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Watching him leave the bathroom in nothing but sweatpants and a naked torso, still damp from his piping hot shower … awful.

Having to watch his hands when he’s doing his laundry and remembering what they felt like, wrapped around me … the worst kind of awful.

“Come over here. I know these guys!”

Arbor knows one of the players on the team—a new guy I haven’t met yet. He brings us down to the basement for a game of beer pong. Now, I’m not trying to brag, but I’m pretty good at beer pong.

It’s a guy-and-girl team situation, so Arbor and I can’t be on a team together. I’m paired with Brian Haney, whom I met briefly last season. He’s a senior on the team this year and not likely to continue his football career after he graduates. Brian is a really nice guy, a lot of fun to talk to, and a killer beer-pong partner.

After a few rounds, I’m carrying my team—aka Brian—to a victory.

“Yo, Charlie, it’s your turn, babe. You got this. Two more points, and we win!” he whisper-yells in my ear, thinking he’s being quiet.

I fear he was dipping into the keg long before I arrived tonight. It hasn’t hurt his game, but I could do without the beer spittle in my ear.

“Bro, Brian, I got this.” I turn my crossbody bag to my back to give me a better range of motion. Then with the ping-pong ball in my right hand, I close one eye, lining up my target, and count to three. With a flick of my wrist, I watch that baby sail right into … the back-corner cup, just barely staying on the table.

“Yeah, baby! That’s my girl! Charlie, will you marry me and make me the happiest guy at Walker? I promise I’ll take good care of you and I’ll never stop you from playing beer pong.” Brian is now shouting to the entire basement, which pretty much has our whole group down here laughing.

I mentioned to Brian that a guy I’d briefly dated at State—aka Tony—didn’t like that my beer-pong powers surpassed his. It didn’t help that I’d gotten partnered with one of his frat brothers and ended up beating him and another girl, who I found out later was his ex-girlfriend. Anyway, that’s beside the point.

“Brian, you are the sweetest, truly. But I can’t accept your proposal. Besides, if my next boyfriend doesn’tletme play beer pong, is he really the one for me?”

“True that, true that. Hit me up,” he says, holding his fist out for me.

Arbor laughs at Brian, then says, “Okay, guys, it’s our last turn, so back it up and let us shoot our shot.”

Brian steps back, but then starts to walk toward Arbor and her partner. “Arbor, if you make this last shot, how about I take you out for dinner sometime? Make me the luckiest guy on campus.”

Arbor huffs a laugh. “Bri, you couldn’t pay me to go out with you. I think you’ve dated half the campus by now. Move away so I can shoot. Your distraction techniques won’t work on me.”

“You wound me. Well, if you won’t go on a date with me, how about we just go up?—”

He’s standing close enough to her now, and she puts her hand directly over his mouth.

“Do not even finish that sentence. Step back, Haney. Watch and learn,” she says, and then she takes her shot.

She misses, losing the game for her team, and she has to drink.

Brian basically leaps over to me, lifts me in a bear hug, and jumps up and down with me in his arms.

We’re both laughing, and I can barely get the words out to have him put me down when I hear, “Haney, you’d better put her down before I make sure you can’t play in the next game.”

Yep, I know that voice.

I know that angry tone too. Though it’s never been directed at me.

My feet hit the ground abruptly, and I stumble as Brian haphazardly lets me go. My elbow bangs harshly against the corner of the table, and all my body weight pushing on the tender tendon inside my arm makes me cry out in pain.

“What the fuck?! Did you have to drop me, Brian? Fuck, I feel like my arm is broken.” I glare at him.

Beckham is at my side immediately. “Charlie, are you okay? Let me see your arm.”

“I’ll be fine,” I mumble, trying to walk around him. The sharp, shooting pain is throbbing in my elbow and radiating up my biceps. I will not cry in front of these people down here, especially Beck, so I need to get upstairs and out the door ASAP. “Arbor, I’ll see you later. I’m going to grab some ice upstairs, then head home.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Charlie? Do you want us to leave with you? We can walk you home, or you can come stay with us tonight at the house,” she offers.

“I’ll walk her home, but thanks, Arbor,” Beck answers for me, which just pisses me right the fuck off.