Chapter 14
DANNY
Getting Sadie out of my head after the sex toy convo was hard.
I kept imagining her playing with them, which left me in a state of semi-arousal in the most inappropriate moments.
I couldn’t even look Coach Clarkson in the eye.
What would he think about me if he knew I was lusting after his daughter?
Mercifully, Andy didn’t give me a hard time about Sadie, even after I revealed she was Coach Clarkson’s daughter. I have to thank Jane for that reprieve; whenever she’s around, Andy only has eyes for her.
In an exercise of self-restraint, I manage to keep my contact with Sadie to a few messages here and there throughout the rest of the week.
I felt tempted to invite her to hang out, but that wouldn’t help me at all.
In just a few days, she managed to get under my skin.
It’s crazy how much I miss her already, and I barely know her.
Friday morning, I get a call from the garage to let me know the car is ready.
The damage was more extensive than their first assessment, so the repair cost was more than five hundred dollars.
The knowledge made me consumed with guilt, which is nonsense.
Sadie wrecked my car, after all. But I still avoided telling her until the last minute, right before Andy was getting ready to give me a lift.
I send her a message on WhatsApp. She doesn’t answer, and a moment later, I get a call from a number I don’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Danny. It’s me. Sadie.”
“Whose phone is this?”
“Oh, I finally got a US number. You’d better save it in your contacts. Anyway, I’m calling to ask if you need me to drive you to the garage. Then I can pay the bill.”
I glance at Andy, who’s eating a snack in the kitchen. I should tell Sadie I don’t need a ride, but I would still need to swing by her place to get the money. It’d be easier to just let her drive me there instead of bothering Andy.
“Yeah. Sounds good. What time do you think you can be here?”
Andy snaps his head in my direction, frowning.
“Ten minutes tops. Does that work?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, see you soon.”
“Who was that?” Andy asks after I put the phone away.
“Sadie. She’s taking me to the garage.”
His lips curl into a knowing grin. “Is she now? You sure enjoy spending time with the coach’s daughter.”
“Shut up, man.” I flop on the couch and turn the TV on.
Not satisfied, Andy walks over and sits next to me. “I get the appeal. Forbidden fruit always tastes better.”
“Oh yeah? Was that why you went after Jane?”
My comment erases the mirth off his face in an instant. “You know it wasn’t like that with Jane.”
“Fair. Just like it isn’t like that with Sadie. We’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. I’ll pretend I believe you.”
“I’m not kidding, Andy. So stop with the cupid shit, all right?”
“Are you saying if the opportunity presents itself, you’re going to hook up with someone else at the Pike party tonight?”
I scoff. “Shit. Is it tonight? I forgot about it.”
“Yeah, it’s tonight, and you’re going.”
“ I’m going? What about you and Jane?”
“Nah, we’re staying home tonight. Gotta make up for the time she was away.”
“What about Lorenzo?” I ask.
“He has a sleepover. Everything is arranged. All I need is to get rid of you for a few hours.”
“Gee, way to make me feel good about being your roommate.”
“Come on. It’s not like I’m asking you to find a place to crash tonight. Just do me a favor and don’t come home before midnight.”
Before I can reply, I receive a text from Sadie saying she’s downstairs.
“Fine. I’ll go to the stupid party.” I get up and head for the door.
“Maybe Sadie wants to go,” Andy chimes in before I walk out.
“Right. Whatever. See you later.”
Like I’d ask her to come to the party with me. Maybe I should hook up with someone just to stop obsessing about her.
As soon as the idea enters my head, I reject it. I don’t want to sleep with a random girl.
Outside, I search for Sadie’s car. She must not have parked near the building’s entrance.
“Hey, Danny,” a female voice says from behind me.
I turn but haven’t the faintest clue who the girl is smiling at me.
“Hi.”
“Are you going to the Pike party tonight?”
I’ll never get used to people acting like I owe them information about my life. Popularity was never my goal. I just want to play football.
“I’m not sure yet.”
She steps closer and places her hand on my arm. “I hope you do.”
A loud honk makes her jump back. We both turn to the street. Sadie just stopped in the middle of the road. Her passenger window is down, and she’s leaning closer to it.
“Hey, lover boy. Get in here,” she says.
My face splits into a broad smile. My reaction is not for this random chick’s benefit. I’m genuinely happy to see Sadie. Too happy, actually.
Settle down, stupid heart.
“Is that your girlfriend?” the girl asks.
“Sure,” I reply absentmindedly and rush to Sadie’s car.
She takes off before I have the chance to put my seat belt on.
“Whoa. What’s the hurry?”
“I was blocking traffic.”
“There was no one behind us.” I click the seat belt in place.
“Well, I don’t want to get stuck in traffic. Katrina invited me to a party, and she wants to doll me up. I have no idea what that entails or how long it will take.”
“Are you talking about the Pike party?”
“I don’t know. Some Greek party. I wasn’t paying attention. Why? Are you going?”
“I was thinking about it.” I look out the window to hide my lying face.
I don’t know why I felt the need to lie to her about it when I know I’ll be there. It’s just a party. I’m an idiot.
“Cool. Then maybe I’ll see you there. Although, considering Katrina has roped me into being her guinea pig, maybe it’d be better if you didn’t go. There’s a fifty-fifty chance that I’ll look like a lost pageant contestant.”
I laugh. “Damn. Now I have to go.”
“Shite. I should have kept my mouth shut, huh?”
“Probably.”
She yawns. “God, I’m so tired. The last thing I want is to go to a stupid party. But I promised.”
“I hear ya. If you hadn’t promised, I’d offer to hang out with you.”
“What? In my tiny dorm room? Why couldn’t we hang out at your place?”
“We can any other night, but my roommate has planned a romantic evening with his girlfriend, and he wants me out of there for a few hours.”
“Ah, I see. So you are actually going to the party.” She smirks.
“Well, I’m not sure yet. I was thinking of catching a movie.”
“Ugh. That’s sounds like a better idea, but like I said, I promised.”
“I’ll go to the party if that will make you feel better.”
Not because I want to spend more time with you.
I can hear Will Ferrell saying I sit on a throne of lies. Shit.
“Hmm. Would I get to witness you fend off all those jersey chasers?”
I fidget in my seat, not liking where she’s going with this.
“Uh….”
She laughs. “For fuck’s sake. Relax. I’m just taking the piss. I don’t care if you have a bazillion arse lickers all over you.”
“You don’t?”
She glances at me for a second. “Why should I?”
I grind my teeth, annoyed.
“No reason.”
Fuck. I’m doing a hell of a job pretending Sadie and I are just friends.