“Always. The stats don’t lie.”
I nod, letting out a low whistle. “Right, man. Keep telling yourself that. Confidence is important. Even if it’s completely unfounded.”
Erik’s lip curls as he looks me up and down. “Dude, what the hell crawled up your ass and laid eggs today? Why are you being so mean? I thought you were supposed to be nice.”
I snort. “What makes you think that? You hardly know me.”
“Not true.” He shifts on his feet to get a better view of me. “I've watched every season ofHendricks Uncheckedand every time you appeared—which admittedly wasn't often—you gave off a brooding Prince Charming vibe.” He squints, his eyes dragging over my face. “Although, looking at you now all feeble and pathetic, I’m convinced it’s your obnoxious dimples doing all the heavy lifting.”
“Wow, thanks. I’ll pass that along to the production team,” I say dryly. Inside, though, the mention of the show still pisses me off. I avoid it, dodge it, pretend it doesn’t exist, but everyone seems determined to bring it up anyway.
“Personally, I really thought you and Carrie were well-suited, by the way,” he continues.
“Carrie? Do you mean my sister's best friend?”
“Yeah. She's a hottie.”
Cade clears his throat and claps, commanding our attention.
“Alright, boys,” he announces, striding up and down the line of naked hockey players. “The annual Hockey Fun Run is about to begin.”
There are a few groans from the team, but none of us are getting out of this now.
“Do you remember the rules?” Cade asks.
Beside me, Erik shifts closer, muttering under his breath, “Bet your dimples won’t save you now.”
“You guys are about as useless as Dash’s foam roller,” Cade yells louder. “I said, do you remember the rules?”
The team roars this time, our voices echoing off the dorm buildings like some kind of barbaric battle cry.
“First one to high-five Professor Eden’s statue and make it back to Hendricks Hall without getting caught”—Cade shouts, pausing for dramatic effect—”earns co-captain for the first four games of the season.”
I don't miss that his gaze lingers on me when he says Hendricks Hall.
How can I?
The fucking building is named after me because my father donated enough money to rebuild it after I committed here.
He's too involved. We all know it, but the problem is, he's so nice. He's not mean about it. He loves me and just wants me to succeed. He just needs a lesson or two on boundaries.
“Who's got the guts to make it across this campus and show us what you're made of?” Cade asks.
I lean forward and look down the line. Not one of these guys thinks I deserve to be here. Half of them think I’m a glorified mascot, something to parade around so they can say they played with the legendary Hendricks kid. The other half are too busy licking my boots, hoping I’ll somehow get them a spot on my dad’s reality show.
I need to win. I need to shove their assumptions down their throats and walk away the undeniable winner.
“On your marks.” Cade holds his hand up.
Erik shifts beside me, cracking his neck. “You’ll let me know if I’ve got any zits on my ass, won’t you?”
“Get set.”
I cringe, glaring at him. “Why would I be looking at your ass?”
“Because it’s the only thing you’ll see when I’m halfway up the fountain ahead of you.”
I roll my eyes. “Awesome. I’ll try not to trip over your ego on the way up.”
