4. Ben
BEN
Oh man, I’m glad I’m here.
Going home for summer break is always a mixed bag of emotions.
I love seeing my family—for the first few days.
I love helping my dad at work—for the first week.
I love catching up with buddies from high school. But it doesn’t take long for that shine of reunion to wear off.
The whole point of going to college was to get out from under my overbearing family.
Don’t get me wrong. They’re awesome, and I’m grateful to come from a loving home.
It can just get a little much sometimes.
I have three older sisters, which essentially means I grew up with four mothers, and they still don’t get it.
One of them even has her own kids now, but do you think it’s made any difference?
No matter who I spend time with, they all want to “give me advice” on how I should be living. So when Darian’s invitation popped up in the team chat, I jumped at it.
The only thing that would make this weekend a million times better is if Mandy was here with me.
I met her online about two months ago, and she’s been my saving grace.
I didn’t even know we went to high school together.
We ran in different circles, but we connected over an Insta-reel.
I replied to her comment, and then she replied to mine.
Within a few hours, we were DMing each other, and I found out she’s a student at Lennox…
and then I found out that we grew up only a few blocks away from each other.
I met her before the end of the school year. Drove up to Lennox to say hi, and we ended up in bed together that night. Since then, it’s been a torrent of hookups, and since we got home for the summer, I’ve been spending every spare minute I can with her.
It’s been a rush and made this summer the best one I’ve ever had.
After getting severely burned by the red-headed goddess—Caroline Mason—I was wondering if chicks were even worth the trouble.
I don’t know what came over me when it came to her.
We had one night together, and I was gone.
But it turned out she was lusting after the bad-boy hockey player, Casey Pierce.
Truth is, she was actually in love with him, and I was the poor schmuck left out in the dark.
The forgotten one-night stand. I meant nothing to her… yet she consumed me.
It was like a punch in the balls when I found out how serious she and Casey were.
It took me weeks to get over her.
But then I met Mandy, and my heart started singing again.
Like me, she’s pre-law, and thankfully Lennox College is only ninety minutes from the Nolan U campus. We both grew up in Highlands Ranch, we both come from families of six, and we both work for our fathers—who both happen to be lawyers—when we’re home, filing papers and being general gofers.
It’s bonded us.
That and the fact that she’s fucking fire.
Damn, the things that woman has taught me in the bedroom… and the car… and the forest… and that one time in her shower. Holy fuck. I am so in love with that girl.
Our chemistry is off the charts.
In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s the one.
Sure, she’s sometimes a little wild and unpredictable, but that’s good for me, right? It’s good to have people in your life who challenge you, push you out of your comfort zone.
Man, I wish she was here.
“You comin’?” Adonis slaps me on the shoulder as he walks past with his overnight bag. HIs face is lit up like a fireworks display—wide-eyed and awe-filled.
Oh yeah, he’s never seen grandeur like this before. It’s pretty cool that Mac was willing to share the family lake house with all of us. It’s luxurious, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with my team.
We’ve only got another two years together, and I want to make the most of our time.
I’m smart enough to know that a future in the NBA isn’t exactly in the cards for me.
We’re the Nolan U Cougars, came bottom of the table, and I’m pretty sure scouts stopped coming to our games before the season was even over.
We don’t have the most dynamic coach in the world.
In fact, he seems to be getting worse, and if we lose again this season, they’re going to fire his ass.
I hope they don’t. He’s a really nice guy, laid-back, chill.
We’re never under too much pressure, which means I’ve been able to throw a lot more energy into my pre-law degree.
Two more years at Nolan U, and then I’ll be heading off to law school, though I’m not sure where yet… Maybe I’ll find out where Mandy’s going and follow her.
The point is, I want to enjoy these last two seasons.
I love playing basketball. When I was a kid, I’d dream about being the next Kobe Bryant.
My father and I would watch it together, and I’d tell him all about how I was going to play for the NBA.
But then I got to high school and realized I’d never be tall enough or talented enough to really make it.
I still played my heart out and got onto the Nolan U team—that’s something to be proud of.
Though everyone knows that while Nolan U basketball may be Division One, it’s not the school scouts pay much attention to.
“This place is even better on the inside. You’re gonna love it!” Enzo dances past me, and I grin, forcing my mind to the present and grabbing my bag.
“Hey, Benny-Boy.” Charli winks at me as she saunters past with her short little friend. I can’t remember her name, but I’ve seen her around.
“’Sup.” I lift my chin at Darian and Sawyer.
They grin at me but are too focused on the house to stop and have a conversation.
With a little snicker, I lock the car and head inside.
It’s seriously palatial, with a high ceiling, marble floors, and glass frickin’ everywhere. I’d hate to be the person who has to clean all of it.
Shaking my head, I walk toward the kitchen where everyone seems to be congregating.
“What time should I say?” Mac asks Darian, who shrugs.
“Six? May as well make it a full night.”
“A full night for what?” Cash asks.
Mac’s lip curls into a smirk. “For a party, man. Got to get us some hotties in here.”
“You already have hotties in here.” Charli folds her arms and gives him a pointed look.
“I mean hotties I can do shit with.” Mac laughs, still texting on his phone. “I’m smart enough not to go touching one of my teammate’s sisters. Plus, Sawyer’s like your fucking guard dog as well. I’d have to be fighting off two dickheads, and that’s too much trouble, even for me.”
Sawyer laughs. “Who you calling dickhead, fuck nugget?”
“I just say it like it is, man.” Mac’s smirk turns into a smile, but he doesn’t look up from his phone. “I’m inviting a whole bunch of people. We’ll light this place up.”
“Tonight?” I ask, my chest pinging with excitement.
“Nah, tomorrow. We’ll just chill tonight.”
I nod, reaching for my phone. “Can I invite my girl?”
“Yeah, of course,” Darian answers with a grin. “Anyone’s invited. Let’s get a little crazy.”
“All right.” I smile, not loving the idea of this place getting out of control, but 100 percent loving the idea of Mandy joining me. She’s gonna love this place.
I text her immediately.
Hey baby. You up for a party tomorrow night? Aspen lake house will be going off. Would love you to be here.
She doesn’t make me wait too long, and my smile grows a mile wide when my phone pings with her reply.
Mandy: Sounds awesome! Send me deets and I’ll be there.
That’s my girl.
I fire off the details and send a few kiss emojis as well.
She never uses emojis, but I can’t help myself. I’m in love. I haven’t actually told her that yet, but I try to show it in a myriad of ways so that when I do finally say it, she’ll know it’s coming.
I don’t think the words will scare her off. She seems pretty into me too, but we’ve only been official for about four weeks, and I want to play this carefully. I want us to stay together after the summer, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize this relationship.
“Where should I put my stuff?” Cash asks.
Mac glances up from his phone. “Wherever you can find a space, man.”
“Sweet.”
We all split up, heading in different directions to check out the house and find a bed. I go upstairs and take the room next to the bathroom. There’s a king-sized bed in there, and it’s got a great view of the forest and the edge of the lake. Mandy will love it in here.
Placing my bag on the end of the bed, I take a quick look around the upstairs. There are like six bedrooms up here. Most of them have multiple beds in them, and I wonder if I should be sharing.
I head back downstairs to check with Mac and find him outside, smoking a joint. Gross. Weed smells like dog shit.
I stand upwind so I don’t get a face full of smoke.
“Hey, is it cool if I take the bedroom with the king upstairs? The one next to the bathroom? I can move if you want a room to yourself.”
He shakes his head. “Go for it, dude. I don’t need a room to myself.”
His shoulder hitches, and I remember that he’s an only child.
I can’t even recall how I found out. Probably from some article about his actress mother or his stupidly rich dad.
I come from an upper middle-class family, so I’ve never been without or anything.
But Mac’s an elite. His dad must be a multibillionaire, surely.
Biting my lips against asking, I turn and rest my forearms on the railing.
The view is stunning. The lake isn’t huge, so you can see across to the other side of it.
There are a few mansions scattered around the water’s edge, but they’re nestled in clumps of pine trees, so everything feels very private.
A jetty runs out from the lower deck with an expensive-looking speedboat anchored off to the side.
My gaze travels across the rest of the outdoor area to the hot tub.
I wonder if Mac ever jumps from the stones surrounding it into the freezing lake.
I can just picture him running down the jetty with a banshee cry and cannonballing into the water before running back to the hot tub and burning his flesh as his body adjusts to the sudden temperature change.
I bet he’s had some fun times here.
When he glances at me, I smile at him. We don’t really spend too much time together off the court, and I can sense the awkward silence creeping over us, so I quickly fill it.
“Nice of you to invite us down here, man.”
He hitches his shoulder hitches and takes another drag. “It was Darian’s idea.”
“It’s a good one.” I nod.
“Yeah.” A stream of smoke comes out the side of Mac’s mouth, and I wonder how long he’s been doing this. I wonder if he knows how bad it is for his brain. I wonder if Coach knows he’s doing it. The guy might be laid-back, but he won’t tolerate players being high on his court.
For a second, I consider whether I should say something, but I don’t think I’m close enough to the guy to get away with it.
Instead, I clear my throat and lean away from Mac, gripping the railing. “Is the whole team coming?”
“We invited everyone. Parker and Matty can’t make it.”
“What about Remi?”
“He’s coming for the party tomorrow night. Think he’ll crash here afterward.”
“Nice.” I bob my head, mentally checking off the rest of the team. “And Jimmy?”
Mac sighs, pulling his phone from the back pocket of his ripped jeans. “Still waiting to hear.” He clicks his tongue and mutters, “He better fucking make it. The guy needs to cut loose and live a little.”