“Bryant, got it,” Tiffany said, instantly piecing everything together the moment I gave her a look. This was probably not the first time Sam had broken down like this over the playboy footballer.
I let go of Sam to look around where we were. This was the kitchen and dining area, all the counters and surfaces covered with beer cans and red plastic cups. There were people standing, seated, but more often than not curled up on the carpets on the floor.
“Sam, don’t you think we should go home instead?” I tried again, glancing at Tiffany, who nodded.
“No. No, I don’t want that,” she said. Sam was starting to sound decisive and firm. I couldn’t fight her — I knew that when she got extra stubborn like this, there was no changing her mind.
“He’s a bad apple, though,” I murmured airily, not quite hoping to get through to her, because I didn’t want another fight… but I also didn’t want her to think I was simply letting it go.
“Ugh,” Sam said, clearly hearing me. “You’re jealous.”
“I’m not.”
“I don’t know what you’re jealous of, but I don’t like it, babe,” Sam said. Somehow, though, she started to look a little less sad. She was smiling now, wiping the tears from her face, blinking and murmuring that she needed to find a bathroom to redo her makeup.
Tiffany followed her, leading Sam as she quickly patted my shoulder. “I got this, hun,” she told me.
I exhaled. Bryant was such an asshole. Yet in the moments before he had to drop that bombshell, it seemed like I was ready to revise my opinion on him. Like, he seemed almost as if he was a decent guy I might have misunderstood over all the years.
Sighing, I realized that maybe there was something to what Sam said. That there was some long-standing prejudice that made me sure Bryant was a bad apple who was irredeemable.
But I sure wasn’t jealous, no matter what Sam said. It wasn’t as if guys didn’t pay attention to me. Back in Indianapolis, especially while I was working at the sporting goods store, I got hit on all the time.
And boys were hardly what I was focusing on right now. I had school to ace, and a journalism career to kickstart. I wasn’t going to let someone ruin all that with drama the way Bryant was messing with Sam.
I turned around to see him across the room, having some sort of hushed conversation with some tall, lanky redhead in a corner. She was swaying a little, and he was helping her stand steady — with hands right around her hips.
I felt disgusted. Did he feel no remorse at all for what he had done to Sam?
Maybe I made some sort of scoffing noise, because his eyes suddenly met mine, and he froze.
Bryant’s hands moved away from the redhead’s waist.
I grinned with satisfaction, especially when I saw the look of embarrassment on the quarterback. He excused himself from the redhead and walked over to me, hunched forward, resigned to the fact that I was definitely going to give him a seriously hard time for hurting my best friend.
“You know what, you’ve got some seriously big balls to speak to me again after what you just did,” I stated to him, raising my eyebrow, daring him to sass back at me.
“Well, you’re right,” he said, sighing.
“What? That you have seriously big balls?”
“Uh, I guess, yeah,” he said, chuckling when he realized how weird this conversation was sounding. “I meant more about the whole ‘what you just did’ part.”
“You should leave Sam alone for the rest of the night. Especially if you meant it about breaking up with her,” I told Bryant. He was so much taller than me, but I felt like we were standing toe-to-toe here, and the righteous fury I felt over my dumped best friend made me feel like I was ten feet tall.
“That is completely my plan.”
“So you meant it?”
Bryant looked at me with surprise. “I mean… why else would I say it?”
“I don’t know?” I threw back at him. “Maybe seeing me made you think back about all the bad times back in high school, so you punished Sam for that.”
“Jesus,” Bryant said, shaking his head viciously. “Who do you even think I am? I’m not going to punish anyone just because we were enemies in school. That sounds really childish. Plus, you know, the whole idea of enemies in school.”
“That sounds like some historical revisionism here,” I pointed out. “Enemies in school makes it sound like there wasn’t a bully and bullied dynamic to it.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Bryant said, his face tightening. “You were a bit of a bully.”
The absurdity of his defensiveness just made me break into a confused smile. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah. Seriously. Sometimes you were so harsh that I definitely felt bullied.”
“But… you’re the one who kept calling me a nerd, calling me all sorts of other names, having your friends and the other popular kids give me so much shit!” I said. “Don’t you remember?”
Bryant blushed. Now this was something I don’t recall him ever doing. He seemed genuinely ashamed of himself here. “Okay.”
“That’s it? Okay?”
“Fine. Okay, I’m sorry.”
I didn’t expect that.
So I just quieted up, looking at him. It wasn’t fair. He was born the luckiest, most privileged person ever. He had all those good looks, the natural charm that convinced everyone he was a good guy even when he hurt people around him like me and Sam. He was a billionaire’s child. He had athletic talent.
You could say it was expected that he was a jerk.
“Hey,” he said, cutting my thoughts off. “Looks like Marvin’s already going straight to Sam. Can you, like, do me a favor and encourage that? I can’t be here, Mia. I can’t handle Sam… and yes, she had to find out the hard way, but I feel like a giant weight’s been lifted from my shoulders now that I’ve actually broken up with her.”
“You want me to… distract Sam?”
“No, no… I mean, yes, I guess,” he said, looking frustrated enough that he was ready to punch a hole through the wall. “You may think that I don’t care about Sam’s feelings, but I do. I don’t want to be with her, I know that much, but I don’t want her to just be heartbroken, you know? She looks like she wants to have a good time. Hell, she looks like she’s actually digging being around Marvin.”
I glanced to see across the room, where Marvin was rolling a joint for her as they sat across each other on one of the spiral staircases leading upstairs.
He was right. She was definitely vibing with him.
“So all I’m asking is that you stay objective here. If you’ll forgive the football reference, I want you to be the umpire. Blow a whistle if play gets too rough, and I mean that between her and me. I want to stay away from her, but I know she won’t let me. All I need is for her to understand it’s over.”
I made a face, wincing at the responsibility. But Bryant was right. I didn’t know if guiding Sam towards a new fling was exactly a good idea, but at least it meant she’d have something to distract her. And I didn’t know Marvin, but he was pretty hot, so if Sam really felt the need to have some companionship in a tough period like this, it couldn’t be a bad idea, could it?
Finally, I nodded. “Okay, Bryant.”
“Thank you. For real, thank you.”
“This isn’t over, though,” I said, stamping my foot down to impress the fact to him.
He chuckled. “Well, between Sam and me it is. But trying to make sure there’s no drama here? You’re right. It’s not over. I’m going to try my best. Really, I am.”
“You’ve matured a little,” I said, giving him a little credit.
He looked grateful as he finally peeled himself away from me. As I watched him leave, I saw him even glance back and smile.
If only it was that easy, though. He was right about Sam, that she would probably act out, try to rub in his face the fact that breaking up with her was his loss, not hers.
I mentally prepared myself for her to start some sort of sc
ene.
“Ugh, I need a drink,” I exhaled, thinking aloud. Walking over to the dining table, I picked up a can of beer — nope. It was empty. I lifted can after can until I found one that was unopened. And it was cold! Lucky me.
Cracking it open, some guy lurched forward, trying to flirt with me, but mostly ending up having to run off to throw up.
“Ugh,” I shook my head, amused but disgusted. Guys will be guys.
Tiffany came up to me. “Sam won’t leave. She says she wants to have fun, that she doesn’t want people talking about her because she made a scene.”
“I feel like she’s going to make a scene, one way or another,” I confessed.
“You’re her best friend, you’re the one who would know,” Tiffany shrugged. “Oh, here she comes. Okay, she’s your problem now. I’m getting another beer — and after that I’m going to seriously lower my standards over who I’m willing to go home with tonight.”
I squirmed at the thought. Was this college life? Mindless hookups where you actively told yourself you just had to accept you weren’t going to enjoy yourself?
“Uh, good luck, I guess,” I said, trying my hardest not to let any judgment seep into my tone.
“Welcome to Florida University, Mia,” Tiffany said, her warmth laced with sarcasm. “It’s gonna be a hell of a school year.”
The next thing I knew, Sam and Marvin had caught up to me. She tugged at my arm. “Babe!”
“Hey,” I murmured. “And, uh, Marvin, right?”
“That’s right. You’re Mia, Samantha’s been talking a lot about you.”
“Only the good things, I’m sure. Sam knows how to hype her friends up,” I said drily, my hands occupying themselves by trying to find new beers to hand these two. “Want a cold one?”
“Sure,” Sam shrugged. “I’m kinda really high, haha.”
I didn’t want to tell her that she was already high half an hour ago.
She decided to have me latch on to her and play third wheel while she flirted like crazy with Marvin. This… wasn’t an unfamiliar scene for me, honestly. In Sam’s more, ahem, experimental days, she’d have me more as her chaperone than her best friend when we went out to parties.
Older guys loved girls like Sam. They knew to stay away from me, because I could stand up for myself and I wasn’t afraid to call them out when they got too forward. Sam, though, she loved the attention.
Marvin, at least, was playing it cool. He was kind of sweet, in his own way. Sam practically had to grab his hands and place them on her, because he was being so respectful.
“Let’s play Truth or Dare,” Sam abruptly said, interrupting her own story she was telling involving some other girls who lived on her floor. “Get everyone who’s still alive here, Marvin. Be a man!”
Marvin laughed, shaking his head. “For real?”
“I mean it. Truth or Dare.”
I raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on Sam’s knee. “Tonight’s not the night for uncomfortable truths, Sam.”
“Babe, it already is for me,” she said, sounding very stern and sober all of a sudden. “Least we can do is have some fun with it.”
“Oh,” Marvin said, his eyes widening. “Yeah, sure, I’ll rustle up some people. Let’s go huddle around that coffee table, how’s that sound? And I’ll get Russel to bring us some more weed.”
“You’re such a good guy, Marv,” Sam smiled, shooting him looks of desire.
I sighed. “This is going to end up terrible.”
“No, listen to me, babe,” Sam said. “I actually have a plan.”
“Now this I’m scared of,” I said, following Sam to the coffee table, where we sat cross-legged, leaning forward with our elbows to the glass surface.
“I’m going to dare Bryant to take you on a date. And then you’re going to counter-dare by making it a double date with me and Marvin,” Sam declared, hunching over closer to me as her announcement came in a sort of loud whisper — hushed and secretive even as she practically shouted it, because she was so stoned.
“I was right,” I groaned. “This is a really bad idea. I don’t want to do this. Seriously. It’s Bryant.”
“You want to know why he bullies you, right?” Sam replied quickly. “It’s because he’s practically been in love with you since the first day he saw you when we were kids.”
“That’s literally the biggest lie there ever is.”
“Hey, boys are just like that.”
I shook my head. “It’s 2019, Sam. I’m not about to let that nonsense fly. Sure, boys can be toxic and mean, but if he thought that was his way to express how much he liked me, he’s got to be kidding. And besides, think of all the years since. He’s not got a crush on me. Honestly? I think he’s scared of me.”
“Well, that, too,” Sam said. “Oh, Marvin! Who did you get?”
He gathered five people, all confused but intrigued enough to play a round of Truth or Dare, since there wasn’t really anything left to do now other than pass out or jump into the pool.
The redhead who was all over Bryant was there. So was Bryant, of course. Tiffany looked extremely bored and just in it because she couldn’t find a guy to go home with, and then there was another guy who looked like he was on the football team too. He definitely had the body for it.
“Pretty incestuous circle,” I remarked.
“I’ll start,” Sam declared. “Okay. Mia. Truth or dare?”
I could fight her on this, resist her plan. But I didn’t, of course. She gave me the most pitiful, sad look. Actual puppy dog eyes. I didn’t think I would ever fall for those again, but when Sam’s eyes practically begged me to call for a dare, I knew I couldn’t let my best friend down.
“Dare,” I exhaled.
“Mia, I dare you to ask Bryant out on a date.”
There were “ooh” sounds all over our little circle — clearly the backstory between us had already started spreading fast at the party.
Bryant shrugged. “Are you really gonna do that, Mia?”
I pulled myself closer to him, going around the coffee table. “Bryant, are you doing anything on Saturday night?”
“Nope.”
“Wanna go out on a date with me?” I said, hating myself for actually finding a thrill in doing this.
“Sure. Let’s do it. Me and you. A date.”
Our eyes met. His eyes twinkled. Strangely, instead of treating this like a chore… it seemed like the insanity of this plan got us both interested enough to go through with this plan.
“Hell yeah!” Marvin said, clapping.
“Your turn, Mia,” Sam said, looking impressed with me.
“Sam,” I immediately pointed back at my best friend.
“Dare.”
“I dare you to make this a double date. You and Marvin. Me and Bryant.”
You should have seen Bryant’s face. His look of intrigued smugness evaporated, and now he was just horrified.
Of course, Sam said yes.
6
Bryant
Coach Frost was keeping me waiting outside his office while he was on the phone, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was doing this because he was somehow trying to punish me.
Or test me.
Punishment. Funny how that was something stuck in my head after Mia accused me of somehow trying to hurt Sam because of her. That girl could be seriously wrong about things, but she’d found a way to get inside my head.
Was I cold and distant to Sam because of some desire to just let go of the past?
If that was the case, I shouldn’t be so curious about this upcoming date, even if I was sure I was being played by the two girls.
One thing was for certain. I could trust that Mia was a stubborn, loyal friend who would stick by her gal pal no matter what the trouble was. She might hate my guts, or tell herself that she should be hating my guts, but at least there’s no doubt that she’d support Sam through all this.
I extracted her promise to take care of her best friend while she dealt with t
he breakup, and I was sure she would honor that.
Now that it had been a few days since the party and I could finally get over the drama, I was glad that things hadn’t been as bad as I had expected. The story of our breakup had spread to practically everyone at the party, but at least it hadn’t gotten to Fiona and her YouTube gossip channel.
The last thing Coach Frost would want was me seeming like I cared more about breaking girls’ hearts than working on my plays and my touchdowns.
“Howard! Get in here!”
That was the coach.
He had a military bearing, the kind of disciplined energy that told you you could not fuck around and expect to continue to keep his respect. You had to shape up, or else risk everything you had been working for. It didn’t matter how talented you were, he clearly cared more about someone who could be trusted to stick to his plan rather than try and show off how good he was.
Part of that had been why he had resisted for so long to name me as a starter, even when Mike Liotta started acting up. Of course, now things had changed permanently…
But then again, Coach was also someone who could be trusted to stick by his man, holding out until there really was no hope. If he believed in Mike, today’s meeting might be bad news. Maybe he wanted to tell me that Mike and the university had made a deal and that he was on, like, academic probation for a short while but was expected to return to the field in no time.
Everyone on the team thought he was the most likely guy to ace the NFL draft. I resented him for that, because I thought I was the sure guy. But it was clear things were a little too early for me.
Ah, I couldn’t let myself drown in all these thoughts. I knocked on the coach’s door and entered.
“Howard,” Liam Frost said, nodding at me.
To think he was only a few years older than me, relatively speaking. You usually thought of college football coaches as middle-aged guys with beer bellies and a serious attitude.
Coach Frost was an ex-pro who had two good years in the NFL before a car accident killed his chances. That didn’t deter him. He waited out his lengthy recovery period, tried again, realized there was no chance he would ever play professionally or even semi-professionally again, and then decided to enroll for a tour of duty with the Marines.
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