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She shrugs. “Working at my dad’s firm and catching up on sleep. Very boring.”
“No hooking up with the ex?” I ask, knowing she probably did.
She looks down.
“Oh my God, he’s an ex for a reason,” I scold.
“He hasn’t got a brain in his head or any ambition at all, but knows how to get me off, so don’t judge.”
“Oh, I’m totally judging,” I joke, sort of.
“And how about you? Did you hook up with your ex?” she accuses.
“No, ma’am, I did not.” I say proudly.
“That’s because a certain hocky hottie is all up in your DMs.” She grins.
I shake my head. “Again, no, ma’am.”
“What? Why?” Ellie asks.
“Wasn’t going anywhere, and the initial tummy flips disappeared.”
“But we love Theo,” Grace and Ellie say at the same time.
“Go for it.” I shrug. “I’ve always been more a football fan, anyway.”
“You crushing on our roommate already?” Leah whispers like he’ll hear it, and he’s not even here.
“Nope, I’ve been roster stalking.” I pull out my phone, hit up Lincoln’s website, and set it on the island so they can see it. “I’m going to start with the newbie wide receiver and work my way to the tight end. Then, when I get sick of football, I’ll go check out the lacrosse guys. Sophomore year is going to be the official start of my sexual revolution.”
“Fuck yes, I’m in.” Leah grins.
Ellie holds up her drink, “Looks like we’ll be—”
Grace cuts Ellie off. “Living vicariously through them.”
* * *
Lyingin my bed for the first time, I swear it’s more comfortable than my bed at home.
I wasn’t lying when I told them I was moving on from my little crush on Theo Rivera. I have, and I hope he doesn’t make it awkward for me by asking me why I stopped replying to his DMs. I mean, it’s lame to think everyone meets their “one” in college, but it was hard not to get wrapped up in it last year with Ellie and Leo, Kameron and Evan, and then Drew’s twin, Dylan and Bass. It was silly to expect Theo, who is going into his junior year, wasn’t going to bang half the campus like all the other players did.
I’m not pissed at him anymore than I am at Drew Daniels, who he obviously hooked up with a few times when I thought he was into me. Then the flips stopped, like just … disappeared. And God, how I loved the flips he caused. It was like being on the bars while my feet were firmly planted. I will find them again like that, and again, and again.
We’re young, wild, and free, some more than others. Sophomore Riley is going to embrace being all that,and then some.
I mean, I’m not looking to get coupled up as a sophomore in college when I have med school from here. They say you have to kiss a few frogs to find your prince, right? I’m not just going to kiss a few. I’m going to kiss as many as it takes and keep on kissing them until I find one with those grippy feet,a tree frog, one who will surely stick.
I reach over and grab my journal from my nightstand drawer, take off my silky pink sleep mask, pushing it back so it sits on the top of my head, before I pick a hot pink gel pen from my case. I lean back and plant my knees on my pale pink comforter, set the journal against my knees, and I begin.
Dear Simone,
I’m finally here, all moved in and reunited with my sisters. Seeing them again was amazing as I knew it would be, no awkward moments. Cody’s still not here.
When last I wrote, I was stressing about the topic of TR coming up and, well, it happened, and all those scenarios that taunted me were far worse in my head than IRL.
So, Simone, I’m here to let you know I am over the hockey boy, and from now on, I, Riley Park, am stepping off the ice and moving onto greener pastures or, in this case field, officially becoming a die-hard Lincoln Lions football fan.
