Page 23 of Out of His League

The day has been a blur, and my head has been spinning. Between Karoline showing up unannounced and the bomb that Brock dropped on me about traveling with the team, I can’t tell which has had me more distracted.

Rumors and stories have already made their way around campus about Brock and me being a couple. That part of my day has been pushed back into the far recesses of my mind to be analyzed later. Girls who have never spoken to me before are either trying to get close so they can get a party invitation, or they make snide remarks about how Brock can do so much better than me and how I am out of his league.

None of this is anything unheard of before. My mother and sister have been saying similar things my entire life.

Between classes, Kennedy and the guys keep checking in with me to make sure that I am okay. To be honest, I am not sure if I am. There is a lot happening at once right now, and they are reaching the point of being smothering. Knowing their concern stems from Karoline running her mouth. The fact that they care helps soothe my frazzled nerves.

Reaching the library after class, a familiar face is leaning against the building near the door. My steps become wary,unsure if he is waiting for me or Brock. When his eyes catch mine, a soft smile crosses his face.

“Hey there, tutor girl.” His tone and presence have me on alert. There is something there that I can’t put my finger on.

“Z…Zanko, hello.”

“So,” he starts, dragging out the word. “You and my boy are an item now. That was quick.” The last part of his statement is accusatory.

We stand and stare at each other for several tense minutes. A hand on my shoulder has me jumping.

“Is there a problem here?” Rodney says from behind me. He moves to block me from Zanko’s view. Rodney’s body is stiff, arms crossed over his chest.

Zanko’s attention focuses on Rodney while addressing him.

“No, no problem,” Zanko answers the question, holding his hands up in surrender. “I just find the timing odd that just under a week of her being Brock’s tutor, and suddenly she is on his arm. Brock doesn’t do girlfriends. Forgive me if this all seems too convenient and suspicious.”

“Don’t you think Brock’s love life is none of your business? Or better yet, instead of confronting an innocent female, you should be confronting him?” Rodney questions him.

Not giving Zanko any time to respond, Rodney steers me into the library and up to our study area. Brock is already there, papers spread over the table top. Upon our arrival, his head pops up. Unsure of what he sees on Rodney’s face, his body tenses.

“What happened now?” Brock’s eyes bounce between us as he waits for a response.

Guiding me into a chair, Rodney answers Brocks's question. “Your boy…” Rodney trails off, looking at me to fill in the name.

“Zanko.”

“Yeah, him,” Rodney bites out, his annoyance obvious. “Zanko ambushed Kassidy outside. Accusing her of somethingbecause of the stunt you pulled this morning.” Rodney takes a breath to reign in his anger. “She didn’t deserve the confrontation. It is in your best interest to set him and any others straight before me and Callum have to.”

Brock’s face hardens, giving Rodney a slight nod.

“I am sorry about that. When we are finished here, I will have a talk with him,” Brock responds.

“It is her you need to apologize to…again,” Rodney says to Brock. Rodney turns to face me before speaking again. “Kass, are you going to be okay if I leave you here alone with him?”

“Yes, thank you. And thank you for what you did outside.”

Rodney pats my shoulder before leaving me alone with Brock.

Setting my bag down and pulling papers out, I ignore the look he is giving me. From the corner of my eye, I see him scrubbing his hands over his face.

“Is it safe to assume that Zanko isn’t the only one that gave you shit today?” he asks, barely above a whisper.

“Yes, but we have things to do. I don’t want to be here tonight any longer than we need to be,” my voice is strained, the weight of the past twenty-four hours weighing on me.

He starts to speak again, but I hold my hand up to stop him; my words are harsher than intended. “Look, too much has happened today for me to process. We have to get through this tonight and then have the weekend to regroup. Hopefully, by then, my sister will be gone.”

It takes Brock a minute, but he seems to agree with me as we get into his study session.

We stayed in the library longer than intended but managed to get a lot done. I am comfortable with not having to schedule an extra session over the weekend. It will give me time to deal with my sister and get a handle on the charade Brock started. Karoline’s presence is too convenient timing with my mother’s phone call. There is something else going on, but too much has happened in the past twenty-four hours for me to decipher it.

Brock offers to walk me back to the building, so we text the group, letting the guys know they didn’t have to come here.

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