Chapter 5
Jack
My energy is spent by the time I walk into the house I share with my teammates, and my brain is swirling with everything Alondra and I covered in our second tutoring session.
She helped me sort through all the open tabs of potential sources by reading the abstracts to determine whether they would support my argument, and we created a brief outline to help me get started on each section of the paper.
We also worked on reviewing sections of what our midterm covered.
Dylan is on the couch, his flavor of the week straddling his lap as they make out, and I shut the door louder than necessary. Their heads separate, but Dylan doesn’t look phased, and the girl doesn’t climb off his lap.
“Get a room,” I say, shaking my head as I drop my bag on the ground.
“This is a room,” Dylan replies, snorting, and I roll my eyes, moving into the kitchen to find Coop with headphones on as he cleans the dishes in the sink. The aroma from dinner still lingers in the air, and my stomach rumbles with the hope that there are leftovers.
Opening the fridge, I’m relieved to spot the container on the top shelf labeled with my name on the sticky note attached to it.
“You’re lucky there’s enough chicken stir fry left for you. I thought Dylan was going to square up with Nate over the last serving,” Coop says, and I turn around, grinning.
“Have I told you that you’re my favorite?”
“Whatever,” he says, rolling his eyes. I grab a fork out of the drawer, diving straight in without even bothering to warm it up first. “Are they still on the couch?”
I nod, too busy chewing the mouthful of rice and vegetables. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now, too distracted by the effort it took to keep my focus on my paper at Alondra’s. “Dude, this is fucking awesome,” I say, taking a moment to breathe.
“It was better hot,” Coop says, drying the pan in his hands, and I lean against the counter.
“What do you know about Ellie’s roommate, Alondra?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
Coop laughs under his breath. “Ellie will murder you if you go anywhere near her. She barely lets me come over when she’s home.”
“That’s because her last roommate was obsessed with you,” I say, taking another bite as Coop levels me with an unamused expression.
“Fuck off, Willow wasn’t my fault. Don’t say you want to hook up with no strings attached, then start cutting out pictures of me for a wedding scrapbook,” he says, shuddering, and I can’t blame him because I’m just glad that shit hasn’t happened to me.
“Alondra’s been nice the few times I’ve been around.
I’ve never met the other one, but Ellie said they’re quiet and clean.
Ellie seems to like them, though. My sister would eat me alive if I said she’s pretty, but I’m not blind either. ”
Nice and quiet aren’t exactly how I’d describe Alondra. She’s not just pretty—she’s beautiful. It really wasn’t a line I used on her Friday night.
I swallow the food in my mouth, clearing my throat. “She’s the girl I kissed at the bar Friday,” I admit, and his eyebrows raise. “I didn’t know she was Ellie’s roommate, or that she’s Coach Brown’s daughter.”
This time, Coop’s jaw unhinges, and he laughs. “His daughter?”
“Yeah,” I say, scratching my jaw, and Coop walks toward the living room.
“Dylan, say bye to Sally and get your ass in here,” I hear him say just after I take another bite of the dinner I’m inhaling, making me choke.
Coop walks back in, shaking his head at me while tears stream from the corners of my eyes as I cough, trying to swallow the food in my mouth.
Dylan’s scowling, and if I could laugh, I would.
“Couldn’t you have told me what the hell is going on without making Sandy leave?
” he grumbles, giving Coop a look of irritation.
“Tell Romeo,” Coop says, crossing his arms over his chest.
I cough once more, but my voice is raspy. “Wow, Coop. Thanks for asking if I’m okay first after I almost died,” I say, setting down my dinner on the counter. “The girl I kissed Friday night is Ellie’s roommate and Coach B’s daughter.”
Dylan scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Very funny. Coach B doesn’t have a daughter, and Eleanor made it clear we’re not to even be in the same room as her roommate. Did you really have to make Sandy leave?”
“Al’s also tutoring me for my Comp II class,” I continue, choosing not to look at either of them.
“You’re not joking?” Dylan asks, and I wish I was. “Holy shit, you kissed Coach’s daughter? What the hell were you thinking?”
“Probably the same thing you were thinking when you and Sandy decided to camp out on the couch in the living room instead of going upstairs to your bedroom,” I say, and Coop’s silence tempts me into looking at him, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
“Obviously I didn’t know she was Coach’s kid when I went up to Al at Twin City. ”
“But you knew who she was when she became your tutor?” Coop rumbles, asking the right question, and I sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me things were that bad with your class? I would have helped you, and so would Ellie,” he continues, and I know they would have helped me, but it’s not their job.
“Alondra might be Coach’s daughter, but she’s smart, and she’s in my class with me.
She already got our professor to agree to let us work together so I can use my accommodations the way they’re meant to be used.
” I’m aware that I was letting my pride get in the way of using them before, but I’ve had enough people over the years tell me their perceptions of dyslexia, and it always ends up with them either looking at me or treating me differently.
“You’re a fucking idiot for having Alondra tutor you because you can’t keep your dick in your pants,” Dylan says.
I would try to deny it if I hadn’t struggled to focus on what Al was saying tonight because I was too busy staring at her full lips, remembering how it felt to kiss them.
At one point, she leaned over, and all I could focus on was the smell of strawberries that flooded my senses, and it was intoxicating.
“It’s a bad idea, Jack,” Coop echoes, and I tug a hand through my hair.
“She has no interest in anything other than a tutor and a . . . tutoree relationship. Fuck, whatever you want to call it. She wants nothing to do with me.”
“And what do you want to do with her?” Dylan asks, and I wish I knew.
The simple answer would be that I’d love to find out what she’s like in bed, but unfortunately for me, even if Alondra were interested in me, she’s off-limits.
“I want to pass this stupid class,” I say, walking past him toward the living room to flop on the couch.
Aside from this class determining my eligibility with the team, if I don’t pass it, I won’t graduate. I refuse to disappoint Momma when it’s the one thing she’s asked of me after everything.
I’m aware Alondra is my best bet at making it through this course, but I’ve never had to work this hard to get someone to like me.
She begrudgingly gave me her number before I left, making me swear I wouldn’t use it for anything other than changes in my tutoring schedule. But it’s a good thing I wasn’t a scout.
I found Alondra on social media, but her accounts are private, and I doubt she’d accept a request from me.
I did end up tracking down the other roommate’s account through Ellie’s, and thankfully, Macy didn’t ignore my direct message asking how Al takes her coffee so I could bring a cup for her yesterday.
I barely got a smile from her.
I can’t figure Alondra out, and it’s equally as frustrating as it is intriguing.
A part of me enjoys the fact that she isn’t fawning over me like most of the girls I meet, because as much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m not the best at platonic relationships with women.
I’m afraid that option might already be out of the question for us, though, considering I can’t seem to push our kiss out of my mind.
She’s stubborn, insisting it was only a three, but the way her breathing hitched tonight whenever my arm brushed against hers, tells a different story. It makes me think our kiss felt the same way for her as it did for me, even if I can’t quite figure out how it makes me feel.
I had every intention of leaving her alone after finding out that Alondra is Ellie’s roommate and Coach’s daughter, but then I walked into class and saw her sitting with her friend. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself taking the open seat next to her.
Sure, an explanation for why she lied about her name would be nice, but I can’t fault her for not telling me exactly who her father is. It’s not like I openly share that information myself.
I wish I knew what it was about her that’s gotten under my skin.
First, I asked for her number at the bar, something I never do. Then, I practically had to beg her to tutor me.
What I really don’t understand is why Alondra thinks she’ll be in trouble if Coach B finds out about the kiss. She’s his daughter, and I’m just one of his players, but my fear of failing Comp II again outweighs my fear of Coach B for the time being.
A pillow lands on my face, pulling me from my thoughts. Dylan’s laughter echoes off the walls, and I throw it back at him. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“Because I’ve been talking to you, but you’re in la-la land thinking about your tutor,” he jests, and I flip him off.
“Wrong. I was thinking about your mom,” I retort, just as the front door opens, and Nate walks in.
“Whose mom are we talking about?” he asks without skipping a beat.
“Dylan’s.”
He raises an eyebrow, kicking off his shoes. “Why? Yours is hotter,” Nate says, and I wish I hadn’t thrown the pillow back at Dylan already, so I could throw it at him instead.
“Really? That’s my mom, Baxter.”