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On the field, I could hear Fisher shouting something about Denver and then a sound filled the air that sent a shiver down my spine. Men grunting, helmets knocking against other helmets, and a sharp intake of breath all around me. I didn’t understand what was happening on the field but a ball went soaring over the heads of the guys hitting each other and then another guy in our colors ran past us and caught it. Screams went up all around and the energy turned pure electric when the guy with the ball crossed over a white line.
“Touchdown! Hell yes!” Natalie grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “Touchdown!”
I would’ve liked to say that I left that game just as I’d gone in. Instead, I left hoarse and full of excitement that I’d never felt before. I hadn’t been able to stay detached when Natalie was screaming her head off and our team kept scoring. It was a rush, I realized quickly. By the time I got back to the house that night, I already had plans with Natalie to go to the next home game and I was thinking about buying a team shirt. I’d been infected by the football bug.
I just couldn’t let my roommates know.
11
***Ella***
My throat still hurt the next day when I walked through the library, looking for a private place to study. Despite it being a Saturday, there were enough people spread out that I ended up on the third floor where the private study rooms were. Each of them had half glass walls but they were so frosted that it was impossible to see if anyone was in the room unless you walked in. The first two I tried were full and I was getting fed up with all of the studious people working on the weekend, despite being one of them.
I quietly knocked and opened the third door, feeling like I was on a bad game show, just to find the surprise behind the door was not one I wanted. It was the equivalent of a year’s worth of jello being delivered to your door in one go.
Vaughn sat at the table, facing me. He sighed when he saw me and dropped his pencil. Leaning back in his chair, he tilted his head to stare at me. “Living with me isn’t enough? Now you’re following me to the library?”
“Forget it. I’ll just go back to the house to study.”
“Stay, Ella. I’m just fucking with you.” He pulled his notebooks closer to his side of the table and gestured for me to sit down. “Just try not to be annoying and we won’t have any issues.”
I hesitated in the doorway. “Are you going to try not to be annoying?”
He smirked. “Just close the door and get your books out, nerd.”
I found myself doing what he said and frowned. Once we were enclosed in the small room together, I thought I’d made a mistake. I couldn’t exist in the same room as Vaughn without wanting to strangle him. I wasn’t going to get anything done. My stubborn refusal to let Vaughn think he got to me was the only thing keeping me there.
“You sound like shit, by the way.” He twirled his pencil around his fingers and then tucked it behind his ear. “Do a lot of screaming lately?”
My mouth popped open in shock. “Excuse me?”
“At the game, Ella. Jesus.” He pulled his notebook closer and shook his head. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
I almost would’ve preferred he thought I was screaming for other reasons than admit that I’d loved my first football game. I opened my American Politics book and grabbed a highlighter. “What game?”
He snorted. “You think I didn’t see you and your friend screaming and cheering on the sidelines? You didn’t exactly blend in with the rest of the team, Ella Rae. It’s okay. You can admit that you loved watching us.”
Cutting him a stern look, I chose to ignore him. Thankfully, he didn’t fight it. I was able to make it through my weekly reading material for class before his presence drew me out of my zone.
His energy had shifted into something darker since I came in and he looked frustrated as he stared down at a section of notes. I watched as he dropped his pencil on the table and reached up to rub his eyes. His jaw was clenched but when he noticed me staring at him, he relaxed his face and smirked at me. I could tell it wasn’t real, though.
Against my better judgment, I decided to offer help. “Stuck on something?”
His mouth pinched and his eyebrows drew together in a deep frown. “It’s fine.”
Sighing, I stood up. “You look constipated right now and your energy is cramping up the room. Just tell me what you’re stuck on. It helps to have someone else look at a problem you can’t solve sometimes. What class is this?”
He made a grumpy sound as I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. Staring at me, he took a few seconds to tell me. “Statistics. I need it to graduate but I put it off for so long. I haven’t had to do math since the first semester of freshman year.”
I smiled as a flash of memory came back. “I don’t remember you loving math back in the day, either.”
“I’ll figure it out, Ella. Go back to your side.”
I picked up his notebook and looked over his notes while he scowled at me. “I took a stats class last year. Let me help.”
He raised his hand to his mouth and started to bite one of his nails before he stopped himself. Growling out his frustration, he ran his hands through his hair and nodded. “Fine.”
Putting his book down between us, I leaned in and smiled what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “What’s your assignment this week?”
