Page 3 of Game Plan

I shrugged. “Huh… Bob?”

She poked her tongue out at me as I offered her a cheeky smile.

“Why?”

“I wanna match you with Christina, my roomie. She’s smart and the coolest chick I know. I think you two would get along.” She sipped from the beer bottle in her hand, watching me. “So? Interested? I can show you a picture.” She unlocked her phone, scrolling through what I assumed was her photo feed.

I scratched my temple, glancing at my feet. “The thing is that I kinda already have someone…”

“Who?” Interest flashed in her eyes when I met her gaze. “Do we know her? You’ve never said anything about having a girlfriend… Unless it’s a boyfriend… Whoever makes your heart happy.”

“It’s not a boyfriend. She…she’s a she, as you can tell…huh…anyway…we used to be friends… Now, let’s just say... I don’t know what we are anymore. She goes to college here. I haven’t run into her yet...”

Amber blinked. “You’re telling us you’re in love with a girl who doesn’t know you’re in love with her, and you haven’t seen her in a long-ass time, so you have no idea if you’re even friends?” She exhaled. “Wow.” She didn’t look impressed, but more like confused.

I felt my cheeks warming up. “That pretty much sums it up…”

“Whoa, that’s quite…huh…interesting? I’m not sure how else to describe it.”

“When you put it like that.” I sighed. Once I said it out loud, my infatuation with Melinda Shepard sounded lame. I shook my head and dragged a hand over my face. “Yeah, it’s complicated. We have history… We kinda grew apart a few months ago.”

“Man, that’s sick,” Rutherford added as he joined us, lifted Amber into his arms, sat back, and positioned her over his lap, watching me as if I were a lab specimen he had just discovered. “I thought you were the a different pussy every night kinda guy.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Nah, I respect you even more.” He leaned forward, shifting his girlfriend on his lap so he could bump my fist. “Are you going to that party later? Maybe your mystery girl will be there.”

“A bunch of us are going to Lola’s first to grab a bite. Are you guys in?” I asked.

Amber shook her head. “No, we’re having dinner, just the two of us.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I love to congratulate my man in private.”

I tapped my thighs and jumped to my feet. “Enough. No need for details. I’ll be out of here in thirty minutes. Please keep your hands to yourself and your clothes on until I’m gone.”

They both burst out laughing. “Fine, it’s a deal. I hope you make it to the party.”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it. See you later, guys.”

Without waiting for a reply, I jogged up the stairs and changed into a pair of washed-out jeans, a black T-shirt with the Phoenix logo printed on the front, and a red hoodie.

The cool late September air filled my lungs when I stepped outside, and I decided to walk to Lola’s. On the mile-long stretch, I crossed paths with one of my teammates and his girlfriend, a girl from my entrepreneurship class, and my marketing professor walking his chihuahua.

Energy zipped through me as I noticed the pub two blocks down.

The more I neared the old red brick building, the more my body vibrated with awareness.

I clamped the black wrought iron handle, about to go inside, when I saw her.

My heart thundered at her sight, ready to escape my chest cavity.

I hadn’t seen Melinda Shepard in weeks, not since the day I spotted her on her front porch as I was driving away to football camp—and still, my entire body came alive at her proximity. Taking a step back, I chose to wait until I regained some sort of composure before going in.

Since our friendship had fallen apart, I had put all my focus into my sport and taken my dedication to a brand-new level. Nowadays, I trained harder and ate healthier. Sometimes, even I had a hard time believing it was possible since I was already kind of a health freak, to begin with. I’d also improved my grades back in high school. I wanted to be the best… Scratch that. I needed to be the best, to prove to myself I wasn’t a failure and that I had control over some parts of my life.

Eight months ago, I’d stopped attending parties for the most part and pushed away anyone who tried to get too close to me for the wrong reasons. Even Tanya, Elk River High’s cheer captain, had gotten the message loud and clear at some point because she had stopped flirting with me. I heard all kinds of rumors at school about my being gay or that I had joined a cult where sex was prohibited. Whatever. I couldn’t care less about what everyone thought of me anymore. I had dreams to fulfill and a girl to win. Nothing else mattered.

I clutched my chest, as if I could stop my heart from bursting through my ribs. My breathing increased, and my palms started to sweat.

Melinda was here, at Lola’s, and from the looks of it, she worked at the pub. How had I missed this fact the two times I’d come here since the semester began?