Chapter 4
Ethan
Jonathan Blakely was an idiot.
Not just because he cheated on one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, but also because now he was keeping me from flirting with her so I could go clean up his messes.
Again.
Trey Maddox, the football team captain, was out of town and called to ask me to go bail Johnny out before the coach found out. The stupid creature got arrested for fighting at a bar last night and was only getting out on bail.
Which I had to pay.
But he was going to pay me back with interest, just for the hassle.
I park in front of Blakely's dorm building and he clears his throat, seeming to think about what to say. After I got him out of jail and called Trey to tear into him over the phone, followed by a few more curses from me, we'd driven here in my car in complete silence.
"Uh... thanks, Clarke. I owe you one," the player says, and I roll my eyes before actually looking at him with my barely disguised contempt.
He was always pulling this kind of thing.
Dumb fights, drug use during the season, nights of heavy drinking followed by terrible performance on the field...
It was a lot of trouble for someone who was just a backup kicker on the Royals.
If I were captain instead of Trey, I'd have told the coach about several of these screwups already, but Trey was the big-dad type who wanted to protect everyone, said everybody made mistakes and deserved another chance...
Even when the person obviously didn't deserve all that trust.
"Just get out of my sight, Johnny. You've got about three hours to sleep and show up to practice looking good as new," I say firmly, and the idiot nods.
"Sure, sure, you got it," he assures me, already climbing out of my car and raising his hand to flash me a thumbs-up. I roll my eyes one more time.
"And I'm going to text you my bill," I say loudly while he walks off slowly and just shouts back an "okay."
I shake my head in disgust and gun my car, pulling out of there fast toward the building where my class had already started about fifteen minutes ago.
Damn Johnny.
I was never going to understand people who risked their careers in the sport like that.
Football was what I loved doing most, and the future I wanted for myself.
Having spent years with Logan as my best friend, someone whose dream was the same, it was strange to see Jonathan and some other teammates always seeming so... careless.
Sure, it wasn't my business what each guy's focus in life was. As long as they didn't drag down the team, and our shot at making it to a Bowl game for the first time in Lexington Crown history, I was fine with it.
"You're distracted." Logan's deep voice comes from my right, making me jump and shut off my phone screen, then toss the thing into my locker.
"Fuck, why do you always show up out of nowhere?
I thought you were still in the shower," I complain to my friend, who shrugs and smiles.
We were still in the locker room, since football practice had ended a few minutes ago.
I'd gotten to serve as interim captain for the second time that week and I was loving being able to do it.
When Trey graduated at the end of the year, I was hoping the coach would give me that position.
"It's a gift. Sneaking around means I'm always uncovering a few secrets. What's yours today?" he asks, breaking into his predatory smile.
I huff while unwrapping the towel from my waist, tossing it onto the locker room bench and then grabbing a pair of boxers from my locker.
"Nothing much, you insufferable gossip. I was just texting a friend," I answer calmly, but that only seems to make the blond even more interested.
"A friend, huh? Is that what you call your mystery hookups?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at me while he starts getting changed too. His locker is right next to mine.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a few other guys perk up their ears in our direction and I huff again.
I was never going to understand everyone's fixation on my love life, just because I didn't go around flaunting it too much.
I was no celibate, far from it, but I preferred to avoid gossip and problems, so I always leaned toward getting involved with people from outside the university.
Which also made it easier to "exercise" my bisexuality in peace and be with other guys when I wanted.
On the team, only Logan knew I was bi, because unfortunately the sports world was still really backward and homophobic.
Since my dream was a career in the NFL, I was sadly forced to stay in the closet a while longer.
At least until I could prove my talent as a running back at the professional level.
"No. And I'm not sleeping with her," I finally answer, in a low but firm tone. I pull a black T-shirt over my head and hear Logan laugh.
"I sensed an implied 'yet' at the end of that sentence," he fires off, dead-on as always.
"Well, maybe. If she wants to, I want to, you know?" I confess, shrugging, and my friend laughs a little more. "But we just started talking, there's literally nothing going on yet."
"Hmm... interesting anyway. And where's she from?" he goes on with the interrogation, curious as always. I hesitate for just a second, but it's enough for the bastard to catch it. "She's from here! What a miracle! Do I know her?"
I make a face and buy some time while I sit on the bench to put my sneakers on.
The locker room is already emptying out, but Johnny's still around, so I'd rather not say anything out loud.
Logan looks at me expectantly while I grab my phone back from the locker, unlock it, and open Charlotte's photo in the chat, then pass the device to him.
I watch him study the photo for a few moments and frown.
"Hot as hell. And she's not unfamiliar, I just can't remember where from..." my friend says, but his eyes go wide when understanding seems to hit him. "Shit, isn't this the..."
"Yes! So shut the hell up," I cut in quickly, seeing Johnny come out of the showers right then. Logan turns toward the kicker for a second, then looks back at me and lets out a loud laugh.
"You're no fool, my friend. The new look after the breakup did her a lot of good," he says as he hands my phone back.
"Getting rid of that leech did her a lot of good," I add bitterly, and Logan fakes a cough to hold back his loud laughter. I can't help cracking a small smile too.
"True. So you going for it, then?"
"I think so. I'm going to ask her out," I reveal, slinging my bag over one shoulder. Logan's finished getting changed too and follows me out of the locker room to our cars.
"That's the way, man. Let me know later if breakup sex is as good as they say," he requests, giving me a pat on the shoulder.
"Oh, shut up," I shoot back, shoving the blond away, and he just laughs. "See you at home, and don't forget it's your turn to buy dinner tonight!" I add, and Logan snaps a mocking salute in my direction.
"Yes, sir, Captain!"
I roll my eyes and flip him off before unlocking my car and getting in. I hear the sound of Logan's car starting up and pulling away, but I stop for a moment to check my phone. Luckily, there's a new message from Charlotte, which makes me grin from ear to ear.
Charlotte: How about that coffee at Evergreen tomorrow?