She did a booty dance around the living room, then made her way back to me. “Come to the game. Wear the jersey. Win the boy. You can name your first child after me.”

I let the silky material slide through my fingers. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to put in a little effort after breaking a promise and running headlong the other direction.

14

DERRICK

After leaving Eva’s place, I went home and got very drunk for the first time since an unfortunate tiki party my freshman year. Soren and Parker made sure I didn’t do something stupid, like drive back over there and break the door down or bring her a puppy. In fairness, Parker liked the puppy idea, but Soren vetoed him.

Soren barged into my room the next morning for our usual workout, then changed course. He raised the blackout shade, flooding the room with sunlight and nearly blinding me.

I groaned and buried my head under a pillow. “Go away. I’m not working out this morning.”

He snorted and yanked the pillow from my face. “Yes, you are, but first you’re going to tell me what went down. When I asked last night, you just kept making explosion noises.”

That sounded vaguely familiar, but when I shifted to look at him, I had to lay back down again. The nausea and headache weren’t too bad as long as I didn’t move. “Coach threatened to bench me if I don’t break up with Nadia.”

“Damn.”

His resigned tone had me risking my body’s ire to scoot up on the bed where I could see him better. “You don’t sound surprised.”

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweats and shrugged. “I’ve heard things.”

When he didn’t say any more, I frowned. “That’s why you warned me to talk to him, isn’t it?”

“That and I have half a brain. Coach wants to be in control of everything, and he doesn’t like when outside forces influence his players. Didn’t you see the way he was glaring at Nay on that first day at lunch?”

“I was a little distracted,” I muttered.

“Well get undistracted. Coach is threatening your future because of a—”

I held up my hand. “Don’t finish whatever you were about to say.”

“You’re really going to let your dick make this decision?”

I glared at him. “You really going to make me take a swing at you when the room is still spinning a little bit?”

He huffed and leaned back against the wall. “What’s your plan then?”

“Fuck him.”

His eyebrows rose. “Coach? I don’t think you’re his type.”