how quickly character assumptions could be made about a person simply based on what they wore. Excuse me for being short and having a tiny, little waist and super-toned abs that I tended to leave exposed in my belly shirts. Wearing a half-shirt didn’t mean that I wanted to sleep with every guy I talked to, but try telling that to the girls who stared at me with venom in their eyes.
Another thing that sucked about being by myself was that I had no one to go to said parties with, just like I’d told my mom. That’s right; Sunny Jamison would have to walk into the infamous baseball house, alone. I wasn’t even sure if girls did that kind of thing or not. I’d never paid attention before because I always had Danika by my side, but now that I was alone, I felt exposed and vulnerable. It wasn’t a comfortable way to feel, to be honest.
Why the hell hadn’t I made any other friends besides her over the years? Oh yeah, because once I’d met her, there’d been no need for anyone else. Danika was the best roommate and friend I could have asked for, with her no-nonsense attitude and almost-all-black attire all the time. I’d never met anyone like her before in my life. We complemented each other perfectly, and I missed her.
With a single deep breath, I grabbed my car keys off the counter before I lost what little nerve I had left. Going to a party had to be better than sitting in this apartment with two-dozen cookies for another night with no one but my shadow and myself to eat them all. At this rate, I was going to have to start wearing oversize shirts if I didn’t stop baking and eating my feelings.
My text exchange with Danika popped into my mind as I got into my car and started the engine.
Please don’t be making out with some other girl. Please don’t be making out with some other girl. The words became my mantra as I drove and eventually parked on the side of the house.
I almost put my car in reverse and pulled right back out, but when another car parked directly behind me and blocked me in my spot, I took it as a sign. I had to go inside and face Mac. Or at least attempt to.
A loud knock on my car window caused me to jump in my seat, and I let out a squeal. I turned toward the glass and saw three guys walking away from me and stumbling toward the party. They must have hit my car on their way past it just to mess with me. One last look at my reflection in the rearview mirror, and I pushed open the door and stepped out.
The house was packed, which I’d expected, but it was loud and dark, which I hadn’t expected. Usually, music played in the background, and the lights were on. But tonight, the music was blaring, making conversations damn near impossible, and there were only strobe lights flashing. I could barely see, let alone recognize anyone.
My focus was on finding Mac—or at least seeing his gorgeous face—so I started walking from room to room, my confidence shaky at best.
“Sunny?” a voice said, and I got excited for only a second before realizing that it wasn’t the right guy’s voice.
I turned around and gave the giant shortstop a hug. “Hey, Colin!”
“Hey, girl. How’s Danikas?” he shouted over the music.
“She’s great!”
“Tell hers I said hi’s the next time you talk to her, yeahs?” he added extra s’s to the end of random words, but I still understood him.
“I will. Hey, Colin, have you seen Mac around?” I asked and watched his face transform into something that made me feel a little stupid. I’d asked about a specific player on the team, and that only meant one thing—I was interested.
Colin was grinning, his head moving as he smiled.
He looked around before leaning close to my ear. “You know, Suns, I haven’t seen hims for some hours now that you mention it. He’s probably in his rooms.”
Dread filled me. Hadn’t I just convinced myself that Mac didn’t sleep around with random girls at parties? But he was currently not in the center of the room with his latest conquest, like I’d said he always was. I was such an idiot. A fool who’d convinced herself that he was one of the good ones because that was what I wanted