Chapter 15
Ethan
Fuck, it had been way too incredible.
I catch myself remembering those last seconds several times during the celebration party. The only downside is that now Johnny was acting like he was Superman, but I'd put up with his ego tonight.
Mostly because he'd already vanished from my sight.
He must be in some room already, since twice as many girls threw themselves at him after the win.
Fine by me, because it meant I could call Charlie, which is exactly what I do as I step out of the Kappa Delta house, Dennis Foreman's fraternity, which always ended up hosting the team's victory parties.
Or for any other reason the quarterback could come up with to gather people and drink.
It's already past ten at night, but the girl answers on the second ring.
"Good evening, kitten," I greet, and I hear the melodious laugh on the other end.
"Good evening, player. I heard you guys won today, congrats," she congratulates, and I smile.
"Thanks. It was a last-minute win, but it was incredible. Did you watch?"
"Uh... no, sorry. It's not really my thing. But Maddie always summarizes stuff for me so I don't get lost in the university gossip," she confesses, and I laugh.
"Good. But so, what are you up to?"
"I just finished an assignment and I was considering whether to order something to eat or just sleep," she says, and I laugh again.
"How long has it been since you ate?"
"Hmm... I don't know. Since lunchtime?"
"Then there's your answer," I state, and I hear her make a frustrated noise with her mouth.
"Damn. It means I'm going to have to put on something decent and go down to pick it up," she complains, and I let a little puff of air out through my nose, entertained.
I lean against a tree outside the house and watch people dancing and drinking around the pool, though it was covered now with winter approaching.
"I was going to invite you to come here and celebrate with me, but apparently you're too tired."
"Physically? No. Mentally? Exhausted."
"You could drink, dance, and kiss me. I guarantee it eases the mind," I venture, and she laughs.
"Tempting, but a party with my ex doesn't seem like a great idea either," Charlie justifies, and I kick a little pebble in the grass, unable to stay completely still even while talking on the phone.
"He's already disappeared into a room, I doubt he'll show up around here again."
"Hmm... but still... A lot of people would see me."
"So what? You're going to hold yourself back because of what people will think? Or worse, afraid of what Johnny will think?" I play my last card, and Charlie sighs.
"No. Not that," she assures me with the firmest voice she can manage.
"Then come. I promise to make it worth it. And either way, most of the people here are either drunk or very drunk. They won't be able to gossip reliably about anything," I say, and the girl laughs a little, but it quickly turns into another groan.
"But I really am hungry and if I order something to eat, you can bet I won't get out of my bed again."
"I'll order a pizza. It'll be here when you arrive," I state, already excited about the possibility of her actually coming.
"You're going to find a solution for everything I say, aren't you?" she throws out, and I crack up.
"Probably, sweetheart."
Charlie huffs and I can picture her rolling her eyes.
"Okay, you win. But I'm only staying for a little bit, okay? And only because I really have been holed up in my room for too many hours. It'll be good to see people. And I think Maddie's out there too."
"She sure is! And you'll get to see me, what's better than that?" I joke, and she cracks up.
"When did you get so cocky, Mr. Clarke?"
"Ever since you let me put my hands on your ass," I fire off, and the girl gasps.
"I can't believe you said that."
"I did. And it's true. Now come on already!" I ask, running a hand through my already messy hair.
"Okay. But order pepperoni pizza with lots of cheese. And it'd better still be warm when I get there! And the beer cold, or you're not getting that ass tonight," she shoots back and hangs up in my face.
I crack up and put the phone in my pocket, still with a smile on my face.
I was going to earn that beautiful ass.
Oh, I was.
I order pizza for everyone, of course, because otherwise the hungry drunks wouldn't leave me in peace, but I set Charlie's aside.
I also put some beers in the freezer and stand guard in the kitchen so nobody grabs them.
And that's where Charlie finds me, with Maddie and Logan on her heels.
I know the blonde was already here earlier, tangled up with Zac, one of my friends who's also a linebacker on the Royals.
They had some kind of friends-with-benefits thing too.
"Look who I found up at the entrance," my friend announces, gesturing to the girls. I raise an eyebrow seeing that his other hand is positioned on Charlie's back.
"Hi, kitten. I had to stay here guarding your cold beer," I explain as I pull her to me and give a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth.
"You look beautiful." She looks amazing, to be honest. She's wearing a strapless black dress, glued perfectly to her delicious body, plus white Converse on her feet and a dozen metallic bracelets on her wrist. The pink hair loose in soft waves completes it all.
"Thanks. It was one of the rare days my hair decided to cooperate," she says, blushing lightly, which only makes me want to bite her. "You know my cousin, right?"
"Of course. Hi, Maddie, how's it going?" I greet the girl, who smiles back.
"All good, Clarke. And you, happy about the win?" Maddie asks, and I nod eagerly in agreement.
"So much. It was an incredible night for us." That's my brief answer, because I know she only asked out of politeness and not because she wants to hear about my whole experience in today's game.
"It really was. I've still got adrenaline in my veins," Logan remarks, leaning against the big kitchen island of the house. Maddie and Charlie smile at him.
"Congrats to you both. I promise to watch the highlight video when the university's Instagram posts it," Charlie assures, and I laugh.
"I'm moved by the kindness," I say sarcastically, and she shrugs, keeping a mischievous little smile. "But so... pizza?"
The offer makes her light eyes light up and she nods energetically.
"Please! Or I'll have to bite someone, I'm so hungry!" she threatens, and we all laugh.
"I volunteer as tribute!" Logan fires off, without any shame. I narrow my eyes at him, but the guy doesn't even flinch, keeps one arm raised while smiling at Charlie with all the power of his charm.
I control the urge to huff and let go of Charlotte so I can grab the pizza I left stored in the oven.
"Be the tribute to grab the beers then, fool. We'll eat outside," I demand, and my friend finally shifts his attention away from Charlie to obey.
I didn't know why it bothered me so much that he hit on her. Logan flirted with any woman who breathed and, in fact, we've even hooked up with the same girl before, but I hadn't felt a single drop of jealousy on that occasion. Now with Charlotte...
It just seemed to be getting worse. And I'd better put an end to this feeling soon, because besides possibly ruining my friends-with-benefits thing with Charlie, it could also end up making things really weird between me and my roommate.
So I take a deep breath and try to chase away the crazy thoughts running through my mind.
Minutes later, we're sitting in a more secluded corner of the outdoor area. Charlie is in my lap while we share an armchair, and Logan, Maddie, and Zac, who met up with us on the way, squeeze onto a chaise longue.
I don't know how long we stay there shooting the breeze, drinking, and killing our hunger, especially that of the girl in my arms, who was more than satisfied with her special pizza and cold drink.
And even though I love spending time with my friends, I'm at the limit of the torture I can stand from having a hot ass shifting around in my lap.
I was ready to try to drag her off to my place, or at least to some bathroom around there, when a bunch of phones start ringing a really weird alert sound.
First Maddie's, then Charlie's, and when we look over, another dozen girls grab their phones and open them.
A bad feeling settles in my stomach, especially when Charlie tenses up entirely against me, so I can't resist and look at the message on her phone screen.
EMERGENCY ALERT!
Lexington Crown University informs: fire at the Lovelace dormitory building.
The fire department is already handling the situation, but we need all female students who reside in the building to come to the location, so we can account for every student and make sure everyone is safe!
ENTERING THE BUILDING WILL NOT BE PERMITTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS A TEAM OF PROFESSORS WAITING FOR YOU IN THE PARKING LOT!
Fuck. This I wasn't expecting.