Page 35 of Running Play (Gods of Campus #1)

Shelby

Tuesday night, I turn on the PlayStation and stretch out on my bed. I’ve been nervous all day—not just because I’m one game down, but because I haven’t seen Christian since Halloween. Since that night.

They had an away game, so between travel, practice, and study time, he was tied up all weekend, and I was surprised by how much I missed seeing him.

We still managed to talk and text every day, and we’ve finalized our camping trip, something I’m genuinely excited about.

Being with him was mind-blowing, and only deepened my feelings…

I think I might be falling for this man, hard .

I spent the morning attending classes and the afternoon shopping with Letti and Travis.

A quick trip to Target and Walmart turned into hours shopping for our camping supplies and then grabbing lunch.

I’m exhausted from all the walking we did, but the blood pumping through my body to win this next Call of Duty game has made me anxious and energized.

“I’m nervous,” I say as I adjust the mic hovering beside my lips .

“Don’t be, you got this!” Letti says from behind me.

We both sit on my bed so we can see the screen.

I’m set up near the foot, closer to the TV, while Letti lounges against the headboard, slowly rubbing lotion into her legs.

“Just focus like you did last time, except this time kill more people. He only just beat you, remember.”

I look back over my shoulder and nod at her.

“Hey, mate,” I hear over the headphones.

“Hey, Randy,” I say back.

“Ready for me to whoop your ass again, you got a great ass, so I don’t mi-…ouch, man.”

“What happened?” I question.

“Dipshit threw a water bottle at my head. He doesn’t like it when I make references to your ass. Anyway, Shelby, I’m still going to beat you. Warm up those vocal cords, baby doll!”

“Not this time, Randy,” I say back.

“Don’t let him intimidate you, babe, you’ve got this,” Letti says, leaning forward and giving my shoulders a rub.

“Nobody asked you, Letti!”

Randy quips back.

I watch as my character appears on screen; using my thumbs, I turn and run to the closest building. Gun drawn, I take in my surroundings, and twenty minutes later, the results are in… I did it—I beat him, letting out the loudest sigh of relief.

“Fuck it,” I hear him groan. A wave of distant laughter and cheering floats into my earphones. Christian and his friends are celebrating my win, or maybe Randy’s loss. Relief floods me at the realization that I have matched the score.

Letti’s arms twist around my neck and I can feel her happy smirk against my cheek. “Tough luck, Randy,” she says.

“Yeah, yeah,” he says back as I hold the earphone back so she can hear him. “Just remember, she has only caught up to me, Letti, she hasn’t beaten me.”

“Yet,” I say back. “See ya, Randy.”

“’Night, Shelby. ’Night, Letti.”

“’Night, loser,” we both say in unison.

I remove my headphones and fall back in relief, my head landing in Letti’s lap. “Great work, babe, you did it. Just two more wins and you get him butt naked.”

I gaze at her. “Yeah, well, I don’t really care about that. I just care about not embarrassing myself by singing at the stadium, and having it shared around the whole university. It’s only freshman year—something like that will haunt me for the rest of my college days.”

“Hmm, so who do you want to see butt naked again?”

I crane my head up to see her more clearly and she taps me on the nose. “Am I crazy?” I say as I feel my lips waver, caught between a smile and uncertainty.

“What? No!”

I shrug.

She taps her finger on the middle of my forehead three times. “Hey, don’t you dare let that doubt get in your head, he likes you. You had majorly hot shower sex, and I think this could really be something.”

“Ouch.” I rub my forehead. “How can I not? It’s clear the guy is a hot commodity, I have eyes. Girls chase around after him like the football at a State of Origin match.”

“Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but what I do know is that Christian really likes you.

You two have not stopped talking and messaging each other since having sex.

” She moves to sit up straighter, and I shift off her lap to sit up and lean against the wall.

“Look, I get it. It probably feels surreal and maybe too good to be true, but what if it’s not?

What if it is real? Don’t you owe it to yourself to see?

After everything you have been through with Justin, I know it must be tough to trust and let yourself fall in love again.

But believe me, I have grilled Travis and his friends about Christian, and from what they have told me, he’s a good guy.

If he wasn’t, Travis would be all over the situation, warning you off him. ”

I nod my head slowly and thank the roommate gods again for giving me her. Picking at the small bead of fluff on my bedspread, I mull her words over. “Okay, so what do you think I should do?”

She holds her head up straight, like she hasn’t a concern in the world. “I think you just need to trust in him and see where it goes.”

“Sounds painful.”

“Maybe it will be, but maybe it won’t. Unfortunately, you will never know unless you try. ”

“So, I’m jumping out of a plane blind, and either my parachute opens, or I splat on the ground.”

“Exactly! But regardless of if you fly or crash and burn, you still have me—plus, half the hockey team wants to date you, so you always have a backup plan,” she says, her eyes sparkling in mischief.