Page 61 of Running Play (Gods of Campus #1)

Christian

“Christian!”

I hear my name across campus. Turning, I spot Letti jogging toward me. She slows as she gets closer, but I don’t, I keep walking, my pace steady down the pathway. “What do you want?” I practically spit.

She doesn’t deserve my anger, I know that.

Her confronting me last night came from concern for Shelby, maybe even for me.

But I can’t control my emotions right now.

My head is throbbing, I’m hungover as fuck, missed my first two classes, and feel like I have been hit by a bus.

Last night’s motto is coming back to bite me hard, and Coach is going to kill me when he finds out.

I woke up across the kitchen table this morning, and my back hurts like a motherfucker, which also aggravated my ribs.

I don’t even know why I slept there. No, wait, I do.

It’s because Randy took a girl up to his room, and the last thing a guy wants to hear is two people going at it after your girlfriend just confessed to sleeping with someone else.

And when I saw three of our cheerleaders struggling to stand, I told them they could sleep in my bed as I wasn’t going to use it.

Although, why the hell did I choose the table?

The couch would’ve been a much better option.

Wait—no. Someone else was passed out on that…

weren’t they? Just trying to remember makes my head throb harder.

Since waking up on said table, I have been on autopilot.

I showered, dressed, drove to campus…probably over the limit.

Parked without even taking note of where I left my truck and came to class not hearing one thing the professor said.

I have carried around a permanent pissed-off look on my face and have achieved nothing all day.

So, Letti traipsing behind me isn’t helping.

“Are you going to slow down?”

“Nope,” she grumbles, never one to hide her feelings and let you know when you are pissing her off. “I don’t believe her,” Letti snaps, grabbing my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

I haven’t known Letti for long, but from day one, I liked her. She’s loyal. Loving. Honest. I look down at her hand gripping my forearm. “Why would you say that?” I question, slowing down a fraction.

“Because I don’t believe she cheated on you, not one bit,” she says.

I turn my head to catch a glimpse of her expression; her head is held high.

She believes 100% in what she is saying.

Slightly out of breath, I take pity on her and stop.

I turn to face her, which makes the students on the sidewalk detour around us.

“Did she make you come talk to me?”

“No, she is probably in our room moping around because that’s all she has been doing.”

I pull my backpack higher over my shoulder and stare down at her. I’m annoyed and my tone isn’t hiding that fact. “Why would she lie about that?”

“After I saw you last night, I haven’t been able to stop thinking why she would say what she did. So, last night after she cried herself to sleep again , I checked her phone.” She fidgets and her brow creases in worry. “He’s been texting her, Justin. I’m pretty sure he’s threatening her.”

Letti’s pure concern has my annoyance starting to ease and concern setting in.

I stare at her as she continues. “Plus, she couldn’t have cheated last week,” she says, scratching at her forehead.

“You two were together practically the whole time. And the one night you weren’t?

She was with me. The entire night. We even showered together—well, not together together.

You know what I mean.” She waves a hand, dismissing herself in a fluster to get her point across.

“Anyway, I just don’t believe it. She’s wrecked over losing you.

She loves you, even if she hasn’t said it yet.

And more than that, I know her, Christian.

She’s not a cheater. I don’t believe for a second she did what she says she did. ”

I study Letti’s face looking for answers. “You really don’t believe she cheated on me?” My voice cracks as I ask the question, and relief washes over me at the thought of her not being with someone else.

“No, I really don’t,” she replies. No flicker of doubt .

“I’m worried about her, Christian.” Pure concern .

“You don’t think he flew over here, do you?” I say as my eyes automatically roam across the campus.

She shrugs. “I really don’t know. All I know is I’ve never seen her like this, she’s really scared, completely on edge, and devastated over losing you. I’m going back to our room now to see if she went to her classes and check on her.”

I don’t know what to say or think, so I simply nod. She surprises me by pulling me into a brief hug. Yep, this girl is not one bit fazed by my hostility toward her.

She pulls back and smiles at me. “Don’t give up on her. I know she loves you and I know you love her.” With that, she turns and rushes back to her dorm. My mind is left racing…what if she is right?

***

The bench I’m sitting on is cold and hard and probably matching my expression from behind my aviators. I watch Walsh step out of his building. He spots me, heads over without a word, and I rise and fall into step beside him as we make our way toward my truck.

“You okay, man? You look like you have seen a ghost,” he asks.

I send off my text to Dad and slip the phone back in my pocket. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I think you just did,” he replies.

I move to shake my head at his lame response, then stop. My skull’s already pounding, no need to piss it off more. “Do you think Shelby cheated on me?”

“What?”

“Do you believe her, that she cheated on me?” I repeat.

He rubs the back of his neck, taking a few moments to answer. “Man, I have no idea,” he shrugs. “I didn’t take her for the cheating type, and she seemed really into you. It shocked everyone when you told us, but I don’t know, man. Why would she lie about it?”

“I just spoke to Letti, she thinks her ex, Justin, is threatening her.”

He turns to me, and the worry I feel displays across his face. “The freak ex-boyfriend from Australia?”

“Yeah, that’s what Letti thinks.”

“Letti is a cool chick. I can’t see her saying that to you if she didn’t believe it. Well, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, I can’t think right now.” I grip my forehead. “I’m still so fucking hungover…the whole night is a blur.”

Walsh nods in agreement. “I fell asleep in my class this morning. Reilly woke me up and I had drool all down my sleeve and the professor death staring me.”

I let out a chuckle as I scan the parking lot from a short distance away.

“Reilly wasn’t any better, he threw up in the hedges before class.

I think that night was one of our biggest in a while!

There’s nothing like an impromptu event to wreck you the next day.

It was one of those parties where no one plans anything, you just show up and drink like consequences don’t exist. You were still dancing it up when I went to bed at three.

But don’t worry, Seth watched you like a hawk, making sure you didn’t do anything stupid. ”

“Define stupid, because if Shelby cheated on me and I’m single, what’s stupid about sleeping with someone?” I leave the question hanging as we both think on it, approaching the parking lot and looking for my truck.

“Because even if you are technically single, you would have still regretted it today. The heart can’t help what it wants, and your heart didn’t want any of those girls last night.

All of us boys could see that, and we didn’t want you feeling like shit today.

Well,” he shrugs, “other than alcohol and the wicked hangover we all have. Sex wasn’t the answer last night. ”

I nod, not surprised at all by his thought process. Walsh is a level-headed guy who performs well under pressure, many of our Raptor wins have come at the end of his cleats.

“You didn’t leave Seth’s sight until you passed out on the kitchen table.”

“That fucking table,” I moan, stretching my back while still having no luck finding my truck.

“I wouldn’t look for your shirt either…I think some girl took it home as a souvenir.”

“My shirt?” I question. Thinking back to this morning and remembering waking up shirtless. I wondered where it was, figured it would just be on the floor somewhere. I press my unlock button on my remote, hoping I can hear the beep or notice the flash of lights.

“Yeah, man, you were working up a sweat dancing, so you took it off and threw it in the air and some chick caught it. You danced most of the night shirtless.”

Well, that helps explain all the artwork over my body,” I mumble, lifting my shirt.

“I’ve still got hand-drawn illustrations all over me.

Didn’t have time or the equilibrium in the shower to scrub it off.

” My chest is a canvas of art; hearts, signatures, names, phone numbers surrounded by love hearts, and the words ‘boo boo’ scrawled over my bruised ribs, complete with a sad face.

At this point, I’m more decorated than Seth.

“There’s also writing all over your back,” he says, lifting the back of my shirt higher to inspect my skin.

I lift my arms and turn my head as far as it will go. “Hmm, missed those.”

Scanning the area once more, I throw my hands in the air in defeat. “Bro, I have no fucking idea where my truck is!”