The sun has gone down and the sand is cold, but we’re volleyball players damn it. Evan and Duke remove their shirts as we strip out of our shorts so we’re just in our sport bikinis. I can feel the stares as we do.
A few whistles from the spectators are ignored as we huddle to divide the teams.
“I’ll take Stanzy,” Evan says with a smirk as we huddle.
“Okay,” Staley huffs. She really does need to get laid.
“How about Evan, Staley and me,” I offer as a consolation which has Staley perking up. Evan is just her type. Handsome and male.
“It’s your funeral,” Trent says as him, Harper and Duke walk to the other side of the net.
“Volley for serve,” I tell him and he nods tossing the ball over the net to our side.
We have a sick rally going with the volleyball passing over the net seven times so far. Harper is setting for the other team and the guys are hitting the balls hard, but what Trent didn’t plan on was my off the chart libero skills. I’ve been digging up every ball they’ve hit over. I’m supposed to be setting to Staley and Evan, but in volleyball the same player isn’t allowed to hit the ball twice in a row so if I dig a spike from Trent or Duke then Staley has to set to Evan. It’s working to get the ball back over, but we can’t seem to end this rally.
“Damn, girl!” Trent shouts as I dig another one of his spike attempts.
This time my pass to Staley is just perfectly placed on the net. She sets the ball up and Evan approaches with a purpose. He’s about six-five and when he jumps his head over the net. He swings, hard, and the ball lands with a thud in the sand in the back left corner.
“Beautiful!” I shout as Staley, Evan and I form a group hug in the middle of court.
“If every point is going to be that hard, I’m going to die,” Duke gasps.
“Suck it up, Butterchip,” Staley snaps.
“Buttercup,” Duke corrects her.
“I like chip better,” she replies with a shrug.
“I kinda like you,” Duke says with a wide smile that pops two dimples I didn’t see before. I retract my previous statement. Duke is Staley’s type. She’s always had a thing for dimples. And judging from the way she is now focused on Duke’s lips I’d say Evan is forgotten.
After playing the best of five, which my team won, we head back to our table.
Just as I’m sitting down, still covered in sand and sweating like a pig, a guy approaches our table.
“Can I hose you down?” he asks me.
“Excuse me?”
“From the sand. You’re dirty. I can get you cleaned up.”
“Uh, I’m good, but thanks.” I’m trying not to be rude, but what the fuck is he doing?
“Aww, come on, baby.”
“She said no, bro. Move on,” Evan stands so he’s between me and the creeper. Evan may be thin, but he towers over the guy.
“Sorry, man, didn’t know she was taken,” he says defensively as he backs away from our table.
“Thank you,” I tell Evan as he sits back down next to me.
“Anything for my baby girl,” he says with a smile.
Baby girl? His words should elicit some kind of response. Tingles, heat, excitement. I got nothing. Zero.
Evan is so handsome, tall, thin yet muscular. His dark hair and pale green eyes are beautiful together, but he just does nothing for me. Damn Jessup for ruining me for every other man.
✽✽✽
“Hey! Baby girl, wait up!” I hear Evan shout as I’m walking through the plaza on my way to class.
“Hey!” I shout and wave at him.
“Got you this,” he says and hands me an iced vanilla latte.
“You’re the best.” I kiss his cheek. I needed this. I was running late and didn’t have time to stop.
Second semester of my first year of college is almost over and I’ve crushed it. I’m a 4.0 and should be a shoo-in for the pre-physical therapy program according to my advisor. Working with our amazing traning staff I’ve developed a love for working with athletes and decided to shift my area of focus from pediatrics to physical therapy.
The U of M has a program where I can complete my undergraduate degree in three years and begin working toward my doctorate early. I’m not sure if I want to give up my senior season yet or not though.
Evan is a pre-med major so we have chemistry together this semester. Not that kind of chemistry unfortunately. Evan is very much in love with his boyfriend, Jared.
But, he’s actually turned into one of my best friends. With similar majors we study together often and spend a lot of time at Moose Hut using their free WiFi and pounding caffeine to survive our crazy ass lab schedules.
He’s really helped me take my mind off Jessup. Not completely, but I don’t cry anymore and I stalk his Instagram page even less. It’s still painful to see all the posts he’s tagged in. Smoking hot girls in barely-there clothes draped all over him. He’s definitely not pushing them away in the photos.
But Evan has been here and I appreciate him. Even though Staley’s tryst with Duke was short lived and Harper and Trent broke up at semester break, Evan and I have remained friends.
“You ready for finals?” he asks as he takes a sip of his iced coffee.
“Not even a little, but I need to dominate this if I plan to apply to the physical therapy program junior year.”
“Same, I’ve already started reviewing MCAT practice tests even though I won’t take it until I’m a senior. Can’t be too prepared.”
“And this is why you’re my BFF.”
Sorry, Jessup, but you’ve been replaced by someone who actually gives a shit about me. I try to convince myself that’s true, but I still think of him far too often.
Chapter 16: Stanzy
Junior Year – University of Minnesota
You know how they say things happen for a reason? I used to buy into that until I tore my ACL.
I bent my knees to dig a volleyball that my teammate hit during practice, I leaned to my right and pop! There she went. The searing pain was like nothing I’ve ever felt, until I had to watch my team play without me. I was an emotional train wreck.
Staley finished our season without me on the court and it was gut wrenching to watch. We’ve never played a game without the other. She tried to make it easier for me by not talking incessantly about volleyball, but there was no way that was going to happen. Watching from the sidelines post-surgery was miserable. It just reaffirmed my decision to become a physical therapist. I don’t want my future patients sitting out longer than necessary. My injury ignited my passion for getting athletes back in action as soon as possible.
I wanted to text Jessup when I got hurt, but I haven’t talked to him in so long I decided not to. It’s crazy to me that my first instinct after all of these years is to still call him. It’s irrational that I still miss him at all.
It’s almost winter break, I’m healing and rehabbing well, sitting our room studying for our semester finals. The door opens, I roll over to I can see Staley walk in carrying her Gopher gym bag, she just got back from working out
“Hey,” I say.
“Oh, hey! I didn’t know if you’d be here or at lab.”
“My lab final isn’t until Thursday. Evan is coming over to cram for that one Wednesday night, so I’m starting with my English comp final. Yay for elective requirements,” I groan. English and art have never been my thing. Thankfully, they’re Staley’s. She does the writing and drawing. I do the math and the science. It’s an even trade that has earned us a 4.0 so far.
“Did you make your decision yet?”
“I have,” I mumble. After my injury I made the gut wrenching decision to give up volleyball a year early and enter the 3+3 pre-physical therapy program. I was preapproved for the program when I first applied, but I wanted to play my final four years of volleyball. Not anymore.
This program is one of the top programs in the nation and their alumni are usually offered local residency placements. I
’m on track to complete my undergrad this year, so I can begin my Doctorate of Physical Therapy this summer. Now with my injury, I can meet the application deadline for med school which is December 31st. If all goes as planned I can take my NPTE and start my residency before I even turn twenty-five.
Besides, Staley and I love it here. I plan to become licensed in this state and make Minnesota my permanent home. The winter, which I was dreading when we first moved from Georgia, is actually my favorite time of year. I’ve learned to ski, snowboard, and play hockey. Plus, boating on the lakes during the summers is heaven.
“And…” she trails off.
“I’m going to do it.”
“I knew you would.” She smiles and leans down to hug me. A sadness niggles at me. Staley and I have never been apart, so never playing competitive volleyball with her again is going to suck the biggest set of donkey balls ever. “You feeling ok about it? It’s the right move, Stanz. You’re so smart and this is your dream job.”
“Yeah. It will be weird though.”
“We’ll be just fine. We’ll still live together and I’ll still pound volleyballs at you when you’re healthy. We can still play at The Cove too,” she offers.
“Say you’ll get me through this stupid English final first. It’s seventy-five multiple choice questions from definitions and shit we learned this semester and then we have to answer the question ‘Which do you believe provides better educational opportunities, all-girls/all-boys schools or co-educational schools?’ support your answer and cite your work. Why? Why do I have to do this?” I whine.
“I’ll take the fucking thing for you if you want. Stanzy, this is so easy. I have notes that will help,” she says. “I know this year has been tough. Why didn’t you ever tell Jess about your knee and quitting volleyball?”
“He’s been gone for three years, Stay. He hasn’t shown the slightest interest in my life anymore.”
“Have you reached out though? I know he hurt you, Stanz, but you either need to reach out and forgive him or move the fuck on with someone else. The only guy you spend any time with doesn’t even like boobs. It’s been so long and you can’t let it keep eating at you, keeping you down,” she says pinning with a look that tells me she thinks I’m an idiot.
“We’ve had this talk for three years, Stay. You know I can’t just call him up. He’s clearly moved on. You saw that video with the three girls at a frat house, they were practically stripping and giving him a lap dance.”
“Well at least he had clothes on?” Staley says with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Boxers which displayed his hard-on nicely. Don’t you think?”
“It was an impressive dick. And hey, he wasn’t fucking anyone,” she says with a shrug.
“Really? That’s his defense? At least he wasn’t actually fucking them in public? And remember what Lou told us about his revolving door of women and excessive partying? I think it’s safe to say he forgot about me.”
Mary Lou is our spy on Cambria’s campus even if she and Jessup don’t run in the same circles. He hangs with the athletes and Mary Lou belongs to a sorority that is, and quote, “for the proper and refined.” She was lucky to pledge because they only allow a few non-legacies each year.
She’s kept Staley and I aware of Jessup’s reputation as the campus pogo stick. Living with three other football players they’ve solidified their status on campus as gods among the boys. Apparently their house motto revolves around football and fucking. That’s it.
“I still can’t believe that. Something flipped his switch because he loved you, Stanz.”
“Maybe he just needed to get his dick wet.”
“That’s not even close to true. He never dated anyone except you.”
“Why are you defending him?” I snap.
“I have no idea. I just feel like there’s more to it knowing how he was with you. This new Jess doesn’t seem… I don’t know, right. He’s so different and I just think he’s acting this way for a reason. You should talk to him.”
“Today is not that day. I’m not calling him. He’s probably changed his number since high school anyway,” I reply as I pull out my phone and search Jessup’s name in my text message.
“I’m sorry.” I have read that text thousands of times. No other context was given. He just left without saying goodbye. Deep down I know something happened and I’ve thought about it over the years, but I still haven’t reached out after that initial shock. He ignored every call and every text I sent right after he left and I can’t subject myself to that again.
“I can’t believe I can hate and love someone so much at the same time,” I say as I twist my eternity ring around my finger. I still can’t bring myself to take it off even after all these years.
“Me or Jess?” she asks sarcastically.
“Depends if you pass my English final,” I reply with a smile and try to push the thoughts of Jess to the back of my mind.
✽✽✽
“FINALS ARE OVER BITCHES!” Staley yells into the crowd at the Beta Chi house. The crowd cheers and we all clink our beers together.
“How do you think you did?” Staley asks about my English final.
“I think I passed. Your notes definitely helped. I’m so glad I won’t need this shit next year.”
“I still can’t believe you’re not playing your senior season,” Harper whines.
“I know. But I will still be on campus.” I submitted all my required paperwork by the deadline and I should find out if I was accepted into the DPT program in January. “But tonight isn’t about goodbyes. It’s the end of the semester party, we’re done with finals, so let’s have fun!”
“That’s right,” our teammate, Cora, pipes up. “Stanzy will always be a Gopher.”
“How’s the knee feel?” Poppy asks and motions her beer toward my braced leg.
“It’s good. I’m making good progress actually. My physical therapy doc is amazing,” I answer.
“And fucking hot!” Staley exclaims.
I smile. Dr. Colletti is pretty attractive for an older guy, but he’s my doctor and that’s the only relationship we will ever have.
“This isn’t one of your romance books, Stay. Doctors don’t just hit on their patients all day long.”
“They do when they look like you,” Harper quips and we all laugh.
“I agree with your friend,” a male voice penetrates our circle.
We all turn and take in a very handsome face. Blond hair, blue eyes, pointed nose, and a gorgeously perfect smile.
I glance around to make sure he’s actually talking to us and then settle back on the guy in front of me.
“Hey, I’m Chipper,” he says and offers his hand to me.
“Stanzy,” I reply and shake his hand.
The rest of my friends and Staley introduce themselves to Chipper as well. Tall, thin and impeccably dressed in tight, dark, ripped jeans, a fitted crewneck sweater, and city boots. His quaffed hair is parted and flipped back. Chipper is incredibly attractive, but so not my type. I prefer the caramel skin, root beer eyed, masculine type.
“Hmm, Stanzy. That’s unique. I like it,” he says as his eyes scan my body and his lips turn up at the corners as if he approves of what he sees. “What’s going on ladies?” he asks and I can hear the hearts flutter all around me.
“Not much, just finished finals,” Poppy says. “What about you? What’s the great Chipper Larpenteur doing at a frat party with commoners?”
Chipper Larpenteur. Where have I heard that name?
“It’s my frat. I’m the President.”
Ahh, that’s why I’ve heard his name.
“I can’t believe I’ve never met you ladies before. Come here often?” he asks. He’s smooth, very charismatic and confident.
“No, we usually party at the Alpha Sigma Phi house. But tonight, we were invited by Harper’s boyfriend to come here instead,” Staley tells him.
“Oh, I see. You usually party with the football team.” Chipp
er smirks. Alpha Sigma Phi is the fraternity for the football athletes. The biggest house on Greek row that throws the best parties, invite only. “Well, I’m glad you decided to step it up a notch with us for a change. Are you ladies in a sorority?”
I shake my head. “No, we play volleyball so we get the athlete invite to go there. Your house is very nice though too.”
Chipper laughs. “Thanks, we may be smaller, but we have better booze and a much nicer house. Do you want to grab a drink with me and take a tour?” he asks me.
Frat boy code for hookup.
“Yes, she does,” my friends all reply in unison.
Traitors.
“I guess I do,” I reply and glare at all of them.
“It’s time, Stanz,” Staley says and gives me a knowing look.
Chipper grabs my free hand and we wiggle, more like I hobble, our way through several bodies until we reach the door at the back of the house. I should feel nervous maybe, but I’m not. This doesn’t feel like he’s taking me into a bedroom or anything.
“This room is private. Members only,” Chipper says and unlocks the door leading into the room. He’s a little pretentious with his members only stuff, but I let it slide… for now.
“Are you supposed to take me in here?”
“I’m the President and I have the keys,” he answers and shakes his keychain at me. His keychain is an anchor. Interesting.
Behind the thick wood door is a sunroom. Three walls of floor to ceiling windows, white coffered ceiling and white trim, soft white carpet, and a fireplace with a black marble mantle with Goldy the Gopher’s portrait hung above it. There are two maroon armchairs, two gold upholstered loveseats, and a huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall next to the door we came in, opposite the windows. The room is quite stunning.
“Like it?” Chipper asks as we enter further into the room.
“It’s stunning.”
“You should come back during the day. The view of campus from here is amazing. Plus, we have a pool.”
“Seriously? Your house is way better than the Alpha house.”
“It’s sort of hidden on this property. Not many people get invited to our pool parties.”
Completion (Cambria University Series Book 3) Page 15
