I smile and grab my gym bag. “So why am I getting the pleasure of your company at my locker today?”
“Ben.”
“After what Seb said, I plan on avoiding him. Do you think he’ll be a problem for me?”
Nick shrugs and starts walking. Once we’re at the court, he breaks off to do his own thing. I head to my locker to change and grab the arnica for my thighs. Cara and friends come over to my row while I’m massaging the cream in. “So which one are you dating?” Cara asks, hands on her hips.
“What?” I ask, not looking up but keeping them in my periphery.
“Which of the boys are you dating?” She enunciates slowly.
Standing up so I’m not at a disadvantage, I reply in a monotone voice. “None of them.”
She scoffs in disbelief. “Sure. You’re just friends with them all. Like I believe that. Seb and E are off limits to you. Me and Ana take care of them,” she responds, pointing to the girl on her left. “You can have the broke one. We don’t want him.”
What the heck! Is she for real right now? “Who are you talking about?” I say, irritation bleeding through my voice.
“Baylor, obviously,” she says, rolling her eyes. “He’s from a poor family. His dad’s a mechanic. So blue-collar,” she fake shudders.
The audacity of this girl! Who the hell cares how much money someone’s family has? I’m amazed that people continue to think like this. Now I know what Alex was referring to in biology class. Her friends are nodding along with her, so they must agree. What ugly souls these girls have. “Again. I’m not with any of them. I already have a boyfriend. Not that it’s any of your business. You should be ashamed of yourselves for going after guys for their money.” I swear my blood pressure is rising listening to this crap.
“Wake up, Summer. Money and influence matter. E is rich, and Seb will be when he’s playing in the NBA. You’re out of their league, anyway. Don’t get any ideas about getting close to them,” shedemands. “They’re taken.” At that statement, Cara flips her hair over her shoulder, like in the damn movies, and saunters away with her friends.
Shaking my head, I leave the locker room, moving to the side of the track to stretch. Coach comes over and sits on the bleachers beside me. “How are the legs?”
“Sore but workable,” I answer honestly, stretching out my torso.
“I talked to your old coach last night. He had good things to say about you and your running. He said you’re disciplined in your training, you work hard, and are open to suggestions. You supported your fellow runners, and you showed steady improvement throughout the season. Those are all things I like to hear. He expressed his willingness to accept you, even if you are currently out of shape, as he knows you won’t remain that way for long.” I nod. That all sounds about right to me. “I want you to take it easy today, jog for 30 minutes, and stretch well. I’ll time you at 400m and 800m tomorrow, after warming up.”
“Will do, Coach,” I respond as she heads off to check on the people playing volleyball.
I take off at a jog once I’m stretched out well. I notice Ben in the gym now that I’ve met him. I don’t see Nick, though. After my 30 minutes, I stretch and go to my locker to change. Coach is standing by the bleachers watching the volleyball game, so I walk over to her. “Do you know where I can find Nick, Coach?”
“He’ll be in training room two. Leave the gym and turn left. There’s a hall on the far side of the building.”
“Thanks, see you tomorrow,” I wave. Following her directions, I find a hall I didn’t notice before. There are six numbered doors along the hallway. I find number two near the far end. Knocking, I open the door. “Nick?” I call out.
A moan greets me. Strange. That doesn’t sound like Nick’s gravely voice. Poking my head inside, I look around, noticing Nick and the hot girl from the cafeteria having sex on a pile of mats. “Shit,”I mutter and quickly close the door again and walk away. I decide to wait for Nick at the entrance, where he usually meets me. That was…unexpected and nerve-wracking. I didn’t really see much. Nick was still fully clothed, but damn. I’ve never seen someone having sex before. Sitting on the top step, I grab my English book to read, but I can’t concentrate. I keep reading the same sentence over again.
“Shortie,” I hear Nick grunt from behind me. I glance up and watch him coming through the doors. He sits beside me on the steps. “Is that a problem?” his deep voice asks me.
“You having sex in class? Nope. Your body. Your life. None of my business,” I say. “I won’t say a word.”
He stares at me for a minute, perhaps gauging if I’m telling the truth, then nods and gets up. “Let’s go.”
We walk to the Jeep, and Nick drives me to the office. I grab my bags and get out, waving goodbye once he opens the door. Zander’s office is empty, so I text him I’m here. I’m able to get some of my homework done, but I keep seeing Nick in that room. My body flushes as I replay the snippet in my mind. I wonder how often he does that? It’s bold to do that in a school with an unlocked door. Maybe he likes an audience? I’ve heard about voyeurism. Geez, I should not be thinking about any of that stuff since I have Jake.
Zander comes into his office around 4pm. “Hey Summer. How was your day?”
“Hi. It was fine. I’m doing a bit of homework. Hey, were you told about the basketball playoffs this weekend? Alex bought me a ticket yesterday.”
“I was. I’ll buy a ticket for Sunday to see either the consolation game or the championship. Troy has one for the entire weekend. I’ll work later on Friday, and I’ll be working Saturday so Troy can watch all of Seb’s games andGabby cheering.”
“Okay. How was your day?” I ask in return, gathering up my schoolwork, stuffing it back in my bag.
“Busy. We’ve got a few guys out on security this week. Ready to head out?”
Zander drives home as a thunderstorm rolls through. We get soaked running into the house, so I go straight to the shower and afterwards move into the bathtub. I’m asked to pick supper tonight, which is getting easier to do. Seb calls after his practice, and I make some high protein granola bars for the guys for their tournament this weekend. I finish my homework, spend some time stretching and remember my pills and arnica cream tonight.
