Page 49 of Campus Heat

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s just a little sensitive after those knocks.”

He didn’t meet my gaze, and I could tell it was because he was lying to me. His shoulder hadn’t recovered, so each hit he took caused more damage. That was why he let the defender go, because he couldn’t hold him back. I kept quiet, knowing that he wouldn’t want to make a fuss out of it.

Ethan and I walked toward the bus with the team, cleats scraping against the pavement and exhausted sighs filling the space between us. The guys were exhausted, and no one could blame them. That was a grueling game, even though they thought they’d been through worse.

“We got closer this time,” someone muttered behind us.

“It doesn’t matter, dude. We still lost,” someone else answered.

Ethan stayed quiet, and I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He acted like he didn’t care, but then again he had a habit of disappearing into himself when things didn’t go well.

Then, as casually as I’ve ever seen him. “I have a big biology test on Thursday.”

I blinked at him because I had no idea if he had actually said what I’d just heard. We had lost a game that was an end-of-the-world catastrophe for him a few hours before. And now, suddenly, he was thinking about a biology test? Could the day get any weirder?

He gave a faint laugh. “Would you be able to help me study for it?”

There was something softer under his question. It wasn’t football or performance related. It was just him asking for a study session.

“Yeah,” I said, not needing to think it over. “Of course I’ll help.”

He gave me one of those dazzling smiles he kept hidden for special occasions.

“Cool. My place tomorrow?”

I nodded eagerly, unable to find the actual words. This was a huge turning point for Ethan, and at that moment, I really wanted to believe that I had a role to play in that.

We reached the bus, and I felt a sense of sadness. It was the same old busted piece of crap that forgot us at that gas station. It was another complete game, another loss. But something about that day was different. When Ethan’s shoulder brushed up against mine as he climbed the steps, it didn’t feel like anything was ending.

It felt like it was just the beginning.

19

Ethan

I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was, but when I opened my dorm door and found Elizabeth standing there armed like she was preparing to storm a library, I still blinked and did a double take.

She had a canvas tote digging into her shoulder, highlighters sticking out of the front pocket of her hoodie, a stack of flashcards fanned neatly in one hand, and at least four different snack options tucked under her arm.

“You brought… a lot of supplies,” I said.

“I brought survival,” she corrected as she brushed past me and stepped into the room.

My roommate, Darren, looked up from his desk, took in the spread of color-coded organization now taking over my bed, and smirked.

“Tutoring session?”

“Excuse you,” Elizabeth said, looking like she’d been struck. “This isn’t a tutoring session. This is an academic rescue mission!”

I swallowed my laugh, not knowing how serious she was. And the last thing I needed at that point was to upset her and have her walk out on me.

Darren gave me a look that said ‘good luck’ and went back to whatever he was pretending to study.

Elizabeth dropped her bag and immediately began arranging everything as if she’d done it a thousand times before. Flashcards on one pile, blank ones on another. Highlighters sorted by color and, of course, the study guide front and center. I shut the door slowly, unsure of how afraid I should be.

“You’re really intense,” I said, stepping forward. “I thought our last session blew things out of the park, but this is next level.”

“It only feels like that because you have a habit of being unprepared,” she responded.