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“Nope.” She pops her lips, resuming her work.
“What do you mean, no?”
“Just be quiet and trust the process,” she instructs. “If you don’t want to sit in silence, you can put some music on.”
“Nah, I’d rather listen to you breathe.”
This has her gaze coming back up to mine in an instant.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a little out there?” She smiles and fuck if it doesn’t rob my lungs of every ounce of air.
I spent an entire year trying to stay away from her, only to cave this close to the end. Less than three months left of the season. Just over six months until the draft. And instead of focusing on football, I’m over here panting like a puppy just hoping she’ll throw me a bone. And you know what, I’m not sorry for it.
How could I be when she makes my entire world feel like it’s stopped on its axis?
“You’re just now realizing this?” I snort.
“Well, you do wear SpongeBob socks.” She gestures down to my feet. “And with slides, no less.”
“What’s wrong with SpongeBob?” I bark out a laugh.
“Nothing, if you’re ten.”
“SpongeBob is for adults as much as it is for kids. I watch that shit every morning I can.”
“You do not.” She shakes her head disbelievingly.
“Oh, I do. Just ask Higgins. Hell, he even watches it with me sometimes.”
“I’m trying to picture it. The two of you, huddled up in your dorm room watching SpongeBob on your laptop. I just... You know, maybe I can see it actually.” She laughs.
“Well, for one, we do have a television, so it’s not like we’re snuggled up in bed together. And two, what else am I supposed to watch while I eat my cereal?”
“You really are a child.”
“That’s not what you were saying Sunday night.” I lick my lips, watching her instantly squirm in her seat.
“And how do you have a television?” She tries to act like I didn’t say anything. “You’ve seen my room. I couldn’t fit one in there if I tried.”
“It’s not very big. Thirty-two inches, I think. It’s mounted above my dresser. All I have to do is hook the HDMI into my laptop and voilà, television.”
“So your room is bigger than mine.”
“A bit,” I admit. In truth, Higgins and I share the largest room they offer on campus, which makes Alina and Rory’s room look like a shoebox. Well, more than it already does.
Not that it’s big and luxurious—it is just a dorm room, after all. But we do have a bit more square footage, a private bathroom, and even a full-sized closet.
“Figures,” she grumbles.
“What’s that?”
“Nothing. I just wish colleges valued other talented students the way they do their athletes.”
“I totally agree,” I surprise her by saying.
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not actually. Don’t get me wrong. I work my ass off every single day for what I’ve got. I don’t look at it as being given something. I earn it every time I step foot on that field. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t students out there, students like you, who go above and beyond in everything they do. Students who deserve all the advantages that students like me receive.”
