“Look, we clearly aren’t going to get anywhere with this conversation.” I pull Reid’s spare keyring from my pocket and dangle it in the air. “I’ll give you a ride back to school, but after that, I need some space to think.”
Without a word, Sutton marches past me, making a beeline for the Jeep, hurt and anger etched in the lines of her face.
I don’t follow. I need a minute to get my head on straight. To chill the fuck out before I get behind the wheel.
Last night, I was convinced I had everything under control. Convinced I could handle the internship, the playoffs, and a girlfriend. Now I’m not even sure I can handle driving a goddamn car.
In a single hour, I’ve fucked up my entire life. That’s got to be some kind of record.
Nice job, asshole.
I suck in a breath and head for the Jeep. It’s going to be a long, awkward drive back to College Park.
44
SUTTON
“Woah.”Brooke throws up a hand. “Back the fuck up. Did you just say you’ve been hooking up with DJ Parker all semester?”
I duck my head and shovel a spoonful of chocolate peanut butter swirl into my mouth. “Yes.”
It’s Saturday night and Maddie invited Brooke and Soraya over for a girls’ night in. We’re sprawled out in the living room eating ice cream, as you do when one of your friends gets her heart broken by a sexy football player.
Lucky me.
“I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on us!” Brooke throws a decorative pillow at me, nearly knocking the ice cream carton out of my hands. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since the Sig Chi party.” I shovel more ice cream into my mouth, willing myself to stay strong. I will not shed another tear for that pendejo. God knows I shed enough to fill a small lake yesterday, and I have the puffy eyes to prove it. “Not that it matters since we broke things off.”
“That’s why you’re here,” Maddie says, shooting Brooke a reproachful look. “For solidarity. Not so you can throw shade on their secret relationship.”
Technically, it wasn’t a relationship, but I don’t bother correcting her. It would just give Brooke more ammunition because in her mind, the only thing better than dating DJ Parker would be a no strings fling with DJ Parker.
“Are you sure you’re okay to watch the game?” Soraya asks, gesturing to the tv where Waverly and Michigan are duking it out in the Big Ten Championship game.
“It’s fine.”Liar. Okay. It sucks. Every time his smiling face appears on the screen, another tiny piece of my heart is chipped away, but I can’t ask them to shut it off, even if I know they would. All of Wildcat Nation is watching, and I won’t be the reason my friends miss an epic game.
Soraya frowns and it’s clear she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t push the issue. “So, what happened?”
Isn’t that the million-dollar question?
“When we started hooking up, it was supposed to be just sex. But then…”
“You caught feelings,” Maddie supplies.
I nod. I never meant to fall for Devin. That wasn’t the plan, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized I’d misjudged him. And somewhere along the line, between secret hookups and late-night study sessions, he slipped past my defenses.
Blame it on the peanut butter brownies.
They are my weakness.
Maybe I’m one of those people who can’t separate physical and emotional relationships, but no, it was more than that. We had a connection. I could tell him things I couldn’t tell anyone else and he listened—really listened—without judging or trying to fix my problems.
Devin got me.
With him, I was the best version of myself and it was always enough.
Until it wasn’t.
