Chapter 20
Nick
“Hey, dude, do you have an extra suit?”
I look up from my laptop. Blake is standing in front of me while I sit on the couch in our living room doing homework.
“Yeah. Why?”
He sighs. “The one suit I have got trashed at the dry cleaners. I need a suit to wear for homecoming this weekend.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about that.”
Every October, the Hollis U men’s hockey team hosts a campus-wide homecoming dance in the student union. We sell tickets to the party, and all proceeds go to a local animal shelter that we partner with for charity events.
The theme changes every year. This year, it’s James Bond, so all the guys have to wear a tux or a suit.
Blake grins. “I’m surprised you forgot about the homecoming party. You’re usually pumped to get wasted and let loose.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “This year’s a little different now that I’m focused on school.”
I close my laptop and set it aside on the couch, then walk into my bedroom. I open the closet door and point at the three suits I have.
“Take your pick,” I say.
Blake grabs the navy one. “Thanks, man. Hey, how are classes going?”
“So far, so good. I’m no longer failing my Research and Composition class. I’ve got a solid C now, and in my Media Criticism class too. And I’m close to getting a B- in College Algebra. If I do well on my midterm, I think I can pull it off.”
He smacks my shoulder. “Damn, way to go, you brainiac. I guess your girlfriend is rubbing off on you.”
“Yeah, she’s been incredible.”
I think about the other night when I took her out for ice cream to celebrate her reaching a hundred thousand followers on her YouTube channel. How pumped I was for her.
How she didn’t even think to celebrate herself. That made me so sad. And a little mad too. Her parents grew up with a perfect kid like her, and they never once recognized her brilliance or hard work.
I think about how she lit up when I told her I was taking her out for ice cream. How she blushed when I told that group of students and the nice ice cream shop lady about her channel. That warmth in her expression. How happy she was.
My chest goes tight. I loved making her feel special. I want to do it a million more times.
“That’s pretty cool too that her YouTube channel is taking off,” Blake says.
“After you told me about it, I subscribed and watched a few videos. The one she did about the Vikings was really interesting. I have to write a paper for my Scandinavian history class, and that video’s going to help a lot. ”
I grin. “That’s awesome to hear.”
We walk back out into the living room, and he thanks me again for letting him borrow my suit. When I sit back down on the couch, I grab my phone and see a text from Poppy.
Good luck ever trying to get your hoodie back from me. It’s so big and cozy, and it’s my new favorite thing to wear.
Excitement flickers inside of me when I think about her wearing it. She looked cute as fuck with it on while I walked her to her apartment.
I think about how close I was to kissing her as I stood outside of her apartment building, how badly I wanted to tease open those plump lips and lap my tongue against hers.
How I was seconds from kissing the fuck out of this brilliant and beautiful girl.
But I didn’t. At the very last second, I stopped myself. Because kisses on the mouth are off limits. Because we’re not a real couple.
Even though every time I spend time with her and hold her hand and kiss her cheek, it feels real. I forget that we’re just pretending. I forget that she’s not mine.
I swallow hard and type a reply to her.
Me: You can keep my hoodie. But I want something in exchange.
Poppy: Like what?
Me: You come to homecoming with me and wear something sexy.
Poppy: You want me to go to homecoming with you?
Me: Of course I do. It’s a big event for the hockey team, and I want my girlfriend there with me.
Poppy: Okay :)
“Damn, we look good. We make James Bond look like slobs,” Blake says as he, Travis, Leo, and I all stand in the living room of our house, sipping beers.
We’re dressed in our suits and pregaming before we head to the student union for homecoming.
“We should head out soon,” Travis says.
“Hang on, I want another beer,” Leo says, draining his can.
I shake my head. “No way. Just one for now. You can have more later.”
He frowns at me. “What are you, my dad?”
“No, I’m your captain, and I’m reminding you that we’re headed to an alcohol-free event, and I don’t want you sloppy drunk. This is a team-sponsored event too, so we need to be on our best behavior.”
Leo huffs out a breath. “Fine.”
We all finish our beers, toss the cans in the recycling bin, and then head out the door. Since the house we share is on the edge of campus, it’s just a ten-minute walk to the student union.
“Is your girl coming tonight?” Blake asks me.
“Yeah, she’s meeting me at the union with my sister,” I say. “You guys have dates tonight?”
They all shake their heads.
“We’re single mingles tonight,” Blake says with a grin.
I laugh.
“Never thought I’d see the day where you’d be the one out of all of us to have a girlfriend,” Blake says to me.
Travis elbows him and frowns.
Blake just shrugs. “What? I don’t mean it as a bad thing. It’s cool to see Poppy make an honest man out of our resident manwhore.”
I slide my hands in my suit pockets and grin. “I’m a changed man, that’s for sure.”
Excitement swoops through me at going to homecoming with Poppy. I can’t wait to see what she’s wearing. When I texted her this afternoon to ask for a hint, she refused to send me a pic. She wanted it to be a surprise.
As we make our way toward the main part of campus, we spot a bunch of students walking in that direction too, all decked out in suits and fancy dresses.
“Looks like a lot of people are going to homecoming tonight,” Travis says.
“Good. I hope we sold more tickets than last year. I want the animal shelter to get tons of money,” I say.
“So which one of us is going to get voted homecoming king?” Blake asks.
I bump my shoulder into Travis, who glares at me.
“Travvie’s got it in the bag,” I say. “He’s Mr. Congeniality with his sunshine personality. Everyone loves him.”
Leo and Blake laugh.
“Yeah, right,” Travis grumbles.
“My money’s on you,” Blake says to me.
“Mine too,” Leo says. “Captain of the team almost always gets it.”
I just grin. “I guess we’ll find out.”
We head into the student union, which is a huge stone building at the center of campus. We make our way with the other fancy-dressed people toward the event room on the main floor, which is where homecoming is being held.
There’s a big table at the entrance where people are handing over their tickets.
I peek inside and see that it’s been decorated as a ballroom.
There’s a big stage in the middle with a fancy chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the walls are draped in shiny white fabric.
On one side, there’s a refreshments table with drinks, appetizers, and desserts.
As people line up to hand their tickets to the attendants at the entrance, I stand off to the side to wait for Poppy.
“You coming?” Travis asks.
“I told Poppy I’d wait for her at the entrance.”
Blake and Leo head into the ballroom while Travis hangs back with me. I pull my phone out of my pocket and text her.
Me: Where you at, hot tutor?
A second later, she texts back.
Poppy: Just walking in now.
Me: Cool, I’m at the entrance to the ballroom off to the side. I’m the guy in the assless leather chaps and ball gag.
Poppy: *eye roll emoji*
I catch Travis looking at my screen and rolling his eyes.
I scan the crowd for Poppy. A minute later, when I see her walking toward me, my eyes pop out of my head.