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I did? Fuck that didn't even sound like me, but then again, drinking as much as I did that night wasn't me either. Everything in me told me to say no and not deal with Hunter anymore, but some part of me never wanted to admit to him that I didn't remember anything about that night.
There had to be more to the story. Something he wasn't telling me that I was clearly supposed to remember. It made no sense at all why Hunter would ask a famous soccer player to casually run into his girlfriend and entertain her for the night. A happy coincidence wouldn't replace him not showing up.
"Just tell me, really quick," I sighed, "why is this helpful?"
"It'll give us something to talk about. She will tell me she met you, that I should have been there. That I missed out. I will be the one that's sad I missed the dinner, and she will gloat about it."
Everything inside of me was trying not to laugh in his face. "Shouldn't she know we already know each other? Doesn't she know we played together?"
"She may assume, once you two meet. Maybe it will be something she brings up. You can tell her, 'Yeah I know your boyfriend Hunter. He's cool.' Then that will give you another opening to keep her distracted."
Don't do it, Tripp. Tell him to get lost.
"I'll think about it."
His smile lit up, and he nodded, pumping his fist a little. "It will be just like you said it would be."
I didn't say yes.
"Tomorrow night," Hunter interrupted my thoughts. "I'm supposed to meet Tay for dinner, but now I'm gonna be at a meeting. Go in my place and casually meet her. Just be Tripp Maddux, the famous soccer player. The rest will be easy."
"What do I do if she tells me she wants me to leave? You did say that she's obsessed with you."
"She is, but it's just one night. Charm her enough to keep her happy, then say goodnight, and go home. I'll be at her place when she gets home, and I'm sure she will tell me all about it. She won't even be upset anymore that I couldn't make dinner again."
That poor girl deserved better than Hunter's shitshow, but at least it was just for a night. And agreeing to do him the favor was enough to get him to leave. If I changed my mind and didn't, it would be his bullshit to deal with, not mine.
He was one weird fucker, because I'd never want someone taking my place on a date. Why was this better than being honest with her? The only thing that made sense was that Hunter was cheating on her on top of making soccer his priority.
"You better hope I don't like her, Hunter." He was long gone, but I spoke to myself as I ran through everything in my head. "Because I don't like you enough not to tell her the truth."
* * *
The last thing I wanted to do was practice after a hard game, but when Monday rolled around, I got my ass to the stadium. Almost all day, I kept to myself and let my mind focus on the game, but when I got back to my locker and checked my phone, Hunter's text had my mind reeling. It was the address of where his girlfriend was going to be, and he was expecting me to show up.
Remember that she's mine. Just entertain her and go home.
No more favors after this.
Deal.
"Remember that guy from Mango's the other night?" I mumbled, almost to myself, but I knew Cruz was next to me at our lockers.
"Coach Crazy?" he asked, using his little pet name for Hunter.
"Hunter Ward." It wasn't so much a correction as it was a statement. A fact that I was sure of when I was so unsure of helping him out in any way. Cruz turned toward me, no doubt getting a little concerned, but I just stared into my locker.
"You okay?"
"Hunter is an old teammate of mine. He asked for my help."
"Just because I don't like him doesn't mean you can't help him."
That got a small smile out of me, and I looked up at Cruz. "This has nothing to do with how you feel about him."
Plus, I had my own reasons for not liking Hunter. Back in League One, he belittled everyone around him. He would outright say that he was the best on the team, then, instead of proving it, he'd tear down everyone else's game. I had long looked past it, but it still sat in my gut. Lingering thoughts of animosity would probably always be around inside of me somewhere.
"Well that is offensive," Cruz kept on, interrupting my thoughts, "because the only reason I don't like him is because Rhys doesn't like him. You should be a better friend to me."
