The Hardest Fall

Again, as we seemed to do, we stood there staring at each other for a few seconds, both of us sporting a small smile. This time around she was the one to look away first, and I was nice enough not to point it out.

I gripped the towel hanging on my shoulder. “I better get ready to head out. Don’t wanna be late to practice.”

“You know this means if you beg me for a kiss, you’ll lose too, right?”

I did nothing but smile. I could’ve kissed her right then and there, but if she wasn’t lying and really had a boyfriend, that wouldn’t go over well, and I wasn’t that guy. I wouldn’t do what had been done to me. I would have bet money there was no actual boyfriend, but there was football, and it was very much real. I was living the most important year of my life so far, and I already had a brutal schedule ahead of me.

Zoe nodded, like it was decided. Then, suddenly, she had her fist extended between our bodies. I looked down at it.

“What’s that?”

“Hit it.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Hit it?”

“Yes. Come on, don’t leave me hanging. Buddies occasionally do fist bumps.”

When I wasn’t fast enough because I was busy trying to figure out how she had come into my life out of nowhere and how I was going to survive her, she gave her little fist a shake and tilted her head, pointing at it with her eyes, urging me to…hit it.

So, I fist-bumped my new friend and laughed all the way through it.

What else could I have done?

* * *

After I left the apartment and met up with the guys, we pushed through a three-hour practice. Not everyone on the team was happy about getting their asses kicked every day, but I wasn’t one of them. At least fall camp was over; it had been…ruthless, to say the least.

More than a handful of times, I had come face to face with both Kyle and Maxwell and had managed to ignore them just fine. On the field, I had to be their teammate, but as soon as we stepped off that green turf, I didn’t know them. I was getting better at compartmentalizing.

The second practice was over and we were walking to the showers, sweat literally dripping off of our bodies, JP started in on me. It went on for ten minutes, even during the showers, and by the time we made it into the locker room, he still hadn’t stopped.

“Don’t lie to me, man. Where are you staying?”

“For the hundredth time, I found a new roommate. I’m fine, chill out.”

“Where did you find him?”

I looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath. “Online.” No sense in telling him she was a, well…a she and not a he.

“You just went online and moved in with some random dude? Why? Are you too good for my air mattress?”

“I really can’t tell if you’re being serious or not, but just to let you know…you snore, man. It’s okay when we’re staying in a hotel for away games—I can handle it for a night or two, but for a year…”

His arms crossed over his chest and gave me one of the perfected fuck you looks he usually reserved for referees. He continued to stare down at me, trying his best to catch something from my expression. His damn mouth opened yet again, but I shook my head. “If you ask me one more time, I’m gonna make you regret it.”

“What’s going on?” Chris asked as he walked straight out of the showers and into our little huddle.

I yanked my sweatpants up and sat my ass back down on the bench.

JP turned all his attention to our starting quarterback. “Do you know? Because if you do and you’re not telling me, I swear to God, Chris—”

Apparently getting his ass kicked out on the field hadn’t been enough for him. He was asking for seconds.

Frowning, Chris looked at me and then at JP. “What the hell are you talking about? I just came in.”

“Fighter boy over here has a mysterious new roommate and he’s being all weird about it,” JP announced.

Not even bothering to lift my head up, I reached for my shirt. “If anyone is being weird around here, trust me, it’s you.”

“He’s not staying with you?” Chris broke in, ignoring my words. “I thought he was staying with you. Where are you staying, man?”

Groaning, I stood up and pulled my shirt down my stomach. “Are you two fucking kidding me right now? I swear to God, if either one of you asks me where I’m staying or if I’m doing okay again, I’m gonna beat your asses.”

“Do you see how defensive he’s getting?” JP asked Chris. “He’s still…”

Tuning them out, I reached for my phone when it started vibrating in my pocket. Chris went to his own locker, two down to my right, and started to put on his clothes, all the while going back and forth with JP about my ‘situation’.