“He’s your ex-boyfriend. How can I not be jealous when I think about that?”
Ellie’s eyes widen. “Really? You’re going to bring that up? You damn well know that wasn’t real. He’s gay, remember?”
“Verygay.” I nod my head agreeably.
“You’re mine, Eleanor Tatum. Only mine,” Brody growls, cupping the back of Ellie’s head and planting a very possessive kiss on her lips.
“Technically, she’s also Jax’s, Chase’s, Rain’s, and Theo’s, too,” I chime in. Sometimes I love to poke the bear. With everything he’s put Ellie through in the past, he deserves to be picked at sometimes.
“Hit the showers, Novak!” Brody barks. “Coach’s orders.”
“Yes, sir.” I wink, giving him the two-finger salute before jogging away, chuckling at the pissed-off look on his face.
Once I’m far enough away, my face drops, and my mind starts to race.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I got kicked off the team, I’d still be able to finish out my year. Still, I wanted this last one to be the best, to go out with a bang. To fill it with so many good memories that I can spend the next lifetime thinking about it.
When people graduate from college, they move on, losing most of the people they made friends with along the way. I’m confident that won’t be me, though. I’m staying in Silver Valley, working at the shop until I save up the money to fulfill my lifelong dream. I’ll have Ellie and her family. They set roots down and have no plans on leaving.
In the end, I’ll be okay.
I’m not going down without a fight, though. I’ll do whatever I can to keep my grades up and do my best to finish this year off how I originally planned.
***
Yeah, turns out, it might not be that easy.
I feel defeated as I walk towards the dining hall. After my last class, I rushed down to the main office to ask about finding atutor. It was the only thing on my mind, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the rest of my classes if I was sitting there worrying about what to do.
All the volunteer tutors are completely booked up for this semester. I was able to get on the waitlist and was offered a spot for a tutor for next semester, but that doesn’t help me right now.
I was told there was availability for hired tutors, but when she told me the price, my heart sank.
Who pays someone two grand a month just to help out with homework? It’s insane! That’s more than I get paid at my job. I’d have to use my whole paycheck for at least the next five months, and still wouldn’t have enough. Then I’d be left with nothing for food or anything else, either. And there's no way I can pick up extra shifts because I’m already stretched too thin.
So, I’m back to square one. I think my best bet might be joining a study group. It’s better than nothing, right?
“What’s got you so down?” Dean, one of my teammates, asks as I take a seat at the football table.
“Life,” I groan, leaning back in my seat. I close my eyes, letting everyone around me know I’m not in the mood to talk. Thankfully, they get the hint.
That is, until one of the cheerleaders, Nina, takes a seat across from me. “Are you sick?”
Opening my eyes, I don’t move my head when I look down at her. “No, why?”
She grins, her black hair pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head. She’s dressed in her cheer uniform. I never understood how they could wear them all day. Don’t they get cold? Ellie doesn’t, but Rain sometimes does.
“Because you're not smiling.”
I raise a brow, sitting up in my seat. “So? I don’t always smile.”
Rain snorts, sitting down next to Nina, Ellie joining her on her other side. “Ah, yeah, you do. Sometimes it scares me. You’re this big ray of sunshine. Like if I stare at you for too long, my eyes are going to burn out of my head.”
“Gee, thanks.” I snort, chuckling.
“Did you talk to the school about getting a tutor?” Ellie asks.
“Yeah.” I sigh heavily. “No luck.”
