Page 14 of Walkoff Wedding

True. Yeah. Jesus, why didn’t he think of that in the first place? Then my number wouldn’t be floating around campus.

He plucks the phone from my hand. “You go hand the rest of these out, and I’ll work my magic.”

“Not sure if I trust your magic right now.”

“You’ll be thanking me later when my genius plan works and you find your girl. Mark my words, Bergeron.”

I successfully avoided Jeremy until the following morning when he blew my phone up so many times that I knew if I didn’t answer, he’d be showing up at the front door and ripping me a new asshole.

Leaning back against the couch, I sigh as I swipe my finger along the screen and answer.

“Jeremy, what’s up?”

His scratchy, deep voice rings through the speaker. “What’s up? You know what’s up? You continually making my job harder than it’s supposed to be, Bergeron.”

Yeah, I knew this was coming, hence the fact that I avoided his phone call as long as possible. I knew he was going to be pissed.

He doesn’t wait for me to respond before he goes in because his question was actually rhetorical.

“I’m fucking tired. You know what’s at stake here. We’ve had this same conversation over and over. Not only do I see you posted your damn phone number on a flyer all over the campus looking for a random girl, but there’s photos from a frat party the other night with you and Davis Guidry where he appears to be taking his pants off in front of a group of girls.”

Goddamnit. Fuck.

I drop my head back against the couch and bite back a groan. That dumbass. Of course photos of me would end up on socials, even though I was trying to keep the situation under control.

“Okay, in my defense, I was trying to keep his pants on.”

Jeremy sighs raggedly, and I can tell he’s sick of my shit. Hell, I’m sick of my shit at this point. “You know how you stay out of situations like that? By not going to the damn party in the first place. Grant, this sponsorship could change your life. Not just put you on the map with other potential sponsors but financially too. I know how important it is to you to get drafted and set yourself and your mom up. These companies aren’t investing big money into a kid who’s partying hard and acting like a horny campus playboy, cycling through a new girl every week.”

“I do not fuck around like that…” I trail off in frustration. Just because I go to parties and hang out with females doesn’t mean I’m sticking my dick in all of them.

“Doesn’t matter whether you do or not because that’s how it’s perceived. Image is everything, and right now, you need to clean it up, or they’re going to pull from this deal.”

Fuck no, I can’t lose this deal. I’ve been working so hard to make it happen that I can’t let it slip away, not when it’s this close.

“Okay, I understand.”

Dragging my hand down my face, I blow out an exasperated breath.

“Settle down, Grant. Stop going to parties, stop getting drunk with your guys. Get off social media if you have to. I don’t care what you do. But we need your image to be squeaky-clean. So get it together, because if they pull it, there’s not gonna be a second chance. I can only do so much.”

“Got it.”

“Talk soon.”

The line disconnects, a short beep sounding in my ear when he’s gone, and I drop the phone onto the couch cushion next to me.

I heard him, loud and fucking clear. Even if I’m not actually out there fucking off, social media makes everything look different than it really is. And the team can get a little rowdy.

Honestly… I’m over partying. Lately, it feels like a chore even going to the Kappa house, especially when I’m the sober one trying to keep the guys from doing some dumb shit.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just over college life. I’ve done it, and it doesn’t appeal to me anymore.

What do I want?

I want to find ArtGirl. I want to spend my nights talking to her the way that we used to.

I swipe my phone from the couch and open the forum only to be disappointed yet again that there’s no message from her.

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