On the Sideline (BSU Football #3) - J.B. Salsbury Page 0,3
a good boy, that’s right,” she says in baby talk. “You’re the goodest boy.” She kisses the thing one last time then returns it to its home and then whirls around to face me.
“You’re disgusting.”
Her expression falls and I catch a glint of pain in her eyes before her spine snaps straight and she points firmly to the door. “Get the fuck out.”
Okay, so maybe I should’ve reconsidered my first words a little more carefully, but come on! I just survived a near dick-death experience. Show a guy a little fucking mercy.
“Gladly.” I hurl myself off the bed with a little too much force, adrenaline still fueling my muscles, I gather my jeans and shoes and throw open the door only to have it slam so hard behind me that I have to jump forward to keep it from hitting my ass. “Fucking psycho,” I mutter under my breath as I drop my shoes and slide on my jeans. I must’ve forgotten my shirt in the grab and go, but screw it. Small price to pay for the safety of my testicles.
“Oh my God,” a female voice says from behind me.
I turn around, jeans open and barefoot to find one of Riley’s sorority sister’s poking her head into the hallway.
Her eyes are huge and her lips parted in shock. “Lyla, get out here.” The two roommates emerge from their room. The second one’s eyes are tight slits as she swings her gaze between me and the door I’m closest too. “You and Bex?”
“What? No—”
“Rylie is going to shit,” the first one says.
Another room opens and a girl steps into the hallway rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“We just caught Loren McCallister sneaking out of Bex’s room naked.”
“I’m not naked.” I button up the fly of my jeans as quickly as I can with fading adrenaline and the hangover shakes. I’m never drinking again! “I didn’t touch that girl.” I slip my shoes on as best I can while scurrying to the stairway.
“Good for Bex,” one girl says.
“Riley is going to kill her,” another says.
I race down the stairs and out into the night pissed that I have to walk home because my stupid cell phone is dead. A thought has me slamming to a halt on the sidewalk and I pat my pocket. No phone.
“Oh, come on!” I turn around and look back at the Eta Pi house questioning the pros vs cons of going back in to retrieve the device and decide against it.
Not worth it.
I’d planned on waking up in Rylie’s bed this morning, not doing the walk of shame after being in bed with a snake.
Worst. Night. Ever.
Chapter Two
Bex
Classes are a refreshing break from the sorority house. Not only do I get freedom from the fifty-four girls that I live with, but I also get a reprieve from talking about The Bachelor, Kardashians, and whatever celebrity was recently on Ellen.
The ecology department at Bear State is on the far side of campus in an older building that was untouched during the multi-million dollar campus overhaul ten years ago, so it’s mostly a ghost town. The only people found milling about are zoology students and we’re a unique bunch. Most of us prefer the company of animals and insects to our human counterparts and we’d rather drink day old black coffee from the pot than make the trek to the state of the art coffee shop across campus.
However, I have made two friends outside of the sorority and they both work at the coffee shop so I’ve been lugging myself across the campus divide to meet them for a tea every Monday.
I catch sight of Rowan’s red hair, made even fierier in the southern California sun. She waves when she sees me coming and I see she’s ordered my gigantic iced black tea. I drop my heavy book bag onto the concrete and collapse on the bench next to her. “How is it sixty degrees and I’m sweating?”
She slides the frosty drink in front of me. “Could have something to do with the fact that you’re wearing a sweatshirt and just carried a thirty pound bag of books all the way across campus?”
“Mmm.” I nod while slurping back the cold tea, attempting to quench an unquenchable thirst.
College students gather in groups around the quad and I watch as Emery emerges from the people-cluster like a bright ball of brilliant sunshine. Her blonde hair pulled up on the sides, pale pink cashmere sweater, and her cuffed carpi jeans make