Page 10 of Campus Heat

I felt like I’d been duped into going to the principal’s office, and made myself really small beside Jenna.

“It was a last minute decision,” Cam said. “I hope you don’t mind. I was thinking we could have a bonfire in the backyard.”

“Hold up for just a moment,” Dylan said, finally finding his voice. “Your best friend is Mr. Pine’s daughter? Of all the people in the world… you didn’t think it would be a good idea to inform us you were bringing us to Mr. Pine’s house? Don’t you think just showing up here makes us look bad?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. He does it all the time,” Mr. Pine said. “Cam is like family. He knows he’s always welcome, and so are his friends. Besides, I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you guys.”

I had never seen the guys looking as nervous or uncomfortable as they did at that moment. But the director didn’t seem half as bad as they clearly thought he was. He actually looked like a really chilled guy, even though he had a reputation for being a short-tempered workaholic.

Mr. Pine welcomed us in and helped the guys get the bonfire started in his gigantic fire pit. That’s when I realized that the guys weren’t exactly themselves. They usually had the laid back attitude you’d expect from a bunch of frat boys, always kidding around or wreaking some kind of havoc. But while Mr. Pine was around, they were angelic little altar boys.

“So, how is the training going?” Mr. Pine asked.

“It’s going great, sir. We’re sure to give our opponents a run for their money,” Lucas said, standing a little taller than usual. “They won’t know what hit them.”

“Yeah, we have improved quite a lot since we started. I feel that it’s only a matter of time before we make a name for ourselves,” Dylan added.

I bit back a laugh. They looked like a bunch of puffed up idiots. They were talking a big game, and their swagger was next level. But they had absolutely nothing to back it up. Sure, they had improved, but that only meant that they weren’t running around like a bunch of headless chickens anymore. It didn’t mean they could win against another team.

The only two people who weren’t making total fools out of themselves were Cam and Ethan. The former was being himself the entire time, and I was sure it was because he felt like part of the family. And Ethan wasn’t getting involved in the discussion at all. In fact, he was nowhere to be found.

For a moment, I panicked. I had come all this way with the hope that we could talk, and now he was just gone. I was disappointed and a little annoyed, so I decided to step away from the group of guys. I just needed a moment to clear my thoughts. My feet were taking a path of their own, and before I knew it, I was standing at the base of the back patio.

Ethan was sitting on the top of the stairs, and he looked like he was lost in thought. So I just stood there for a moment watching him. It was the first time I’d seen him looking so serious, and that had me wondering if it was worth destroying the moment. My foot hovered over the first step as I hesitated, but then all of a sudden, something shoved into my back.

I lost my balance, and my body lurched forward, threatening to crash into the stairs. Moving my feet was the only choice I had, but it wasn’t enough. It got me up a few stairs, and then sent me spiraling face first into Ethan’s lap.

“You’re welcome,” Jenna called as she walked away laughing, and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to have the earth open up and swallow me.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asked, helping me sit up straight.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I scoffed. “I guess I need to review my choice of best friend.”

“Don’t you just hate it when people do things like that?”

I wanted to respond, but I drew a complete blank. His hands were still on my elbows, and our eyes were locked. It was as if I had fallen into another world.

“Elizabeth?” Ethan said, looking a little concerned.

“Sorry, I— Yeah, hate it.”

I pulled out of his grip and settled next to him. We were looking over the sprawling backyard where the guys were enjoying their time with the director, and Jenna was making friends with Charlie. Yet it felt like they were just characters in a movie.

“You do this a lot, don’t you?” I asked. “Drifting off by yourself, away from the group.”

“I don’t mean to. I’m just having a hard time getting in with the guys, but it’s not like I can decline every social event they invite me to. So I tag along every now and then, and find a quiet place to reflect.”

“I must admit you don’t look really happy here, so what made you come? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay where you were?”

Ethan shook his head. “In Stamford I was always on the bench. They had the best players in Connecticut, so I never really got time on the field. Which is a huge problem for my football-obsessed family with insane expectations. Here I have a chance to become something, to grow into the person they want me to be.”

He had been a jerk this entire time, and then he just threw it all out there like that. Did my fall break the dam that was holding the human in him back? Because if it did, I would have to do it more often.

“You know I come from a really small town,” I said. “The kind where everyone knows your business, and judges you whether you’re good or bad. I know how difficult it can be to adapt to a new place. For you, it’s getting used to sizing down. For me it was getting used to sizing up.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed you’re not from here. How did you pull it off?”

I shrugged. “It’s a nice enough place, with nice enough people. If you give them a chance.” There was a beat of hesitation, and I added, “Just don’t be like me and fall into the pattern of pleasing everyone just to be liked. I’m still kinda trying to fix that.”