Page 75 of Game Plan

“Don’t argue. I won’t have it.”

“Geez, don’t get all paranoid and shit.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s probably just some stupid guys having a blast making prank calls because they’re wasted and think it’s hilarious. Or Cassie’s secret admirer, named Carl. He always shows up at Hot Shot but never talks to her because he’s too shy. See? Nothing to be afraid of.”

“I won’t let them harass you, Mel. You should get your number changed. Want me to go downstairs and ask the residence advisor?”

“Involving the RA? Are you for real? They will think it’s silly.”

“It’s not. I gotta go. Do you want me to drop you at my place before practice?”

“No. I’m a big girl, and it’s just a phone call. Carl is harmless. There is no threat.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Do as you wish, but be ready at six.” He turned to leave. “Oh, and lock the door after me.” He kissed my forehead.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Not funny, Shepard. Believe me, where you’re concerned, I’m no daddy.”

I fought back a smile. “If you say so.” My humor died down. “Mase? We’re friends. I’m not sure going to your place later is smart. I don’t want you to read more into our relationship than there is. You know, blur the lines and stuff.”

“I’m not. We’re not. We’re friends, remember?”

Why did it sound like a lie right now?

20

Please, save my life…and my heart

Sitting on the couch, my legs stretched over Mason’s and my back pressed against a cushion positioned on the armrest, we ate soup while watching a teen rom-com I’d seen at least a dozen times with Paige over the years. I had a fluffy blanket draped over me, one Mason had insisted would make me more comfortable.

“Want me to grab you an ice pack?” I asked, noticing how he’d been rubbing his right shoulder on and off for the last fifteen minutes, his face contorting into a grimace every time he did.

He cocked his head toward me, confusion swimming in his eyes. “What? Why?”

I pointed to his right side. “Your shoulder. It’s nagging you. Don’t pretend otherwise. I can tell you’re in pain.”

He rotated it as if to prove me wrong but stopped mid-movement.

“What happened? I thought you were doing better.”

“A bad hit. At practice. There are two guys on the team who hate my guts and are giving me a hard time for being the starting quarterback. Benjamin was supposed to be starting this year, but he’s benched because of an injury. Anyway, his best friend, Bowman, doesn’t want me to challenge his spot, so he makes sure I screw up every chance I get to prove a point to Coach. And there’s Nichols. You met him at Lola’s. He’s a motherfucker with a capital M, and for some reason, he wants me off the team. They don’t have a decent replacement if I get benched, so I don’t know what their problem is. Most of the team is great, though. They respect me and listen when I call plays. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“You would tell me if it was worse than that, right?”

“It’s just a bruise. It will go away in a few days. All good.” He pushed my legs aside and moved to stand. “Stay here. I’ll get that ice pack myself. Want more soup?” He gestured to my empty bowl.

“Please.”

A moment later, Mason resumed his spot on the other end of the couch with his feet resting on the old chest doubling as a coffee table, pulling my legs so they stretched over his once again. He had wrapped the ice pack around his shoulder, and I had to trust that the injury wasn’t an issue.

I peeled my eyes away from him and brought my attention back to the screen in front of us. “I can’t believe you’ve never seen this movie.”

“Before you, Shepard, I didn’t really have girls as friends, and I spent most of my time on the field. There’s no way Chase would be caught dead watching a rom-com with me. I’m sure my brother watched a ton of these with Paige, but he never said anything about it. How the hell was I supposed to know this movie existed?”

“Were you living in a cave when it came out like four years ago? It was a huge deal back then. The blockbuster of the summer.”

“They must have had a car chase movie coming out at the same time. They usually do. That one I would have seen, believe me.”

“Anyway, it’s one of my favorites.”