prom he’d only asked me because his friends dared him to take the chubby girl to the last big party of the year. Most of the time I don’t think about him or the horrible, awful feeling that crawled inside me when he pulled that, but I’m slipping. I’m losing my confidence. My mojo is MIA, probably hiding in a corner eating a bacon salad.
“Trevor was an asshole, a stupid immature boy. I’ve never met him, but if I do, I will slay him for you. Heck, I’ll sic Vampire Bill on him. His claws are sharp.”
“I know life is too short for self-hatred and carrot sticks every day, but damn, have you seen Dani up close? She’s practically a supermodel.”
“Enough of that.” She jumps up, opens a junk drawer, and comes back with a compact mirror. Flipping it open, she holds it in front of my face. “Look at you. Your eyes have these little golden sparks, and…come on…your boobs are amazing—much better than my titlets.” She smirks. “Hey, remember those two tennis guys who got into an argument over who was going to buy you a drink at Caddy’s once? They nearly came to blows over you, Charm, and you dissed them both. You have something about you, a little extra sparkle that makes men nuts.”
I laugh. “Pretty sure it was those kickass shoes I had on that night—you know the ones, the four-inch leopard heels.”
“Those are great shoes, not denying it, but…it was you. You’ve got sass, baby.”
I sigh. “My sass packed her bags and left three months ago.”
Her lips tighten, and I figure she’s remembering how I moped around the house and refused to go anywhere he might be. “I know, I know. You haven’t been your usual confident self. Don’t let seeing Blaze with her—”
“Blaze?” asks Ryker as he waltzes into the room, fresh from a shower.
I arch a brow. “No offense, QB1, you’re my boy and all, but you are the last person I want to talk to about him."
He holds his hands up. “Message received. Don’t talk about one of my best friends in front of you ever.”
There’s an awkward silence, and I frown. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be the friend everyone walks on eggshells around.
“I know he’s your friend,” I mumble. It makes things even harder. Normally, I never would have chosen Blaze for a hookup—too hot, too aware that every girl in the room wants him—but we were thrown together in the same friend group, and things just happened…like his cock inside me.
Whoa. Don’t even think about him and his—
See, there I go.
I take a sip of coffee as Ryker exchanges a long look with Penelope and then glances back at me. “He’s my friend and you are too, so don’t sweat it.” He shrugs then moves to the sink to wash out his mug and tells Penelope he needs to check in with his advisor.
My ears perk up. “I thought you senior studs would be focused on the draft instead of classes.”
He nods. “Some are. Blaze and I are still working on our degrees—” He gives me a sheepish look. “Shit, there I go again. Sorry, Charm.”
I clear my throat. “Pfft, it’s fine. So you might be the number one draft pick, right? Some kind of NFL superstar?” Yes, I’ve been keeping up with the media coverage even though I haven’t let on.
His blue-green eyes gleam. “Right, but I don’t want to be an NFL superstar—I want to be THE NFL superstar.” He says this with a lilting Game-of-Thrones style accent and places his hands behind his head, flexing as he preens.
I snort.
“I’m so proud of you, baby.” Penelope sashays over, wraps her arms around his shoulders, and kisses him.
“PDA much?” I consider tossing a cinnamon bun at them, but it looks too pretty.
They ignore me.
My hands curl around my mug, and I stare down at the table, thinking about Blaze.
I let myself get sucked in by a player, and I should’ve known better. I know how guys like him operate.
Thoughts of my father creep in. Frank Rossi’s the kind of man women have always gushed over. Even nuns blush when he walks in a room. A tall, strapping, handsome man with a wide smile, he and my older brother Paulie own a successful plumbing company back home. And Ma? She knew he was a cheater. I heard the whispers about him in the neighborhood and even from my friends. He can unclog my pipes anytime.