Page 11

Byron

I didn’t think she would come.

My hands are two-thirds of the way up the blonde girl’s shirt.

I can’t for the life of me remember her name.

I met her this morning at The Riley Center, she was hot so I asked her to come.

She came and that’s how we ended up in this predicament.

Yes, it’s a little aggressive for ten o’clock pre-bar.

The moment my eyes were pulled across the room it was over. Lola ignites a gravitational pull that is so overpowering I ditch the blonde on my couch, telling her I need to check on Mia. When in reality I just need to see Lola.

She looks absolutely stunning. For the first time since the school year started, she seems relaxed.

More like the girl I got to know during a dance at Jasper’s.

We bonded over bets we made on how long we thought Jalen and Ivy’s relationship would last– in our defense, the first few weeks of their relationship were dysfunctional– but luckily, we were both wrong.

Julia–at least I think that is her name–reaches for my arm when she realizes I’m not walking towards my room. She huffs out something about how I’ll regret this. But she’s wrong. I’d regret not talking to Lola.

It’s not really a party at the house. More like a pre-bar get together that we planned for team bonding. Okay, it’s a sausage fest.

There’s a poker game going on around our large oak kitchen table. A Madden tournament in the den. I ignore our goalie Eric’s plea for a beer pong partner. Walking past everything I should be focused on if I want to be named captain this year.

I find her standing in the kitchen with her brother.

“Hey, Lola,” I say, casually. I rifle through a kitchen drawer pretending that’s the reason I came in here. It’s not until I pull out a lighter that I allow myself to really look at her. She’s dressed to kill and I might be her first victim. My heart races as my eyes drag down her body.

Her eyes narrow. I keep mine locked on hers. We are in a standoff, neither of us wanting to make the first move. I flick open the lighter and watch the red-orange flame flicker before the sound of someone smacking gum draws my attention.

Lola’s jaw moves in time with a rap song that Marcus added to the playlist we created for the nights we have people over.

I force the smile away. It’s one that threatens to ruin our staring contest. If Lola is chewing gum, she’s nervous.

If Lola is nervous maybe that means she hasn’t totally written me off.

I’m ripped back to reality by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

“Hey, Oliver. How was your first week of classes?” I ask, regretting the fact that I have to take my eyes off his sister.

I nod along to whatever Oliver is saying but I’ve already been pulled back into Lola’s orbit. Her smile grows as Oliver talks about how he is settling into college life.

Lola jumps into the conversation asking him questions as I try to figure out how to wiggle my way back in. The party going on around us fades into faint mumbles. Suddenly it feels like it’s just the three of us in the room.

I take the Yankee cap I’m wearing off and run my hands through my shaggy blonde hair before putting my hat back on, facing backward this time.

“Are you ready to start the player-led meetings next week?”

“That’s my cue to leave,” Lola informs us. Before she goes, she grabs two light beers from the fridge and hands one to Oliver before opening one up for herself.

“Don’t get too drunk tonight. My days of babysitting drunk hockey players are over.”

She looks in my direction, and I give her a wink. I swear there was a playful smirk on her lips before they turned down. She snaps back into character before anyone can see her playful side playing up her eye roll.

Her swaying hips hypnotize me. Only being jolted back to reality when an elbow lands in my ribs.

“What’s going on with you and my sister?”

“Huh–” I look over at Oliver.

His eyebrows pinch as he patiently waits for me to answer. I sip my rum and coke, delaying my response.

“Honestly, nothing at the moment.”

Oliver nods, his eyes scan the party before finding his sister who is leaning against the wall talking to Josiah.

Lola is laughing at something he said. When she reaches out to wrap her hand around his bicep I involuntarily crush the red solo cup in my hand.

My mixed drink splashes over the lip. It’s an accurate representation of how it feels to watch Lola with another guy.

Like I’m drowning. Even if he is just a friend.

“Yeah, sure, it’s nothing.”

“She really never talked about me?” I ask, sounding a lot more hurt than I’d like to.

“I had a feeling. You know Lola doesn’t open up that easily.

” He looks over at his sister. “All I know is that she came home from the draft party last year, and she was happy. She seemed lighter, telling us how she is looking forward to this school year even though our parents were harassing her every day about her major change. Then that happiness just seemed to vanish.”

“She stopped texting me.” My tone is defensive.

“So something did happen,” he says, and I want to smack the knowing smirk off his face. “Since I like you, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. My sister pushes people away before they can hurt her. I think she likes to see who will fight her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I love my sister, but she’d be the first one to tell you that she is the black sheep of our family.”

One look at her and Oliver tonight and that’s evident.

He’s in khakis and a white button down rolled up to his elbows.

His dark brown hair is parted perfectly and gelled to perfection.

Lola is flaunting her tattoos, almost begging people to ask her about them.

Her heels are so high I’m not sure how she manages to walk in them.

“I love our parents, but I don’t think they’ve ever fully taken the time to understand Lola.

Penny was the picture-perfect first born.

She was never late for curfew. Her room was always spotless.

She followed the path my parents laid out for her, wanting what they wanted for her.

” He takes a deep breath and nods his head over to Lola, who is now playing beer pong with Margo.

“Lola never wanted anything to do with the medical field, but she chose to go the pre-vet route to please my parents. I was so proud of her when she stuck up for herself and changed her major.”

“She was really nervous to talk to them. She told me that it was the first time she properly stood up for herself, not just rocking the boat for the sake of it.”

“She cared for you, Byron. I wasn’t sure if it was you until tonight, but I knew there was someone. She tested you, wanted to make sure you would fight her the way she wished one of my parents would have fought for her and you failed.”

Oliver finishes the rest of his drink before letting out a burp loud enough to shake the house. He wipes his hand over his mouth before finding the other freshman. Not a care in the world. I feel like a complete failure.

I grab two beers from the fridge, ignoring the call of name by my teammates and girls alike, and head to my room.

I let Mia out of her crate and lay on my bed, clicking through the channels until I find one of my favorite cooking competition shows. I open one of the beers and take a long pull while Mia jumps on the bed. She settles on my lap, tilting her head, silently judging me.

“I know, girl, I fucked up.”