her tight little body pressed against me. Better me than some other guy. At least she would be safe with me.
She nodded toward the drink in my hand. “Shouldn’t you be eating clean, going to bed early, and all that other stuff?”
I shook my head. “Not until Monday.” Classes started then, and our first game was the following weekend. Some of the guys didn’t bother altering their routines during the season, but football was one of the few things I took seriously because it was one of the few things I was good at. Hell, it might have been the only thing I was good at.
Nah. I was good at drinking too.
“What’s your schedule look like this semester?” Ziz asked.
Talking about the classes I was taking was enough to kill my buzz, but I owed it to her to give her a heads-up. A semester hadn’t gone by that Ziz hadn’t helped me with something. Not only was she the most beautiful woman on campus, but she was also smart as fuck. She fit in with my family better than I did. I didn’t hold that against her, though.
I took out my phone and pulled up my schedule. “There. I sent it to you.”
“You could have just told me.”
“I don’t even remember what I’m taking.”
Ziz probably had her schedule memorized, including the full course titles, numbers, and locations, but I was the quintessential jock. My major was interdisciplinary studies, which basically meant I was getting three minors. Best-case scenario, I would enter the draft and be playing pro football at this time next year. Worst-case scenario, I would wind up a college dropout, embarrass my family, and be forced to take a position in the mail room at my dad’s company. The thought made me want to get shit-faced.
I drained the last of my beer then looked at Ziz. “What are you drinking?”
“Diet Coke.”
I made a face. “Coke? Why are—” That’s right. I was a moron. Since she’d always been in the same year as me at school, I often forgot she was a year younger. She wasn’t a big drinker anyway, so it didn’t usually matter. But tonight, I wanted her to be able to cut loose. “Hey,” I said to my friends to get their attention. “Let’s move the party back to my place.”
Ziz put a hand on my arm. “I’m fine, really. I’m about ready to head home anyway.”
“No way. As you pointed out, this is the last weekend to get crazy for a while.” Unlike me, she didn’t have football, but her engineering course load was grueling. And again, unlike me, she actually gave a shit about getting A’s in her classes.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, she appeared guilty as she looked toward my friends. “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s time.”
“Ziz, knock that shit off. The only way you’ll ruin my time is if you won’t hang out.” Running into her had been a stroke of luck. I always had a good time, but now I could have a great time.
“What about your friends?”
I shrugged. “If they want to stay, then fine. The two of us can have fun.” I spent plenty of time with my teammates. But I hadn’t seen enough of Zizzo recently. We used to hang out way more. I didn’t know why that had changed.
I tapped Jimmy on the shoulder. “Are you okay with going back to my place? Or do you want to say here?”
He shrugged. “I’m up for whatever.”
I looked at… shit… Nicole. Nicole, Nicole, Nicole. I needed to remember that. “How about you?”
She cast a sly look at Jimmy before responding. “Sure.”
I grinned. “See, Ziz? It’s settled.” I draped my arm around her shoulders. “Who looks out for you?” Even when you think you don’t need it. It didn’t matter, though. I would always have Ziz’s back, whether it meant kicking some guy’s ass for ogling her or forcing her to unwind.
She sighed. Her exasperation was just a show, though, because she was fighting a smile. “You.”
“Damn straight.”
CHAPTER 2
Becca
“TELL ME ABOUT Jimmy,” I said.
Ignoring or not hearing my question, Carson frowned while he surveyed the spread on his kitchen counter. “Do you think this is enough?” He’d insisted on stopping at Kroger on the way home, and he’d picked up every kind of mixer imaginable—orange juice, soda, cranberry juice, sweet and sour mix, and even grenadine. He’d also bought snacks—fruit and cheese platters, chips and dip, and cheesecake, of all things. I’d waited in the car, and