"You sleep over last night?" He lifted his eyebrow at me.
"That's kinda personal for someone you barely know." I gave him a grin and laughed.
His lips lifted as his cheeks grew pink. "I didn't mean like that. I just meant-"
"Yeah, I stayed the night. The couch is less than comfortable, but I wouldn't have been anywhere else." I pulled my phone from my purse and texted Katelyn to get me some clothes thrown in the dryer. Everything I had was wrinkled thanks to my rebellion over having to hang up clothes like I'd been forced to do my whole life.
"That's good to hear – about you wanting to be with Tate, not the crick in your neck." He pulled out onto the main lanes and glanced over at me as if nervous. "So, you really like him? Cause he's a great guy and watching you hurt him isn't going to fly."
"Are you trying to be tough with me?" I smirked. Tate's best friend was almost too cute. He reminded me of a young Clark Kent.
"I'm trying," he chuckled. "Is it working?"
"Yes. Absolutely." I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. "Tate's an interesting guy. I've yet to even start figuring him out."
"He's a great guy. Life's been hard for him, far harder than I could ever imagine living through."
I turned my face toward him and opened my eyes. "I think everyone has a story to tell though, don't you think? Tate being an orphan and not knowing his parents is horrible, but there are lots of kids who know their parents and wish like hell they didn't."
He gave me a quick glance and nodded. "Yeah, I get that. My parents are great, but I can imagine there are plenty of people we encounter at UMN every day that hate their home lives. It's sad."
"Yeah, but life isn't about where we were raised. It's about where we're headed. It's about where life is going, not where it came from, right?" I felt calm and comfortable around Sam. He exuded this feeling of acceptance that left me understanding why Tate would be so close to him.
"I guess you’re right, but people get stuck in their pasts all the time. My parents expect me to make good grades, marry a white girl with brown hair and good teeth, and have two well-behaved kids that I bring home on the weekends to see them."
I laughed at his description of his future wife. "Good teeth?"
"Yeah." He rolled his eyes. "My mom's a dentist, and my dad says he's not a racist, but he's full of it."
"That's...interesting. I was going to try and set you up with my friend Lucinda, but if your dad isn't-"
"Yes." His eyes widened a little. "The really pretty black girl from the party the other night?"
"Yeah, but if-"
"Yes. Hook me up. She's beyond hot. We only got to talk for all of ten minutes the other night before Tate fucked it all up." He nodded and glanced over at me again. "Does she like white guys?"
"I don't think she really sees people as a color." I smiled at him. He was too cute, and Lucinda would eat him up. She needed a good man, and from the look of things, he needed someone to expand his horizons and give him somewhere to put his time and energy.
"Yeah, no one does but my damn dad." He pulled into the parking lot and turned to face me. "Are you playing in the game tonight?"
"Yeah. I invited Tate and his mom. You should come, too. My friends will be there."
"Lucinda will?" He lifted his eyebrow at me.
"Yep. She should be." I opened the door. "Thanks for the lift."
"Anytime, and Val...I know it sounds trite, but don't hurt Tate. He's a good guy and all he needs is the right woman to help him bridge the gap between where he is and where he's going. If that's not you, let him down easily, okay?" His smile faded.
I nodded. "I'll do just that."
After closing the door, I jogged to the Gamma house and walked into the living room to find the place full of new faces. It must have been recruiting day.
How could I forget?
"There you are." Katelyn walked up beside me. "You're supposed to give the new recruits their first assignment today, remember? We discussed it a few weeks back."
"You forgot, didn't you?" Carolyn moved up in front of me as her eyes moved down my body. The disgust on her face was almost palpable. "Where were you last night?"