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“Hey, man, you comingto the Nasty Rabbit with us?” I look up from where I’m sitting on the bench, peeling off my cleats, which feel nearly fused to my fucking feet, to see Higgins leaning against the row of lockers in front of me.
Me and a couple of my receivers opted to stay after our scheduled team practice and hold our own additional practice session. The only way to be great is to work for it, and I’ve got too much to prove to fuck around and let it slip through my fingers. Seven months until the draft. Seven months and all this shit will have been worth it.
“Nah, I think I’m just going to head back to the dorms. I’m exhausted.” I finally get one cleat off and immediately start working on the laces of the other.
“You sure? Half the guys are already there. Enzo texted me while we were on the field. He’s there with Alina and herroommate.” He does this weird little fucking shimmy with his hips.
“And?”
“Oh, come on, man, we both know you got a hard-on for the dark-haired art major you’re always staring at.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I huff, peeling the second cleat off before dropping it onto the floor with a thud.
“No? So you just volunteered to be her model for the shit coach got us wrapped up in because...”
“Because I knew she, unlike a lot of other art students, actually has talent and works hard. I don’t have time to deal with some halfwit who has no interest in what she’s actually doing and more interest in trying to get up on my nuts the entire time.”
“And you’re sure that’s it?” He gives me a disbelieving look.
Okay, so yes, I have fantasized about Rory Hensley on her knees, looking up at me with those big green eyes of hers while I fuck her mouth so hard she gags, but what guy hasn’t? She’s fucking beautiful. And not in that overdone way a lot of women are today. She doesn’t need makeup or fancy clothes to catch the attention of every man in the room. All she has to do is walk in, hair pulled up in a messy bun, her petite frame dressed in leggings and Chucks—which I’ve learned she has multiple colors of, not that I’ve been paying attention. The fact that she’s oblivious to how attractive she is only makes her more so.
But that’s not all I see when I look at her. I see someone who understands what it means to sacrifice in pursuit of what you love. Someone like me. I knew it the instant I walked into that classroom that day. She didn’t gawk over me like the others. She didn’t whisper or snicker. No, she was laser focused from the word go. That told me more about her than words ever could.
It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t help but flirt with her, desperate to pull a reaction from her. Desperate to know I could. But it’s also the reason why I’ve kept my distance. Because once I did get a reaction—a whisper of a blush, a trace of a smile—all I wanted was more and I can’t afford any distractions this close to the end. And I have a feeling Rory Hensley would be one hell of a distraction.
Doesn’t mean I’ve been able to stop myself from fucking with her, though. I can’t help it. The way the soft complexion of her cheeks warms to pink every time I look at her. The way she tries so hard not to hold my gaze but at the same time can’t make herself look away. She has become my favorite thing about this campus, and I don’t even actually know the fucking girl.
“That’s what I thought.” Higgins snorts out a laugh when I still haven’t responded.
“In case you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t exactly like me,” I remind him. While a strategic move on my part, I have to admit that it honestly worked almost too well.
“You haven’t given her much reason to.”
“Exactly.” I drag my tongue across the front of my teeth. “Now, if we’re finished here, I really need a shower and a fucking toothbrush.”
“Come on, man. One drink. You’ve earned it.”
“I haven’t earned shit, not yet,” I grumble, pushing to a stand.
“You’re too hard on yourself. You know that, right? You’ve already proven you’ve got what it takes. Why not enjoy what you’ve accomplished?”
“Because it’s not over. The job isn’t done, and it won’t be until the commissioner of the NFL is standing on that stage on draft night, holding a team jersey with my name on it.”
I don’t expect Higgins or the other guys to fully understand. They were scouted straight out of high school with options lined up as far as the eye could see. I had to fight my way in and even then, I didn’t get a real shot. Two years I wasted on a college team under a coach who didn’t believe I had what it took. Two years I had to sit on the bench and watch someone do a job I knew I could do better.
I believed in myself long before anyone else did. I just needed someone to take a chance on me, and Coach Cook did. When I inquired about a transfer, knowing USC was struggling to findtheirguy in the QB slot, he reviewed my tapes and called me less than a day later, saying there was a place for me on his team if I wanted it. So I left Michigan and headed for California. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve met some amazing players here who have allowed me to shine in a way I always knew I was meant to. This isn’t just about me. It’s about them too. If I’m not at my best, then neither are they, and I can’t be the one responsible for someone not getting their shot.
“And he will. It’s already set, man. You know it. I know it. Every fucking guy in this locker room knows it. But life, right now, that shit is passing you by, and one day you’re going to look back and regret not living in the moment when you had the chance. Listen, you’re the hardest fucking worker I know, but you’re also the most stubborn. Take a night off. Have one drink. A lot of the guys are there. Think of it as a team-building thing.”
“Team building?” I fight the smile on my lips as I pick up my cleats and drop them into the bottom of my locker.
“How about this. Don’t even drink. Come out, hang for a bit, sip on water. No one is gonna know the difference anyway.”
“Trey.”
“You can use my first name all you want. I’m not taking no for an answer here, man. The guys need this, and so do you.” He flashes me his pearly whites.
“Fine. One drink,” I finally agree, knowing how persistent this fucker can be. Great quality to have as a teammate. As a friend, though, sometimes it’s annoying, like now for instance.
