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Maddox and I became good friends when we were paired as dormmates our freshman year. We’re complete opposites in how we grew up. Me growing up in lower income family with a mom who worked more than one job and him coming from money.
The problem with being friends with Maddox is that he is good at reading people, and I wish he’d stop his analyzing of me right now.
He lets out a loud laugh beside me and a hand comes down on my back. “Dude, I know you better than anyone and I know for a fact that you’ve never given up an easy lay. What’s the deal?” Okay, so he may be loyal and down to earth, but yeah, we’re both kind of pigs.
I contemplate telling him about Blaire or not. A part of me wants to tell him about her, but then there’s this protective part that wants to keep her to myself. This sense to keep her safe from anything and everything.
“Dude, what’s with you today?” Maddox asks.
Clearing my head of Blaire, I grab the protein bar out of his hand and shove the last half of it in my mouth. “Nothing. Let’s head to practice,” I say after swallowing.
* * *
GettingBlaire out of my head was easier said than done.
All practice she was on my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about her beautiful face, her voice, and then that lost look in her eyes. This girl I didn’t even know has consumed my thoughts and it’s getting to me. I have always seen women as companions for a nice night. Scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours kind of deal. Maybe that’s what a need. Just a scratch to clear my Blaire itch.
Coach is pissed because I missed more than a handful of passes, but my head isn’t in it. I’m trying to focus on my dribbling and making sure the passes to Maddox are precise, but my mind keeps drifting to Blaire. I need to see her again.
The whistle blows, ending practice for the day. We all head toward the locker room as Coach calls out my name.
He’s standing with the assistant coaches but doesn’t make any indication he wants me to come over, so I stand there and wait for him to say anything else.
“Don’t know what the hell is going on with you today, but if this happens again tomorrow, your ass is benched for the first game, got it?” he calls out to me, then turns to the other coaches.
Freshman year, Coach and I went at it a lot. I was rebellious and didn’t like being told what to do, especially by some guy I didn’t know.
Growing up with a dad who left his family and a mom who worked too much to be around would do that to you. I grew up fast, having to raise my little sister and myself all on my own. When I got to Braxton, I still had the ‘I’m my own boss’ mentality. My first practice, though, Coach let the team know who was in charge from the beginning. I, being the rebel I am, wasn’t having that. I would show up late to practice, acting like it was no big deal, go against his plays, and do my own thing.
That lasted all of two weeks. I got pulled into Coach’s office for a ‘talk’ that consisted of me sitting there, not saying a word as he went into all the reasons he should have me kicked off the team and my scholarship revoked. That’s when it all became a reality. I needed to get my head out of my ass and stay on track and finish what I came here for.
I’m met with the stench of sweat and too much cologne when I walk into the locker room. Most of the guys are in the showers, but some are already dressed and leaving. Walking over to my area, I hurry to get my extra clothes on to get the hell out of here, not bothering with a shower.
Just as I’m lacing up my sneakers, Maddox walks up to his locker next to mine. He’s still in a towel after his shower. He grabs the boxers out of his bag and slides them on, making sure not to let the towel slip. Smart man, because if he had flashed me his junk, I’d beat his ass…again. Him being free-spirited and all, he did that shit our freshman year all the time, and I wasn’t having it.
Maddox is a carefree kind of guy. He grew up in a filthy rich family and had everything handed to him his entire life. He never went without, unlike my sister and me. When we were paired as roommates freshman year, I was worried this spoiled, rich guy was going to be a bitch and not someone I wanted to be around, but surprisingly, he’s one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. Practically being raised by a nanny will do that to you. I’ve met the woman who raised him, and she’s a damn saint but doesn’t put up with bullshit.
“You going to tell me what’s up today or what? You’re never off your game like that,” Maddox asks as he slips his shirt on.
Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees and run my hands through my hair. “It’s this fucking girl. I haven’t been able to get her out of my head all day…all weekend really.” I have thought about Blaire since seeing her at the party Saturday night, but now after talking to her and finding out her name, I’m fascinated.
“Hold up, you didn’t hook up with anyone that night,” Maddox states. He tosses the towel into the laundry bin after putting on his gym shorts and a T-shirt.
Opening my eyes, I look up at him. “Not someone I hooked up with, dipshit. I just kind of met her…well, she caught me taking a piss on the side of the house.”
Maddox leans down and begins getting his shoes on. “That sounds romantic and all, but I don’t see how that little interaction would leave an impression on you.”
“She was different, man. She’s smoking hot, but in this subtle way. It’s as if she doesn’t even know she’s sexy. And her reaction to me was completely the opposite from the normal girls we see. She seemed almost…embarrassed when she caught me with my dick out. Not turned on or anything.”
Maddox bends over, letting out a loud laugh that gets the attention of everyone around us. “What, you mean she didn’t jump your bones at the sight of you?”
Fucking asshole. “No, she looked like it was going to attack her and then she bolted before I could even say anything to her.”
He grabs his bag off the bench and slings it over his shoulder. “I’m really not seeing the fascination with this chick. Sounds like it’s a waste of time. But if she’s going to have you playing like that, fuck her and move on, man. We have a championship to win.” He heads out the exit. I grab my bag and follow.
Part of me thinks it may be a waste of time. She didn’t seem at all interested today when we talked for all of three minutes. But then there is this other part of me, the one that is intrigued by her and doesn’t want to ignore this gut feeling I have that she’s different and I need to get to know her. Blaire seems unlike the majority of girls at this school, who seem to only see me as a status and something they can brag about to their friends. The more I think about how the last two years have gone, the more I start to feel used. Sure, I got something out of it, but sometimes a guy wants to feel seen for more than his body and popularity.
5
