COLTON
“You were a fucking thunderstorm.” Someone slaps my back, causing me to choke on my beer.
“For real. For a second I thought I saw fire under your skates,” another voice adds, followed by another slap on my back. Since when do they think they can be so friendly with me? “Thompson, you’re MVP of our team.”
“Were you at the game?” Clay snarls, looking over his shoulder. “If it wasn’t for me, these fuckers would have lost.”
“Rodgers, you’re the best goalie our team has. Do you really doubt that?”
I sneak a glance at the guy behind me. He’s uncomfortable, and it makes me smile. It’s his fault. Why would you praise one player in front of another one if you don’t want to be called out on your bullshit? Definitely one of the reasons why I don’t engage with anyone outside my closest circle. People are awkward as fuck and full of shit, and I don’t need such farce in my life.
“Me? Nah. I know I’m the best, but some of you need a reminder. From time to time,” my best friend adds. Then he turns away from the guys and gulps his drink, gripping the bottle so tightly his knuckles turn white. “Jerks.”
“Why are you so jumpy? You know your worth. Why let some idiots bother you?”
“Not everyone is like you,” he mutters, setting the now empty bottle aside.
“Sometimes it’s better to be someone like me, who doesn’t give a fuck about other people and their opinions,” I tell him, taking a sip of my own beer. I take it slow, as I don’t have any plans to get drunk. The party isn’t even in full swing. It’s barely nine p.m., and the house is just starting to fill with people. “Do you think Benson’s sister and her best friend will be here tonight?”
“I think so. Why?”
“I want to keep an eye on the freshman.”
“What?” He snickers loudly, standing up and staring down at me. “That’s bullshit, Colt. Benson is the one who looks after her.”
I shake my head, following him and explaining what happened to the freshman after I kicked her out. Clay listens, balling his fists, the veins in his arms bulging.
“What do you plan to do?”
“Well, I already said loud and clear that I hate bullies after I saw what her roommate did to her.” Loud and clear? I left my bomber for her to wear so she wouldn’t need to walk down the hallway in her ruined T-shirt. I yelled at her stupid roommate in front of everyone once I rushed out of the bathroom. No one tried anything with her this week, but I still want to proceed with my plan. I just hope she will be here tonight. “I will make sure everyone knows there is no bad blood between us.”
Clay gapes at me with a serious expression on his face. His hands are still balled into fists. He finally sighs and strolls into the kitchen. “You should have told me about it.”
“She didn’t want anyone to know,” I say, opening the fridge and taking out two beer bottles. “Layla has no idea about any of it, neither does Benson. I didn’t think I should be the one to tell her secrets. So I just… I dunno, I was keeping an eye on her.”
Clay grabs the beer I offer him. “You just basically said I couldn’t be trusted.”
I run my palm over my face and look around. Moore offered to throw this party at his friend’s house, and it happens to be a fucking mansion. If it weren’t for the guys from the team, I would have gone home. I hate Moore, and I’m not sure there is anything that can change that.
“That’s not what I said.” I clear my throat, noticing Benson and a few guys from the team reclining on the couch in the living room. What’s more, Benson has a girl sitting on his lap, some blonde junior. Interesting.
“But that’s what your behavior says.” Clay slides a hand into his pocket, taking a sip of his drink at the same time. “You need to learn how to trust people, Colt. Sometimes I think you don’t even completely trust me.”
I stay silent because I don’t know what I can say. He’s right. I’m keeping things from him. And Clay is the only friend I have who knows almost everything about me. Almost.
“Let’s go join the guys?” I ask, and he rolls his eyes.
“Whatever you want,” he says and heads to the living room.
I count to five and only then go after him. I need to keep my cool for another hour or so. I need this house to be full of people when I make my move. I want everyone to see that the freshman and I aren’t enemies. We’re just…nobodies to each other? Is that even a thing? It’s definitely the shittiest explanation ever. I don’t look at her like a nobody. I would love to feel her body pressed up against mine, to hear her beautiful mouth scream my name.
Fuck. Colt, say it with me: we are nobodies to each other.
We are, but it doesn’t really help.
I tell Clay I want to grab some food, and he just waves his hand at me. He’s competing with the team’s right defenseman, Bailey, to see who can fit more peanuts in their mouth. Walking into the house, I stop by the door and just observe. It’s packed with people, and I’m not entirely sure they are all from our school. But it’s not my place, and not even my friend’s place, so I couldn’t care less. Having a friend like Moore is already a catastrophe, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his guests turn this house upside down.
I take a step further, and my lips curl into an involuntary smile once my eyes land on her. I don’t have any damn control over my own face. What am I going to do if everyone notices? What if she notices? I pinch the bridge of my nose, loudly exhale, and saunter over to her. She’s dancing with Grace, Layla’s roommate, and they look happy, smiling and singing along to the song. I start to wonder what she does in her free time, what movies she likes, what songs she loves. I want to get to know her, just because she intrigues me. No other reason.
“Hey.” I slip an arm around Grace’s shoulder. “What are you two up to?”
“Colt-on…” Grace blushes as she stammers my name. “We are just having fun. You? What about you?”
“Hanging out with the team and doing nothing,” I say, focusing my gaze on the freshman. It’s a mistake. My brain stops functioning properly when I’m near her.
She’s wearing a long-sleeved top that exposes her stomach and a short denim skirt. Her clothes are so simple, yet so sexy at the same time. I don’t even know how to behave around her.
“Why did you decide to join us?” Grace asks in a shaky voice.
“Dunno. Just because.” Very convincing, Colt. You definitely deserve a medal for being subtle…not.
“Oh, I need to use the bathroom,” she squeals and untangles herself from me. “Ava?”
The freshman opens her mouth, but I cut her off before she can even say a word. “She can keep me company.”
“I can?” She quirks an eyebrow at me as I take a step toward her, holding her gaze. All I want at the moment is to bend her over the couch and fingerfuck her until she comes all over my fingers.
The emotions she causes me are stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced, and that speaks volumes.
“Yeah,” I murmur, taking another step in her direction and wrapping my arm around her waist. She gasps at the contact of my skin against hers. “Stay with me.”
The freshman blinks but doesn’t try to scoot away. She hesitates for a second, then licks her lips and looks at Grace over my shoulder. “I’ll stay.”
I hear Grace squeal and mumble something close to oh my God, but I’m not sure. Not that I care anyway. As the girl focuses her gaze on me, I know we are alone. Alone in the middle of the crowd, exactly as I wanted. But for some reason, it’s not feeling right.
Fuck, this emotional shit is playing on my nerves like nothing else.
“What’s the matter with you?” she demands, her hands dangling at her sides. “Why are you acting so nice to me?”
“Because I’m nice.” I sway to the music a little, urging her to move with me.
“Nice? Not the word I would use to describe you.” Her green eyes are dark and full of mischief.
“Handsome? Hot? Well-built?”
“Annoying,” she corrects me. But with how the corners of her lips tremble, I know she’s finding this whole situation entertaining.
“If you don’t like annoying, how come you’re friends with Layla?” I press her a bit closer to me. “I spent a few hours with her last weekend, and I was ready to climb up the wall.”
“She’s not annoying.” The freshman shakes her head. “You don’t get personal with anyone, so how would you know? Layla is friendly, intuitive, and fun to be around, that’s all.”
“Intuitive?” I bend down a little, inhaling her scent, and I feel like I’ve become drunk within a second. Like two beers have turned into a shot of something stronger. “Last year, I told her I wasn’t interested, and I needed to repeat it. She never seemed to listen.”
“You probably weren’t very convincing.” The music slows down, and “We Found Love” starts pounding, enveloping everyone on this improvised dance floor. This song is old, but for whatever reason I utterly enjoy it. Maybe because she’s with me. “If you tell someone that they are off-limits, it makes them think there would be a possibility otherwise.”
My eyes roam over her face. “Are you off-limits?”
She frowns. Her full lips form an adorable pout, and my eyes zero in on it. She blinks long and hard, and her chest rises and falls rapidly. Then she sighs and shakes her head. “I have no idea what’s wrong with you tonight, but I need to remind you that you don’t even like me.”
“What makes you think you know anything about me?” I smirk. My hand travels south, incredibly close to the waistband of her skirt.
“I see right through you, Thompson.” She inches her face closer, rising onto her toes. “You and I are not going to happen. Ever. Even if you were the last guy on this planet, I would say no.”
“Why?” The question leaves my mouth before I can even think what I’m asking.
“You’re not my type.” Not her type? What the fuck does that mean? “Besides, you left kind of a lasting impression on me, and not in a good way.”
“I can easily change your mind.” I wink at her. “And I think you’re lying.”
“I’m not.” She stomps her foot. “I don’t like you.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” I chortle. Then I go for it—my hand slides down and cups her butt. It’s the biggest mistake, because my dick instantly hardens. I grab her arm and turn her around, her back pressed to my chest. “I can be slow, as you said that day, but I’m not an idiot. You like me.”
“I hate you,” she hisses, but she makes zero attempt to free herself. I look around the room and notice curious glances. If anything, my plan is working. After this, no one in their right mind will think she’s my enemy.
“How many times have you dreamt about me?” I whisper in her ear, feeling her body tense up against mine. God, she’s so tiny in comparison to me, and it ignites an unfamiliar desire. I want to keep her safe.
“Zero.” Her answer is curt. “Unlike you. Your hard dick poking into my ass kinda says a lot.”
“I appreciate beauty when I see it.” My hand covers her belly, and her muscles contract. She sucks in a breath, and I know the answer without her saying anything. She likes me.
“Your words about me being plain and boring don’t add up. Don’t you think?”
“What did you expect? Your roommate was giving me the laziest blow job in the world, and then you came in and ruined even that.” I let my fingers play on her skin, and she presses herself closer to me. Instinctively. “I’m sorry for my words. You didn’t deserve them.”
She stiffens, and then she slowly spins around. I let her, and I look down at her face as she gazes up at me with a deep wrinkle between her eyebrows. “What are you playing at?”
“Nothing,” I mumble, not sure I understand her reaction. “I just apologized to you.”
“I heard that.” She puts her palm on my chest, and my heart starts pounding so hard that it echoes in my ears. She feels it too, as her eyes go wide. “Why are you… Do you really like me?”
The girl sounds so surprised, and I feel uneasy. Does she think I’m such an ass that I can’t have feelings like a normal person? Shit. I’m a fucking idiot.
I take a step back, and my hands fall to my sides. She gulps nervously as she tucks her hair behind her ears.
“You’re welcome,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets.
“What?” Her confusion increases, just like her nervousness.
“I wanted to make things right for you, so no one would bother you because of me.” I gesture around, and her eyes dart between me and people that surround us. “You’re welcome.”
“That’s why you approached me?”
“Why else?” I ignore the growing heaviness in my chest. Her reaction hurt me, and I’m not good at dealing with hurt. “You might be beautiful, but I don’t like you. At all. I just hate bullies, and I don’t like to be accused of things I never did or wanted.”
“Oh. Cool, thank you. I appreciate it.” The freshman fiddles with her earring, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “I wanted to say it before, but, um, I’m sorry for the slap. I should have handled it differently because violence is never an option.” She takes a step back, putting more distance between us. “I need to give you your bomber. Can I—”
“I don’t care. You can keep it.” I wheel around, not letting her finish.
“Bye, Colton.” I look at her over my shoulder. Am I making a mistake? My gut is always right about people, and it feels good when she’s around. What if… No. I silently slap myself in my mind. I shouldn’t be here.
“Bye,” I rasp and walk away from her. I can’t even bring myself to say her name. Not aloud, not in my mind. I’m so fucked up. Pathetic fucker.
