Playing the Game (Providence University #6) - Ali Parker Page 0,8
mean anyone, especially Seth, would hurt me. And even if I was hurt, it didn’t mean I was going to hurt myself like she did. I was more of a “take it out on someone else” kind of girl.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I’m going to go.” I left her apartment, and when I got in the car, I heard a notification ping on my phone. I glanced down at it and saw that it was Seth. He wanted to talk.
I just wasn’t sure what to do. If Clara couldn’t help me, there was only one person who could.
I drove across town to the dorms, and when I went inside, it was like party central with loud music, and I was run over by some guy on a skateboard who was using the hallway as his own personal skatepark.
“Watch it, you douchebag!” I pushed him off of me with enough force to put him into the wall, his skateboard taking a roll to the stairs where it became someone else’s obstacle.
“Damn, girl, you’re rough,” said the guy, who was about a head taller than me but twice as lanky. “It’s kind of hot.”
“In your dreams, dick.” I kept going without letting it get to me, and the music got louder as I approached Abi’s door.
When I knocked, I heard her call out. “This better be important!” The music went down, and she flung the door open with all of the force of her backswing.
When she saw it was me, she gave me a bright smile. “Hey, Ave!”
Abigail Hammond was my closest friend in college. A sweetheart and a true beauty with long blonde hair and a perfect tan, her looks were beauty-queen level, and her reputation was just as clean. But that might have been because her brother was on campus to keep her honest.
“Hey, I hope I’m not bothering you. If this is a bad time, I can come back.”
“No, it’s cool. I just thought you were someone from the dorms. Everyone’s bitching about the loud music, but I like the extra noise. And besides,” she raised her voice, shouting into the hall, “I don’t complain about their pot smoking, skateboarding, or the way the rest of this place smells. The last thing I want is another petition stuck in my face.” She stepped aside, and I walked in to sit on her roommate’s bed.
“I still don’t understand why you don’t just live at home,” I said. From what she’d told me, her family only lived a half hour from college, yet both she and her brother decided to live on campus.
“Because I can’t take living with my parents. And I live in the dorm so my brother won’t freak out about my safety.” Her brother was Thomas Hammond, one of Pro-U’s best baseball players.
I shook my head. “Doesn’t he worry that someone might kill you over the noise?” I gave a laugh to show I was joking. “But seriously, what is it about older siblings? They need to trust us.”
“No, kidding. Instead, he bugs the hell out of me.” She plopped down beside me. “So, what’s going on? You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
“I do. When I tried to talk to Seth after practice, he gave me the brush off, but I just got a message from him saying he wants to talk after all. I’m not sure what I should do. I feel like it’s all hot and cold with him.”
Abi gave me a sympathetic look with her big, brown eyes. “So, you’re still crazy about him, aren’t you?” It was much different than the way Clara had asked me.
“Yes, but I told you what happened. What he said that night after the movies?” She hadn’t been any happier about it than I had.
She sighed. “Guys are so dumb. My brother does the same shit. They are sometimes more worried about male posturing than the crap that comes out of their mouths. I’ve thought about it, and I think Seth was just showing off. It’s just guy talk. You shouldn’t let one thing he said ruin everything.”
“But I don’t know what to say. Should I even tell him what’s going on or let it go?”
She gave me a look like I might be crazy. “Hell yeah, you should say something. Just make sure it’s the right time. He needs to know that you need him to stand up for you, and if he can’t do that, he’s not worth it.”