Page 4 of Game Plan

She carried a tray toward my teammates’ table, a smile I knew to be fake grazing her mouth.

Her features appeared smoother now, her eyes more alert. She looked less like the girl I once knew and more like a woman—all delicious curves and silky skin. She was more beautiful than I remembered, coming across as self-assured and relaxed. My body reacted to her even more than it did back when we used to hang out together in high school, and I had no idea it was even possible.

My feet brought me close to her of their own volition.

The moment I stood behind her, I saw her shoulders relax. My own heart rate decreased.

The scent of her orange blossom shampoo hit my nostrils.

How did I spend so long without being around this girl?

She hadn’t even acknowledged me yet, and already she made me feel like I’d come home.

I was so screwed.

Deep down, I prayed we could at least resume our friendship because losing Melinda Shepard a second time would be the death of me.

That I knew for sure.

She would ruin me.

Who would have thought that, in the end, she would be the one breaking my heart?

3

I wouldn’t mind being stuck in a sandwich between them

I fixed my ponytail and slipped my feet into flip-flops before shouldering my book bag and exiting my dorm room. My roommate, Cassidy, had left early because her shift at Hot Shot, one of the coffee shops on campus, started at six in the morning. I had planned to work there too, but two weeks ago, I had gotten a job at Lola’s, a pub a fifteen-minute walk from our dorm and one of the most popular hangout spots to enjoy cheap drinks and chicken wings in town. On the weekends, they broadcasted college football, hockey, and basketball games, which attracted a crowd. Once a month, they hosted themed nights like karaoke, open mics, or trivia, which meant it was always bustling with college students looking to have a great time. The pay was decent, and the tips were good. I loved my job. It was different from the movie theatre and much more entertaining.

In between swimming hours, training sessions, meets, and classes, it gave me some sort of pause where I could just be and enjoy the perks of going out without actually having to go out. A little escape from my everyday life and a step closer to gaining my full independence.

Classes for the fall semester had started three weeks ago, and I had yet to come face-to-face with the boy I’d chased away almost a year ago—the one I still found myself thinking about from time to time, but whom I refused to let take over my mind feed.

Mason had been recruited to play football at Crestwood University, which meant he was around campus somewhere. Even though I knew for a fact he had received tons of offers to play college ball all over the country, he’d decided on CWU, though. From the moment he confided in me about taking their offer last January, the thought had clung to me like a shadow, and it was one of the reasons my relationship with Jayden had been tense lately. He knew Mason was around while he wasn’t. He knew about our shared history, our old friendship, and was aware that, at one point, Mason and I were joined at the hip. My boyfriend was a confident guy, but Mason and he had never had a simple relationship. They were not enemies per se, but they weren’t cordial toward each other either.

“Here’s an orange and chocolate muffin I snatched for you,” Donovan, a student in my Introduction to Communication class, said, pushing a paper bag into my hand. “My roommate bought a whole box and decided he was in the mood for banana bread instead.”

“You’re a savior. I didn’t have time to eat this morning, and I don’t know why I’m running late, but it explains my ruffled appearance.” I gestured at my outfit with a quick sweep of my hand, bringing attention to my hair tied in a messy bun, wrinkled white T-shirt with a band logo on the front belonging to my boyfriend, and a pair of faded-maroon ankle skinny jeans.

“You looking messy, girl? In your wildest dreams. You always look fabulous.”

Donovan and I were on the swim team together. He was a freshman too, and we’d befriended each other on our first day of training and became instant BFFs. With his dark-blond crew cut hairstyle and caramel skin, he looked nothing like Jayden or Mason physically, and his humor was more decadent than theirs.

While Mason could be a jokester when the situation called for it and had an easy smile—at least when it came to the people he cared about—my boyfriend was the opposite. His smiles were a rare occurrence, mostly reserved for me, and he was even more serious than I was. Unless he was playing football, which transformed him into a hot-tempered version of himself, he was pretty laid-back. Sometimes, even though it sounded crazy, I wished we would argue more, just to add some spice to our relationship. Jayden was nice to me, and we were getting along fine. More importantly, my heart was safe with him. I enjoyed his company and liked him a lot, but I wasn’t so head over heels in love with him that my heart skipped a beat every time he was around or I dreamed about our future babies.

“You heard from that boyfriend of yours?” Donovan asked as we strolled in the direction of Elizabeth Edison Hall. “Or are you two still on a break?”

I sighed and halted, rubbing the sole of my shoe against one of the concrete steps. “No idea. We’re supposed to talk tonight. With football camp, his training, my training, and the beginning of the semester, we’ve both been super busy. Last night, we chatted for like five minutes before he had to go…but he still sounded pissed. Jay is hard to read sometimes. He doesn’t wear his emotions for everyone to see. It’s easier to guess how he feels when we’re facing each other than over the phone.”

Jayden and I had fought for the very first time a month ago.

He hated the idea of Mason and me spending time around each other on campus after I had opened up to him about our almost-dating kind of friendship. Jayden and he couldn’t stand each other, neither on nor off the field. It was a decades-old rivalry between the two high school football teams they played for—one I had no interest in. Anyway, my boyfriend had ended up surprising me with a nice dinner after I’d sworn Mason wasn’t a threat to our relationship. Still, I could tell his presence on the same campus as me affected him more than he’d ever admit.

“Well, if you guys call it quits, I wouldn’t say no to a romp between the sheets with your man, girl. Just sayin’.” He fanned himself with a hand. “I checked out some old high school footage of him the other day, because I was curious about him, and let me just say his glutes are to die for. And that attitude. I dig the whole bad boy temper he projects.”

“Don, are you fantasizing about my boyfriend? Huh…that’s troubling. And he’s so not a bad boy, I swear.”

“Sorry, girl. He’s hot. Bad boy temper or not. What can I say? Did I mention his ass in football tights?” He made a chef’s kiss gesture, bringing his connected forefinger and thumb to his mouth.