Page 60 of Running Play (Gods of Campus #1)

Christian

I watch Seth leaning against the railing as he sips his whisky. He talks among a group of people, but his eyes are watching me. I stare up at the black sky and lean against the wall on our deck. The wall is cool, and the night air is warm as I take another sip of my bourbon.

“How are you feeling?” Randy asks beside me.

I turn from surveying the crowd and look at my best friend.

His hopes of me opening up tonight just because I’m drinking is fruitless.

“Not tonight, man, not while I’m drinking.

I don’t want to be that depressed drunk at the party.

Tonight I just want to forget about Shelby and have fun with my friends. ”

He slaps me on the shoulder and nods his head. “I’m here for you.”

“I know, man, and wow, it must be tough for you, getting drunk and partying with me.” I give him a sly smile. “But I appreciate you giving up your night, you know with all the studying you were no doubt going to do,” I say, scanning the fifty or so people we have in our backyard.

He holds up his cup. “To the sacrifices I make,” he cheers me and we both down the drinks in our hands.

I cringe at the half bourbon, half Coke concoction as it slides down my throat. Fuck, that’s strong . “You threw this together quickly…exactly how many people did you tell?”

“Please,” he mocks. “I sent four, maybe five texts.” He looks around at all the people. “What can I say, us two,” he says, pointing between us, “are kinda a big deal, just like we always talked about when we were teenagers.”

I laugh at that and the many conversations of us being ‘ all that’ in college. A couple of kids lying around watching football and talking about college life, girls, playing football, and being the gods of campus.

“Plus, I couldn’t have you moping around the house being all depressed and annoying me. So, the better option,” he shrugs. “Getting fucked up.” He looks at me and our empty cups.

“I agree with that now, tomorrow I may not.”

He waves his empty glass in the air in greeting at some people walking by. “That is tomorrow’s problem, the hangover, the talking, the overthinking, save it all for tomorrow. Tonight, we forget about all our worries, drink, and have fun.”

I salute him with my empty cup in agreement. “To tomorrow’s problems.”

Maybe this is what I need. To have some fun, a quiet night in would only make me want to call or text her. But tonight, my phone is safely stored somewhere in Randy’s room, and I’m surrounded by friends who only want to make me happy.

“Oh shit,” Randy murmurs beside me. “Pissed-off-looking best friend at twelve o’clock.”

I look straight ahead and watch Letti marching in my direction and yep, she doesn’t look happy.

“Christian, what the hell is going on?” she demands, jogging up the back stairs in a huff.

I push off the wall and stand straighter. “You’re her best friend, you tell me?” I deadpan. Unable to make eye contact with her, I continue to survey the crowd. Some friends walk past and one of them slaps a bottle of bourbon in my hand.

Letti looks at the exchange in annoyance. “Shelby said you two are over, what the hell happened?”

I look down at her as she takes the last few steps that separate us. “She dumped me,” I say, taking a swig from the bottle of straight bourbon. Fuck, I choke that down, looking at the bottle, 114 proof—yup, that will do it.

“Yeah, she said that, but I find that really hard to believe because she really likes you. Something is going on because this doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t want to talk about this right now, Letti.”

She looks me up and down, judging me. Who is she to judge? This is her best friend’s doing. I planned on watching movies and burying myself deep inside her tonight, not this… she did this.

“You’re drinking bourbon straight out of the bottle…” She gestures at the bottle. “You’re going to do something you regret!”

I sigh, getting annoyed at the conversation as someone hands me a cup of bourbon and Coke.

“Seriously,” She gestures to my hands. “You’re going to be stumbling around doing stupid shit in no time.”

I look down at my full hands. “Looks perfectly balanced to me.”

She shakes her head at me. “Don’t do anything you can’t fix.” Her voice is angry but pleading.

I stare down at her, my patience wearing thin. “What do you want from me? She broke up with me; as far as I’m concerned, I’m single and don’t need to answer to anyone!”

I’ve always been the calm one on the field, the one who doesn’t lose his cool, knowing it won’t help the situation. It’s what I pride myself on, being level-headed, the reason I’m the pick for captain next season.

“Don’t say that…she is really upset about this. She is crying right now, again. Just like yesterday!”

Shelby did this to me! I’m drunk, heartbroken, and now pissed off at the lecture I’m getting from her best friend.

“Why are you telling me this? Why should I give a fuck that she is crying?” My yelling surprises her, my friends, and a group standing nearby.

Heck…even me. “She cheated on me! She broke up with me! So why are you lecturing me? Why are you even here, Letti?”

Letti is startled but she isn’t deterred, still looking at me with the same pissed-off frown, not one to back down.

I take a calming breath and lean back on the wall behind me.

As nonchalantly as possible, I say, “I have nothing to say to you. I’m catching up with my friends; maybe you should go back and hang with yours.

” I turn my head to look anywhere but at her while taking a long pull from the bottle I’m still holding.

She’s not intimidated by me by any means. “Don’t do anything foolish,” she spits out, turning to leave.

“This is what she wants,” I yell at her, and if looks could kill, I’d be six-feet under already.

I let out a loud groan. “I need another shot!” I say, pushing off the wall and heading inside.

As I enter the kitchen, as if on cue, I get handed a shot.

I throw it back, not even knowing what it is and not even bothering to ask.

I savor the burning feeling that follows and allow the numbness to take over.

I need to feel nothing because the thought of someone else touching her, kissing her, moving inside her, has me reaching for the bottle and taking a large gulp.

I feel Seth’s eyes on me as my friends follow me into the kitchen. He is concerned, but doesn’t say anything. “Want some?” I say, holding up my bottle to him and swirling the amber contents.

He raises a single eyebrow at me and shakes his head.

I laugh, saluting him and taking another sip before leaning back on the island.

“Hi,” a sweet voice says beside me, taking me by surprise.

“Hey Hope,” I say, falling onto a kitchen stool beside her. The kitchen is full of people with bottles of beer and chips littering the table. Tomorrow’s problem…that’s apparently my motto for tonight.

“I never heard the details; all I heard is we’re having this party to cheer you up,” Hope says to me, a warming smile on her face. “So, here’s to cheering you up,” she says, holding up her drink.

I cheers it back, clinking my bottle against her red plastic cup. “So, do you feel better?” she asks me.

If memory serves me, Hope is a member of the gymnastics team, and she looks like a southern belle with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Similar features to Shelby, yet not one part of me wants her.

Shelby may have broken up with me, but that doesn’t mean my dick has accepted it.

No woman at this party is even piquing a tiny bit of my interest. The only body I want below, above, or beside mine, is Shelby’s.

“No, not really.”

“I guess you just need to focus on the things that do make you happy.”

I give a brief sideways nod thinking of those things that make me happy. “Family, friends, and football,” I let out slowly. I try hard to focus on her face but it’s getting a tad blurry.

“Great, keep it as simple as that.”

“I can do simple,” I say, rolling the bottom of the bourbon bottle on the table and studying the movements from the many ridges.

“So, you’re close with your family? ”

The thought of my family makes me smile, and I appreciate the conversation we are having and how it’s distracting me. “Very close. They are the best.”

“And it seems like you have great friends,” she says, nodding at Jason, Mitch, and Randy.

They stand close by making sure I’m okay.

“They seem to be keeping a good eye on you, especially Seth.” He sees her point to him and gives her an almost smile back.

Smile is probably pushing it, but for Seth that’s usually as close as people are going to get.

“Also, the best,” I say as a full shot glass slides across the table. I bring the blue plastic to my mouth. She cringes like she is unsure about what she is going to say next, biting on her lower lip. “If you want, you can take me up to your room and I could cheer you up?”

I focus hard on her and smile. She looks as surprised as me by the question she just asked, and I get the impression she has never been that forward before.

“You are gorgeous, Hope, and that is tempting, but I don’t think that will cheer me up tonight,” I say, trying to let her down as gently as possible.

“I understand. Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I definitely will.” Because in another time I would easily have gone there.

A shot glass is passed to her, and she holds it up. “Well, cheers.”

I tap my shot glass to hers and look to the ceiling. Then I grab my glass and hold it up, tapping her cup of alcohol. “Have a great night, Hope.”

“You too.”

I stand but only make it a few steps when Seth steps in front of me. “That’s 57% alcohol. Give it here.”

I don’t even say anything, just pass him the bottle. He empties it until only half the liquid remains, then pours Coke to the top and shoves it back in my hands. “No more shots, just that.”

I go in the direction of the stairs, impressed that I can still take them two at a time without tripping.

Which takes me back to the time when Walsh tripped up the stairs after he busted us doing a naked dash to the bathroom.

I shake my head to rid the thought as I slam the bathroom door shut behind me.

I steady my hand against the wall as I relieve myself, trying hard to make my eyes focus on my surroundings while taking some deep breaths.

As I leave, I hear voices coming from Walsh’s room.

So, I head in that direction. “You in there, Walsh,” I ask as I knock, making sure some random couple hasn’t made their way into his room to hook up.

“Yeah, Christian.”

“You good?”

“Yeah, man, be down soon.”

“No worries,” I say as I turn and head back downstairs.

***

The music is still blasting downstairs, and it seems that all the ladies have congregated in the living room.

Randy has managed to place himself smack dab in the middle of the ocean of women as they laugh and take turns dancing with him.

He is having the time of his life, and I smile at his carefree nature and the way he enjoys life.

I throw back a swig of my now less-potent drink.

“Fuck it,” I say to myself as I hold up the bottle and work my way onto the makeshift dance floor.

When Randy spots me, he lifts his arm for a high five, and I return it with full force, giving him an appreciative smile and shaking my head at the screen—not the least bit surprised by my best friend and his antics.

He pulls me in a side hug with a hearty slap to my back, grinning wide, letting me know he’s here for me.

It’s lighthearted but protective, brotherly.

A hug that says this is our time, I’ve got you.

Now relax. Have fun, all worries belong to tomorrow.

I let the music consume my mind, letting my body move to the music, and letting the numbness take over…freeing myself of all my thoughts, all my pain, and all my worries.

But somewhere in the back of my mind as the room spins and blurs, I’m here with Shelby, dancing like she’s the only one watching.

But she isn’t.

She made sure of that.