Page 37

To me, Charley has built herself a suit of armor for protection, but her natural state of being is this girl. This girl who props her feet up and uses me as a backrest. This girl who doesn’t shy away from my touches. This girl who might even like me.
The brisk nightair feels like a sudden jab to my lungs. Ahead of me, Charley has her bag pulled around her shoulders. She woke up in my arms when the bus came to a loud stop and scrambled away from me like I was on fire.
She’s as skittish as a caged mouse. It’s as if she’ll come to me if I have a treat in my hand, but nothing more.
“Hey,” I say, jogging after her. She doesn’t even look over her shoulder. “Are you going to leave without saying goodbye? I feel used.”
Nothing…
I finally walk in step next to her and bump her with my shoulder. “Hey, where did my Sunshine go?”
She peers at me out of the corner of her eye, a look of distrust visible on her face. “She’s tired.”
“Well, I kind of figured that. You almost dropped my phone when you fell asleep,” I tease.
Her gaze shutters.
“It’s no big deal.”
“It is, Cade.” Her jaw works. “Listen, I really need to get home, okay? I’ll see you around.”
I’ll see you around.I can’t say I’ve ever had that response less than twenty-four hours after giving a girl an orgasm she desperately liked. That was clear. I’m certainly not making that part up in my head to make myself feel like a big man.
“Congratulations on your win,” she says before walking off.
It takes me a minute to realize that she’s headed in the opposite direction of the parking lot, and so am I. I stop, watching her follow the sidewalk. I know this girl is not about to walk home at three in the morning. By herself.
“Fuck me,” I mutter.
I spin, sprinting to my car as fast as the freezing air and my tired legs allow. The dash lights up when I press the Start button,then I throw my bag into the passenger seat, thinking about how I’m going to play this.
She won’t want a ride from me. I can feel it in my bones.
I put the heater on high, waiting briefly for it to warm up, but then nerves settle in, and I reverse out of my space at the athletic dorms, the steering wheel chilly to the touch.
Wrapping my hand around the gear shaft, I put it in Drive, but a figure runs in front of me. Booker. He waves his hand, so I press on the brake as he runs to the passenger side. Trying not to get anxious, I roll the window down. He leans in. “Yo, can you give me a ride?”
“Hop in, man,” I tell him. “But I have to do something first.”
I yank my bag out of the way and throw it in the back seat while Booker gets in. “Thanks, Cade. It’s too fucking cold out to walk. Plus, I’m hoping some of your clout will rub off on me if I’m seen hanging out with the guy who made the game-winning touchdown.”
He holds his hand up to high-five me, and I chuckle when our palms connect in a slap that stings more than it should due to the temperature.
“Where you going?” I ask.
“Kappa Delta. I got a girl there waiting for me.”
“Dude, it’s three in the morning.”
“She says she’s up.”
I shake my head, finally taking off, hoping I can find Charley. The brightly lit campus roads do nothing to ease the worry about her getting home safely. I point the car toward the direction she was walking in, and, on a hunch, I turn right.
“Where are we going, anyway?” Booker asks.
“Making sure Charley gets home okay.”
“Charley?”