Which isn’t surprising. This is the team's second win in our three years at Rockford University.
It also means we are surrounded by a whole bunch of college football players, and if there’s one thing that I hate more than parties, it’s parties with football players.
They’re a different breed.
Not that we don’t have a ton of cocky douchebags on our hockey team, some of the seniors can be a bit much, but at least ninety percent of our football team are egotistical douchebags.
Aside from Marcus.
“I thought they had us in the first half.” Marcus chugs half of his beer. “I seriously thought we were gonners.”
“They were winning by two touchdowns, Marcus. I had no doubt that you guys were winning that game.” Zeke taps his beer bottle to Marcus’s.
“Yeah, and they really didn’t put their best foot forward in the second half,” Brinley begins. “It was honestly kind of disappointing to watch. I was hoping for a better game.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Brin.” Marcus chuckles.
“I’m just saying—”
I don’t hear the rest of their conversation. The second my eyes land on Fletcher, staring at his phone, smiling, nothing else seems to matter.
“I’m going to get another drink.” I lean into Ember’s side, and she nods at me as I push off the couch and navigate my way through the crowd of people.
Instead of landing in the kitchen, where all the drinks are, I end up on the deck in the backyard. It’s fucking freezing, but it also doesn’t seem as claustrophobic, so I’ll take this over being inside.
I hang on to the railing and lean back, looking up at the sky and taking a couple of deep breaths. I continue to rock on my heels, just trying to get out of my head and back to Earth before I go back inside.
“Hate parties that much, huh?”
My heart sinks into my chest as I swing around to a guy I’ve never seen before.
“You could say that.”
I do hate parties. When I’m surrounded by people I care about, I can usually get through them, but with everything going on, I just need to escape.
“You’re Tate, right?”
My eyes narrow in on his face as if our paths have crossed, but I just don’t remember.
“Yeah…”
“I’m Isaiah.” He closes the majority of the distance between us, sticking out his hand for my hand to meet his.
I shake his hand and continue to awkwardly stare at him.
“You’re wondering how I know who you are.”
“Kind of.” I force a laugh.
“I play football with Marcus.”
“Oh.”
“He’s talked about you before. Even tried to set up your ex-boyfriend with Becca.”
“My ex-boyfriend?”
“The hockey guy. Kind of looks like a douchebag.”
