Chapter 48
Evie
I make it through my morning classes the next day and start towards the dining area. I pull out my phone and shoot Tessa a text to make sure she’s good to meet up for lunch. I haven’t seen her since the game.
A few minutes later, we’re seated across from each other. I have a salad in front of me, while she has pasta. “How was your weekend?” She lifts an eyebrow. “I noticed you weren’t in your room all weekend.”
I smile and take a bite of my salad. “Where’s Stephanie?” I ask after I take another bite.
“Oh, busy with this and that. She’s got so much extra going on; we just never catch up. But stop redirecting. You stayed at Zane Blackwood’s house. Again, and I want to hear all about it.”
“Shh.” I glance around but nobody’s paying any attention to us. Then again...I look back over my shoulder to a rather conspicuous figure only two tables behind ours.
Tessa follows my gaze and turns as well. “Is that Reid Marshall?” Tessa practically squeals.
I look back at her. “What is with you and players’ last names?”
Her eyes dance. “I don’t know; it’s part of who they are.” She pushes my hand aggressively. “What’s he doing here? Is he watching us? Oh! Is he looking out for you since Zane can’t be here?”
“Or maybe he’s just here eating lunch,” I say dryly.
“By himself?” she asks incredulously. As if on cue, two girls saunter over to his table. I’m not sure what he tells them, but they walk away seconds later with scowls on their faces. I can’t help my smile. Tessa catches it. “What’s that smile for?”
“Nothing,” but now I can’t stop smiling.
“You know something. Spill!”
I laugh. “Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Come on; tell your bestie.”
“I was just laughing because those girls are wasting their time. Reid’s already into somebody.”
Tessa’s eyes go comically large. “Who? Is it me? Please tell me it’s me.”
I cock my head to the side. “Have you even talked to Reid?”
“Yes, sort of.” I smirk, and she waves me on. “Okay, it’s not me. Who is it?”
“You can’t tell anybody.”
“Who am I going to tell? You’re my bestie, and you already know. Come on. Tell me!” she’s practically bouncing in her seat.
I lean forward. “It’s Zane’s sister.”
Tessa squeals. “That’s awesome!” I shush her. “Who’s Zane’s sister?” she whispers loudly.
I’m already regretting this. “Her name’s Riley.”
She frowns. “I feel like I would have heard if Zane had a sister on campus.”
“That’s just it. She’s still in high school.”
Tessa's eyes go wide again. “No way!”
I nod. “She’s a senior in high school this year.”
“Is she coming here next year?” I nod again. “Oh, my word. That is adorbs! She’ll be a freshman, and he’ll be a senior. That’s so romantic!” she folds her hands together tightly. “Wait, is she nice? Is she good enough for our Reid?”
“Pretty sure Reid is not our anything, but she’s really great. I really like her.”
“I need to meet her.”
I eye Tessa as I take another bite of my salad. “Why is that exactly?”
She looks offended that I’m even asking. “To see if she’s good enough for our Reid.”
“Once again, he’s not our anything.”
“Riiiight,” she draws out. “You’re only living with his best friend.”
“I’m not living with Zane; I just stayed with them over the weekend.”
“Wait a minute. Does Reid live there too?”
I stay quiet a moment. “I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“He does. He totally does. Who else?” She leans forward, anticipating my answer.
Knowing she won’t leave me alone until I tell her, I cave. “Quint lives there too.”
“Quint Ashwood lives there too?” she repeats dramatically.
“And a guy named Slate.”
Her eyes widen to epic proportions. “Slate Thorne?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure what his last name is, but he plays soccer.”
Tessa looks like she swallowed something. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I take a drink of my water. “I take it, you know him too.”
“Him. Him? Everybody knows Slate Thorne. He’s slated to be the next Messi, and he’s only in his junior year!”
I shrug. “I don’t know who that is, but that’s great. Slate’s a little...intimidating, but he’s really good at soccer.”
Tessa reaches out and grabs my hand. “You have got to get me an invite to this house of stardom.”
I laugh and shake off her hand. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”
“It’s a fantastic idea.”
I glance at my phone and take my last bite. “I’ve got to get moving.”
“I do too. Think about it, though.”
I grin at her. “Sure.”
We dump our trash. When I turn around, I nearly run right into a guy. “Hey, Evie, right?”
I blink at him, because I have no idea who he is. I’ve never seen him before. “Uh, yeah.”
He smiles at me and puts out his hand for me to shake. “You sit next to me for Psych class.”
“Oh.”
“I’m Cal.” It’s about that point that I realize he’s still holding my hand. I try to pull back, but he keeps my hand in his. He tugs me towards him, totally surprising me. “I’m having a party this weekend, Evie.”
And then Reid’s there. “She’s not interested.” He looks down pointedly at Cal’s grip on my hand. Under the weight of Reid’s stare, Cal releases it and puts his hand up.
“Sorry, Man. I didn’t know she was taken. That’s not what she was giving off in class.”
My eyes widen in shock. “Excuse me? I don’t even know you. And after that, I certainly don’t want to.”
I turn and stride away from him, and Tessa hurries to catch up to me. I turn to Reid, who’s walking with us. “Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
“I know.”
I shake my head. “He was a jerk.”
“Yes, he was,” Reid agrees with me.
Tessa clears her throat rather loudly. I turn to her, and she gives me wide eyes. “Oh, Reid, you remember Tessa, right?”He glances over at her and nods. I cringe, wondering if his less than enthusiastic greeting will bother her, but nope. Her eyes are wide. He remembers me, she mouths to me.
“Reid Marshall, everything I’ve heard about you is true.
You really are a nice guy on and off the court.
And I’m so happy you found your girl. Riley sounds so amazing; I can’t wait to meet her.
Next year, Evie and I can make sure she has a good year and—” I elbow her hard, cutting off her words and face her.
“What in the world, Tessa?”
She stares at me. “Did I just say all that out loud?”
“Yes!” I close my eyes a moment and turn to Reid.
But Tessa beats me to it. “I won’t tell anybody about her.”
“Tessa!”
“Shutting up now,” she says, miming zipping her lips.
I face Reid. “I’m sorry.”
He stares down at me a moment and then looks away. I’m expecting him to rip into me about not keeping my word and telling Tessa, but he doesn’t. “Thanks. She’ll need friends and allies next year.” His words shock me to complete silence. Tessa and I exchange a look, but neither of us say a word.
Reid’s words stay with me for the rest of the day, which ends up dragging on and on. I work until ten in the coffee shop. When I finally finish for the night, I head outside. I’m shocked to see Zane leaning against the railing. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check on you. I tried to get over here sooner, but I had too much going on.”
I frown. “How do you find time to get any of your class work done?”
“When do you?” he says in return.
“Touchè.”
“You want to head back to my place tonight?”
“I don’t know, Zane.” I look in the direction of my dorm. “Maybe I should just stay in my dorm room.”
“Do you want to?”
I vacillate. “I don’t know.”
“Since you don’t know, then come with me. It’s late. I'll drive, and you can rest in the car. There’s food. You can eat something and then study. I’ll make sure it’s quiet for you.”
“Food?” I ask.
He smiles. “Yeah.”
His offer is too tempting. “Just for tonight. I do want to get back to my room.”
He nods. “I asked Tessa to pack a bag for you just in case.”
“You were pretty confident I’d say yes,” I tease.
He glances over at me. “I was hoping.”
I lean my head against the seat of his truck a little bit later.
Tonight, I just want that feeling of being safe that I had the last two nights.
Tomorrow will be another chance to find my courage and stay in my room again, but not tonight.
Zane turns the radio on, and quiet music plays.
In the silence of the truck, surrounded by the scent of him, I feel safe and protected and so incredibly comfortable.
I close my eyes and just revel in the peace.
All too soon, we arrive at the house; and it’s time to go in. Zane grabs my bags for me, and I follow him inside. “I’d just about given up on you two,” Quint says when we walk into the kitchen.
My stomach rumbles loudly. “What did you make? It smells so good in here.”
“Zucchini, eggplant, and leek soup.”
My face falls, but I try to keep the grimace off my face. Quint doubles over laughing. “Your face.”
“Knock it off,” Zane says, smacking the back of Quint’s head.
“Sorry.” Quint sucks in some air. “I’m sorry, Evie. I couldn’t resist.”
“What did you actually make?”
“Oh, I didn’t make anything. We ordered food. There’s several pasta dishes from a local place. Help yourself; we left everything out for you guys.”
I pull up the foil lids and look at the dishes; everything looks so good. “Did you eat yet?” I ask Zane.
"I ate earlier with the team, but I’ll eat again.”
I fill my plate with salad and some lasagna. “Do you always eat with the team?”
“Most of the time. They keep us on pretty regimented eating schedules. Honestly, it works because it’s one less thing that we have to worry about. It’s never bothered me until now.”
I sit at the table and take a bite of my salad. “Why now?”
He drops into the seat across from mine with a plate of his own. “Because now I can’t eat with you in the dining hall.”
I wave my fork at him. “It always goes fast anyway; so you’re not missing much.
Speaking of the dining hall, though, your friend appeared at lunch today.
Reid sat two tables away from us and didn’t say a word to us.
And yet, when some guy wouldn’t leave us alone, he suddenly appeared. Know anything about that?”
His body stiffens. “Some guy wouldn’t leave you alone? Who? What did he do?”
“He was just a nobody, but mind telling me why your friend was at lunch with us, but not with us, exactly?” I ask with eyes locked on his.
“What did the guy do?”
“Enough with the guy. He was an idiot. Reid scared him off; there’s nothing to worry about. But why was Reid there at lunch?”
“He’s keeping an eye on you.”
“Why?”
“Because I asked him to.”
I bristle and sit back against my seat. “Zane, is this some form of control? Because I will tell you right now, if this is so that you can watch what I do when you’re not around or make sure I don’t talk to other guys.
..it won’t work between us. I don’t want that kind of relationship.
Things with Jace got off on the wrong foot so fast, and it turned out horribly.
I don’t want to go down that road again. ”
He leans forward. “You’re not.”