Schooling the Jock (Nerds Vs Jocks #1) - - Eli Easton Page 0,70
two, like PJ, is bad enough. You’ve already got to be like the fucking champion of Jeopardy to do that.” I whirled on him. “But division one is made up of people who’ve been doing Quiz Bowl since three days after they were born. And I’m trying to catch up in a few weeks just so I won’t embarrass the chapter and get our house fucking closed and or lose ten grand. Like I need that pressure!”
I ended with both arms raised, and interestingly, I meant it. Feelings for Dobbs aside, Quiz Bowl was incredibly hard. I scowled at Tray. “Seriously, you guys shove me into the most difficult thing I’ve ever done that I get to add on top of school work and football, and then somebody has the fucking balls to criticize the way I have to do it? Well, fuck them all. I should leave and let the goddamned house close.”
I threw most of the smoothie down the sink, ran water in the blender, and stalked out of the kitchen. I didn’t usually fight with Tray, and I felt instantly bad. But when I got to the living room, DeWan and Bubba were doing some warmups, probably for a flag-football practice.
Yes, there was a chance that it was my guilty conscience, but it sure looked like they gave me the stink eye. DeWan said, “Hey, Jess. Running?”
“Yeah,” I snarled and headed straight out the front door, wrapped in my running sweats and my cloak of righteous indignation. And of course, because cosmic jokers are what they are, there, propped on the fucking fire hydrant in full view of anyone in the ALA house living room was Dobbs.
He looked up at me and smiled. My heart leaped and sank. I wanted to scream, and I wanted to sweep him up and kiss him. Hell, it wasn’t his fault I was in the fucking closet. If I’d been out, I could have joined Tray grin for grin as we talked over breakfast about the hotties that got us up at this hour.
His smile faded when he saw my face. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Let’s just get away from the house.”
He glanced toward the building and frowned. “I’m not running with you this morning. My body’s on a weird schedule now, and I woke up early. Had an idea I wanted to talk to you about, but I’m sensing this isn’t the right time.”
I wiped a hand over my neck and tried not to look at the windows. “Maybe not.”
“Can I meet you later?” He grinned. “It’ll be worth your while.”
All I wanted to do was run, fast and far, in the cold, clear air, but he was so freaking adorable with his cute smile. “Sure. I don’t get a lunch break today until almost two.” As I said it, I realized I was going to be hella hungry with no smoothie, and I’d forgotten to grab my protein bar.
“Well, if we go through with my idea, you won’t need much food. How about I meet you after class and bring a snack?”
“Okay, sure.” I probably didn’t sound as enthusiastic as he wanted me to, but standing outside my house at that moment made me want to bury myself in the snow. I turned my back on ALA and gave him a smile. “I’ll see you then. Sorry. Gotta hit the streets.”
“Have a good run.”
I broke into a trot and took off, trying to run from everything. But the worm of worry that always lived in my gut had grown into a python, and it wanted to squeeze the breath out of me. Did the guys in my house really suspect I was fooling around with Dobbs? Three other guys in the house were on my football team. If they talked.…
I pounded the pavement on the icy roads, pushing myself hard. By the time I reached the gym, the inside of my thermals coated with sweat, I’d managed to calm down. No one knew anything. It was fine.
By two o’clock when my class ended, I was A. starving and B. super curious about what Dobbs’s idea was. Since basically zero people in the nursing school besides me were on the football team or in my fraternity, my level of anxiety at being seen meeting Dobbs was low. Mostly, I was just anxious to see him.
As promised, he stood across from the nursing school doors, leaning against a tree, holding a padded carrier. His nose was red from the cold, his dark hair