Page 74 of His Reckless Freshman

His eyes dart to the floor, but he’s nodding. “Sure. There are some more things I could show you. Ways I could⁠—”

“I’d like that.” I blurt the words out way too loudly and can feel this rush of energy rising inside me. I’m about to start talking in unintelligible, high-speed excitement, and I should really get out of here before the happens.

Quickly spinning for the door, I leave before I have to deal with my inability to be cool the way he is.

I don’t want to risk putting him off. It’s a miracle he’s stuck around for this long.

Running to the elevator, I jump through the doors as soon as they’re open, relieved I have the space to myself. As I lean back against the wall, I gaze up at the ceiling. My lips are twitching, and there’s this giddy laughter bubbling inside me. The only thing that’s stopping it from breaking free is the thought of having to explain this to anyone in my life.

I think I’d rather move to Siberia.

24

BEN

Watching Jolie come was beautiful, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Which is why I really shouldn’t see her again.

Dammit. I shouldn’t have said yes when she asked me. I should have stuck to my decision and told her she’d come once and that was enough.

But it’s not enough.

I want to show her how to come in a myriad of ways and… I really shouldn’t.

She’s not my girl. She’s more like my student, which seems deranged when I think about what I’m tutoring her in.

Shit, this entire arrangement is insane.

So why the hell do you keep thinking about it?

Closing my eyes for a second, I tune out as Coach gives us the rundown before the game. It’s not an official one. We play Lennox every year before the season starts. We usually lose, and I’m sure tonight will be no different, but we’re here anyway.

I wish we weren’t. The entire bus ride over, all I could hope was that my ex-girlfriend, Mandy, wouldn’t be at the game. I haven’t spoken to her since she dumped me at the lake house. It was fucking brutal, and I’d finally managed to stop thinking about her by the time school started.

And now I’m thinking about Jolie.

Fucking great! What was my one rule for this year?

No women!

Just focus on the game. Mandy won’t be here. She doesn’t even like basketball!

The thought comforts me, and I tune back into Coach’s pregame speech. He seems a little more fired up than usual, and when I open my eyes, I share a surprised look with Darian, who is now fighting laughter.

“And I want you to crush these guys! We’re gonna win, we’re gonna win, we’re gonna win!”

“Yeah!” Sawyer punches his fist in the air, and we all crack up laughing.

Because Coach is hardly the motivational speaker. In fact, I’ve often wondered how he kept this job for so long. I mean, sure, he goes through the motions, and we run the drills we’re told to during practice. Last year, we played the way people expect us to, and we came in last. Shit, the year before that, we actually came second to last, so we’re only getting worse. But Coach didn’t get fired or told to leave. He must be besties with someone on the board or the director of athletics. Or no one at Nolan U gives a shit about basketball because hockey and football are king and queen of the school. It’s like they’ve forgotten we exist.

Unless you remind them… the way Jolie’s article did.

“We can win this, you know,” I murmur to Darian.

Mac scoffs and looks at me as though I’ve just lost my mind.

“I’m serious.” I frown at him. “Let’s prove Jolie right.”