Bragan Boys (Bragan University Boxset)

by Gianna Gabriela

  He flashes me an apologetic smile.

  “Hey, Red,” a blond guy says. I think I’ve seen him before.

  “Zoe,” Jesse corrects, and I give him an amused look.

  I did tell him it wasn’t an original nickname.

  The blond waves him off and extends his hand to me. “I’m Nick.”

  “I’m Zack,” says a redhead standing in the middle of Jesse and Nick.

  “Nice to meet you, Red,” I say teasingly.

  “Touché,” he replies with a goofy smile on his face.

  I turn my eyes to Jesse. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” he says with an easy smile.

  “What are you doing for lunch?” Nick asks, drawing my attention away.

  I look at him for a moment too long, trying to figure out why he’s asking.

  “Will you join us?” Zack adds.

  “Who is us?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. I glance at Jesse to find him looking back at the guys, mouth open.

  “Your man Jesse over here,” he says, pointing at a red-faced Jesse. “Zack and myself, plus a few others,” Nick says. I don’t register a word after ‘your man Jesse.’

  “I’m sure she has better things to do than—” Jesse starts, but I cut him off.

  “I’d love to,” I answer, looking at Nick and Zack. I can feel Jesse staring at me, but I ignore him. I don’t know why he’s been so adamant about not letting me meet his friends.

  “Great!” replies Zack. “We’ll see you at the main dining room at 12pm.” He says this matter-of-factly—like we’ve set up an official appointment.

  “See you then,” I respond, still refusing to look at Jesse—not out of rebellion, but out of fear.

  I look down at my watch, realizing I’m about to be late for class. “Gotta go!” I tell them, waving goodbye. I start walking in the direction of the political science building, feeling my pulse increase, knowing it has nothing to do with being late to class.

  It’s lunchtime, and I’m seated at what I now realize is the football team’s table. It feels odd sitting here, but at least I’m not the only girl, and that makes me feel a little better. I look to my right to find Jesse smiling back at me. Under the table though, I drum my fingers, the nerves of meeting many of the people Jesse cares about getting the best of me.

  I fight through the anxiety though because he cares about them… and I care about him. I just wish people would stop staring at me like I have something stuck in my teeth. Oh my goodness! Do I? That would be embarrassing, but also not likely. I haven’t eaten anything since I sat down. My salad stares back at me, mocking me. I don’t even like salad.

  “I can’t believe you’d let her meet the guys before meeting us,” Mia complains from the other side of the table. I join her in looking at Jesse to find a cute shade of red creeping up his neck. I guess I didn’t expect him to be nervous too.

  “I didn’t mean for her to meet the guys,” he argues half-heartedly. “They saw her across the quad.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have kept her from us!” the girl who introduced herself to me as Kaitlyn Hunter shouts from her seat right next to Mia.

  I can tell the moment Jesse’s about to throw in the towel because of his intake of breath. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” he says, telling them exactly what they want to hear.

  “Neither do I,” Kaitlyn shoots back, and I laugh. I turn to find Jesse silently begging me for help. I shake my head slightly, telling him he’s on his own.

  Rolling his eyes at me, we both turn towards Mia and Kaitlyn when one of them clears their throat.

  “So, we’ve got a lot to ask you since we didn’t know you existed until five minutes ago,” Kaitlyn says, her eyes cutting to Jesse before returning to me.

  Oh boy. This will be interesting.

  “Ask away,” I say, trying to sound as confident as I can. Jesse finds my hand under the table. He squeezes it slightly, giving me the strength I need.

  “You just gave the Monster free reign; good luck,” Mia warns.

  “Hey! I take offense to that. I am not a monster!” Kaitlyn replies.

  “You know it’s all out of love,” Mia says, and they both smile at each other.

  They continue to tease each other, and I’m happy for the reprieve I’m given. The guys—well, Nick—invited me to lunch, and I accepted the invitation right away, but it wasn’t until I showed up at the cafeteria and looked at Jesse seated in a table that I realized I was going to meet the girls too.

  “Back to you, Zoe; where did you and our Jesse meet?” Kaitlyn asks.

  “We met at the hospital,” I tell her, and I can see the puzzled look on her face.

  “You were an intern there this summer too?” she asks.

  I knew this was the kind of question I’d be opening myself to when I answered. I glance at Jesse, but he’s still talking to Zack. I shift in my seat, the movement drawing his attention.

  Under the table, he puts his hand on my knee. “Everything okay?” he asks quietly.

  I nod. “Kaitlyn was just asking where we met.”

  He stiffens immediately, but I’m not going to lie about this. I squeeze his fingers to tell him as much.

  “I wasn’t; I was a patient,” I respond.

  “I’m sorry.” Kaitlyn immediately utters her apology, her eyes searching for injuries like everyone does.

  I wave it off. “It’s all good.”

  “Have you seen the guys play yet?” Mia asks suddenly, steering the conversation away from me. I give her a slight nod, trying to convey my appreciation to her.

  “I haven’t. Are they any good?” From the corner of my eye, I see all the guys’ heads turn my way.

  “Are we any good?” Zack asks out loud in mock outrage, causing all the girls to laugh.

  I look at him and smile. “Well, are you?” I take advantage of how easy it is to rile him up.

  “We’re the champions. We have been, and continue to be,” he says in a tone that sounds like he’s giving a locker room speech before a championship game.

  “They’re okay,” Mia says, earning herself another baffled look from Zack.

  “Falcon, you better teach your girl about our greatness,” Zack says.

  Jesse pats Zack on the shoulder. “Calm down, Hayes.”

  Mia says, “You should come watch the games with us.”

  “Sure, I’d love to. Let me know when you girls go, and I’ll get a ticket.” Jesse’s told me to go and see his games before, but I haven’t taken him up on it yet. I chance another look at him, only to find he’s got a goofy smile on his face.

  “You don’t need to get a ticket. I’ll put one, or two if Emma comes, on hold for you,” Jesse says in the most tender voice. I bite my lip, feeling myself falling for him a little bit more.

  It’s only a crush, I reason with myself. He’s attractive and kind, and I know I want more than just friendship. Each day, I realize this more and more, but I still don’t know if more could happen between us. He hasn’t said anything—hinted at anything. He hasn’t done anything more than hold my hand and introduce me to his friends—which technically wasn’t his choice.

  His words make me feel like even though we’re in crowded cafeteria, it’s just us. “Thank you. I don’t know if Emma will come, but I will.”

  “Is Emma the other chick we saw you with on the quad and at the cafe?” Zack interrupts with his burger halfway to his mouth.

  “Yes, sir; she’s the other chick,” I say, emphasizing the last word. I hate that word.

  Without a care, Zack sinks his teeth into the burger. He chews for a second before saying, “Tell her to stop being lame and come see the best looking and most skillful team play.”

  “Lay off, Hayes,” a brooding dark-haired guy says, walking towards us with a tray in his hand. He sits down at the end of the table.

  “I’ll try to convince her,” I tell him, knowing it won’t be an easy feat.

  “That’s Chase!” Mia says, int
roducing me to the newest addition to the table. I catch Kaitlyn rolling her eyes.

  I look at him and wave. “I remember him from the café.”

  “She really did meet everyone before us,” Kaitlyn whines, turning accusatory eyes to Jesse again.

  Mia laughs. “There’s a home game in two weeks. Let’s go to that one!” she says, once again changing the direction of the conversation.

  “I love that you memorized the game schedule,” Zack says, looking all too proud.

  “I wonder why,” Nick says.

  “I remember when Mia sat at this very table and told us she didn’t care about college football,” Zack says. Everyone laughs, all joining together to give Mia a hard time.

  “I guess my brother corrected that real quick,” Nick says proudly.

  “Your brother did what?” someone else says, and I look behind me to find Colton. Even though I’ve never met him in person, I recognize the most talked about person on campus. He walks to the other side of the table, pushes Nick to the right, and plops down in-between him and Mia. Bringing his hand to Mia’s chin, he turns her head slightly toward him and places a lingering kiss on her lips. When the kiss finally breaks, he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, then brings his lips to her forehead.

  “Okay, can we please cut that shit out?!” Nick says, his face scrunched up in disgust. Everyone dissolves into laughter.

  “Stop being jealous,” Colton finally says, turning away from Mia and acknowledging everyone’s presence.

  “Colton, this is Zoe—Jesse’s girl,” Kaitlyn tells him, and the sound of laughter spreads through the table, and I know it’s because of the song. I sit there awkwardly, not knowing whether to shake Colton’s hand or wave. I choose the latter, and he nods.

  “I wish that I had Jesse’s girl,” Nick singsongs, and the laughter at the table rises.

  Jess gives Nick a stern look. “Shut it.”

  Nick only grins and continues to hum the tune.

  We chat for another half an hour about sports, classes, and the guys—well, Zack and Nick mostly—continue to give Jesse a tough time singing the song whenever possible. Slowly, the table starts emptying, and as it does, I begin to feel lighter. For the first time in a long time, I feel at ease with meeting new people. Although it was terrifying, I did it.

  22

  ZOE

  “Are you sure they’ll be okay with me being here?” I ask the moment I reach Jesse in the lobby of my dorm.

  When he asked me if I wanted to go out with him this weekend, I was a little surprised, a lot scared, but also really excited. The last time I got to hang out with him, I’d initially felt odd about crashing his lunch, but I still felt like he wanted me there. So, when he texted me this morning, asking if I wanted to go bowling, I jumped at the chance of spending more time with him.

  But then he told why we were going bowling and that everyone else would be there. That’s when the panic set in. I had already said yes, so I couldn’t back out. And, it’s not like I had a bad time the first time around. Still, I asked Emma to come with me, but she turned down my offer, saying she had a research paper to write.

  We walk out of the dorm and towards his car, which is parked right on the curb. “It’ll be fine, Zo. It’s not like you haven’t met them before. Plus, Kaitlyn and Mia have been asking me about you nonstop since the day they met you,” he says, putting me at ease.

  “They seem really close,” I comment as we reach the passenger side of his car.

  Jesse lingers at my side. “Well, they’ll soon be sisters-in-law.”

  My eyes widen. “Colton is going to propose?”

  He’s gotta be, like, twenty-two!

  “Not yet. But not because he doesn’t want to. He’s hinted at it, but Mia’s said something about getting a diploma in her hand before a ring on her finger,” he says, opening the door for me.

  “Smart girl.” I’d opt for a diploma first too.

  Jesse closes my door and goes around toward the driver side. Getting in and slamming the door after, he finally says, “We all think so.”

  “They look like they really love each other. At the cafeteria, I noticed he looked at her like she was his whole world.”

  “That’s because to him, she is—Mia, his siblings, and his dad. And well, us too. We’re all his family. But Mia, she’s the love of his life.”

  “I can tell. He doesn’t seem like a guy who lets people in easily,” I say, buckling my seatbelt.

  “You’re right on the money, Red. Colton is pretty closed off, but Mia managed to get in there, and pretty quickly at that. She also won over his sister, which is kind of impossible. They even live together now.” Jesse looks straight ahead as he turns the key in the ignition and puts the car in drive.

  “Mia and Kaitlyn?” I ask.

  “Yup. Some girl tried some shady shit last year, and Kaitlyn spoke out about it. That got her kicked out of her sorority. She needed a place to live, and Mia had an empty room.”

  “Wow. Can they even kick someone out like that? I mean, aren’t there rules against it?” I didn’t have the chance to join a sorority when I first started school here. I mean, I didn’t want to join anything freshman year, and sophomore year was cut short, so I couldn’t. Hearing this though, I’m glad I never had the opportunity.

  “I guess she didn’t really get kicked out,” Jesse clarifies. “The girl, Abbigail, was trying to make Kaitlyn’s life a living hell. And before things got worse, Kaitlyn just decided to leave. The new arrangement works well for Mia. It sucks for Colton though,” he says with a boyish grin that makes my heart do somersaults. We continue to talk about his friends as we drive over to the bowling alley. I appreciate him telling me about them because it calms my nerves.

  “You have interesting friends,” I tell him. They’re not at all like I expected jocks to be.

  He looks at me, grinning, before returning his eyes to the road. “They’re okay.”

  “So, what’s the story with Zack, Nick, and Chase?”

  “Zack’s really hardworking, even though you probably can’t tell. He loves girls, flirting, drinking, and partying. Nick, very much like Zack, loves partying. He also really loves the sound of his own voice. Girls love him. He’s a bit of a cocky bastard, but not a bad person.”

  “And Chase?”

  “Chase is a mystery. None of us knows much about him—I mean, except for Colton, who’s been his best friend since high school. I went to high school with him too, but we weren’t close. Like, at all. Chase was always the kid getting into trouble, and I wasn’t. I played soccer, he played football. Since I’ve known him, he’s always been reserved—dark and mysterious—which I hear girls love, but he doesn’t care.”

  “He doesn’t care about the girls?” I ask, digging deeper.

  “He likes girls. I’ve seen him with one here and there, but he’s not really trying,” he says with a chuckle.

  “Huh. Effortlessly charming, then?”

  “More like girls are attracted to the mysterious bad boy. Some people describe him as the darker version of Colton.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah, I mean… I get why.”

  “I see that too.”

  “Where’s this sudden interest in the guys coming from anyway?” he asks, looking straight ahead. “Do you like one of them?” he questions, coming to a stop at a red light. His eyes find mine, genuine concern reflected in their blue depths.

  Is he jealous?

  The light turns green, and he focuses back on the road. I watch as his hands tighten on the steering wheel and he swallows a few times. The silence in the car is almost unbearable.

  In a surprising gesture, he slowly reaches over and takes my hand in his. Carefully—curiously—he entwines his fingers with mine, and I immediately feel goose bumps spread over my body.

  This is new.

  We’ve never held hands like this before, and it feels like more confirmation that there’s more than innocent friendship here. I just
wish he’d come out and say it.

  “You’re not interested in any of them, not even a little?” he presses.

  My breathing hitches in my throat, the feel of his fingers caressing mine just too distracting. “I’m not interested in them,” I whisper, staring at him, hoping he can read between the lines.

  His fingers tighten. “Good,” he says. He slows the car and pulls into the parking lot of the bowling alley. After putting the car in park and shutting off the engine, we sit in silence, the air still tense. The words we want to say to each other are on the tips of our tongues, our hands still intertwined, but our courage lacking.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  We’re startled by the sound of Zack tapping on Jesse’s window. We let go of each other like we’ve just been caught doing something we shouldn’t have.

  Zack opens the driver’s side door. “Could you come in already? You two can do this lovey shit later!” He cackles, ruffling Jesse’s hair like an annoying big brother.

  “Dude, seriously?” Jesse asks, flustered, as he pushes Zack away. While they bicker back and forth, I open my door and slide out of the passenger seat, giving myself a second to catch my breath before joining the boys at the entrance of the bowling alley.

  “Ready?” Jesse asks.

  “Yeah, ready to lose?” Zack jumps in obnoxiously.

  “I’m ready… to win, that is,” I say, opening the door and stepping inside.

  JESSE

  I walk into the bowling alley with Zack on my right and Zoe hiding somewhere on my left. Something shifted in our relationship, but before we could figure out what that change was, Zack had screwed it up. We head straight towards the lane where Nick, Chase, Kaitlyn, Mia, and Colton are gathered. Seeing them all in a group, laughing together, I can see why Zoe was nervous to come. Maybe it’s our sheer size, or the fact that we play football, and that alone—in this town at least—makes us visible.

  Still, I want her to be here, to hang out with everyone—because she’s one of us now, whether she knows it or not.