Not that any of that shit matters. It won’t be long until we’re out of here. I glance over to see Zoey typing away on her phone. When she lets out a small laugh, I know she’s texting with Willow. Those two are trouble together.
My suspicions are confirmed when we pull in, and I see Willow is waiting for us. I park the car and watch as Zoey hops out and heads over to talk to her. I take my time getting out, allowing them a few moments to catch up before I head their way.
“I was about to call the cops and report her missing,” Willow says with a big smile on her face as I approach them. Zoey giggles and smacks her friend's arm. “You’re going to have to learn how to share.”
“It’s not one of my strong points, but I’ll try.” I want Zoey all to myself every minute of every day, but I know that’s not possible. I want to make up for lost time, but I know that I also have to let her live her life.
“Well, we have the next class together.” Willow shrugs, looping her arm around Zoey’s. She pulls her along, making Zoey laugh. I watch them walk away, and it’s not long before Zoey turns her head to look back at me. She puckers her lips, reaches her hand up and blows a kiss my way. I catch it and give her a look that lets her know that her kisses are only mine. I hear her laugh as I follow behind them. I hope I didn't wear her out too much last night. I’d woken up in the middle of the night with Zoey on top of me moaning my name in her sleep while she wiggled her hips. Why let her have a sex dream if she could have the real thing?
Afterward, we stayed up talking. I loved those moments with her. They felt so intimate, and I was looking forward to having a lifetime of them. It was no surprise to me when she told me that she was going for her fine arts degree with a minor in photography. When we were younger, she’d pull out magazines saying that one day they’d write articles about her pictures. That was my Zoey. She never approached anything saying she hoped it would happen. She would make things happen.
I follow them all the way to the classroom. I snag Zoey before she can enter and drop a kiss on her lips. “I’ll meet you for lunch.”
“Mm-kay.”
“Get a room,” Missy says as she passes us. The group of girls she’s with start laughing. I don’t miss the catty shit they say about Zoey, commenting on how her overalls make her look like a preteen. I don’t think preteens have tits like hers. I am in to the overalls. It would be so easy to slip my hand into the side of them.
“Fuck off…” I pause.
“Missy,” Zoey supplies for me. Her body shakes with silent laughter.
“She’s a bitch. I still don't get why half the team wanted to be inside of her.”
“Gross.” Zoey scrunches her nose. “She doesn't bother me. I’m winning, and she’s salty about it. I got Reid Knight all to myself.”
“Damn straight.” I drop another kiss on her before she turns to walk into her classroom but not before I give her ass a soft smack. She glares over her shoulder at me, but I know she’s fighting a smile.
I turn to head toward my class until I hear Coach Billings call out my name. “Someone is here to see you.”
“I already picked a college,” I remind him as I walk over toward him. There have been scouts that have popped up here and there, but I thought that shit was done with. It was pointless, to be honest. I know what college I’m going to. There isn’t anything or anyone that could convince me to leave Zoey again.
“It’s Grayson.” I pause. Grayson. Holy shit, he was one of the best centers in the NFL when he used to play. The man isn't only built like a beast, but he’s fucking smart too. It’s always been speculated that he made the calls for his team when they were on the field. That’s abnormal. He is just that good at reading people. But then he went and shocked the shit out of everyone when he retired after only six years in the league.
“He’s the new coach at Kingston University.” I stand there for a moment in shock. “Yeah,” Coach says with a laugh. “Use my office.” He gives me a clap on my shoulder before heading down the hallway. I make my way to his office to see Grayson there. I’ll be damned. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to being a little starstruck. The man is a living legend.
“Reid Knight.” He stands, offering me his hand. “I thought I should come introduce myself. I’m Theodore Grayson. I’ll be your coach next year.”
“What happened to Meeks?” I ask. “Not that I’m not happy about this change.”
“He retired.”
“I thought you retired too.”
“I was done taking hits to my body. I did what I loved and got out before I got too hurt to enjoy the rest of my life. But enough about me. I’m here to talk about you.” He drops back down in the chair. I sit down across from him. He immediately launches into asking me questions and telling me the plans he wants to put into place. When I look at my phone, I’m surprised to see it’s almost lunch time.
“I should get going. I told my girl I’d meet her for lunch.” I stand.
“About that. I heard when you were offered the scholarship that you requested that Zoey Hawthorne get accepted into the university. That if she wasn’t there, then you weren't going to be there.” I had done exactly that.
“Your point?” I ask. “She’s already been accepted, so does it really matter now?” I made the request to be on the safe side. She hasn't just been accepted without my help; she’s gotten a full ride too. I felt like an asshole for second guessing that, but when it comes to Zoey, I’d rather be safe than sorry. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do to try and make sure her dreams come true.
“Is she going to be a distraction for you?”
“Yes.” His jaw clenches and I know he doesn't like my answer. “Did you want me to lie? My girl comes first and then football. I love football, but I also love that with it I’m going to have the money I need for the life I’m going to build for her. I’m not on the field to fuck around. It’s my job.”
“All right.” He lets out a breath as he stands, pulling a card out and giving it to me. “If you need anything or something comes up, you call me.” I put the card in my back pocket. “See you in a few months.” He shakes my hand again before he’s out the door.
I take a deep breath, realizing that even though these past few years have been tough that everything is finally falling into place. I exit the office and head to the lunchroom to meet up with my girl. She’s the reason that my life is so good. She’s the one thing that has always kept me grounded.
17
Zoey
“Look at this.” Willow hands me her phone.
“What am I looking at here?” I start swiping through the pictures of a nice-looking condo.
“Where we’re going to live.”
I look up from the phone to her. “Aren’t we going to live on campus?” That’s what I thought the plan was.
“Nope. This is only a five-minute walk to the school. It’s got a gated entrance and even a doorman. Plus there is a gym, pool, and game room. It has everything we could want, and the best part is my parents are footing the bill.”
“You’re nuts.” I hand her back her phone.
“No, I’m brilliant. It’s the least my parents could do. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your man coming over.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“He’s going to live in a frat house.” I scrunch my face, still not loving that idea, but it is what it is.
“He just has to have a room there. I’m sure he’ll crash with us most of the time.”
“Is this really what you want to do?”
“Yep. I already emailed my father’s assistant about it. She said she’d handle it.”
“Did you even ask?” I let out a small laugh.
“No.” I stop laughing. I’m not sure if that’s funny or terrible. “It is what it is. At least we’re going to have a nice place to crash. It’s fair. I’ve practically lived at your house over the years.” She did, but Mom and I love having her there. I think Willow enjoys that my mom treats her the same as she does me,
giving Willow something she doesn't get at home.
“Okay,” I agree as class finally lets out. All the teachers and students are on autopilot. The seniors are ready to get out of here at this point. I check my phone to see if there are any texts from Reid when I don’t see him outside my classroom. He’s usually there waiting to walk with me to lunch.
“You want to wait or go to the lunchroom?” Willow asks, looking around for Reid too. He’s hard to miss since he’s taller than everyone else, but I don’t see him anywhere.
“Looking for Reid?” I glance over to see Missy, who has a smug look on her face.
“Fuck off,” Willow says, rolling her eyes.
“You two always walk around here like you’re so much better than all of us. When the truth is Zoey here fucked her way into Kingston University.”
“What?” I give her a dirty look. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“A dick to suck?” Willow chimes in.
“Don’t be jealous that no one will let you touch their dick, Will.”
“Let’s go.” I grab Willow’s arm. She’s worked up more than usual, or maybe she’s just over their shit too. Missy steps in front of us.
“Reid is the only reason you got into Kingston, you know. So you should get that nose of yours out of the air. I know for a fact that he told them if you weren't there that he wasn't going to be there either.” I want to smack that evil smile off of her face. Instead, I stand there in shock for a moment, knowing that what she said is not out of the realm of something Reid would do. “I don’t get why he’s so stuck on you.”
“Maybe because she’s not a bitch.” Willow pulls me along with her as she body checks Missy, making her fall on her ass.
“Zoey.” Willow says my name. I pull out my phone and call Reid. He answers after one ring.
“Sorry, babe. I got stuck at—” I cut him off.
“Did you request that I be accepted into Kingston? Did you tell them that you wouldn’t commit if I weren’t accepted?”
“Zoey.” He says my name softly, and in that moment I know what Missy said was true. I end the call, powering my phone off. I’m not sure what hurts me more, that once again he made a decision without even consulting me or that he didn’t believe I had what it took to get in on my own.
“Let’s go.” Willow is again pulling me down the hallway toward the doors that lead outside.
“Go as in skip school?”
“Why not?” Yeah. Why not? I always do everything by the rules.
“Let’s go,” I agree. I know Reid will be all over me if I stay. I need time to think. I’m still not sure how to handle this. It isn't until we’re pulling into Willow’s garage that I finally speak again. “I didn't get in on my own.” I wipe the tear that escapes.
“You deserve to be there more than anyone else. You busted your ass.” I did, but it doesn't mean I made it. “I mean, come on. Your grades are better than mine, and you tested off the freaking charts. There is no way I got in and you didn't. You would have at least been given an acceptance letter.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Your family name carries a lot of weight.” I get out of the car and Willow follows me into the house. When we get to her room, I fall back onto her bed. I suddenly feel exhausted.
Willow’s phone starts to ring over and over again. I watch as she turns it off before falling back next to me on the bed. “You can only outrun him for so long.”
“I know.” I take a deep breath. “I’m not even sure if I can be mad at him or not. I’m pissed that he didn't have faith in me to get in, but at the same time it’s just Reid doing what he thinks is best for me even if it pisses me off.”
I close my eyes. Willow grabs my hand. “Are you still going to go?” she asks.
“Yes,” I admit. “Is that terrible of me? It’s where you’ll be. We’re in this together. We have made plans for our future and not only college. I’m not going to toss that aside because of my pride.”
“It’s where Reid will be too.” My heart aches hearing his name. I’m upset, and yet I want nothing more than to crawl into his lap even though he’s part of the reason why I’m so upset. She rolls over onto her side, propping her head up with her hand. “Men are stupid.” Her words make me smile. Willow always knows how to cheer me up.
“They really are.” I sigh heavily as I try to get my thoughts together. Deep down inside, I know that Reid only had my best interests at heart. Missy’s words shocked me was all. But I know that Reid would never do something to hurt me or diminish my accomplishments in any way.
The doorbell chimes through the house before loud knocking starts on Willow's front door. I already know that it's Reid and that I’m going to forgive him.
“Well, that didn’t take him long,” Willow says as she gets up to go and answer the door. I remain in her room, knowing that it will only be a few seconds until Reid finds me.
He sounds like a freight train coming up the stairs. I sit up as he bursts into the room. His eyes look panicked. He comes over to the side of the bed where I’m sitting with my legs draped over the side. He drops down to his knees, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying his head in my lap. Unable to stop myself, I reach out to run my fingers through his short hair.
“I love you,” he says. He looks up at me. “You can be mad at me, but I’m not letting you go. You’re mine. I don’t care if you’re too good for me.”
“I am not too good for you.” I give his hair a pull. “You’re not even going to say sorry?”
“I’m not going to lie to you.” He turns his head, kissing my thigh. “It was stupid to request it. It’s not that I thought you couldn’t get in on your own, but when it comes to you, I don’t take any chances.” I know. It’s why I can't really be pissed. My man’s biggest fault is that he is trying to make my life perfect for me? How the hell could I stay mad about that?
“It just hurt hearing that I didn't get in on my own.” He jerks up, pulling his head out of my lap. My hands go to his forearms.
“What? I requested it, and they told me you already got in with scholarships so the point was moot.”
“I knew it!” I hear Willow shout from out in the hallway. My heart jumps.
“Oh.” Reid shakes his head, dropping his forehead to mine. “It’s good for you to chase me sometimes.” I pat his arm. He kisses me. I moan into his mouth, the kiss going from sweet to hot within seconds. The next thing I know I’m over Reid’s shoulder, with my ass in the air.
“Now you find out what happens when I catch you.” I wiggle, and he slaps my ass. I let out a scream.
“Bye!” I hear Willow shout as he carries me out of her bedroom. I’m pretty sure Reid and I are about to have another first. Make-up sex.
18
Many months later
The music blares through the frat house. It’s become a typical thing that occurs on Saturday nights after the game. I would say they have parties win or lose, but I wouldn’t know because we’ve never lost. I don’t see that happening any time soon either. Not with Coach Grayson. The man is insanely smart when it comes to playing football. I’ve learned more from him than anyone.
I lie on my bed staring up at the ceiling while I wait for my girl to get here. We don’t really hang here much, but Willow and Zoey had to wrap up some blog posts they were doing, and do one of their live videos. I wanted to just go over to her place, but she mentioned something about Willow wanting to actually hang tonight. Hell, if they both want to hang here and let loose, they should. With me standing right there watching every fucking move.
They described a night of fun. A night of fun for me is being anywhere near Zoey and ending with me inside of her. The two of them have been killing it as much as I have been on the field. When we hit campus you would have thought we were some famous couple. Zoey said we went viral. The small blog she and Willow made has blown up. They talk about anything and everything under the sun. They both write in it, but Willow handles the internet shit and
Zoey does all of the pictures. A handful of her pictures were bought to use for some of the games.
People have started giving them money to advertise on their blog. I was shocked at the amount of money companies will pay to have their logo slipped into a picture. Like I said, it’s insane, and I love every fucking second of it. Okay, not the social media shit with men watching them or making comments. Everyone knows better than to do that shit with me in earshot. It only took a few brawls to make shit real fucking clear around Kingston University, but everyone has gotten the memo.
I love it because Zoey is doing what she’s always wanted to do: sharing her words and pictures with the world. My phone dings, and it’s Zoey letting me know she’ll be here in five minutes. I smirk, thinking about the time Zoey found it weird that I didn't have any social media.
I guess I don’t anymore, but at one time I had. Once upon a time I was Ava Smith. Ava, of course, was friends with one of Zoey’s accounts. It had been my only option at a time when I couldn’t trust myself to be around her. I needed a way to still be a part of her life. When I realized you couldn't see people’s shit if you weren't friends with them and if they have some privacy crap up, that’s when I became Ava Smith. When I let Zoey in on my little secret, she’d only glared at me, but the way her lips twitched, I knew she liked that I’d been keeping an eye on her. For some reason she is okay with my caveman obsessive tendencies.
I get up, putting my shoes on, wanting to be downstairs before they get here. People might have gotten the memo about Zoey, but drunk assholes can be unpredictable. My phone rings. I stare at it, seeing Coach Grayson’s name light up my screen.
“Yo,” I say, answering it as I swipe a hoodie from the closet that has my last name on the back. It’s getting cold, and Zoey always forgets a damn jacket. Plus the hoodie swallows all her curves.
“You at the party tonight?” he asks. Why the hell is he asking me that? He knows I don’t go to any of these parties. I don't care for drinking. I enjoy being in control. Plus, I need my body in tip top shape in order to give my best on the field.
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