Chapter 3 Reagan
THREE
REAGAN
As soon as I walk into the hallway outside the locker room, I know Riggs is here. It’s like a spidey sense minus the webs. Turning toward him, I see he’s already looking at me. After his wave, he walks off, so I turn to look for Jordan, finding my friend Lindsey there instead.
“Who was that man candy you were staring at, Reagan?” Lindsey asks, giving me a wink. The girl is the definition of a bombshell with her long auburn locks, tall frame, and insane curves. She’s the dance team captain and an insanely talented choreographer.
We’ve known each other since she started at CTU. I was her freshman orientation leader when I was a sophomore, and we hit it off over our shared love of dance. She’s also known Jordan’s teammate Theo Williams since they were little, so the whole fangirl thing is not what she’s about.
“That’s the new transfer to the basketball team. And I wasn’t staring! I’m looking for my brother. He’s supposed to take me home after his workout.” My cheeks blush, but I hold on to my resolve.
“Uh-huh. Sure. I see you’re blushing, girl. I’ll drop it for now. I can give you a ride, so text J and let your twin know where to find you. Oh, and maybe we can stop at Cookout on our way to grab the banana milkshake you love so much. I could seriously go for some girl time.”
I instantly agree. “Yes, please. Let me just text him, and we can go,” I tell her as I type out a message to my brother.
Cookout is a North Carolina fast food staple, and their milkshakes are my kryptonite. Linds insists we park and order at the walk-up order window instead of the drive-thru so we can sit and chat. It only takes a few minutes before we grab our ice cream and snag a table.
“Are you going to give in and dance with the team this year? Pretty please?” She gives me the puppy dog eyes, and it makes me laugh out loud.
Lindsey has been begging me to join the dance team.
For me, dancing is now a hobby. High school Reagan thought it was her future, but burnout is a real thing. So I just shake my head.
“I don’t think so, Linds. I was thinking maybe I’d join y’all for a Titans Give Back dance since it’s my senior year. Just a one-time thing.” Her eyes widen, and she lets out a squeal that seriously about bursts my eardrum; it is so loud and high-pitched.
Lindsey wraps me in a hug, and I reciprocate.
She’s an amazing friend, and we get along well.
It also reminds me of my longtime best friend who lives across the country in California.
I make a mental note to check in with Mackenzie later this week.
Then I quickly change the subject and let Lindsey fill me in on all her drama and excitement.
Once I finish the final bite because, yes, you can only eat these milkshakes with a spoon, they’re that thick, I stand and walk to the closest trash can.
As I turn to walk back to my friend, a hand reaches out and touches my shoulder. My body shudders at the contact, and even though it’s been a long time, I know who it is before I turn around.
“Drew.” That’s all I can say as I stare at the handsome face of my past heartbreak.
“Rea Rea. I thought that was you.” He sweeps me up in a hug, like he used to in high school. Too shocked to say anything, my body tenses, and when he realizes it, he takes a step back.
Then he leans in closer, so no one can hear what he has to say. “Reagan, please. We need to talk.”
I’m shaking my head before I even respond. “No, Drew. We’re good. I told you that our senior year of high school and every time I’ve seen you since then. You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m running late and need to go.”
Before I can step away, he gently grabs my hand, something he used to do all the time.
Something that I anticipated and basked in when we were younger.
I shouldn’t want his attention. No, I don’t want it.
My body, however, responds differently. I heat at the touch of his fingers on mine but pull away quickly.
“Reagan, it’s been so long. Please hear me out. I miss you. I miss us.”
Scoffing, I let my anger speak for me. “Us? There was never an us, Drew. You made sure of that.”
Before he can respond, I run past Lindsey, and she follows me as quickly as she can to her car.
Knowing all there is to know about Drew Cole and my past with him, Lindsey holds me as I let more tears fall over the boy who became my biggest regret.
I’ve made it a point not to be alone with him since we graduated from high school, and after today, it seems I need to continue doing that.
I can’t deal with him without falling apart.
Not long after, we are pulling into my driveway.
I groan as I see two cars parked here that do not belong: Carter’s and one I don’t recognize.
It’s a slick blacked-out Dodge Challenger, and I’m starting to wonder if it belongs to a certain new basketball player.
He’s the last person I want to see after my interaction with Drew tonight.
I’m not in the mood for company. I just want to crawl into bed with my Kindle and start my new book. I’m 100 percent a romance reader. My love life might be lacking, but I can easily live vicariously through fictional women.
“Who is here?” Lindsey asks as I unbuckle my seat belt.
“Looks like Carter, but I don’t recognize the other car. Thanks for the milkshake and the ride home. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Of course. You sure you’re okay?” she asks as I pick up my backpack and grab the door handle.
“I’m good. Thank you for everything. I mean it.”
“Hey, Rea.” Lindsey looks hesitant, so I turn and smile at her to encourage her. “Look, I know your past with Drew is complicated, but maybe you should hear him out. Get some closure.”
I nod back at her. “Maybe.” Opening the door, I step out of her car and close it behind me. After giving her a smile and a wave, I turn toward my door.
I walk up to the front porch slowly, taking each step and each breath one at a time as I gear myself up to see Jordan. He will take one look at me and know something is wrong. It’s a twin thing, or maybe it’s just a Jordan thing. He’s extremely observant.
Just as I grab the door handle, the whole thing swings open, and I see Carter, another one of my brother’s teammates. He’s got that cocky, self-assured smile. The man is gorgeous, no doubt about it. Dark tan skin, athletic build, and brown, almost black eyes grab a lot of female attention.
“Hey, Baby Mills,” Carter says in a deep voice while he looks me up and down. I glare at him, and he starts laughing. Carter and I have been more like brother and sister since I was a sophomore, and he was a freshman.
“Go use all of that”—I wave my hand up and down—“on someone you actually have a chance with.”
“You wound me, baby girl.” Carter clutches at his chest and quickly jumps down the steps, jogging over to his car.
When I walk in, I smell dinner cooking, so I guess the team’s dietitian hooked J up with something to bring home. The man is horrible in the kitchen. You’d think that as a twenty-one-year-old, almost professional athlete, he could survive alone. Not the case.
As I turn, I see my brother and Riggs eating at the table. There is an empty setting, so I guess that’s meant for me.
Can I just say that Riggs Hart gets better-looking every time I see him? Right now, his athleisure vibe is a panty-melting level of hot. My staring is interrupted by my twin, who questions me like he’s my dad.
“How was your ride home with Lindsey?” Jordan says, but his voice falters as he sees my face. “What happened?”
He walks to me, putting his hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes like they’ll magically become a crystal ball and he’ll be able to see everything.
“Nothing. We got milkshakes and decided to stay for a while. I’m just exhausted.” I’m a horrible liar, and Jordan sees right through me. Before he can say anything, his phone beeps with a few alerts, and he grabs it.
A scowl forms on his face, and he clenches one of his hands into a fist while the other hand that holds his phone tightens to the point it looks like it might break.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask what he’s mad about, but he shoves the screen in my face.
He’s been tagged in a few photos and videos on social media of Drew and me.
They’re of him hugging me and leaning in.
None of me pushing him off or bolting away as fast as I could.
We look like two people in love instead of what it really was: a sad reminder of him breaking my heart.
“Why was Drew Cole there? And better yet, what are you doing hugging him?” My brother, my greatest protector, knows the story of high school Reagan and Drew.
He held me through my tears, and along with Mackenzie, he put me back together.
His friendship with Drew fractured that day and was only exacerbated by the fact that Drew plays for our cross-town rival, the Durham Wolves.
“He snuck up behind me. It’s not what it looks like.
He took me by surprise, but it wasn’t anything.
” My eyes glaze over with a few tears. I’m so mad at myself for holding on to this for so long.
I know deep down it’s because there’s a sliver of hope that things could change still. That sliver is an idiot, though.
Jordan relaxes at that and gives me a hug, realizing he’s directing his anger at the wrong person. “I’m sorry. I know how hard that must have been for you. I’ll make sure all of these are taken down. You want me to talk to Drew again?”
“No. I can handle it.” The last time my brother “talked” to Drew about me, it ended in a fist fight broken up by my dad.
Walking to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, I remember that Riggs is sitting at the table and has just witnessed all that go down. Awesome.
“Hey, Riggs.” I don’t know how to make it any less awkward, so I’m just going with it.
“Hi, Sunshine.” He uses the nickname he threw out the first time we met, and it surprises me. Drew gave you a nickname too. That sends a jolt of reality through me. I am not getting involved with another basketball player.
Instead of responding, I take my water and walk up the stairs. After closing the door to my room, I take my time getting ready for bed and climbing under the covers.
My phone beeps, but I ignore it. Anytime I see Drew Cole, I can count on a text from him shortly after. I think about what Lindsey said to me about closure, and for the first time, I think it might be the right thing to do.
Right at this moment, I’m not ready to think about it anymore, so I allow my latest fictional world to consume me until I fall into a deep sleep.