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SIX

lorenzo

“I cannot believe you have to get surgery, man.” Cash’s pouf of curly hair bobs as he shakes his head.

I glance around the busy student union, where we’re grabbing lunch. “No shit.”

“You’ll come back stronger, though,” Reeve says.

“Yeah, no. Of course.” Cash nods. “Didn’t mean that, it just sucks. Takes you out for the summer and, you know ...”

“Might end my career?” I supply.

“I don’t know, man.” He doesn’t try to deny it, which I respect. Even though what I really want is for my friends to tell me there’s no chance I won’t come back from this.

“My mom told me last night she can’t come take care of me either.” I slide the burrito bowl I haven’t touched toward Cash. The greasy smell that hangs in the air has killed my appetite. “Want this?”

He nods and accepts it. “So you have Ruby, right?”

“She said she’ll do it, but I’m thinking about telling her no.”

“Why?”

“She’s supposed to start a new job the same day as surgery.”

Reeve snorts. “That girl’s had like ten jobs this year alone.”

“I know, but she’s actually excited for this one.”

“When is she not? Ruby’s like a puppy,” Cash says fondly. I think having a twin sister gives him a soft spot for Ruby. “All you have to do is say her name and she’s excited.”

“I just don’t want to put that on her,” I say.

Cash raises a brow. “She puts it on you.”

“Maybe, but I like it that way.” Ruby does get into messes, and I don’t mind being the one who steps in and saves her.

“You’re lucky to have someone who actually wants to do this shit for you,” Cash says. “Ruby can handle a few days playing nurse. If all else fails, at least you’ll eat well.”

He’s probably right. Maybe it’s not fair to keep assuming it’s too much for her. But that’s not the only thing I’m worried about. “It might be blurring some lines, having her take care of me like a little baby.”

“No, I get it,” Reeve says. “You don’t need her seeing you like an invalid. She’s your friend, but she’s still a chick.”

Cash shakes his head. “She’s seen you puking out the back of a truck in nothing but your boxers, dude. I think she’ll handle it.”

“Why risk it?” Reeve asks. “Any of our cheerleaders would consider it their god-given duty to take care of you. Not to mention half the girls on campus with raging lady boners for you.”

“Yeah, let me ask a random girl I’ve never met sober to take care of me like a mother. Sounds like a good plan.”

“Then pick one you know. Hannah would do it,” Reeve says.

“Hannah?” I ask.

“Hayden,” Cash corrects.

“Hayden. Yes.” Reeve points at me. “That’s your girl. It would be never-ending blow jobs through the whole recovery.”

I shake my head, smiling. “Get your mind right, man.”

“No, I’m serious. It would get the blood flowing, speed up healing, all that shit. Instead of lying around stagnant for a week.”

“He’s not wrong,” Cash says. “You’re too high-minded about these girls, Lor. You want to take them to nice dinners and ask them questions and figure them out like there’s some big mystery to them when—spoiler alert—there isn’t. They don’t want that.”

“What are you even talking about?” I ask. “I’m trying to figure out who’s gonna stay with me after surgery, and you’re over here lecturing me about how not to respect girls.”

When it comes to girls, most of my friends are at one end of the spectrum or the other: hooking up with any rando with a decent ass or settling down with a long-term girlfriend.

Somehow I always end up in the messy middle.

I’m not looking to commit to anyone. But hookups aren’t exactly my thing.

I’ve learned the hard way I need to know what I’m getting into before I have sex—too many times, I’ve found out too late the girl I slept with wanted more from me than I could give or less from me than I was hoping to give or wasn’t even single in the first place.

But avoiding that mess takes getting to know girls a little bit, which makes it harder to just fuck and walk away like it never happened.

Add to that not partying much anymore and yeah .

.. somehow it’s never cut-and-dried with me and girls.

Cash bends over my burrito bowl, the chain he wears around his neck pooling on the table.

“I’m saying let Hayden or whichever one of those girls you’re into take care of you.

These chicks would push each other in front of a bus just to be the one to pick you up from the hospital, and you don’t want to ask any of them because you think it’s degrading or something. ”

“I don’t want to ask any of them because I don’t want any of those girls in my space. The jersey-chaser bimbo schtick is so old.”

“It’s not a schtick,” Cash insists.

“I’d help you if I wasn’t heading out of town tomorrow,” Reeve says.

“Lor, you know I’d take care of you if you couldn’t find someone, right?” Cash asks.

“Yeah, man. Appreciate it.”

“Just don’t be surprised if I use the opportunity to extract revenge on you for kissing my sister freshman year.”

Reeve and I look at each other and bust out laughing.

“What?” Cash asks.

“Have you ever read a book?” Reeve says. “It’s exact revenge.” He turns to me. “Dude, you are not seriously about to let this fucking bonehead nurse our star middle linebacker back to health, are you?”

I shrug, grinning at Cash’s confused expression.

“That’s it, I’m calling Ruby.” Reeve pulls out his phone.

“Relax,” I say. “Mr. Extract is off the hook. I have other options without bugging Ruby.”

“Like who?” Reeve asks.

I think, but no one comes to mind.

“You could ask Alli,” Reeve offers. To a chorus of crickets. “We all know she’d do it.”

“No?” Cash asks.

“Might as well be a marriage proposal in Alli’s mind,” I say flatly.

Cash eyes me. “You think you’ll get back together?”

“No,” I say quickly. She’s been bugging me about getting dinner ever since she’s been back from France, and I’ve been avoiding it because I know that’s exactly the topic she’s going to bring up.

Reeve smiles. “Man, you better get your shit together.”

“It is. I just said no.”

“Does she know that?”

“Well, we broke up months ago, and I’ve never once hinted at getting back together. So yeah, she knows. Whether she wants to accept it is another thing.”

“So make it clear,” he says.

I shake my head, signaling my friends to move on. “One drama at a time.”

“Speaking of drama,” Reeve says, sitting back in his chair. “I heard something about Ruby and White?”

I look at him. “Where’d you hear that?”

“White who?” Cash asks.

“Brad,” Reeve answers.

Cash laughs. “No fucking way!”

“Who’s talking about Ruby and White?” I demand.

“You barely let us look at Ruby,” Cash says, “and now you’re letting douchey Brad White sleep with her?”

“They’re not sleeping together,” I snap.

Cash puts his hands up. “Okay.”

There’s a too-long pause before Reeve says, “Brad’s decent. He’d back off if you told him to.”

“Why would I tell him to?”

“Because no one wants their teammate pawing their female friend.” Reeve smirks. “And because look how heated you’re getting.”

“I’m not heated,” I lie, surprised at just how heated I actually am. “I just don’t want to hear him bragging about fucking her.” My head hurts with the effort it takes to push away the mental image that threatens to surface.

Reeve looks skeptical. “So you’re okay with them being together?”

“She can do what she wants. At least he’s got his shit together, right?” White Bread’s next level compared to the dirtbags Ruby’s usually a magnet for. Maybe he can take care of her the way she deserves. “Anyway, who’s talking about them?”

“No one, I just heard someone say they went out. Nothing interesting, man.”

“Good, ’cause if White’s running his mouth about something that didn’t happen, I’m killing him.”

Reeve nods. “Everybody knows that, Lor. Nobody’s talking about her. Relax.”

I force my shoulders back. “I am.”

They’re not sleeping together yet—I’m almost sure—but I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that they will.

And I guess if I had to pick someone on my team for her to be with, Brad’s among the least offensive guys, but I’d rather it not be someone from my team at all.

I’ve dealt with her dudes showing up to parties or getting drinks with us here and there, but I’ve never played side by side with one of them.

And that’s exactly what’s about to happen.

Maybe not coming back from this injury wouldn’t be all bad.

And maybe having Ruby to myself all day and night for a few days wouldn’t be bad either. Especially if it means not having to wonder what she and Brad are up to.

Reeve and Cash are both looking past my shoulder and wearing identical half smiles that tell me exactly what they’re staring at. Girls.

I turn to look just as two girls in short red soccer shorts and Shafer soccer shirts walk by the table. I know their names but can’t remember them. Both have those nice, muscular thighs I love on women.

“Ladies,” Cash says appreciatively.

“Hi,” they chorus at the same time. Then the shorter one catches my eye over her shoulder and adds, “Hi, Lorenzo.”

I give her a nod and a smile.

“Okay, stud,” Cash says when the girls are gone, leaning on the table. “You have girls of every size, color, and IQ level rubbing their hands together at the idea of playing nurse for Lorenzo Rossi. Who do you want to spend a week with?”

Put that way, the answer, of course, is obvious.