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“Get up, asshole,” Brock’s sharp tone causes me to jump.
Zanko slowly opens one eye, glaring at Brock. His other eye opens, focusing on me as a soft smile crosses his face. He pulls his legs back, rising to his feet, giving us room to move past him. Without hesitation, I clamber in around him, tucking myself into the corner. Hopefully, there won’t be another fistfight. If there is, I hope that this puts me out of the way instead of getting pinned between Brock and Zanko.
Brock gives me a strange look but says nothing as he climbs into the seat between Zanko and I. Tucking my backpack under the seat in front of me, I get as comfortable as possible. This ride is going to be a long one. Sleep was elusive, unsure what to expect on this trip.
My mind races. My body is tense, expecting someone to lash out at me over the events of the last road trip.
Brock confessed that several of them, including him, were suspended for the bus fight. He explained that they were getting reamed out and ran late, resulting in how I got left behind.
One of the double checks they put into place is that each person is assigned to a specific bus. That bus doesn’t leave until every assigned person is on it.
It isn’t long before the engine revs, and the bus lurches as it pulls away from the curb. The sway of the bus, once it gets onto the highway, lulls me to sleep.
“Kassidy… Kass, wake up.”
My eyes flutter open as my brows draw down in confusion. Looking around, it takes a few minutes to remember where I am. Turning my head to the right, a smirking Brock watches me.
“Come on, they stopped for gas and snacks. I thought you might also like to use the restroom,” he says, holding his hand out to me as he stands. Grabbing my purse, I take his hand as we make our way inside.
The guys all linger around the rest stop. Some are eating, some doing stretches, while others walk off with phones pressed to their ears.
“I didn’t mean to hold you up. Thank you for waking me,” I say softly.
Brock shrugs off my words, holding the door to the building open for me.
Upon entering the rest stop, several pairs of eyes swing in our direction. Doing my best to ignore them, my eyes scan the area for the restrooms. Spotting them, I make my way in the direction without another word spoken.
Once I am done, I step into the main area and find Brock seated at the closest table. Two coffee cups and a bag of food sit on top of the table. Brock indicates the chair opposite him when he catches my gaze as he pushes one of the coffees in my direction, pulling food out of the bag.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked. If you want something else, let me know, and I will get it,” he says, pushing a bunch of wrappers toward me.
“Thank you.”
Suspicion has me slightly on edge. This isn’t a side of Brock that I have seen before. Given the past two weeks, our relationship has been strained at best. Brock has his sandwich halfway to his mouth when he realizes that I am not eating. Nodding toward the food in front of me, he finishes chewing the bite he already has in his mouth before speaking.
“You better eat. We don’t have much time before we have to get back on the road…” his voice trails off as he lifts his sandwich up and starts eating again.
Pausing briefly, my stomach rumbles, making my mind up for me. Unwrapping the foil, the sandwich is comprised of two waffles with egg, cheese, and sausage. Taking a tentative bite a moan escapes me as small bits of syrup, baked into the waffle, hits my tongue. Brock chuckles at me but continues eating as silence falls between us.
Finishing off our small meal, Brock grabs us some chips, soda, and bottles of water for us before we return to the bus. Once again, the coaches are checking the roster as we climb on board. The one coach gives me a sideways look but, thankfully,says nothing. I don’t know why his panties are in a bunch. After all, it wasn’t my idea for me to travel with the team.
It isn’t long before they do one last headcount, and the team is on the move again. Now that the guys have all had a chance to eat, the noise level increases. Everyone is wide awake now.
Opening my reading app, I tune out the conversation about baseball statistics and play strategy against this first opponent.
The weight of Brock’s stare is heavy. I read the same sentence three times before giving up. Raising my head, our eyes meet. The soft expression on Brock’s face isn’t one I’ve seen before, and I don’t know what to do about it. Thankfully one of his teammates calls his attention back to the conversation before it could get any more awkward between us.
Tapping my finger on the screen, I focus on my story about dragons riding motorcycles.
CHAPTER THIRTY
This semester is flying by, and midterms have come and gone. Between my study sessions, daily workouts, practice, games, and classes, the days are all starting to blur together. Kassidy has been warming up to me, no longer bringing one of her guard dogs to the library with her.
Not that I mind. Whatever she needs to feel comfortable is fine with me.
Danica hasn’t given up on trying to get into my pants. The girl just won’t take no for an answer and doesn’t accept that she has been rejected.
One study session, I was running late after an afternoon game. Kassidy, accompanied by Ashton, were approaching our study area when Danica “accidentally” bumped into her.
