I can’t argue with her logic. Preston has been up all of our asses about keeping our noses clean until Jamie can figure out who’s running Dethroned, the blog run by the mysterious girl who calls herself The Queen. So far, she’s already attacked Tucker over the pot brownies he ate at the Delta Sigma Phi house. It doesn’t help that Tucker’s managed to get Trent and himself suspended for two games of our final season, all because he had to cheat to pass his exam.
“I won’t say anything,” I promise. “To anyone.”
“We have to act like we’re just friends or…” she chews the inside of her cheek as she mulls it over, “… maybe even enemies. That might work better.”
“Okay, bossy lady,” I quip.
“I know this sucks, Drake, but it’s necessary. I’m sorry.”
No, I’m the one who’s sorry.
“It’s my fault,” I admit. “But you do realize if I’m supposed to pretend like everything’s normal, I’ll still have a reputation to uphold.”
She nods. “Yeah, I get it. I’ll try not to get jealous when I see you talking to other girls.”
I thread my fingers through hers and pull her to me until she’s sitting on my lap. “You’re the only girl I want, okay? No one else.”
“You know my rule, Drake.”
“Yeah. But I like a challenge.”
She chuckles. “I’m not going to fall in love with you.”
I press my lips to hers. “We’ll see about that.”
And I mean every single word.
Chapter Eight
Taylor
Bex dribbles the ball down the court looking for the open man. I hold up my hand, and she passes it to me. Palming the ball, I pivot my left foot, keeping my stance low as I lean into the girl behind me to create some space. Twisting my body in an awkward position, I bounce the ball on the turn, and then sweep past my opponent to make the layup.
My basket wins the game for our three-man team. Bex and Jackie rush over to me, their hands raised for me to slap. It’s hard to look at Jackie after what I did with Drake now knowing he was sending dick pics to her.
I feel protective of him. He’s not the asshole player I once thought he was. And weirdly enough, I’m starting to think of him as mine. I don’t want anyone to have him. But I also don’t see a future.
Coach Vaughn blows the whistle. “Okay, ladies, huddle up.”
We gather around him and await his next instruction. Sweat slides down my face and runs into my eyes. Using my jersey, I wipe my forehead and cheeks. The gym feels about a hundred degrees with how hard we’ve played today. Luckily, I didn’t drink enough last night to get wasted. But Bex looks like shit, the hangover clearly kicking her ass.
Coach Vaughn exchanges a few words with Bex about being a ball hog. She has a habit of keeping the ball for herself, often making it difficult to play on the same team.
His eyes snap from Bex to the rest of my teammates huddled around him at center court. “Okay, ladies, I want to see the last two teams on the court right now.”
The six of us, who were on the court, walk over to the bench, exhausted beyond belief. It doesn’t help that most of us were out partying last night. As much as I love basketball, I have no intention to make this my career. For me, this is not that serious, though I love playing the game.
Bex sits on the bench, lost in her head.
“You okay?” I ask sitting next to her.
She lifts her water bottle from the floor and takes a sip. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. Late night.”
“You look like hell.”
Bex rolls her eyes at me and then drizzles some of the water over her head. “Thanks a lot. You know, we all can’t be like you and drink all night and crush it.”
“My hangover cure works every time,” I point out. “You should stop doubting my methods and try it sometime.”
She sticks her tongue out. “Gross. Blended raw vegetables and protein powder? Nah, I’m good.”
With Drake in my bed, I didn’t think to make one of my concoctions last night. I also didn’t drink enough to need one.
“It’s more than that.” I shrug. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
She has no idea what she’s missing. My dad’s power juice works like a charm.
“I’d rather not drink. Like, ever again.” She groans loudly. “That should take care of the problem.”
“So…” I raise a curious eyebrow at her. “What happened last night with you know who?”
I know better than to say Preston’s name within earshot of anyone on the team. Hell, I can’t even tell her about what happened between Drake and me. Well, I can tell her we’re hooking up and that it’s a secret. I just can’t mention the virgin part. Easy-peasy, right?