On the Sideline (BSU Football #3) - J.B. Salsbury Page 0,47
not hiding, you’re taking space. Time to gather your thoughts, come up with a plan.”
She stands, looks around the room as if she’s searching for her things, but then stops probably remembering she trashed everything she came with. “Let me hit the restroom and we can go.”
“Hey.” I get to her before she makes it to the door and hug her tightly. “You don’t have to do this. I can go and if Riley or any of those bitches says shit, I’ll tell them all to go fuck themselves.”
She hugs me back just as hard and fuck, I love the feel of her body pressed against mine, holding on, finding comfort. “I appreciate that, but I’m a big girl and I can fight my own battles.” She pats my back and I release her. “I’ve been doing it all my life.”
I hate that she had to grow tough skin against her own blood, her fucking sorority. I watch her disappear into the bathroom and I grab my keys, hat, wallet and phone. My blood pumps with excess adrenaline, similar to how I feel before a game, and I regret not waking up early and going for a run. If it had been humanly possible for me to release Bex from my arms to do it, I would have.
When she comes out of the bathroom her face looks washed, her hair is pulled back in a knot, and she’s rolled up the waistband of my sweats so they don’t bunch around her ankles. She’s also tied the shirt she’s wearing in the back making my clothes on her look less borrowed and more oversized casual.
“We’re doing this, huh?” I give her one last chance to back out, to reclaim her place in my bed and allow me to fight her battle.
“If I need bail money—”
“You can count on me.” We share a smile, I take her hand and we head out. At the front door I look down at her bare feet. Having her borrow a pair of my shoes seems ridiculous so I lift her up just as I did last night.
Her arms come around my neck to hold on and a smile tilts her lips. “You know, I can walk barefoot to your truck.”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t get the chance to carry you.” I manage to pop the door handle without having to put her down, then place her in the seat. “You’re sure you’re ready for the confrontation?”
“I know Riley. If I hide from her it’ll only invite her to attack. I have to stand up to her, it’s the only way she’ll back off.”
“Coincidence that you just described the suggested response to dealing with a bully?”
“Not a coincidence at all,” she mumbles and reaches for her seatbelt.
I close her door and circle around to the driver's seat, firing up the engine, I pull out and wish I could take the longest route possible to get back to the sorority house. And I would if I didn’t have to be at the shop to unlock the doors.
“What’s your plan?” I ask as I point us in the direction of campus.
“I’m not sure I have one. At the very least I’m going to pull her aside and tell her what she did to me was petty and assholish.” She sticks her hand out the open window feeling the cooler morning air on her fingers. “I’m sure she’ll say she did it because she thinks we’ve been seeing each other behind her back.”
“Will you tell her the truth?”
She turns her tan-colored eyes toward me and with the sun shining on her face they look gold. “Of course.”
“Will you let me explain to her that we never even kissed until just a couple nights ago? It’s so fucked up because Riley and I were not together.”
“She has every right to be mad. I should’ve just let you break up with her. I thought I was protecting her by making you wait until after the formal, but I ended up just hurting her worse.”
“Please,” I say with a humorless chuckle. “The only thing you hurt was her inflated pride.”
She shrugs and looks ahead as we come around the corner and onto Greek row. Her house looms up ahead and a renewed anger ignites my blood as I remember racing away last night with a sobbing Bex in my arms.
I pull into the back lot and park in guest parking. “Wait, I’ll come around,” I say to Bex.
“There’s no way I’m having