The girls wave on their way out of the shower. I’m late because I had to talk to the football coach about the schedule of the upcoming games.
Next Friday will be the first game I won’t watch from afar. I’ll be an acting captain who’ll be thrown to the top.
To say I’m nervous would be the understatement of the century. I always think I’ll trip and fall or do a wrong move and embarrass the entire squad.
No pressure. It’s only a home game with a few thousand spectators.
Thousands of people watching.
Yup. No problem falling in front of them. Like, at all.
Lucy is the last to exit the showers.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” she says while fixing her makeup.
“You don’t have to.” I remove my shoes. “I’ll catch a ride with Asher.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Really?”
Never is more like it.
Unless I absolutely have to see him, I don’t go near Asher. Since that day he brought me to orgasm; I might have been avoiding the shit out of him.
However, Lucy is having dinner with her dad, and I don’t want to keep her. She won’t leave if she thinks I don’t have a ride.
“So, what’s going on between the two of you?” She leans against the locker as I sit on the bench, removing my second shoe.
“Nothing much.” I try to be nonchalant, but it’s an epic failure.
My body catches fire at the memories of that night.
I might have avoided him, but I watch him whenever he’s not paying attention. I watch him work out by the pool, his muscles glistening with sweat and his tendons bulging.
I watch his silence that has a million meanings.
I watch his words that are always precise.
How would it be if things were different? If I hadn’t hurt him somehow?
“Luce, how were Asher and I before?”
“Aside from being king and queen?” She laughs.
“Do you
really believe we were like that?”
She’s silent for a second. “You looked like it from the outside.”
“But we weren’t on the inside.”
She winces.
“Luce…” I stand and look into her eyes imploringly. “Be honest with me. I need to know about my life.”
“Well, you know those Hollywood couples?”
“What about them?”