The Other Game (The Perfect Game 4)

“Sucks.”

“Only because it’s not the class I have with you,” I said with a smile, and she swatted my shoulder.

“Dean Carter, did you just feed me a line?”

I chuckled and stopped walking. “No. Did it sound l

ike a line?”

“Yes.” Melissa smiled, but kept walking.

I watched as her perfect little butt moved with each step she took, her entire body sashaying like it couldn’t help it. She stopped and turned around to catch me staring.

“What are you looking at?”

Terrified that she might think I was some sort of pig like my brother, I practically stuttered. “Uh, nothing.”

“Uh-huh.” She waited as I hurried to catch up to her. “So, do you want to maybe study together sometime?”

I cheered inside my head, and had to stop myself from throwing my fist in the air and doing a victory dance.

“Definitely. I could use the help,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. I knew damn well that I was doing perfectly fine in that class, but if she thought I needed help, she wouldn’t bail on me.

“Okay, good. I always do better if I have a study partner.”

My mind whirled at her words. How many study partners had she had? How could I convince her to only study with me?

I could have sworn that before Jack’s antics with her roommate that Melissa and I were on track toward something. I couldn’t help but want us to get back on that road, wherever it was leading.

“Can I get your number?” I asked while I still had the nerve.

“Oh yeah, of course.” She recited her phone number while I tapped it into my phone. “Send me a text so I have yours too.”

I did as she asked.

Dean: Hi. It’s me. You know, Dean. The other Carter.

When her phone pinged and she read the text, she laughed. “Got it. I’ll just put you in here as the Other Carter.”

“Or the only Carter you like,” I suggested with a smirk, and she smiled back.

“That’d work too.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you later. You know, to set up studying and stuff,” I said, stumbling all over my damn words.

“‘Bye, Dean.” Melissa laughed as she sashayed away.

• • •

When Jack walked through the front door that afternoon, I shot out of my room and walked into his, and plopped onto his bed to wait for him.

He walked in and tossed his bag on the floor. “What are you doing in here?”

“I wanted to know if she said yes or not.”

I didn’t want to tell him that I’d been dying to hear what happened with Cassie after her class. Sure, I could have used it as an excuse to text Melissa and ask her, but I decided to wait for my brother to get home from practice and hear it from him.

“Of course she said yes.”