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I smiled and shook my head no. “I uh…thought I saw…you, and…it surprised me.”
“Right!” she said and laughed. “Me, too. I was just saying this morning what a great opportunity this is for a girl like me.”
Dougie asked, “What kind of girl are you, sweetheart?”
Cassidy, not missing a beat, sort of wiggled, looked at him, and said, “The kind that doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty if the reward is worth it.”
Boston went wide-eyed and said, “Oh, shit. I think we found a contender.” Then he looked at me and said, “Know anyone else in this line? That would help us wrap this up with our twelve to take inside and…uh…test out.”
I would not look down that row of girls now for a million dollars. “Nope. Looks like you found a winner.”
“All right now.” Dougie stood up and then gauged the line. Then he leaned a little more.
I closed my eyes. Prayed for the first time since that day in the principal’s office. The day I learned that they were not letting me walk across the stage to get my diploma. In fact, they were letting me take the last two weeks of school off so the press would stop calling them. She was a junior, and they were trying to ensure she felt safe returning. She was still my girlfriend then. Still telling them I didn’t…I shook my head. Pushed all that aside. It was easier to push it aside when she was in my past, not in this line.
Then he said it, “You.”
Boston was next. He laughed. Asked, “What the hell is she wearing?”
Running shoes, shorts, a t-shirt I gave her for her birthday. Dougie said, “Looks like your kind of girl, Boston.”
“Maybe. Probably over here trying to get someone in trouble.” He pointed, and several girls near her started forward. “No. Not you. You, with the t-shirt. Yeah, come here.”
“You don’t want that one.” I wanted to shut up.
“You want that one?” Boston asked. His brow up, his head canting so he could watch her but really listen to me.
I gulped, tapped into that cruel asshole that raised me genetics, and said, “I already had that one. Rode that one over a year in high school. The whole team practically had a go.”
She could hear me. I knew she could because she stopped short, looked at me, and glared. I had to turn my face to look at them, or I was going to go over there and apologize. Right now, I had to keep her out of that house. “She’s a nag. Always harping on something. You should put her with the freshmen. Let them see what it’s like to live with a harpy.”
“Harpy?” Boston looked at me.
I rolled a shoulder. “That’s what I called her.”
“Damn.” Dougie winced. “That’s…hey. What’s your name?”
She was a few steps from the table. All attitude she said, “Harper.”
Boston asked, “He call you that for real?”
I didn’t want to look at her, but I had to. I tried to convey with my eyes that I was sorry, but this was for her own good. I didn’t care if Cassidy was in this house with them. I didn’t care about any of these other girls. I didn’t want…my…even if she was no longer mine. She was my girl. I didn’t want her subjected to this shit. I also…feared she might…want to be here. Like, really want to be here. And not with me.
She nodded. Her eye twitched. “So?”
They both made noises, and then Boston said, “Oh, damn. Yeah. You got a lot of attitude for an employee. How about.” He motioned, and Dougie moved with him. They stepped out of earshot, and I glanced at Cassidy.
She and Harper were now in some face and hand motion conversation that I only understood part of. Essentially, Cassidy was surprised to see Harper here. That made me wonder what got her here. I was about to ask for her application when Boston said, “Go with Popsicle. You’re hired for Sophomore House.”
“What?” we both shouted the question.
“I might change my room. I mean…that house just got interesting.” Dougie laughed. “You know we get veto, and you know we get placement if we want to exert that authority. We do. Take this Harpy with you, man. Hope you enjoy yesterday’s pussy all up in your personal space.”
This was happening because I was the backup QB, and he knows I am better than his ass. The coach was ready to bench him and push me. Harper would not fuck up my game just by being in my house. She would make my life miserable, and she absolutely would be miserable herself, so maybe she would quit. I nodded. I looked at her and then looked away and walked off. If I act like I give a shit, they will call my bluff and keep her. I was worried they were going to try to take her back anyway.
“Harper!” That was Cassidy.
The tone drew their attention, and I knew before Boston said it, he picked up on the fact that Cassidy liked me. She always had. I never acted on that before because she was Harper’s best friend. Even though Harper and I were broken up when I ran into Cassidy that time, I couldn’t do that to them.
