Chapter 27 #2
“Because she was a ho; trust me, women know.” Jiana sniffed in the cold air, because it was Ohio in February, and I just knew she wasn’t dressed properly. “So, is she?”
“A ho? No. She’s an A-plus student, a student liaison for the Academic Administration, and—”
“She’s a nerd?”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not nice.”
“Is she a nerd?”
“Technically, but—”
“You’re dating a nerd? Don’t they have cheerleaders there?” Jiana sounded appalled. “Oh my God, if she is wearing a promise ring, run. She’s a ho.”
I barked out a laugh. “She is not wearing a promise ring. She is not a nerd. She is smart. Beautiful. Kind.” A liar. A spy. “You’d like her, she doesn’t take any of my shit.”
“Oh, I’m intrigued, tell me more.”
I talked with my sister on her walk home, telling her about Savannah, telling her about my roommates, telling her about school. Each word getting her further from that party. From Knox.
I heard a door open, followed by a mumble, and then a mommy.
“Here, talk to Uncle D.”
“Uncle D-bag!”
I laughed. My nephew didn’t know he was calling me a name; my mom tried to get him to stop, but Jiana and I thought it was too funny. Nicky was three, and he saw us laughing, so he kept doing it.
I glanced at my watch. “Why are you not sleeping, squirt?”
“Poppi let me watch sharks.”
Which meant my grandfather let him watch Finding Nemo, and Nicky was scared of the sharks in it.
“Hey, I heard your mom was going to try and make you a D-cup special.”
His little gasp of excitement was all I needed to hear to make the shit of today go away. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“You have to watch!” I heard feet running and then more muffled voices.
Jiana came back on the phone. “We need to FaceTime, he’s insisting.”
“Let’s do it.” I switched to FaceTime.
My sister grinned back at me, and then frowned as she peered at the phone.
“What the fuck happened to your face?”
“Swears!” Nicky shouted, and then my pops took the phone.
“Dante?” he peered at the phone, and I got an intense close-up of his nose hair.
“Back up, Pops, back up, please!”
One call turned into chaos, and I spent the next twenty minutes sitting in the empty stadium, catching up with my family, instructing my sister on how to make my nephew a sugar-coma-inducing hot chocolate that my mother would kill us both for giving to him, but I was out of her reach, so it was fine.
I felt slightly guilty for Ji, but she was an adult. I ignored my own scoff at that.
When I came off the call, I sat in the quiet of the stadium with a smile on my face. That’s what I needed. Family time.
Ji: Love you, control freak
I grinned.
Me: Love you too, JiJi
I got up and left, my feet a little lighter than when I walked in. As I started heading back to the dorms, my breath puffing in the cold air, I didn’t complain, knowing how much colder it was back home.
Home. Did I miss it? No. Not the place, the people. Mom, Pops, Ji, and Nicky, absolutely.
Just one more year, and I could make a difference. If I were on the first team next semester and there was no reason I wouldn’t be, I would declare for the Draft. This time next year, it would all be within reach.
I just had one more year.
It wasn’t long; we’d come this far, we’d make it. As Jiana’s voice faded in my ear, another girl’s slid in to take its place.
Savannah.
I remembered the heat of her body under mine, the roll of her hips against mine as I fucked her. The stubborn lift of her chin when she looked me dead in the eye. The way she’d almost told me no . . . and hadn’t.
And I knew I was lying to myself.
Because even after the fight, even after the shouting and the accusations, even after I’d called her a heartless bitch — I wanted her.
Like I wanted the weight of the ball in my hands with the game on the line.
I trudged up the stairs to the dorm, opened the door, and found Noah and Dust on the couch, talking shit as they played Madden.
Dust glanced over. “Where the hell have you been?’
“Family phone call,” I told him, pleased it was the truth.
Dustin grinned. “And how is your sweet, sweet sister?”
“Still too old, and too good for you,” I snapped. “Watch it.”
Dustin wasn’t put off. He laughed and nudged Noah with his elbow. “I told you, Spence, you can take Naya off my hands, and I will gladly take Jiana.” He turned his head to Noah. “My sister’s got a crazy crush on him; it’s really disturbing. I think she’s adopted.”
Noah choked on his soda and looked over at me. “I’m so glad I only have a brother.”
“Jealous.”
“Lucky,” Dustin said at the same time. “You should see his sister, man, she is . . .” He kissed his fingertips and gave a chef’s kiss.
“I’m going to hurt you,” I warned him, opening the fridge and seeing nothing junk-food-like. “Why do we never have sugar?”
“Because we have nutritionists, and food plans,” Dust said dryly.
“I want chocolate.” I closed the fridge door, and they were both looking at me. “What?”
“Do you like chocolate?” Noah said. “I’ve never seen you eat it.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t like it,” I grumbled. “Dust . . .”
“Nope.”
“Dustin, please, I need sugar.”
“You missed dinner,” he chastised as he played his game. “If you’d eaten dinner, you wouldn’t need chocolate.”
“You’re such an asshole,” I mumbled.
“Fourth drawer down, back left,” Noah said as he tackled Dustin’s player and forced a fumble. “Yes!”
“Hey, what — no!” Dustin yelled.
I pulled out the bag of chocolate candy, opened it, poured a handful, and chucked them in my mouth at once.
“Noah, you’re a true friend,” I said as I chewed, the chocolate melting on my tongue. “Dustin, you’re a dick.”
“Dante Spence, don’t you eat my snacks!” Dust bellowed, his focus torn between me and the game, as I headed to my room.
“’Night, man, I appreciate you!”
I closed the door, chuckling to myself, as I heard him tear into Noah, and Noah laughing, not giving a shit.
I took off my sneakers, dropped my bag, sat on my bed, and ate my roommate’s secret candy stash. I let out a sigh.
“What a weird fucking day,” I told the empty room.
My phone pinged, and I opened a message from my sister showing a video of Nicky running around in circles and my pops demanding to know how to turn him off.
I grinned.
One more year. That was the endgame.
My focus was football, and only football.
And maybe . . . Savannah Cole.