Page 14 of Let the Game Begin

“Yeah, Jared,” I said dejectedly.

Yeah, Neil and I lived together and the incredible electricity that flowed between our bodies would need to remain a secret I kept buried deep inside of me and something I fought against at all costs.

3

Selene

I often found myself alone among people, locked in a world of my own. A world where I felt safe and could truly be myself. A world where I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I firmly believed that solitude was the key to discovering and understanding ourselves.

“The man who is unable to people his solitude is equally unable to be alone in a bustling crowd.” I read aloud this passage from a poem by Charles Baudelaire, one of those books I always kept on me in those days so I could escape into a reality other than my own. I loved to read; I would have devoured books all day long if I had the time.

“What?” Logan raised an eyebrow and gave me a confused look.

“Uh…nothing. I was just reading out loud.” I showed him the book that had completely captured my attention.

“Selene, you haven’t been listening to anything we’ve said, have you?” Alyssa asked.

“Nope,” I shrugged and continued reading, laying the book open in my lap. We were all off campus, taking a break from classes, and in my case, the world entirely.

“Are you going to Bryan Nelson’s party this weekend?” Adam asked me.

“Nah, Adam, I’m not feeling it,” I said without looking up at him.

I really didn’t feel like spending my free time surrounded by sweaty bodies, deafening music, and a veritable river of alcohol.

“It’ll be fun. Bryan always throws bomb-ass parties,” Corey wheedled. I looked at him, squinting slightly against the sun and shook my head. He snorted and I smiled.

“You have to come!” Julie batted her eyelashes sweetly and pleaded with her most angelic face, but I just rolled my eyes and ignored her.

“Yeah, sis, you’re coming with us whether you like it or not,” Logan chuckled.

“I’ll come, but only if you stop calling me that,” I retorted.

“Okay, it’s a deal, sis,” he answered, and I gave him an admonishing glare. “Starting now,” I specified. Logan only smiled and didn’t say anything else.

I’d been living in New York for a week at that point, so Logan was getting familiar with me. With Neil, however, it was a very different story: we had yet to have a normal conversation. Instead, he only directed suggestive jokes and sly smiles at me while he wandered half-naked around the house. I’d started sleeping with earplugs in because of the sheer number of girls he brought home. Jennifer, apparently, didn’t have that locked down. But I was trying not to think about Neil; I needed to mind my own business instead.

After some more small talk with the group, Logan and I got into his car and headed for the house. “So, Jared goes to school in Detroit, right?” he asked during the ride.

“That’s right,” I answered, staring out the window at the buildings passing rapidly by.

“And how long have you guys been together?” he continued.

“Okay, Dad, what’s with the third degree?” I teased, even though I didn’t mind answering his questions.

“Just curious.” He shrugged, keeping both hands firmly on the wheel.

“About three months,” I told him. Strangely, I didn’t feel any discomfort talking about myself or my life in Detroit when it was with Logan. “And how about you? Do you have a girlfriend?” I added, hoping I didn’t sound too nosy.

“You mean like a steady girlfriend or…” Logan gave me a suggestive look and I grinned.

“No, I don’t think you’re like your brother,” I said immediately.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I have an active sex life, too,” he teased, and I gave him a light nudge.

“Come on, dummy.” I shook my head and thought about how lovely and natural it was, laughing and joking with Logan as though we’d known each other for years.

“I am happily single, for the moment. I’ve only had one significant relationship, and that was a while ago.” He grew serious again. “Her name was Amber. I met her during basketball practice; she played on the women’s team,” he explained, his voice getting melancholy.