I ran a little ahead of the pack so I could check on my seats as soon as possible. Only then could I get my mind back to football. Just as I had hoped, she was there, dressed in school colors, clapping along with the crowd.
I took a deep sigh of relief and smiled up at her. Lori sat beside her, her red mass of curls blowing in the wind.
“Your girl’s here,” Jack said in my ear.
“Oh, yeah, I guess she is,” I said, trying to play it cool.
“Go out there and show her what you’ve got,” he said, smacking me on my shoulder pads.
With that, I was ready to go. In the first drive, I had eight carries for forty-five yards. I was having a great game. The rest of the team? Not so much.
We missed out on a few scoring opportunities due to silly mistakes. Luckily, none of them were mine. I didn’t want to be accused of being distracted.
At halftime, we were down by three points. They were a beatable team, but they had a new star quarterback who was having a great game. We trailed for the majority of the second half. For some reason, our offense could not get it together. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, I was getting nervous. We’d score a touchdown, but then they’d answer back during their next possession.
With only a few minutes left, the coach was discussing which plays to run with the Offensive Coordinator. I stood close so I could hear.
“Our run game is strong tonight. Let’s try to just run it in,” the OC said.
“I don’t want to risk it, though. We could kick and tie the game.”
I interjected, “Get me within twenty yards, and I can do it.”
The coaches looked at me. It really wasn’t my place to be involved with these decisions, but I was feeling confident.
The head coach stared me down. I could see that he was thinking something over. I was a little afraid that he was going to bench me for such a bold move.
“Okay,” he said quietly. He called the team over. “Listen up! We’re only running on this next drive. Quarterback fake handoff to Smith, and then Rider will run it in. We’re going to need the linemen at one hundred percent. Let’s go.”
We took the field. I stole a glance up at Alice and saw that she was staring back at me. I don’t know if she could see me winking through my facemask, but if all went well, she’d have to be impressed with me.
As planned, I got the ball and took off down the field, finding holes in their defense and breaking through. I spun out of two attempted tackles and the end zone was in sight. I dove toward the line, stretching out my arms as far as I could before I hit the ground. Touchdown!
The crowd was on fire. There were few things more exciting to a crowd than watching the team come from behind at the last second.
I sprinted down the sideline with the ball, taking in the sights and sounds. When I got to where Alice was sitting, I flipped the football up at her. Despite her shock, she caught it, eyes wide open but still smiling.
I gave her a grin and ran back to the huddle. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to give away game balls like that, but she felt like a good luck charm and I wanted to show her my appreciation for showing up to the game.
When the time on the clock ran out a few minutes later, the stadium erupted. Students rushed onto the field to celebrate the big win. Instantly, I was flocked by girls on all sides. They made it difficult to find Alice in the crowd.
I tried walking around, but I was trapped by the crowd. If I didn’t find her soon, it would be too late to talk to her and I would have to go back into the locker room without being able to thank her for coming.
Eventually, I spotted her, but there were too many people between us. If I wanted to get closer, I would have to forcefully shove the hoard of screaming girls down, and that would be frowned upon.
Jack came running toward the crowd with the water jug over his head. This was never a good idea. Besides, the coach would be pissed if he got soaked in ice water. It was a big game, but not like a championship or anything. It was not the time or the place for that.
He was sprinting right at me. I had won the game, but it was a team effort. Why would he try to soak me when he put up just as many points?
Water and chunks of ice came pouring out of the top of the cooler. Somehow, he managed to soak all the girls between us with the water. Once he got to me, it was empty.
The girls were furious. Football game days were a special occasion that required a lot of getting ready. They spent hours making sure their hair and makeup were perfect because it was a major social event. With hair flattened by the team’s water, they stormed away, hoping no one would see them with runny mascara and shiny faces.
“You idiot,” I said to Jack. “You’re supposed to pour the water on the coach or a player, not the fans.”
“I did exactly what I meant to do,” he replied mysteriously. He tossed the cooler to the side and ran off to celebrate with our other teammates.
With no one blocking our path, Alice was able to walk right up to me.
“Did you put him up to that?” I asked.
“No,” she said, the look of surprise still on her face. “That was all him.”
She still had the football tucked under her petite arm. “You’re going to have to show me how to throw this thing sometime.”
“Definitely.” I grinned. “I’m glad you came.”
“Of course,” she said. “How can I say no to such great seats?”
“Well, if you want them again, they’re all yours.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I think I made some enemies today,” she said, looking around at the other girls, who were swarming other players to hang onto. “I might just sit with the students from now on.”
I nodded. “As long as you keep coming to the games. I think you were good luck for me today. Did you have fun?”
Her face lit up. “It was great, though I like any excuse to spend hours outside during the day. I love this time of year.”
“Me too.”
One of my teammates came by and patted me on the back. That was my cue to go back to the locker room.
“I have to go,” I said. “I’ll see you around campus, right?”
“Definitely.” She smiled.
She turned and walked off the field with her roommate. I could hear them giggling. I wondered if they were talking about me.
Back in the locker room, the coach scolded me for giving our equipment away to fans. Apparently, we could get penalized for it if the referees notice. I apologized and promised to never do it again. I hated getting in trouble with the coach.
This was worth it though.
Alice
Sunday was my day to catch up on all of my studying, so naturally, I decided to lie down for a long afternoon nap. Lori joined in, still tired from her late night. I decided not to go out after the football game and instead, had a relaxing night in my room by myself. Lori went on a date with a guy she met at the freshman mixer, but I still wasn’t feeling brave enough to venture out on my own.
For a split second, I thought about meeting up with Shawn. Then I remembered that I didn’t even have his phone number. I knew where he lived, but that would be crazy just to show up at his fraternity house. Even I knew better than to do something like that.
During my nap, I had a dream that I was playing football, but instead of the usual big, strong men that made up the teams, I was playing against a bunch of gorgeous sorority girls. I ran with the football, absolutely terrified, while girls chased me down the field. They were out for blood, and I wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, Shawn appeared at the end zone, and I wanted to reach him because then I’d finally be safe. I was just a few yards away when I saw a girl lunging for me out of the corner of my eye. When her helmet collided with my unprotected skull, I jolted awake.
The sound I heard during my nightmare wasn’t my skull breaking—there was actually someone rapping their knuckles on the door. In my groggy state, I cursed
Lori under my breath for going to the bathroom and forgetting her keys in the room.
But it wasn’t Lori. Standing in my doorway with a smirk on his face was Chris. My heart skipped a beat.
“What—” I didn’t know what to say. I could hardly form words.
Chris looked up at Lori, waking up from her nap.
“Can we go to a study room? I want to ask you something,” he whispered, trying not to disturb my snoozing roommate.
“Um, okay.” I led him to a little room across the hall. He sat down at the table, and I sat across from him.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
He smiled. “It’s easy. I know some Resident Assistants around the freshman dorms.”
“Oh.” I had a million things I could ask him, but I didn’t know where to start.
He sensed my hesitation and spoke. “I feel like I need to clear the air. I don’t like how we left things. I made a huge mistake and I’m paying for it every day. I understand if you don’t want to date me again, but I want things to be cordial between us. I just don’t want that negativity in my life anymore.”
I nodded. “I’m still upset about what happened, but I guess I can try putting it in the past. You really hurt me, but I still miss you, and it would be nice to be able to talk to you again. I could really use a friend around here.”
His eyes welled with tears. “I’d love to be your friend again.”
I tried to give an encouraging smile. I didn’t like to see him down. “Is that why you came by?”
“Actually, I have some good news. The psych department has chosen my proposal for an experimental study. I only get $2,000, but it’s enough to get my research off the ground.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. Leave it to Chris to get his own study as a sophomore. “What’s it about?”
He laughed nervously. “It’s about college relationships, actually. I was inspired by what happened between us. I was really bothered by how things ended, and I spent weeks thinking and analyzing every move, every interaction. I decided that I wanted to study these behaviors so maybe I could prevent heartbreak in the future. Anyway, I have a few months to put together a presentation, and then I get to present at a student seminar.”
“That’s a huge honor,” I said. I hadn’t been in college for long, but I knew that a lot of students would kill for an opportunity to be part of something like this.
“I know. That’s why I’d like you to be one of my assistants. I know that it will never make up for what I did to you, but I feel like it’s a step in the right direction.”
“I can’t.”
He looked like he didn’t hear me correctly. “You can’t? I don’t understand. I’m doing you a huge favor.”
“I can’t accept a job out of pity. You should really give it to someone who’s actually qualified.”
Chris gave me a patronizing look. “No, silly. I know that you can do the work. I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise. You’re really smart and you’d be a huge asset to me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
I thought for a moment. Pity or not, it would be a huge deal to do research as a freshman. It would open things up for more studies in the future, and I could put it on my resume. It would also be a good excuse to be around Chris again. I felt a little less lonely when he was around.
“Okay,” I said. “I’d love to help you. What do I need to do?”
He smiled widely. “You make me so happy. I still have some details to work out, but I’ll give you a call when I have some work for you to do. I have limited funds, so I can’t really pay you anything worthwhile, but I’d love to use some of the money to take you to dinner to discuss things.”
“Sounds good.”
He reached across the table and rested his hand on mine. “Alice, I’m so glad we’re talking again. You don’t know how miserable I’ve been without you.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
He got up from the table and opened the door to leave. Before he walked away, he gave me one last glance without saying anything.
I returned to my room, still in a bit of a daze. I let the door slam behind me.
Lori jumped in her lofted bed and hit her head on the ceiling.
“Sorry,” I said hastily.
“Who was that at the door?” she asked, her voice still scratchy from sleep.
“Chris.”
“Wait, that was Chris? Your Chris?”
“The one and only.”
“What did he want?”
“He’s heading up a psych study and asked if I want to help him with it.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s a really good opportunity,” I said sheepishly. I didn’t know if I should be ashamed of wanting to spend time with my ex.
“You know what that means?” she said excitedly. “You succeeded in making him jealous with Shawn.”
Ever since Chris reentered my life, I forgot all about Shawn. “Oh, shit.”
“Now you have the interest of two very eligible bachelors. I envy you.”
“You shouldn’t,” I groaned. “What am I going to do?”
“Who do you like more?”
“It’s not that easy. Obviously, Chris and I have a lot of history together, good and bad. I still have feelings for him, but I’m still mad about what he did to me. Shawn is great too, and I think we have some chemistry, but I think he’s a player and I don’t think I can be the one to hold him down.”
“How are you going to choose?”
I rubbed my cheeks with my palms. “I hope I don’t have to. I’m not great at these sorts of things. I’m hoping things will work out without my having to do anything.”
“Good luck with that.”
Part of me hoped that I could make it through the entire week without seeing either Shawn or Chris. It was hard to decide how I felt about them when they were always popping up in unexpected places.
I ran into Chris after class on Wednesday. He was talking to one of his female classmates and she was giggling hysterically. He looked surprised to see me, which was odd since we spent a lot of time in the same building.
“Hey,” he said, giving me a side hug. “I’m going to email you this weekend with some study interview questions. It’s going to be so awesome. Let’s meet up for dinner next week.”
“Okay,” I called after him, but he was already halfway down the hallway.
Before I could even wrap my mind around that encounter, Shawn approached me on my walk back to the dorm.
“Alice, wait up,” he called. He was out of breath. How long had he been chasing me?
“Hi,” I said with complete surprise. “I didn’t think you came this way very often.”
“Oh, I was in the area,” he said casually. “I’m glad I found you. I know you said you like spending time outside, and my parents have a lake house not too far from here. Do you want to come with me this weekend?”
“I don’t know. I have some homework to do—”
“Bring it along! I don’t have a game this weekend, and it’s the only time I can relax during the fall. I would go alone, but it’s a lot more fun to paddle around the lake with another person.”
“And you want me to go with you?”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “Of course. You don’t have to answer now, but text me by tomorrow night if you want to come.”
He handed me his phone to enter my number. “Talk to you soon.” He grinned before running off in the opposite direction.
“Lori, I have a serious problem,” I announced when I got back to the dorm.
“Good afternoon to you too,” she said without looking up from her book.
“Shawn invited me to his parents’ lake house this weekend.”
That got her attention. “Are you kidding me? I hope you said yes.”
“He’s giving me a day to think it over.”
Just then, I received a message from an unknown number.
I’m
so glad I saw you today. Shawn
I saved the number into my phone book.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Alice.”
“I hardly know him, though.”
“Well, get to know him, then. You don’t think it would be fun?”
I smiled. “Yeah, it would be pretty great.”
“Then what’s stopping you? Your cheating ex?”
I thought back to my encounter with Chris earlier today. Who was that girl who found him so interesting?
“You’re right,” I said. “I should allow myself to date and have fun. I shouldn’t let Chris get in the way of that.”
“So you’re over Chris?”
“Not in the slightest. But once he hears that I’m spending time alone with the football player from the party, it will drive him wild.”
I sent a reply to Shawn.
I’d love to spend the weekend with you. Sounds like fun.
He replied instantly, like he was waiting by his phone.
I’ll pick you up in front of your dorm on Friday at 4:00.
Shawn
I couldn’t sleep Thursday night. I was too excited to bring Alice to the lake house. I wanted to spend time alone with her, away from all the distractions. Girls had accompanied me to the house before, but it was usually just a surefire way to get them drunk and frisky. With Alice, I just wanted her to see that I was a fun person to be around.
“There’s a sorority party tonight,” Jack told me at breakfast. “Are you in? We can play the game again.”
“I’m spending bye week at the lake house.”
“Tell Sid and Ellen hello, then.”
“They won’t be there. They’re visiting my sister in boarding school.”
“You’re going alone? Or do you have some tasty chick shacking up with you there?”
“I’m taking Alice with me. I think she’d really enjoy it up there.”
“You’re still on her? I’ve never seen you chase after anyone for so long. Well, if you can’t get her to sleep with you at the lake house, there’s something wrong. I suppose I can forfeit the game now, since I’ve obviously lost.”
Lethal Seduction: A CIA Romantic Suspense (CIA Agents Book 1) Page 27
