‘What?!’ She sounds surprised. ‘I thought all dads wanted their sons to be good at sports?’
I shake my head and smirk at the generalization. ‘Ethan Senior played football, a real man’s sport. He was All-State in high school, played tight end for the Gamecocks in college. At least until he got a concussion in his junior year. Tapped out before he could even think about going pro. As far as my dad is concerned, soccer is a girls’ game. He only tolerates it because I’m good.’
‘I’m sorry. That must be tough.’
‘It’s not great,’ I confess. ‘But we don’t see eye to eye on much of anything these days. What about your folks, y’all get along?’
‘We get along great,’ she says but I can see her tensing up as shespeaks. ‘My dad sounds a little like yours, kind of traditional. He’s in real estate so he’s always out and about. My mom stays home to look after me and Hudson.’
‘Can’t imagine you need that much looking after?’
‘Depends who you ask.’
I could be projecting but I think she looks a little sad when she releases her bracelet. It glints under the streetlamp before disappearing back inside her sleeve.
‘Doesn’t matter how old you are when you’re the only girl, at least in my family. My folks have always been protective, I came here to get a little space.’
‘I’d say you managed that. You’re four thousand miles out of the way. I bet they miss you.’
‘Right.’
She rubs a hand along the side of her neck like she’s carrying the weight of the world on those shoulders. I’m a team captain, I know when to push harder and when to change the subject. Now isn’t the time to push her.
‘Wofford is a good school, good football team too. Your brother as smart as you?’
‘Smart enough to know if you’re good at football you don’t have to worry about the grades quite so much,’ she says with a sly smile.
‘Ahh. You mean he’s smart like me, dumb jock smart.’
Mia beams in earnest, hugging my jacket around herself. ‘You can’t be all that stupid. Passing the Hemden entrance exam is no joke, plus you have a full soccer schedule on top of the academic requirements. That’s pretty impressive. Give yourself some credit, Ethan.’
In the dark of the night, I feel like I’m glowing brighter than any of the lanterns around us. I wave off her compliment but storeit away for safekeeping at the same time. But I don’t think she’d be thrilled to hear how I skipped the entrance exam, so I keep that to myself.
‘Eh, soccer is easy, I’ve been playing for as long as I’ve been able to kick a ball,’ I say instead, expertly kicking a stone off the path with the inside of my foot. ‘How come you didn’t go to Wofford like your brother?’
‘Too close to home. My folks wanted me to stay in state but I was hoping to put at least a little distance between me and Valley Springs. It didn’t quite work out that way until I came here.’
Carpenter House comes into view as she drops her arms down by her sides, the too-long sleeves of my jacket covering her hands in a way that is goddamn adorable. Everything is perfect, the crisp night air, the autumn leaves, Mia by my side. The only thing I would change is how long it takes to walk from Members to Carpenter. A few minutes isn’t nearly long enough.
‘How come I never saw you around at Marshall?’ I ask, shortening my stride to match hers, dragging out every possible second. ‘It’s not exactly a huge school, bigger than Hemden, sure, but I thought I knew everyone in our class.’
She fishes around in her purse, searching for the same key I have in my back pocket. ‘I was around. You just didn’t notice.’
‘Seems hard to believe.’
‘You moved into the room next to mine and it still took you how long to find out my name?’
‘Too long,’ I say lightly, finding her blue eyes for just a second. ‘I thought I’d be homesick by now but it hasn’t hit yet. How about you?’
‘Nuh-uh.’
‘There’s nothing you miss about home? Nothing at all?’
‘Nope. You?’
‘Not really,’ I tell her, surprising myself. ‘Dorms are good, classes are good, soccer is great, even the food is better than it was at Marshall. Life was always crazy hectic, I never slowed down long enough to worry about anything too much, always bouncing from one thing to the next, never going all in on anything. I like having time to myself, Ilovebeing off my phone, and it turns out I’m kind of good at psychology when I knuckle down and concentrate, which is as big a shock to me as anyone.’
‘You don’t miss your friends?’ She looks up at me, and I know what she’s going to say before she says it. ‘Your girlfriend?’
