by Lexy Timms
“That’s pretty good.” Brad walked over and touched the wall. “You did this all yourself?”
Jani nodded excitedly. “I moved into this room and painted the back room for you too, Aileen.” She grabbed Aileen’s hand and pulled her out of the room toward the back. “I figured you might want to have a bit more privacy since it’s your first year.” They walked through the kitchen that opened into a closed in back porch. There were stairs that led down to the basement and a door on the other side. Jani pushed it open.
The smell of fresh paint and carpet waffled through Aileen’s nostrils. Brad followed closely behind them. The dark gray carpet was soft and fluffy against her flip flops. Jani had painted one wall with the same black chalkboard paint and across from it she had painted an oval, red mondo-colored track with a Red Coat Warrior near the top left.
Jani grinned. “Super cool, ‘eh?”
Brad whistled. “This room is huge. Bigger than mine.” He glanced behind and frowned. “I’m not sure I like that back door right beside my sister’s room. She could sneak out of here without anyone knowing.”
Jani’s grin turned sly. “Or have someone sneak in.”
An image of Tyler Jensen naked on her bed, his tight, muscular body hovering over her, filled her mind. Aileen sucked in a sharp breath, dropping her purse in the process.
Chapter 2
Jani winked at Aileen so Brad wouldn’t see, picked up her purse and tossed it at her. Then Jani turned her attention back to Brad. “The rooms in the basement are at the front of the house, below here is the laundry room. No one can hear the back door opening or closing. This was my room for two years. I kept the back door oiled and squeak free. Someone could come in here and take your sister and we wouldn’t know it.”
Aileen burst out laughing at the look on Brad’s face. “She’s kidding!”
Brad crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m putting a padlock on that door before I leave.”
Jani put her arm around him. “I promise to take good care of your little sister.”
Aileen looked around the room again. “I love the track on the wall. Did you just paint that?”
Jani nodded. “I painted the other room first and then remembered the coach saying you were leaning toward Stanford or somewhere warm. Didn’t think you’d want to sleep in a room to rub that in. So I moved there and painted the track on this wall. Track seems to be your… your… entity.”
“Entity?” Brad scratched his head. “You mean, like her entire life? And nothing else?”
Aileen ignored her annoying brother. “I’m going to put my bed right under it.” She smiled. “It’s awesome.”
Brad walked around the room, opening the closet door. “This thing’s nearly as big as my room!”
Aileen came up behind him and peered in. “I don’t have enough clothes to fill this.”
“Wait till you get all your track gear. It’ll take up half the closet.”
Brad leaned against the doorframe of the closet. “Wait a minute. You guys get track gear? For free?”
Jani laughed. “Duh! Of course. We all get a jogging suit and a warm up suit at the beginning of the year. Plus we get a bunch of shirts throughout the year, and of course, a bunch of the meets give you a shirt, even a watch if you win. We also have a couple of competing outfits and a school warm up kit. That stuff has to be handed back in at the end of the year and then you get it again the next year.” She pointed to her feet. “Don’t forget shoes. We get trainers to work out in, plus spikes.”
“Seriously?” Brad shook his head and looked at Aileen. “I so should have gone out for track.”
“What sport are you into?” Jani asked him.
“I played basketball and soccer in high school. I, uh, didn’t really do anything but intramurals in juco. More into the partying scene.” He grinned and leaned toward her. “Which some would consider a sport in and of itself.”
“Whatever.” Aileen shook her head. Her brother was naturally athletic and probably could have made the juco soccer team or anything he tried out for. He just didn’t have the drive to go out and try out. “I’m going to start bringing in some of my stuff.”
“Wait!” Jani said as she headed out of the room. “Let me grab my keys and Brad can back his truck up into the drive. He can pull all the way so we can carry everything through the back door. We’ll have it unloaded in twenty minutes!”
“Ladies, slow down!” Brad motioned with his hands to stop them. “How about we grab a drink and chill for a bit first? We just got here. I’m up for going to grab something to eat in Campus Corner.”
“We will, after we unload the truck. We don’t have to set everything up now.” Aileen wanted to but wasn’t about to admit that to her brother. She also didn’t want to leave the house until she had showered and changed. With her luck, they would head out and run into Tyler, who wouldn’t even recognize her all greasy and gross.
Brad threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. Let’s unload. Then eat. Then you can show me the campus. I want to see this football stadium of yours.”
So did Aileen. Except her reasons were entirely different than her brother’s.
After unpacking and setting up her bedroom, Brad drove Jani and Aileen through Campus Corner. Jani picked out an amazing local Mexican food restaurant. As they ate, Aileen tried not to throw up from the flirting between her brother and roommate.
“You guys are gross,” she told them after lunch as they headed back to the truck. “You two are not allowed to… you know.” She closed her eyes and shook her head.
Jani laughed and threw her arm around her roommate. “I promise not to sleep with your brother. Rule number one of Roomie Rules. Brothers are like family and are not to be touched. They are scum.”
“Hey!” Brad unlocked the truck doors. “I’m right here.”
“Sorry, Brad,” Jani teased. “Honor before satisfaction.”
“I could totally satisfy you. You have no idea what you are missing.”
Aileen hopped in the truck first from the passenger side and punched her brother on the arm. “You are disgusting! I’m telling Mom you said that.”
“Ow!” Brad rubbed his arm. “Telling Mom? How old are you?”
“I’m wondering the same thing about you.” She grinned at her brother before rubbing her knuckles playfully on the top of his head. “I’m going to miss you while I’m at school.”
“I can stay if you want me too.”
She shook her head. “Not going to miss you that much.”
Jani burst out laughing. “I’m so jealous of you guys. I’m an only kid. No fighting, bickering or anything on my side. Can I be a surrogate sister?”
Brad leaned forward, resting his forearms on the steering wheel. “Surrogate?” He winked and gave her a knowing look.
Aileen stomped her feet on the ground. “Enough! I will seriously throw up all over the cab of your truck. Can we just say any flirty, sexual jokes or anything closely related is off limits? Taboo? Please?” She looked back and forth at both of them.
Brad sighed. “Fine. But I can’t guarantee anything if alcohol is involved.”
“Me, either,” Jani added.
“I am so digging you,” he said to her.
“Digging?” Aileen burst out laughing. “What decade are you from? The eighties?” She pointed to the ignition. “Just start the truck and drive.”
“Maybe Jani should drive. She knows the campus. Slide over. I’ll take your spot and she can get behind the wheel.”
“No!” Aileen shot Jani a warning look to not get out of the truck. “Not going to happen. I see through your ruse, Bradly Harper Nessa. She stays by me.”
“Fine.” Brad rolled his eyes as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. “Which way, Lady Jane?”
“Left,” Jani said. “Though I’m not sure I’m allowed to talk. Sargent Nessa might stick me in the barracks hole or drop my food rations if I open my mouth and speak to you.”
“
Ha ha,” Aileen tried not to laugh. “I’ll only stop if you do.”
“Then head down this street. We’ll drive you by the track and some of the campus. The football field is about a mile and a half from the track. The weight room’s there that we work out in.” Jani elbowed Aileen. “Coach has our training and weight program already set up. We start on Monday. You game for jogging out to the weight room a couple of times a week? We can jog to the track for warm up from our place. It’s the perfect distance.”
Aileen liked running. She was born a sprinter, but she enjoyed going for a long run too. Plus any extra training was like money in the bank for better times and placing results. “Sure. Glad I brought my bike.”
“Hey! I just had an idea! Why don’t Eddie and I come up for Thanksgiving?”
An idea began forming in Aileen’s head. “Would you bring Becky, too?” She explained to Jani. “Becky’s my best friend. She’s staying in Ohio making music. Getting a degree in it, too.”
“She’s got a wicked voice,” Brad added. “Sure, she can come.”
Aileen had planned on going home for Thanksgiving, but she had no idea if she would have to stay here to train.
Jani nodded. “Is Eddie cute?”
“Hey!” Brad whined before Aileen could reply. “I’m still here. Don’t go crushing a man’s mojo before he even has a chance to prove himself.”
“Off limits! Remember?” Aileen said. She loved the teasing banter the three of them had.
“This is fun. Sitting here all close together. You guys are crazy!” Jani giggled. “I don’t go home for Thanksgiving. It’s not worth the trip back to Canada. We could plan a dinner, try and make a turkey.”
Brad cleared his throat. “I went to cooking school. I could do the dinner.”
Jani leaned forward. “Seriously? I am so marrying you.”
“Off limits!” Aileen shouted.
“Let’s not invite this one.” Brad pointed at Aileen with his thumb.
Aileen pulled her phone out and started texting. “I’m asking Becky right now so she doesn’t plan any gigs for that weekend. It’ll be fun.” She hoped her parents wouldn’t mind she wasn’t coming home. “Maybe we should ask Mom and Dad to come, too.”
The lack of response from Brad or Jani made Aileen look up. “Bad idea?”
Brad coughed. “I was thinking—”
“Party!” Jani finished for him.
“We can still have a party on the weekend. Maybe just plan Thanksgiving Day with them.”
Brad put his arm around his sister after he pulled the truck into a parking spot on the road in front of the track. He looked out the window and admired the view before turning his attention back to Aileen. “You think you want them to visit now, but come November you are going to regret it. Don’t say anything to them yet. See what you think in a couple of months. Remember I didn’t come home my first Thanksgiving? Your university years are your selfish years, don’t waste them on thinking about other people.”
Jani snorted but didn’t say anything.
Brad shot her a warning glance. “You’ll be home three weeks later for Christmas holidays.”
Jani tapped a rhythm on her knee with a finger. “He’s got a point. Not exactly sure he delivered it the correct way, but it is a valid point. They are more than invited. I don’t even know them, and I think it would be cool to meet them. They had you, so they did something right.”
“They also had him.” Aileen nodded at her brother.
“Sometimes you need a rough draft.”
“I’m right here!” Brad said. “I can hear you guys.”
Jani clapped her hands. “See?”
Aileen and she burst out laughing. Finally, catching her breath and calming the mini hysterics, Aileen said, “I’m glad I came here and I’m doubly happy that you're my roommate.”
“Me, too.”
Brad cleared his throat again. “How ‘bout we finish this campus tour before I run out of gas?” He put on his blinker and pulled away from the curb. “Nice track, by the way.”
“I can’t wait to start training,” Aileen commented.
“Me, either.” Jani bounced her feet. “I love this time of year! The air, the smell, the change in the weather, the back to school feeling… all of it gets me gunning to start the season’s base training.”
“Now who’s the crazy one?” Brad joked. “Let’s go see the football stadium. We are so tailgating in November. There’ll be a home game that weekend, right?”
“Every year I’ve been here, there has been.”
Brad fist pumped. “Yes!”
“We have to score you tickets though.” Jani pointed to the stop sign up ahead. “Turn left. About a half a mile up the road is the entrance to the weight room. Just passed that is a light. Turn left there, and we’ll drive right by the stadium. That side has an impressive view of the stadium.”
“Can we go onto the field?” Brad followed her directions and turned left at the stop sign.
“Probably not. Nobody’s allowed on the field except football. Holy ground, you know. Shame though because you don’t truly understand the beauty of the stadium until you are looking up from that field when the seats are full.”
“You’ve been on the field?” Brad asked.
“During a conference home game. Made All-American, and they honored a bunch of athletes during half time.”
“’Leenie, you’d better make All-American and get yourself on that field.” Brad used the nickname he used to call Aileen when they were little.
Jani giggled. “I’m sure she has other ways to get on the field, as well.”
Aileen stared at Jani with wide eyes. Did Jani know what had happened between Tyler and her? What if he had blabbed it to the entire track team, letting everyone know he did his part to get her on the team? She hoped the thought was only theory.
“What do you mean?” Thank goodness Brad asked the question Aileen was thinking, but couldn’t say.
“Apparently on her recruiting trip—”
Aileen pressed her hand to Jani’s mouth. “Stop!”
There was no way she was going to let Jani tell Brad what had happened and blab the real reason she had come to this school.
Chapter 3
Jani twisted and freed herself from Aileen’s hand. Aileen sent her a pleading look to not tell Brad what had happened. If everyone knew, she planned on packing her bags and head right back with Brad to Ohio. She slumped back against the seat, crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight forward.
“What happened on her recruiting trip?” Brad slowed the truck to a crawl as they came into view of the weightlifting facility. He arched his neck to try and get a glimpse of the stadium hiding behind the building.
Please don’t say anything… please don’t say anything…
“While she was here, your sister did a workout in the weight room.” Jani gave Aileen a confused look. “Apparently the football weight coach was in and watched her do some of her workout. He now won’t shut up about how perfect her form was. He can’t wait to start working with her on the Olympic lifts. He bugged us the entire indoor and outdoor season and how she’s going to kick everyone’s records during testing.”
“Really?” Aileen did not believe a word Jani said. She planned to corner her and see what rumors had started as soon as Brad left. She didn’t believe Tyler was that type of guy… then again, she hadn’t thought he was the kind of guy to not bother contacting her either.
“Seriously! I bet the old guy did cartwheels when he heard you signed with the school. She proves him right, he’ll take her on the field during a football game!”
“Make sure it’s during the Thanksgiving weekend so I can come too.” Brad pulled his truck into the stadium parking area. The lot was enormous and the big arena at the end seemed small because of the size of the parking lot. He parked the truck and got out. “You guys coming?”
Jani opened the door and climbed out. “Practice is closed. If they’re out
there training, someone will come up and yell at us.” She chewed on a fingernail of her left hand. “They’re pretty tight on that rule.”
“I just want to see the field.” Brad began walking, determined to satisfy his curiosity.
Aileen slipped out of the truck and quietly closed the door. She lagged behind with Jani, who wasn’t in any rush. Aileen glanced up, using her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun.
The stadium entrance did not have the age of the other buildings on campus though it was made of the same brick. It reached high into the sky with large glass blocks apparently representing the private boxes for the wealthy, die-hard fans. Aileen had read somewhere that the original football stadium had been torn down around a decade ago to make room for more bleachers and seats. The press boxes had just been added recently to one side, about two years ago, just after the football program had soared back into the top ten across the nation. There were press boxes on the other side facing the main entrance as well. She had seen all the pictures, had memorized them back in February.
A thought crossed her mind. “Doesn’t the team train at the practice field or the indoor training center they have?”
Jani nodded. “Yeah. The field’s going to be empty.”
“Good,” Brad said. “Then no one will give us crap for looking.”
“Till we get caught,” Jani muttered. She glanced at Aileen. “I like having fun, and I’m always up for a challenge, but getting in crap for football isn’t worth the trouble we’ll be in. Football is a religion in this city.”
“Brad!” Aileen called out. “We’re going back to wait in the truck.” She stopped and turned back to walk to it.
Brad sighed. “Come on! Don’t be such a scaredy-cat.”
She turned around, hands on her hips. “I just signed a full scholarship to this school. I’m not risking anything before school even starts. You may not care, but I do.” She pushed it a little further. “You should care about how this is going to affect me.”
