “I bet. They behaving themselves?”

  “I guess? I don't see them a whole lot between classes and practices and away games. I see Matt more than Chris because I'm his tutor, but we're almost always talking about class stuff. I don't know what they get up to when I'm not around.”

  Lance's eyebrows climbed his forehead and a look of speculation entered his dark eyes. “You're tutoring Matt? That's … interesting. Are you tutoring Chris too?”

  She shook her head. “No. Matt wanted me to be his tutor because we have a couple classes together
. He convinced the coach to let him work with me instead of the regular tutor because of that and because of his history with the other tutor.”

  “Huh.” Lance didn't say anything else, just looked her over with that same speculation in his eyes before he turned away.

  Megan didn't have much time to think about what that look might mean before Abby reclaimed her attention. They chatted about the semester and how classes were going so far. Their paths didn't cross much on campus. Megan was an art major with a marketing minor, and Abby was majoring in Spanish. Not a lot of crossover there.

  The one thing that was glaringly obvious was how happy Abby was. Megan hadn't ever seen her like this. Between Abby's mom and her brother's disappearing act a few years ago, Abby had had a lot on her plate without much help. Megan had known Lance would be good for Abby since shortly after they’d started seeing each other over the summer. Seeing her now, you'd never know she had anything weighing her down. She was buoyant and more animated than Megan had ever seen her.

  Conversation died down when the game started. They were playing Campbell Christian College, a small school in Oregon. Megan's parents would've preferred that she go there, even though they were happy about how close she'd be to home at first. That is, until she'd moved in with Abby and stopped going to church by the end of the first semester.

  Lance cheered throughout the game and she and Abby joined in when it seemed appropriate. They giggled together about everything, since neither of them followed football that much. Megan knew what was going on because she’d grown up watching her brothers play. She hadn't been to a game since high school, though. Once her middle brother graduated after her junior year, she hadn't felt the need to go. Being at a game again made her miss him.

  It was fun to see names she recognized on jerseys again, even if they weren't related to her.

  It was a close game. At halftime the other team was up by a touchdown. They maintained their lead throughout the second half. But at the end of the fourth quarter, Chris caught an interception. He ran it back, dodging and twisting to keep away from would-be tacklers. Right before he got to the end zone it looked like they were going to get him. A CCC player got ahold of his jersey.

  The crowd was on its feet cheering him on. Lance's deeper voice cut through the noise of the crowd, screaming for Chris to keep moving. Megan bounced on the balls of her feet yelling, “Go! Go! Go!” Abby stood between them with a hand clapped over her mouth.

  Chris kept going, but he struggled to stay on his feet. It didn't look like he would be able to make the touchdown before he went down. Then Matt came out of nowhere, wrapped his arms around the CCC guy's legs, and took him out. Chris managed to shake free, and ran the last few steps down the field, spiking the ball.

  The whole stadium erupted in cheers. Lance was screaming and she and Abby were both jumping up and down, wordless cheers coming from everywhere. The last play of the game was a two point conversion, putting Marycliff ahead. CCC made a valiant effort for a final touchdown, throwing a long Hail Mary pass. The receiver touched the ball with the tips of his fingers, but fumbled it before he could pull it in. Marycliff players covered the ball, taking final possession. When they lined up for the next play, Marycliff took a knee, and the last few seconds on the clock ran out.

  Megan was exhilarated by the game. She'd been bored when the score stayed the same for almost two full quarters, but the last five minutes of play had been pure adrenaline.

  Lance led them down to wait by the player's entrance so they could catch up with Chris and Matt and some of the other guys. They hung out for a while, waiting for the team to complete their post-game rituals. Soon enough, players started trailing out alone and in small groups. Several of them stopped to talk to Lance. She and Abby recognized a few of the guys from meeting them over the summer at a couple of parties.

  Megan waved at Cooper, the guy she'd met at the pool party right before classes started. He stared at her for a long moment before he lifted his chin in return, but didn't approach. His eyes moved to look over her shoulder and she turned her head. Chris loomed over her, his eyes hard and his jaw firm. She looked back at Cooper. His eyes flicked to her and back to Chris, then he turned and walked away.

  Megan turned toward Chris, who still watched Cooper's retreating back with the same stony expression. “What was that about?”

  Chris waited a beat before he looked down at her. He let out a breath, his puffed-out chest returning to its normal dimensions. He shook his head once. “Nothing.”

  Before she could push for an actual explanation, he turned away from her and started talking to Lance and Matt. She looked at Abby, who'd watched the entire thing with raised eyebrows.

  Their eyes met and Abby stepped closer to her. “What was that?”

  Megan looked over at the trio of guys talking and laughing like nothing had happened. They were caught up in the details of the game, congratulating Chris on his interception and touchdown. She shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “C’mon, let's go to the bathroom before we head out. I don't think we're going home any time soon and I have to pee.” She waved to get Lance's attention and let him know where they were going. He nodded and Abby pulled Megan after her by the arm.

  Once they were around the corner and out of earshot Abby stopped and turned to her. “Okay, we haven't talked in awhile. What's going on with you and Chris?”

  “Don't you have to pee?”

  “Yeah, but not that bad. You normally tell me everything that's going on, and I haven't heard anything about Chris going all macho and possessive around you. Why are you holding out on me? I never thought I'd be the one hounding you for information.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “That's because there isn't anything to tell.” She started walking again, heading for the bathroom. Abby came along too. “The guy I waved at danced with me at a party the weekend before classes started. The way he reacted, though, it makes me wonder if Matt and Chris scared him off without me realizing it at the time. And I have no idea what that was about back there.” She stopped and did her best impression of how Chris had puffed out his chest, then relaxed with a laugh and kept walking.

  Abby laughed with her and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She pushed open the door to the bathroom and held it for Megan. “Weren't you guys flirting quite a bit over the summer?”

  Megan stopped halfway into a stall and narrowed her eyes at Abby's faux-innocent expression. “Yes. What's your point?”

  Abby just shrugged and went into her own stall. “No point. Just asking a question.”

  “Right. No point at all, I'm sure. The answer to your real question is no, nothing's going on there. We flirted over the summer, yeah, but he's barely spoken to me since I've been living there. There's been nothing that could even be remotely construed as flirtatious in any dimension since the day I moved in.”

  Conversation stopped until they were both washing their hands. Abby looked at Megan in the mirror. “Did something happen on move-in day?”

  Megan considered the question for a moment before she answered. Did something happen on move-in day? She couldn't put her finger on anything specific, but it did seem like that was when everything had changed between her and Chris. Their relationship had gone from easy and flirtatious to uncomfortable and barely speaking to one another. She and Matt had gotten closer since then, but Chris was always prickly and monosyllabic whenever they were in the same room for more than a few minutes. It had gotten to where she didn't even try to engage him in conversation anymore, which was why dinner the night before had been so surprising.

  She shook the water off her hands and reached for a paper towel, bringing her eyes back to Abby's face. Abby watched her, waiting for an answer to her question. Megan shook her head back and forth while she thought about it. “I can't think of anything, really.” She filled Abby in on the basics of what had happened at the pool party, pausing for a second to think before she finished. “Chris got really drunk even thoug
h he was supposed to drive, and Matt ended up driving. I don't know what that was all about.” She grinned at Abby. “They don't give in to my bullying for information as easily as you.”

  Abby laughed at that. “They just haven't learned how persistent you can be. Plus, I bet you don't follow them into their bedrooms or the bathroom continuing to pester them until they give in.” She arched one blonde eyebrow at Megan.

  “True. Chris makes it clear he doesn't want me around. And Matt's like my big brother. I don't want to see him naked. And I have the feeling that if I followed him into the bathroom he'd pee in front of me regardless. You're too shy to do that, so I could always hold you hostage that way when you wouldn't fess up.”

  “That is one thing I definitely don't miss about living with you.”

  Megan poked out her lower lip in a fake pout. “You don't miss me?” She sniffed.

  Abby just laughed at her. “Of course I miss you. It's weird living with a boy.”