Page 8

Chapter

Six

HADLEY

Hadley: Hey, how’s Boston? I saw a news report about a cold snap there and thought of you.

Mom: Oh, I don’t know. Brandon had a few days off and we popped down to Florida.

Hadley: Have fun!

Hunter: Don’t party too hard this weekend.

Hadley: Thanks for the advice, old man.

Hunter: Hey, I’m not that old.

Hadley: Really? Could have fooled me with those comments.

Hunter: Fair. I just want you to have a great and safe freshman year.

Hadley: I’ll call you if I need anything. I promise.

The ding of a FaceTime alert sounds on my phone, and I pause my eyeshadow application. Kendall is down the hall, showering in the communal bathroom. When Jonas’s name appears on my screen, I prop it up on the dresser vanity and press accept.

“Hey.” A stupid grin lifts my cheeks when I see his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He’s relaxed against a pile of pillows in a hotel room. “I just wanted to chat.”

“Oh.” I aim for a frosty tone, because I’m still a little pissed he didn’t have time for me last week. He’s gone this weekend for games in Denver. I didn’t see him at movie night at Hunter’s place, either. Where do things stand between us? “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just…” He runs a hand through his curls and heat coils low in my stomach at that simple gesture. “Tonight’s game was really good, you know?”

“Yeah?” I checked the score. So I’d know what’s going on with my brother. Obviously.

“Yeah.” A happy sigh escapes his lips. “God, when I’m with this team, I have moments where I feel like I can do anything.”

The team again. They’ll always come first. But then he sits up straighter in his pillow pile. “What are your plans for the night?”

I hold my eyeliner pencil up to the camera. “Getting ready to go out with Kendall. Frat party.”

His gaze sharpens. “Where?”

“Sig Alph.”

Jonas nods, his jaw tense. “Make sure you watch your drinks. And don’t?—”

“I don’t need another brother. I already have one for these lectures,” I interrupt, then apply a perfect wing to my left eye.

His face softens. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I know you’re smart. I don’t have to be your brother to want to take care of you, though.”

My frustration melts away at his sweetness. “I’ll be safe, I promise.”

The frown lines on his forehead disappear. “Thanks. And Hadley…”

I pause and set down my eyeliner, staring straight at him. His tone makes my heart beat faster. What’s he going to say?

Before I find out, Evan’s head pops into the frame. “Hadley! Looking fine tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

I laugh. “That’s everything.”

“Exactly!” He grins, and I return the smile.

Jonas shakes his head at Evan’s antics. “Anyway, Hadley, thanks for the chat. Sometimes I just want to see a friendly face after a game.”

Warmth fills my chest at his words. “Anytime. Have a safe flight tomorrow.”

“See you soon.”

“Can’t wait.” Butterflies take flight in my belly at the flirty look in his gaze. I hang up before I say something I’ll regret.

“Hey, we should go out sometime.”

Tugging at the hem of my white body con dress, I stare at Devon over the rim of my red Solo cup. I take a sip of my watery beer and formulate my response.

Kendall has continued talking to JaShawn, and he invited us to this Sigma Alpha Epsilon party.

Ethan’s nowhere in sight, which is fine with me.

I had a good time with him last weekend, but not enough that I want a repeat.

There are too many other guys here for me to settle for the first one I find.

And Devon, JaShawn’s frat brother, has been chatting me up since we got here.

The imposing house on Old Greek Row is made less so by the debauched college students that populate the lawn.

Tarps have been set up outside, creating walls and covering everything from view, so it feels like we’re inside a tent.

There’s a bonfire going somewhere, and the smell of smoke lingers in the air.

That and weed. The night is crisp, too close to fall for me to be wearing this dress.

But I look good, so it’s worth the goosebumps that pebble my arms.

When Devon offers me the green plaid flannel shirt he’s wearing, I’m not too proud to say yes.

It’s soft and smells like expensive cologne.

He and I started a conversation when I got my drink.

He’s a member of the frat, but not in a “frat boy” sense.

He’s a junior, a music major, and he plays guitar in a band. I have to admit, that’s hot.

He’s handsome, with straight brown hair, cut a little too long, and brown eyes. A tattoo peeks out from the hem of his white t-shirt sleeve, and that’s hot, too.

We’ve covered the small talk topics already, and Devon is nice. He hasn’t blatantly stared at my chest or used cheesy pick-up lines. For all he’s attractive, there’s not much of a spark between us.

Why did I feel more of a thrill when Jonas’s name popped up on my FaceTime? Or when he said my name, his voice low and urgent?

Jonas is off-limits. Maybe sparks are overrated. I could be friends with Devon, and aren’t all decent relationships built on friendship? He’s not a jock, that’s for sure, and while Hunter wouldn’t approve, that doesn’t count. He wouldn’t approve of anyone. Sparks can probably grow over time.

So I shrug. “You can call me, if you want.”

A slow smile spreads across his face, and he hands me his phone. “Here, put in your number.”

“You’re just going to hand over your phone? That’s awfully trusting.” I inject a singsong note into my voice to let him know I’m teasing.

But Devon puts his hands in his pockets and rocks on the balls of his feet. “Look at whatever you like. I’m an open book.”

What kind of invitation is that? I raise a brow, but he doesn’t stop me.

Instead, he steps closer and peers over my shoulder.

I open his texts, and his mom is top of the list. I check his camera roll.

No dick pics. Shouldn’t be a high bar, and yet.

It’s the sad reality of dating in the twenty-first century.

While he watches, I type in my name and number and text myself. I show him the notification on my screen so he knows I didn’t give him a fake number. I wouldn’t mind if he called me.

“You don’t fit the frat stereotype. How did you end up here?” I ask, returning his phone.

He puts it in his pocket and runs his hand over his hair. “I was a legacy. It was kind of expected in my family.”

I nod. I guess that’s probably how it is for Hunter. I’m not sure he had a choice about playing hockey.

What’s expected of me? If I follow in my mom’s legacy, I’ll end up pregnant, married to a professional athlete, and eventually obsessed with men who will let me down. No sense of self, no independence. Yikes.

I need to try harder to avoid that path. The thing is, I’m not sure what I want, and I’m not ready to settle down. I know what I don’t want, though, so I put my hand on Devon’s arm and lean in.

“Well, I’m glad, because I might not have met you otherwise.” I let a flirty note creep into my voice and based on the way his brown eyes light up, Devon is picking up what I’m putting down.

Before I can reel him in any further, Kendall appears at my side.

“Girl, I need you!” Laughing, she tugs me away, and I wave helplessly at Devon.

“What’s the big emergency?” We stop, breathless, by the back door to the big frat house.

“First off, I have to pee, and I’m not standing in line by myself.” She shakes her head. “And second, I’ve gotta get my dance on.”

I follow her into the house. It’s an odd mix of traditional decor and college life.

There are also lions everywhere. Doorknobs, drawer pulls, knickknacks on shelves, and framed pictures on the walls.

Is that… a majestic oil painting in the living room?

Weird. Music blares from speakers set up somewhere, and partygoers mill around, drinking and talking.

We make our way through the kitchen, where people are crowded around the counter bar, and we wind through the house until we find the long line for the bathroom.

I sigh, but I get it—I wouldn’t want to stand here by myself either.

“So how are things going with JaShawn?” I ask as Kendall leans against the wall.

She smiles and bobs her brows. “Good. Actually, if it’s okay with you, I might stay the night here with him?”

I wink at her. “Of course it is! I can get myself home. I’m glad things are good between you!”

“I really like him.” Her face shines with enthusiasm, and I get a little pang in my chest in response. I’m happy for her, and JaShawn is nice. But there’s a part of me that wants what she has—the anticipation, the excitement over another person.

Kendall takes her lip gloss out of her pocket and uses her cell phone camera to reapply. “Who were you talking to? He was familiar.”

“He’s another Sig Alph, Devon.”

“Oh yeah, JaShawn introduced us. What did you think of him?” Her expression is a mixture of expectant and hopeful.

So I nod. “He’s cool.”

Kendall giggles and links her arm through mine. “How fun would it be if we dated frat brothers?”

“So fun.” She has a point. I picture us, watching movies and going out to dinner together as a foursome. It feels cozy and intimate. Content.

And there are worse things. I don’t want to be tied down, but college is my chance to try new things, make new choices. One date won’t hurt. It’s time to say yes to a smart one.