Page 91 of Campus Heat

“Finally,” Dylan said, cracking his neck.

“Food,” Cam hummed like he had been starving for years.

We walked inside and the smell of freshly brewed coffee and hot syrup overwhelmed me. The waitress barely blinked when thirty starved athletes and cheerleaders crowded through the door, even though we filled half the restaurant in a matter of minutes.

Jenna and I slipped into one of the booths at the back, but my eyes were scanning the entire room. Ethan stood near the counter, briefly talking to Dylan before turning to the hallway that led to the restrooms. This was my chance, probably the only one I would get.

“I’ll be right back,” I mumbled as I slid out of the booth.

Jenna raised a brow. “Bathroom?”

“Something like that.”

I slipped through the narrow aisle between the tables and reached the hallway just as Ethan stepped out of the men’s room.

“Hey,” I said cautiously.

His expression was unreadable. “Hey.”

I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “So… are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

His jaw tightened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I couldn’t believe how cold he was toward me. This was the first time since we met that he acted this way, and it confirmed my suspicion that something was up.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” I said firmly. “You wouldn’t sit with me on the bus, and you barely said two words to me this morning.”

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Maybe I just wanted to sit with the team.”

I frowned. “The team is always around us, no matter what.”

The silence that stretched between us was heavy and laced with built-up tension. Then the hum from the dining room found me and pulled me back to the present.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked quietly.

He let out a short laugh, and it wasn’t amused. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Of course I am!”

He pushed away from the wall. “Maybe you should ask the guy you spent the night with. He did sound like Mr. Perfect after all.”

I blinked in astonishment. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Since I got to this school, I hadn’t spent time with anyone but him.

His eyes hardened. “You know, the guy who was in your room last night.”

Realization dawned, and I quickly opened my mouth to speak. “That isn’t -”

He lifted a hand, shutting me up. “Don’t even try. I heard everything.”

I just stared at him, completely stunned. I had no idea he was visiting my room or that he overheard anything, but whatever that was, he had the wrong idea.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, hoping he’d give me a chance to explain.

He held my gaze for a long moment. “Yeah, whatever.”

Then he stepped past me and walked back to the dining room, leaving me frozen and speechless in the hallway of a diner more than two hours away from home. I was completely crushed, and I didn’t see a way out of this, especially since he wouldn’t let me explain.

What was I going to do now?