The Pass (Smart Jocks #5) - Rebecca Jenshak Page 0,75

because he transferred from one of the best college basketball programs in the country after only one year. He played as a freshman and even helped take his team to the final four. They were a young team, and everyone was already speculating that they’d make it back to the championship again this coming year.

Our Valley record is nothing to laugh at. We won the national championship my freshman year and the past two years we’ve done all right, but not so well that I can understand why he’d transfer.

We’re lucky to have him, though, and he seems like a decent guy. We’re finishing up when Wes, one of our assistant coaches, walks onto the court and juts his chin to me with a tilt of his head. “Shaw, can I talk to you?”

“Uh-oh,” Datson whispers. Or his version of a whisper, but it’s loud enough I’m sure Wes heard it.

I hand Datson the ball and walk off to meet Wes who hovers on the sideline.

“How was your summer?” he asks, though I can tell it isn’t why he called me over. Wes is a great coach, but small talk is not his thing.

“Good. Yours?”

“Good. Yeah, really good.” He shifts uncomfortably. “Listen, I heard you talked with Coach Wiles, and you’re planning to keep playing baseball this year.”

Shit, news travels fast. I thought I had at least through the weekend before everyone found out. It isn’t that I wanted to hide it, hardly anyone even knew I was seriously considering quitting baseball, but I wanted to give it a little more time to adjust to the decision myself.

“Yeah, that’s right. I know you hate that I’m doing both, but I promise when I’m here, I’m here.”

“I don’t hate it,” he starts. “Well, okay, I totally hate it, but you’ve proven you can manage both. It can’t have been easy to juggle everything. I admire your dedication to both.”

I’m slack-jawed. This from the guy who spent my freshman year telling me I needed to choose one or the other. God, he was a pain in the ass. I looked up to him. He was a senior on the team then and I watched how he led the team on and off the court. I wanted to be him, and he wanted me to get lost.

“Thanks, I think,” I say with a chuckle.

One side of his mouth pulls up into a grin and he takes a step away. “Don’t think I’m going to start taking it easy on you or anything though.”

“Bring it, Coach.”

Sydney and Emily moved into an apartment off campus and she’s been busy getting that set up all day, so by the time she stops by The White House it’s dark and a small party has formed.

I get up from my chair when she walks outside and meet her halfway.

“Hey, how’s the apartment looking?” I drop a kiss to her lips and lead her inside to get her something to drink.

“Good. It’s coming together. Emily had to try the living room furniture in every possible arrangement before she’d make a decision on which she liked best.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“Make sure to tell Em how well it flows.” She lowers her voice as her roommate walks toward us.

“Hey guys,” she says. Emily has this bounce to her step and a bubbly personality that makes her seem all sweet and innocent, but she can turn that sweet to sour on a dime when someone pisses her off.

“Hey, Em, congrats on the apartment and on your flow.”

One brow lifts, and she slides her gaze to Sydney. “My flow?”

My girl laughs. “The flow of the… you know what, never mind.”

I hand Sydney the Malibu and grab the Coke from the fridge.

“Is the new transfer guy here?” Emily asks, craning her neck to see outside. “I heard he’s hot.”

Sydney puts her hands up defensively. “She didn’t hear it from me.”

“He’s in the pool,” I say.

Emily starts toward the door and pauses. “Don’t forget,” she says to Sydney. “First night in the new place, you’re coming home with me.”

I wrap my arms around Sydney. “We’ll see.”

“You had her all summer, Shaw. It’s time to share.”

“I knew we should have stayed at the lake.”

She turns around to face me and brings her arms to my chest. “How’d it go with Coach Wiles?”

“Good, I think. I’m going to continue to do both. Maybe it’s the last year that I’ll get to do that and maybe I’m risking my chance to get drafted to the NBA,