Page 36 of Hate the Game (Playing Dirty #1)

***Savannah***

It seemed like I could only manage to avoid the guys for a few days at a time.

So, of course, when I was starving half to death and rushing into the nearest dining hall, I passed Cole leaning just inside the door.

I looked at him, looked at the line that kept growing longer, and decided I needed food more than I needed another moment with him.

“Ouch, Sav. Not even a hello?”

I winked at him over my shoulder. “Hello, Cole.”

He stayed where he was and I moved with the line, slowly bouncing on my toes as my stomach rumbled angrily. I wasn’t sure what I was smelling but it was making everything worse because it smelled delicious.

“You’re killing me.” Cole startled me. He’d snuck up on me without me noticing a thing and he’d gotten close. Close enough to lean in and whisper right into my ear. “All that bouncing is wreaking havoc on every straight man in here.”

I blushed and turned to tell him to shut up but he was already walking away, back to where he’d first been standing. I paid more attention to my body when I bounced and blushed even harder when I felt how much things were moving.

Still trying to recover from Cole’s appearance and slowly wilting away from hunger I leaned over and tried to see what was taking so long.

Instead, I spotted Cass standing at a table, trying to get people to sign up for one thing or another.

After our last run-in I had no desire to see her again but before I could lean back over she lifted her eyes and locked in on me.

They flicked behind me momentarily and I knew she’d looked at Cole before coming back to me.

“Shit.” I winced and crossed my fingers that she’d just leave me alone. I already knew I didn’t have great luck and that she was probably on her way over.

Sure enough she appeared just seconds later. “Hannah.”

I forced a smile. “Savannah.”

Waving it away like my name didn’t matter, she spoke up, loud enough that anyone close could hear her. “Maybe you’ll be interested in the fundraiser the cheer team is holding.”

I dug my nails into my hand. “Oh?”

“Yeah. We’re accepting clothing donations for a local shelter.” She held my gaze and I saw fire in hers. “You look like someone who enjoys getting things second hand so you get it. Second hand… Is that what it’s called? Or is it sloppy seconds? You’d know, right?”

A few people around us snickered and the whispering picked up right away. I heard Cole’s name more than a few times. My cheeks heated but with anger. She was simultaneously insulting my clothing and my audacity to appear interested in Cole. Fuck that.

“Can you really call it sloppy seconds when the original person only tried it on and never really owned it? I mean, it’s bold for that person to act like they ever really had it.

” I smiled the fakest smile of my life. “Some things just look better on me, Casey. Why would I donate them when I’m nowhere near done with them? ”

I ignored the flash of hurt in her eyes before I turned around and left the line.

I wanted to scream. I felt dirty from having just referred to Cole as something that could be owned or donated but she hated me for no reason.

And if she was going to pretend to get my name wrong, turnabout’s fair play.

Still. It felt icky. The pain I saw on her face didn’t help.

I just wanted her to leave me alone because I didn’t want to add to whatever hurt she felt.

Cole was watching me with a cocked eyebrow and a slow grin when I walked up to him. “Feeling catty today, Sav?”

“Want to get out of here?” I was taking a chance at being embarrassed but for whatever reason he nodded.

He threw his arm over my shoulder and led me out of the dining hall. I was quiet until we got to the sidewalk outside, away from listening ears.

“I am so sorry. I don’t think you’re an object that can be-” He shut me up with a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds but it hit its mark.

“Hungry?”

I nodded. “Starving.”

“Good. I know a place.”

“I might be hangry.” I groaned when my stomach growled loudly. “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything until we get food.”

He grunted in response.

I couldn’t just stay quiet, though. My mind was speeding and I needed to let some of my thoughts out.

“I should donate something, though. I have plenty of clothes. Though everything I have is either a sundress or an oversized men’s shirt.

Some people would want that. If I was back home in Texas, I’d be able to get rid of so much stuff.

Let me tell you. I went through this denim phase a few years ago.

Not just jeans. I’m talking Canadian tuxedo. ”

Cole stopped walking and grinned at me. “You’re crazy.”

I let out a giant sigh. “I don’t like being mean to people. Even if they’re mean to me. It’s hard and I just feel bad afterwards. If they’re mean to someone else, that’s different, but if it’s just me who gets their feelings hurt? Ugh. I feel this insane urge to go apologize.”

He gripped my waist and pulled me closer. “You’re not going to apologize. You’re going to let me take you for tacos at a place that’s way better than wherever Trey was going to take you.”

Between the waist holding and the undertone of jealousy, I melted. “Yeah, okay. Tacos.”

He took my hand and pulled me along.

“How far is this taco place? Should I get a snack?”

“A snack? Really?” He laughed. “It’s still in LA, Sav.”

“That means nothing here! Back home, if I say I’m going somewhere that’s in the same city I can get there and back in under half an hour.

You can say we’re going somewhere else in LA and it could take two hours to get there!

This place is a nightmare and someone should study it.

” I huffed. “The only time I ever sat in traffic in my hometown was because someone wasn’t paying attention to their cows and they got out and blocked the road. ”

Cole’s head swung around to face me and his eyes were wide. “Cows? There were just cows in the road?”

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah! It’s not that uncommon but usually it’s just one cow. You can just drive around one cow so it’s not a big deal.”

“We can’t be from the same planet.” He shook his head and muttered something about cows.

We reached his truck and he opened the door for me, still blown away about the cows.

“I’m taking you to the neighborhood I grew up in.

It’s a lot nicer now than it was when I was a kid but you’ll see why the idea of a cow in the road is so insane. ”

“East LA, Cole?! That’s so far. Let me just get a snack somewhere. Stop at a gas station and I’ll get us some candy.”

He stopped before shutting my door. “You remembered where I’m from?”

For the ten thousandth time that day alone I blushed. “I have a good memory. Whatever.”

“We can get a snack.”