Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Shit.” I straighten and poke my cheek with my tongue. “Why are you here? Is this some kind of penance?”
“Gage was already half lit when he came up with the amazing idea. I don’t want him to get pass-out drunk and not make it to practice in the morning because then he won’t be able to play on Saturday and we need him. Of course, Mac disappeared a half hour ago and left me babysitting.”
“That makes sense.” And it’s a total Brody thing to do. And also, a Mac thing.
A girl I vaguely recognize drops into Brody’s lap and shrieks his name. She throws her arms around his neck. He looks like he’d rather be hugged by a grizzly bear.
“Are we finally going to hook up tonight?” she whines.
He tips his head back and cups her chin in his palm. “Sweetheart, you don’t want to hook up with me. I’m not the good time you’re looking for.”
She pouts. “You’re not?”
He shakes his head. “Now, you know my friend Gage?”
“The tall guy with the dark curly hair?” she asks.
“That’s the one. He’ll treat you right. I think he’s inside. You can tell him I sent you.”
“Okay.” She hugs him, hops off his lap, and stumble-runs toward the house.
“What the fuck was that?”
“I don’t even know.” He inclines his head toward the door. “Your girl might need saving.”
I follow his gaze. And a growl rips up my throat. Dougie, a second year and the douchiest guy on the team, is leaning against the sliding door, preventing Cammie from leaving the house. She looks uncertain and like he’s the last guy she wants to talk to.
“You’re so fucked.” Brody laughs. “Now go. And get her the fuck out of here. There are better places for her to meet our teammates.”
“See you later.”
“Hopefully not until tomorrow.”
I stalk across the lawn and shout, “Kitten, I have your drink!”
Cammie’s eyebrow lifts.
Dougie glances over his shoulder and frowns.
Cammie ducks under his arm and heads for me, mouthing, kitten?
But before she reaches me, some girl I’ve previously hooked up with comes rushing at me out of nowhere and throws her arms around me. Cammie’s drink hits the ground and splashes my jeans. Cammie stops halfway across the lawn, and the look on her face reinforces Brody’s assertion that this was not the best place to bring her. I extricate myself from the girl who seems to have eight arms instead of two and tell her I have to go, closing the distance between me and Cammie.
I feel like I’ve fucked this night up epically.
“Wanna get out of here?”
She bites the corner of her lip. “Yeah. That’d be good.”
CHAPTER 18
CAMMIE
Ishrug off Chase’s arm when he tries to put it around my shoulder and stuff my hands in my pockets. I’m positive that girl who practically glued herself to him a minute ago is a former hookup. She was so thrilled to see him, and then she shot daggers at me with her pretty, green eyeballs when he basically shrugged her off, exactly like I’ve done to Chase.
I’m so out of my depth. What started as a great night has done a swan dive into a pile of crap. I’m grateful when Chase doesn’t suggest walking through the house again and guides me around the outside. I feel horribly out of place, and stupidly jealous.
All these girls who go to these parties are effortlessly cool and pretty and have no problem talking to him. Or any of the other guys. They’re fun and fun to be around. They want to be here. And it doesn’t matter that I’m standing right beside him. They all seem to look right through me. Like I’m a pane of glass. Like I’m not even there.
“Chase man! You just got here!” A guy calls out.
“Chase! I didn’t even get to say hi!” Another freaking girl rushes over and throws her arms around him.
“My girl has an early class. I’ll see you later.” He extracts himself from her hug and rushes to catch up to me.
I know this neighborhood. We’re not that far from campus. It’s maybe a fifteen-minute walk. I just need to hold it together that long.
As I head for the sidewalk, the front door is thrown open and two girls rush out. Two familiar girls. Barbie and Annabelle.
“You were supposed to be keeping guard!” Barbie barks at Annabelle.
“I didn’t know you were going to take his jersey!” Annabelle tries to get her to stop. “You have to give it back!”
“Not now!” Barbie snaps her fingers at Annabelle. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Annabelle looks like the last thing she wants to do is follow Barbie, but she does anyway, and they disappear down the street at a sprint.
“That looked intense,” Chase mutters.
I head down the sidewalk going in the same direction as Annabelle and Barbie, but they’ve already disappeared around the corner. Chase falls into step beside me.