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The change in his demeanor gave me whiplash. “If you were ever around, you would fucking know.”
“I’m working my ass off. Maybe you would understand if you picked up the slack with our family instead of having your head up your ass.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but a soft knock on the door had me backpedaling fast. “Go. I’m not in the mood to have it out with you right now. I’ve got shit to do.”
The last thing I needed was for him to know I was getting a tutor because I couldn’t cut it on my own. He knew I couldn’t get through some of the classes without help, but I didn’t think he understood the extent of it.
We’d always been there for each other, like when we were little and he stuttered. If anyone made fun of him, our cousins and I would torment them so much that we developed a reputation not to mess with us. Eventually, Shane got over his speech impediment, but feeling like he wasn’t good enough had left scars. I felt that more than he knew. If people discovered how hard it was for me to read a simple chapter, I would become the dumb jock Max had accused me of being, but to thousands of people.
I hated school—the academics, the sleepless nights, and the worry that I couldn’t keep up. So when Shane stormed out and past the short brunette standing in the doorway with her hand raised to knock again, I was relieved.
I waved her in, not really looking at her. The door closed behind her, and I grabbed my book and shoved it in her direction. She took it timidly, and some of the red haze faded from my sight, and I looked closely at her. “Noel?”
“Hey, Phoenix.” She cleared her throat. “I’m supposed to tutor you in lit and I think sociology?” The breathiness that was there a minute ago was gone.
I studied her as she nibbled on her lip, her eyes soft and dreamy. In high school, Noel Simon had been captain of the debate team, class president, and who knew what else. She was a brain with dark hair that fell in big curls around her shoulders and huge brown eyes. She wore the same round, wire-rimmed glasses from last year. She’d had a huge crush on me.
I grinned, turning on the charm. “Wow, it’s good to see you. I didn’t know you went to Thane.”
“Yeah. It’s great here. I love it.” Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. “I saw your game Saturday. You were amazing. Even better than when we were in high school.”
“Thanks.” I motioned for her to take a seat in one of the chairs. “I have an unusual request. I need you to read this book to me since there isn’t an audio recording.” How that was possible, I wasn’t sure, but I’d looked everywhere and no audio version existed. “I don’t absorb the material very well when I read. I’m more of an auditory learner.”
“Oh, sure.” She got situated and opened the book to where I told her I’d left off.
I made myself comfortable with my legs stretched out on the bed and my back resting against the wall. If we could figure out how to fit in her reading those chapters to me, then all of the schoolwork I was behind on because of football, weightlifting, watching film, and the fights might be okay. I stood a chance at passing midterms. Maybe it would work out.
Finally, something was going my way.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ASPEN
“He’s such an asshole.” I paced Max’s dorm room. “I can’t believe he talked to you that way. And the starving-artist comment…” I threw my hands up then planted them on my hips, glaring at him. “Does he not realize I’m an artist too?”
Max smirked. His eyes shifted from me to the mirror in the Jack-and-Jill bathroom he and his suitemates shared. With deft hands, he drew a thin line of black eyeliner under lashes too long to belong to a guy.
“That’s not fair, either.” I pointed to his eyes, heated about everything and unable to stop myself. What I was doing wasn’t good. I had to stop complaining about the asshat. But—ugh—I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The entire situation was a nightmare. And what made it worse was my sister had been on team Phoenix since she and Dane saw him play.
“What’s not fair?” Max set the liner down and rested a lean hip against the counter.
I pointed to his gorgeous eyes. “That you have eyelashes that any girl would be jealous of.”
“Honey”—Max shook his head—“you know that’s not why you’re mad. And thank you.” He batted his eyelashes then blew me a kiss.
I rolled my eyes at him but felt slightly lighter from him joking around. “I’m sorry.” I wrung my hands, not knowing how to make what happened to him better.
Max sighed, squeezed my shoulders, and gently backed me out of the bathroom until we were at his bed. I climbed onto the mattress next to him, grabbing one of his fluffy throw pillows and hugging it to my stomach. I hated how out of control I felt.
“We’re going to have a little heart to heart, baby girl. Now”—he patted my hand—“I’m well aware of the eye candy and can only imagine what it would be like to sleep with that guy. Wait”—a devious grin stretched his mouth—“let me imagine that for a hot minute.”
“Stop it.” I smacked him with the pillow and laughed. When his expression turned serious, I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. I wasn’t sure I would like what he said next.
“You know I love you. In the short time I’ve known you, you’ve become one of my best friends. But honey, Phoenix isn’t a guy you should be with. He’s a walking billboard for bad attitude.”
I loved that Max was looking out for me, but… “It’s not that simple.” I was surprised he hadn’t heard about the baby already. But he didn’t run with the same crowd as Phoenix’s ex, despite casually dating one of the guy cheerleaders.
“It’s never easy when the guy probably plays your va-jay-jay like a fine-tuned instrument. But you can’t let someone treat you that way. He’s possessive, jealous, controlling…” Max frowned. “Maybe those aren’t actually bad things, but his attitude is, and you deserve better, sweetie.”
