Page 30 of Rival Season
I can’t stop a wide smile from spreading across my face. For once, everything in my life is going well…and on top of that, I made a real friend.
CHAPTER 11
PENN
The morningafter we get back from our away games, I get up, shower, then go straight to apartment 2B. But before I can even knock on the door, it swings open. Hazel darts through it, clearly in a rush…and runs straight into me.
“Oof,” she groans as her body collides with mine.
“Someone’s eager to see me,” I say with a grin as I move my hands to her arms to steady her.
“No!” She looks up at me, her eyes wild and unfocused behind her glasses. “I was in a hurry so I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she explains, a little breathless as she takes a step back and smoothes her outfit—today, it’s a short, gray skirt, paired with sheer tights and loafers. The skirt shows off those sexy, long legs of hers.
“Nah, I don’t buy it.” I raise a teasing brow, then let go of her arms, letting my palms slide against her soft sweater as I release her. “I think you just missed me so much you couldn’t bear another moment apart.”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know how you walk around carrying an ego that large. Surely the weight of it is crippling.”
I flex my arms so my biceps strain under the thin fabric of my long-sleeved shirt. “Muscles, Bubbles. They come in handy for carrying heavy things.”
Hazel putters a laugh, her cheeks going pink. “You are so ridiculous. And if you must know, I was in such a rush because I was trying to get away from Chadwick before he asked where I was going. He’s driving me insane.”
The mention of Chad-dick’s name alone is a total buzzkill, never mind the thought of him following her out into the hallway and me having to talk to him, so before I can think too much about it, I grab Hazel’s hand.
“Come on, then. Let’s get out of here!” I pull her along behind me, and we run towards the stairwell.
“Elevator would probably be quicker,” she observes.
I turn around to grin at her as I push open the door to the stairs. “Nah, if we take the stairs he can’t follow us on his crutches.”
“Smart,” she replies with a nod as we step inside the stairwell and let the door close behind us.
“Not just a pretty face and great body.” I wink at her, then let go of her hand and hold my palm out in front of her. “Gimme.”
She blinks in confusion. “Give you what?”
I nod at her shoulder. “That ridiculously heavy-looking satchel you’re carrying. What you got in there, encyclopedias? Because you know we have Google for that these days.”
“Library books for research. And my laptop.” Hazel laughs. “And no, it’s totally fine. I’m used to carrying it around.”
“Not anymore,” I tell her. She still makes no move to give it to me, so I go ahead and take it, sliding it off her shoulder and then slinging that strap over mine. The thing is as heavy as it looks. Hazel must be stronger than I gave her credit for to carry this heavy load, because from the outside it looks like she’s built like a baby deer. Her poor shoulder must be in constant agony.
“Why?” She looks up at me questioningly, and I feel terrible as I realize Chadwick treated her like even less of a gentleman than I thought he had. And the bar for him was already six feet underground.
“I carry the heavy things in this relationship,” I say firmly. “Egos, book bags, whatever.” She looks like she’s about to protest, so I add, “It’s not up for debate.”
The corners of her lips pop upward as her green eyes soften. “Okay. Thank you, Penn.”
“What can I say? I’m a world-class fake boyfriend.”
“You’re something, that’s for sure.” She chuckles and then starts walking down the stairs. “So I was thinking we could grab coffee and make a plan for how to piss off my annoying temporary roommate to get him to leave. We can also coordinate our schedules to see if I can make your next home game? I want to make sure I’m upholding my end of the deal. There’s a good place on the way to the metro station.”
“Planning on skipping town?” I ask, amused. “Because if you want to be less subtle than us fake dating to get rid of Chad-dick from your apartment, me and the guys can go in there and forcibly remove him anytime.”
She sighs happily. “As much as I love the thought of that, no. I’m house sitting for his aunt and uncle…and I can’t risk upsetting them.”
I nod in understanding. Right now, in terms of her living situation, she’s kind of wedged between a rock and a hard place.
“Chadwick is family, and now I’m just an ex-girlfriend,” she adds.
