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Bett McNeely didn’t mean anything to me. Not one single thing. Which was fine, since I obviously didn’t mean anything to him.

At least, that was what I thought. Until the very next day.

17

BETT

Thankfully, the next morning, I was in less pain. I knew from experience that forty-eight hours after the fatigue drill would be the worst, so I planned on getting as much shit done on Tuesday as I could. I started with a long run to warm up, stretch my legs, and knock out some cardio. When I returned to the room, I felt significantly better.

I tried to ignore the pinch of regret in my stomach when Vaughn was nowhere to be found after my run. He’d been half-covered in his bedding and breathing steadily when I’d left, but I knew he had an early class on Tuesdays.

Last night had been… weird. It wasn’t surprising he was a caretaker type since I’d seen him from a distance on campus before with his sister, but I’d been shocked he’d acted that way with me. It had made me uncomfortable since I couldn’t be sure what his motivations were.

Elliot Vaughn always seemed like he was running some kind of scheme. Like maybe he was only being nice to make fun of me later. Or find something to use against me.

My father had taught me over and over that people were only out for what they could get, and as much as I hated agreeing with him, my experience lately was bearing his words out as the truth. My friends had already sold out to my father, and I wasn’t about to give Vaughn any more power over me than he already seemed to have.

That is… until I saw him later that night with his arm around a beautiful woman.

I’d finished practice and had eaten dinner with the team when Papi had mentioned going to BB’s to spend a gift card we’d all gotten as part of the coffeehouse’s team sponsorship package. Normally, I grabbed shitty coffee in the dining hall or better coffee at the place closer to Whitman, but I wasn’t about to dismiss a chance at a good free coffee tonight since I needed to get a start on a paper due Friday.

But the minute I’d stepped into the cafe, I’d spotted Vaughn sitting so close to Rowan on a low sofa that their bodies were pressed together from hip to breast. His arm was wrapped around her, and they were laughing softly together at something on a laptop.

The fact that it was Rowan, the same woman from outside of the dorm a couple of weeks ago, made me twitchy. Vaughn didn’t do repeats. Or relationships. As far as I knew, he kept a running tally of one-night stands only.

But people changed.

The scoreboard in our room hadn’t changed since that night—the night he’d been with her.

VAUGHN: 23

BABYGIRL: 2

I hadn’t bothered correcting his assumption that I’d hooked up with Lisa, even though I hadn’t. I’d tried to ignore it, just like I’d tried to ignore him.

But why hadn’t he updated it after he and I⁠—?

No. That was the least helpful thought I’d ever had, and I refused to finish it.

I tried not to notice him—them—by following Roberts up to the counter and placing my order. “Large cold brew with cream, please. To go.”

Roberts turned back to me. “You’re not sticking around?”

I shook my head, suddenly feeling like maybe my stomach would revolt at the very first swallow of cold coffee. “Think I’m gonna go to the library or something.”

He looked confused, which was fair since he’d mentioned studying when he’d asked if I wanted to come along. “McNeely, you can study here. There’s a table open in the corner.”

Roberts’s voice was loud enough that the sound of my name got Vaughn’s attention. His eyes flicked to mine, but I quickly looked away. “Nah. I’m gonna go.”

I almost turned to leave before remembering I hadn’t picked up my coffee yet. Idiot.

After sliding down to the end of the counter and standing awkwardly next to Roberts to wait for my order, I flicked my eyes to Vaughn, who was back to laughing with Rowan.

Her long, dark hair was thick and wavy over her shoulders. She also had a gold nose ring and some kind of dark makeup that made her eyes look sexy as fuck. Her lips were so full, I couldn’t help but picture what they would look like wrapped around Vaughn’s thick cock.

A pathetic sound came out of my throat.

“You okay, bro?” Roberts asked.