Page 11

Brooke

Within half an hour, we are all changed and walking through the basketball house’s front door.

Cami and I are both wearing short dresses and sneakers, as it’s still so warm out.

Arriving at a party with the boys is always a fun experience; they get swarmed as soon as we walk through the door like celebrities. It's wild.

We move past them in search of drinks, not needing to hang around, and I have to squeeze past a girl already laughing and stroking Grant’s arm, making me roll my eyes as he gives her his sexy smirk.

Cami tugs me by the hand through the house, as I’ve never been here before. We head past a makeshift dancefloor with strobe lights, and we veer into the kitchen, where there is a table with a poker game going on.

“Gross,” she huffs as we fill cups up with, hopefully, vodka and cranberry juice. “It’s so annoying how they just swarm them like that.”

“Right,” I say back. “Did you see the two head straight for Gunnar?” I’ve learned I love stirring the Gunnar pot with Cami. I don’t know if she’s just got a crush on him or what it is, but it’s interesting seeing her react.

“I know! He’s taken leave, him alone, right?” She takes a sip of her drink and winces, showing its strength.

“Right.” I wink at her, smiling, holding my cup in the air for a cheers and taking a sip before we both wince together.

“Come on, let's go dance, we’ve wasted enough of the night already” I grab Cami’s hand, and we stumble towards the loudest part of the party on the dancefloor.

As soon as we start to dance, I feel the stress of the day seep away as I just enjoy the music and stop thinking.

We’ve been dancing for an hour, before we decide to get some air.

Cami knocks into the sliding door as we try to walk through it side by side, and she falls sideways, hitting a couple making out.

They glare at us as we finally navigate the door successfully, this time stumbling out onto the deck laughing together.

“Am I cutting you both off?” Grant calls over from the corner, where the guys are leaning on the railing and outdoor furniture with some other team members.

There are still some girls hanging around, but numbers have dwindled, and none of them are standing near Grant, so I decide it's safe to head his way.

“Only Cami. She’s a bossy drunk.” I smile and laugh, leaning on the railing next to him while Cami sits on the sofa set that the other boys have commandeered, giving me the finger and stealing Bear’s drink out of his hand. I laugh as I watch him open and close it, looking confused.

“Having fun?” Grant asks, tipping his beer back, taking a drink.

“You know what, I am.” I smile, nudging him, feeling the happiest I have in a while. “I didn’t get to do this at my old college. Josh and I always went to parties together, but he was so focused on school that it never really happened.”

“That’s a shame.” He frowns down at me, “Best part of college is the parties”

I don’t want him to think I’m a loser who just stayed in and studied, so I grab his drink and take a sip; he smirks as I grimace.

“Big beer fan?” He raises his eyebrow.

“Not normally.” I take another sip, shrugging. “But alas, I have no other choice.”

“You could go get your own drink,” he teases, nudging my arm.

“You could go get me a drink, sure.” I nudge back, taking another sip; he laughs, and I can’t help but smile, biting my lip.

“So, how do you manage to be a captain of the hockey team, do your schoolwork, and have fun partying so hard?” I turn my body to face him entirely, and he mirrors me, giving me that smirk again.

“You don't approve?”

“I mean, it's none of my business, I'm just curious,” I shrug in response. After each party we’ve been to, the boys somehow manage to make it to practice or the gym, and it amazes me, as I look like a slob in all my classes the day after.

“Hockey's the dream, but I chose to stay in college to get the degree, and I might as well enjoy the experience, right?” he offers the beer out to me, and I take it.

“What's the degree again?” I ask before taking a sip.

“Communications and Media Studies, sport journalism or broadcasting is the backup”

“Ooh, cute", I hum.

“Cute”, he frowns at me, and I laugh

“You know, like you sit at the desk in the suit and have the stats behind you”, he blinks at me, confused, so I mimic a low voice “,back to you in the studio, Grant”

He lets out a loud laugh, and I join him because I sound ridiculous.

“So you think I’ll look good on TV?” his playfully smirk takes over his face, and I roll my eyes. This guy's default mode is flirty.

“I think that you think you'll look good on TV”, I shake my head at him, looking away before I get dragged in by the flirty smile.

“Trouble”, he mutters, drinking his beer.

“You just love calling me that, huh?” I call him out, grabbing the beer away from him.

“Perfect way to describe you.” He lazily leans back on the railing, moving down to my height.

“Great, just what every girl wants to hear,” I joke.

“Nah, I think it’s ‘cuuuute’.” He’s teasing me for calling his backup plan cute.

“That’s the only thing about me you think is cute?” I ask tipsy me, taking over and teasing him back, she’s the one whose actions I usually wake up to the next morning, cringing.

He stares down at me, his smile morphing into that darn smirk before saying, “Where do—”

“Brookie, Cami says I can’t keep your breakup sweatshirt,” Adam shouts over to us, cutting Grant off and snapping us out of the moment we found ourselves in.

We both turn and look over to the seating area where Cami is sitting now, between Gunnar and Adam. She’s leaning more toward Gunnar as Adams got a girl in his lap, and I'm sure she’s been shooting her the signature Cami Logan glare since she sat down.

“I just said it’s kind of weird,” Cami says, shrugging, wide-eyed at being called out. “Like she’s going to see you wearing it all the time.”

“Plus, she’s slept in it,” Grant pipes up from next to me, and I turn, smacking him on the arm, making him laugh, throwing his hands up in surrender.

“If you think it’s weird, we can get rid of it, Brookie.” Adam and Bear have picked up the nickname and are the only ones I will let call me that. It’s cute when they do it, but when anyone else does it, it sounds like I’m a child being told off.

“If you like it, I’m not going to make you get rid of it.” I laugh; Grant reaches over my shoulder to grab his beer, and I realise how close we are, and I step away slightly.

My drinking is clouding my better judgment of staying away from this guy, and I need to get a little space between us before tipsy Brooke thinks it’s a good idea to flirt with him again.

He’s a player, and I’ve just got out of a relationship. The last thing I need is to fool around and get attached.

“Let’s vote on it,” Cami says.

“That’s not fair though, because you all want me to get rid of it,” Adam pouts pulling the girl on his lap closer, she giggles at him and he shoots her a cocky smile.

“What about on the team Instagram story?” Bear asks. “We can add a poll, and we have like eleven thousand followers.”

“That’s a great idea.” Gunnar laughs. “Anders, you still got access to the Insta?”

“Yup, only one they trust.” He winks at me, and I need to stop blushing. He’s not flirting with me; he’s just flirty by nature. And that’s why I need to stop drinking, because that’s a textbook player, and I don’t need any of that.

No thankyou.

“Someone else should wear it, though, just in case they all vote to keep it, and Josh sees.” Cami chews her thumb nervously. “Then you won’t get hunted down.”

“Okay, but I’m taking the photos.” I grin, getting in the spirit. “Come on, who’s going to wear it?”

“I vote Grant,” Bear says, and the other hockey guys nod and let out hoots of agreement.

“The majority have it.” Adam jumps up, and I cover my mouth and hold in a laugh as the girl stumbles off his lap as he pulls the sweatshirt over his head. He throws it at Grant, who catches it, shaking his head. He looks like he’s ready to protest.

“Nope, no backing out. Come on, captain.” I smile up at him and start walking across the deck back into the party.

“Inside? Really,” he says, following me while pulling the sweatshirt over his t-shirt. I’m only mildly disappointed I won’t get to see him shirtless.

“Yeah, I’ve got a fun idea,” I shout over the music as we make it to the dance floor. “Can I get a couple of phone flashlights?”

Cami and Gunnar immediately pull out their phones and shine them toward Grant.

“Okay, pull some poses,” I instruct while angling the phone towards him. We're attracting some attention, but who cares? It’s just the hockey captain modelling. No big deal, right?

It is a big deal, and we draw a crowd of very thirsty college girls and some guys. I mean, who can blame them? He starts with his hands in his pockets, his legs wide and looking moody. Well, this won't be hard.

“Have you done this before?” I call out, and he laughs and shrugs.

“Guess the camera just loves me,” he says smugly, and I roll my eyes.

“Turn to the side,” Adam cups his hands over his mouth and shouts, “and do blue steel!”

Grant glares over at him. “Ooh, that looks good,” I call out, “do that again.”

Before long, we are all just shouting poses at him; they are getting more ridiculous, and he figures out we are just doing it to see if he will do them while we dance along to the songs playing.

Pulling the sweatshirt up and showing a way too short peak at toned abs, he tosses it back to Adam for him to wear for the last time, depending on the vote.

“I need another drink,” Grant says, walking toward me. he puts a hand on my lower back and guides me towards the kitchen while everyone else stays dancing.

The kitchen is quieter now since the poker games ended, and most people have already got their buzzes on and taken any drinks with them.