Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
DREW
I saw Casey again today.
She was hanging around the athletic complex like she belonged there, waving at me from across the parking lot like we were still in high school and she hadn’t made my life hell for two years straight.
I didn’t wave back. I just kept walking, but the knot in my stomach stayed with me the whole way to the weight room.
I don’t want to deal with this the loud way.
Campus police? Coaches? A big dramatic scene?
That’s the last thing I need right now. I’m having the best season of my career.
Scouts are actually paying attention. If I need to, I can always enter the portal with more eligibility and get the fuck out of here.
But I don’t want to. Not if I don’t have to.
The last thing I need is my name attached to some crazy ex drama right when everything is finally going right.
And of course, right on cue, Tristan Vale and Stella Cortez are out here having their little fairy tale moment.
Private jet to Newport. Romantic weekend.
Now the whole internet is eating it up. Sports Illustrated is sniffing around.
Local sportscasters are calling it the “Stanford power couple.” Every time I open my phone, there they are — him looking at her like she hung the moon, her looking expensive and untouchable.
Meanwhile, Isa is walking around campus getting pitied.
I know how that feels. Being the one left behind while everyone else rewrites the story without you. I also know Isa made a real play for Vale. She went after him hard. And he still chose Stella in the end.
Just like I always figured he would.
Which is why the solution is sitting right in front of me.
Fake dating Isa.
It fixes multiple problems at once.
Casey will back the fuck off if she thinks I’m actually with someone. She’s crazy, but she’s not stupid enough to go full stalker on a girl who’s already in the spotlight.
And if Isa and I are seen together enough, people will stop treating her like the sad girl who got left for the volleyball queen. She gets to walk around with her head up again. She gets to change the narrative.
And me?
I get to keep my name clean. No scandals. No drama. No coaches asking questions. No bad PR while I’m trying to finish strong this season.
Plus… I’m not gonna lie.
I’m still hot for her.
That night at my house didn’t leave my head the way I wanted it to.
She got under my skin. The way she sounded, the way she tasted, the way she looked at me when she let her guard down for once.
If we’re fake dating, I’ll be around her more.
Touching her. Kissing her for show. Maybe if I actually spend time with her, I’ll finally get her out of my system.
Or maybe I won’t.
Either way, it’s better than watching her walk around looking like someone kicked her while the whole campus talks about how Vale picked someone else.
I leaned back against the wall outside the weight room and pulled out my phone, staring at the last text Isa sent me after I offered the fake dating idea.
She still hadn’t given me a real answer.
I typed out a new message before I could talk myself out of it.
Me: We need to talk. For real this time. My ex is on campus and I’m not trying to handle that shit the messy way. You need people to stop looking at you like you’re the consolation prize. This solves both our problems. Meet me after practice.
I hit send and shoved my phone back in my pocket.
Isa Calloway might still be hung up on Tristan Vale.
But if I play this right, she won’t be for long.
And if I’m lucky, I’ll finally stop thinking about her every time I close my eyes.
The training room was packed when I walked in.
Isa was face-down on one of the tables near the back, her brace finally off.
All tan legs and smooth skin, one of the trainers working on her hamstring.
A few people glanced up when I came through the doors, but most were too busy whispering about the same shit they’d been whispering about for days.
Tristan and Stella.
I was done with it.
I walked straight over to her table like I belonged there.
“Hey,” I said, loud enough for half the room to hear. “What’s up, babe? How’s your leg feeling?”
Isa’s head snapped up so fast I almost laughed. Her eyes went wide when she saw me standing there. Before she could say a word, I leaned down and kissed her.
Right on the mouth.
Not some quick peck either. I took my time with it — slow enough that everyone watching would get the message loud and clear. When I pulled back, the entire training room had gone dead quiet. You could’ve heard a pin drop. A couple people actually stopped mid-tape job to stare.
I straightened up and looked around the room, making eye contact with as many people as I could.
“Yeah,” I said casually, like I was just continuing a conversation. “Isa and I had a good laugh about it. We kept our shit under wraps. You know that’s how I roll— undercover and all that. She was playing Vale while I was hooking up with her the whole time.”
A few jaws actually dropped. One of the baseball guys looked like he’d swallowed his tongue.
I smirked and glanced back down at Isa, who was still staring at me like I’d lost my mind. I reached out and ran my thumb slowly across her lower lip, wiping away nothing.
“I’ll see you later, babe,” I declared, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Netflix and chill tonight. I’ll swing by and grab your favorite Thai on the way.”
Then I turned and walked out like I didn’t have a care in the world, leaving the entire training room in stunned silence behind me.
Let them talk about that instead.
D&T had just been born.