He ignores my question. “You are expected to do this, Cooper. Full participation. No bullshit, no loopholes.”
“Am I off the team if I don’t?” I clinch my jaw, fear squeezes my heart.
“Do I look like I want to lose the Frozen Four this year?” I don’t either. “I’ve already forwarded you the details. Due to the length of the project, you’ll be starting prior to the semester beginning.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
The next morning,I rinse my plate and put it in the dishwasher before telling my roommates goodbye.
“Where are you going?” Jaxon says around a bite of soft scrambled eggs. I love my best friend. He’s truly a genius, probably the smartest out of all my roommates, except when it comes to street smarts…and table manners.
A piece of egg falls out of his mouth, hits the table, before he picks it back up and shovels it into his mouth along with another bite.
“Out. Maybe on a run.”
“I’ll come with. Let me finish and go change.”
“Oh. Uh. That’s okay.” I half smile. Tight, the kindest fake smile possible. “Remember the last time you ran after eating? You coined it Mt. Pukevious.”
“That was like two years ago.” He leans back, fork raised in one hand, the other rubbing his stomach. “Made of steel now.”
“It was four months ago.”
Jax rolls his eyes at me. “Fine,” he blows out. “But how long will you be? I need to go to the bookstore and pick up a few things before classes start next week.”
I don’t know how long today will be. Coach’s information was minimal, basically nothing but a time and a place to meet this morning.
“What time does the campus bookstore close?” I ask.
“Seven.”
“I can take you,” Beck offers, walking into the kitchen. His onyx hair in disarray, and rubbing at his cerulean eyes.
Jaxon rattles on about somewhere else he needs to go, and I use the distraction as an opportunity to sneak away.
I googled Dr. Manning last night after finding her on the school’s web directory. Coach failed to mention she has an extra twelve letters next to her name, was a sports psychologist for an NBA team, and now teaches because she thinks it would be ‘fun to influence today’s youth.’
If my nerves weren’t already enough, I’d be slightly intimidated by whoever this mini-me in the making is.
Parking out front of the student library, I glance around. There are three other cars in the parking lot. The designated meeting location was a coffee shop on the second floor. It’s in the farthest wing of the library, past the silent working spaces.
Rounding the corner, I…
Absolutely not.
Her back is to me, but I’d recognize those deep auburn curls anywhere.
The ringlets shift against her lower back. Half of them pulled back into a loose bun with a pencil holding the hair together.
On the chair next to her is a floral patchwork jacket she got for Christmas from my mom. I was with Mom when she found the vintage piece and almost burst into tears, exclaiming it was the perfect gift and only needed a little bit of TLC.
I approach her the same way you’d approach a wild animal—who am I kidding, I’d never approach a wild animal. Our family dog is friendly and Jordan used to try to bring home any injured animal she found outside, but I was still the kid at the back of the group during animal demonstrations at the zoo. Would pretend to touch the snake and encourage my classmates to be the ones to feed a baby animal. My approach is slow, not wanting to startle her. The galloping of my heart fast enough for the both of us.
Does she know I’m the student? Or was she only told a meeting location also?
I’ve done a lot of idiotic, borderline pathetic things intentionally to stay in Sutton’s orbit. Is this my karma?
