Scored (V-Card Diaries 1)

I pop my head over the couch, a wave of affection for Cam flooding through me. “Really? But you and Mariah dated for almost five years.”

“Yeah, but she wanted to wait until marriage. She made a promise to her super religious grandmother before she died, and I respected that,” he says, his tone souring as he adds, “Right up until I found her in bed with not one, but two members of the soccer team.”

“Oh no,” I say, hurting for him. “I guess that’s why you broke up, huh? You could have told us, you know. If you wanted to.”

Cam shrugs as he flips another pancake. “I know. I was just embarrassed and worried that…” He sighs. “I don’t know…that there was something wrong with me and what I was allowed to do with her in the bedroom. Why else would she hook up with two people she didn’t even care about when we were planning to get married after graduation?”

Ian rests a hand on his shoulder. “It wasn’t you, man. When people act out like that, it’s always about them. Always. And I bet she’s going to look back on that decision in a few months or a few years and regret the hell out of it.”

Cameron’s lips curve in a tight smile. “Thanks. I think she already does. She texts me all the time, but…there are limits. I can’t forgive her for that. I just can’t.”

“And you shouldn’t,” Harlow says. “The universe gave us hate for a reason. To keep us from getting burned twice by the same loathsome cheater.”

Jess lets out a soft laugh. “Geez, Harlow. Are you still mad at Chris? That was senior year of high school.”

“Time does not heal all wounds,” Harlow says. “Especially cheating wounds.”

“Noted,” Jess says, pulling in a breath before she adds in a rush, “I wouldn’t know because I’ve never been cheated on. Because I’ve never had a serious boyfriend and I’ve also never had sex. So there.” She turns back to her keyboard, typing furiously as she adds, “But I’m not worried about it. I figure sex is like skateboarding. It looks fun, but is it worth the steep learning curve and the high likelihood of serious injury? Probably not.”

“Well, I think it’s great that you guys are waiting until it feels right,” Ian says.

“Don’t fucking patronize them, Ian,” Harlow says. “Or we’ll hate you even more than we do already.”

“I don’t hate you, man,” Cameron says.

“Me, either,” Jess pipes up. “Anyone Evie cares about as much as you is good people in my book.”

Harlow lets out a long, tortured exhalation as she surges to her feet. “Fine, I don’t really hate you, either. But you’re super dense sometimes and that’s annoying.” She turns, hands propped on her hips as she adds, “But if you’re prepared to step up to the plate around here, then you can join our friend group. On a probationary basis.”

“Assuming the super popular and famous pro hockey player is looking for a friend group composed primarily of impoverished virgins,” Jess adds dryly, earning a laugh from Cameron and a glare from Harlow.

I’m not surprised when Ian says, “I’d love to be a part of your friend group. Thanks for asking,” but I am surprised by the enthusiasm in his tone.

He’s a sweet guy who does his best not to hurt people’s feelings, but he looks sincerely jazzed by the invitation.

“Really?” I meet his gaze over the back of the couch. “No pressure. We know you probably have a ton of friends already, since you’ve been living in the city so much longer than the rest of us.”

“And are super famous and popular,” Jess adds again.

“I actually…don’t,” Ian says with an awkward laugh. “I don’t have a lot of close friends on the team, I’ve lost touch with my high school friends who live in the city, and Whitney just broke up with me, so…looks like I’ll have some time on my hands to invest in new relationships.” His gaze returns to me as he adds, “And rekindle old ones. Sorry again that I wasn’t more help at the art therapy session today. I’ll do better next time, I promise.”

His words remind me that his teammates were at the beer garden, too, and I drop my face into my hands again. “Oh no, they’re never going to listen to me now.”

“Sure, they will,” Ian says. “You’re a meme. That’s street cred for most of those cretins, and I’ll back you up if you need help. And I…” He shrugs, glancing around the room as he adds, “Well, I might be able to help you guys with the other stuff, too.”

“What other stuff?” Harlow asks suspiciously.

“You know, just navigating the dating world with a little more ease,” Ian says. “I’ve done a lot of dating and have experience I’m happy to share. If you’re interested in something like that.”