Several of my teammates are in the pool with me shooting the Nerf basketball into the hoop set up on one end, but I don’t have any interest in playing.

I spot Nathan near the edge of the pool. He’s got a cute blonde hanging on him, but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying her company. She’s got fun written all over her which I would have guessed is his type. He tips his head to me in the universal sign for, go ahead, she’s all yours, and I start toward them, but not before she throws her arms around an unsuspecting Nathan and brings him down into the water fully clothed.

“Oh shit.” I bust up laughing, as does everyone else that witnessed it.

She’s giggling when they resurface, but he is not. Nathan climbs out, jeans and shirt sticking to his body, mouth in a hard, straight line. I haven’t quite figured out what his problem is until I see him walking toward a chick from our communications class. She’s a transfer and hot. Hot enough to ditch a good time apparently.

I reach them as he and the communications chick, Chloe, are saying hello. I jut my chin in greeting to her and then slap a hand on Nathan’s wet shoulder. “Dude, that was hilarious. You should have seen your face when she pulled you in.”

He responds, I’m almost positive, but I lose the ability to hear. I scan the group of girls with Chloe and my gaze gets stuck on a tall blonde with big brown eyes that render me stupid. She’s wearing a neon pink dress that hugs her athletic frame. She’s staring at me too, although not quite so blatantly. Her gaze flits to me and then darts away. A shy smile tugs at her lips.

I know I’m gawking but I’m having a hard time doing anything about it until Nathan interrupts my thoughts by elbowing me in the ribs. “Shaw, can you lend Maureen some dry clothes?”

“Definitely,” I say without thinking and before I realize Maureen is the girl that took him down in the pool and not the one I’m currently eye fucking. Reluctantly, I give my attention to Maureen who bats her eyelashes at me as she wrings out her dripping wet hair. I wrap an arm around her shoulders while not taking my eyes off Chloe’s friend. “Right, yeah, come with me.”

As quickly as I can without being rude, I get Maureen some dry clothes and a fresh drink, then head back outside. Chloe and Nathan are nowhere in sight, but the friend in the neon dress is easy to spot. As I’m making my way toward her, she turns away from her group of friends as if she could feel me coming.

“Hey,” I say. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself back there. I’m—”