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Chapter Two

J oel - September

“Dude, look who’s back on campus!”

“It’s Hendy! Bro, good to see you.”

“Get your ass over here, Hendy! How the fuck you been, man?”

I stride into the student center, a CFU ball cap pulled low over my eyes, hoping to remain unnoticed by the other students congregating in the café.

No such luck.

Even incognito, I’m a recognizable feature on campus and have many fans and acquaintances from my former ball-playing days. Former. As in, no longer their QB One.

The thought is depressing as fuck. I knew this transition would be tough getting through the final year in my graduate program, but it’s proving more difficult than I expected.

In the past when I walked into a room and was recognized as a local legend, it boosted my ego to receive all the attention as the star quarterback for the CFU Bears. I was like a king on campus and treated like one.

But now? Not this year. This year, I’m just a regular Joe Schmoe grad student.

Nothing special about me, aside from my championship titles and an elite position in the school’s football Hall of Fame history.

I shake off the depressing thoughts that infiltrate my brain and plaster on a smile, aiming it at the group of lowerclassman all hanging out in the middle of the student lounge. Each one either slaps me on my back, gives me a fist bump, or high-fives me.

The two girls, one blonde and the other a redhead, smile sweetly and bat their eyelashes at me, giggling coyly and whispering to each other as I approach. In the past, their interest in me boosted my ego and fed my self-importance. Now it feels a little fake and disingenuous because I’m not that guy anymore. Or at least, I want to be. I’m done with football and all the drama.

If this is how my little sister, Journey, chooses to act around athletes on campus this year as an incoming freshman, I’m going to have to lock her away in her dorm for the entire school year. I’m already worried about her fitting in and adjusting to campus life, even though my friends Grace, Lucy, and Kelsie have all assured me they’ll take her under their wings.

“Hey guys, how was your summer?” My question is directed toward the two senior frat guys, Layton and Sean, who I know from previous years’ parties at the Kappa Sigma Pi frat house. They are both total douches and probably haven’t matured much since last year.

The taller of the two, Sean, jumps to his feet from his spot on top of the café table and pulls out his phone. Swiping the screen open, he taps it once and shoves it in front of my face.

“Check this out, bro. We went hiking and waterskiing in Tahoe in July and then partied our asses off in Vegas. It was fucking lit, man!”

I’m not the least bit interested in his photos but smile and nod regardless, making a mental note to keep my sister as far away from these asshats as possible.

Layton joins in, laughing darkly. “Fuck, bro, we got so wasted one night at Club Chic, I think I passed out between some topless chick’s tits.”

“Hmm.” It’s all I can think of to say because it only confirms these two are idiot man-children who only think with their dicks and have no purpose in life other than to party and get laid.

You were the same in the past .

The two start reminiscing with each other and it gives me the opportunity I need to get the hell out of here.

“Good catching up, guys,” I say, looking for my exit just as my name is being called by a feminine voice across the room.

Thank God. Saved by Grace. Literally .

Grace and Lucy are over in line at the coffee bar, waiting for their drinks. I wave in their direction.

“See ya. I gotta meet my friends and get to class.”

I turn to go when the blonde girl grabs hold of my forearm, her delicate grip on my skin foreign and all wrong. I glance down at it and then at her as she smiles up at me with plump lips.

“Mind if I walk with you, Hendy? I’d love to hear what you did all summer.”

As gently as I can so as not to be disrespectful, I pry her pink fingernails from my arm and drop it to her side.

“Sorry, uh…” I’m trying to recall if she gave me her name or not.

She pouts. “You don’t remember me? It’s Maisy.”

Shit. Nope. Don’t remember her at all.

“Maisy. I’m sorry, but I really gotta go. But I’ll see you around, ’kay?”

This somehow cheers her up, her eyes dancing with excitement. “Will you be at the first home game this weekend and the Kappa party after?”

I almost flinch. Not necessarily because of her question, but that the connotation is so different than it used to be for me. Had this been last year, of course I would have gone to the post-game party. I was the goddamn quarterback and star of the team. I would have played the game and gone to whatever house party was being thrown in our team’s honor, where I would’ve gotten drunk and probably laid.

This year, however, none of my friends will be playing—except Hayes McIntyre, who was new last year. He’s still the kicker on the team and is Kelsie’s boyfriend.

If EJ and Killian plan to visit this weekend, then I’ll definitely go to the game, but not the frat party. We’ll just be low-key chilling at the off-campus house I used to share with them.

I shrug noncommittally. “I don’t know. We’ll see. Depends on how much studying I have to do this weekend.”

Maisy pouts again, this time with an added flare of downcast eyes and a syrupy sweet voice. “That sounds so boring. Wouldn’t you rather come with me and have some fun?”

Fun. I remember the last time I truly had fun. And I haven’t been able to get her out of my head for months.

Jesus, I’m almost getting a boner thinking about her now.

To avoid any embarrassing and unwanted attention, I raise my eyebrows skyward at Maisy, brushing a hand over my chin where my short-clipped beard would be if I hadn’t shaved it off last weekend.

“Nobody ever said a graduate program was fun. I’ll see ya round, Maisy.”

Without any further awkwardness, I turn on my heels and beeline it over to join the girls. Gracie waggles her eyebrows as I approach.

“Always on the prowl, aren’t you, Hendy?”

I roll my eyes, giving a half-glance over my shoulder to ensure Maisy has retreated from earshot.

“That wasn’t on me this time. Shocker, I know.”

Lucy chuckles and hands me a drip coffee and two creamers. She turns to Grace next to her. “Oh, Gracie. Our boy is finally growing up!”

I accept the coffee in one hand and nudge her with my shoulder against hers. “Shut it, you brat, or I’ll tell EJ you’re flirting with the barista dude.”

Lucy scoffs and flicks a gaze over at Damon, the guy behind the espresso maker who happens to glance up and smiles congenially.

“You wouldn’t,” she argues. “Plus, Emmett wouldn’t believe you. He knows I can’t flirt.”

I laugh. “That’s true. You tried with me and failed miserably!”

She moves to swat my arm but I dodge away, narrowly missing a tall woman with a severe reddish-blonde bun tied neatly at her nape who walks past us with her head in her phone on our way to the door. Something about her posture and the way she stands pushes at the recesses of my mind, but Grace’s question steals my attention back.

“What’s your first class today? Which building?” Grace asks as I open the door and allow them to walk out in front of me. I blink and shield my eyes from the bright glare of the sunshine that has just risen over the mountain tops.

“It’s over in Cameron Hall. Digital Marketing Case Studies of European Countries.”

Neither seems too impressed by the title, and truthfully, neither was I when I first enrolled.

I still have no idea what I want to do with my life. Since I doubled up on graduate level courses as a senior last year, I now only have a year of coursework left. But there are still moments when I’m really bummed I didn’t at least attempt to go out for the NFL draft, but I knew it was a longshot. While I was a great D2 quarterback, my standing and abilities likely wouldn’t have made the cut, and I didn’t want to be rejected in that way.

Say what you will about my cocky attitude, I’m actually quite thin-skinned. I take rejection hard.

“Sounds cool. Do you know the professor from your undergrad classes?”

I shake my head. “Nah. I think they may be new to the school this year. Someone named C. Butler. Don’t know anything about them. Their bio and picture wasn’t even on the university website yet when I checked last week. Guess I’m about to find out.”

The girls take their turns throwing their arms around me to say goodbye and I hug them back.

“Well, I hope it’s a fun class!” Lucy chirps. “See you at home later.”

And with that, I head off to Cameron Hall.