Page 87 of The Trade

“Hey West, amazing run tonight!” another random girl shouts at me, her hand lingering on my chest a second too long. Along the way, we’re stopped a few more times by some other women I fail to recognize. And, unfortunately, each unwelcome interaction seems to leave Jade quieter, her grip on my hand tightening.

When we finally reach the kitchen, it’s so packed that we have to weave our way through, bodies pressing against us from all sides. But by some miracle, I finally manage to snag us a couple of beers.

“This is a little overboard,” Jade murmurs, gaze sweeping over the crowd.

“Yeah, we don’t have to stay long,” I assure her, shouting over the noise. “I was actually hoping we could talk tonight.”

“Sure.” She shrugs, popping open her beer. It’s like she’s parched, downing the contents of the can in almost one go. A droplet of beer trickles down her chin, and she hastily wipes it away.

She looks so out of place here, so unlike the confident, relaxed woman I know. “Jade,” I start, concern tightening my chest. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” she snaps, a bit too hastily.

There’s something off about her behavior. Something about the way she’s avoiding my eyes. “No, it’s clearly not fine.”

Grabbing hold of her hand, I lead her down the hallway, away from the blaring music and prying eyes. After a few seconds of searching, I push open the first door I see. It’s a bathroom. Not the most ideal place, but it will have to do.

She glances around the small space, tossing her now empty beer into the trash bin. “Why are we in a bathroom, Theo?”

“So you can tell me what’s going on,” I say, placing my unopened can on the counter. “Everything was cool when we got here, and now, you’re pissed off. Tell me what I did wrong so that I can fix it.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, gaze falling to the floor. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Her sudden change in demeanor throws me off-balance. “Okay,” I say slowly, unsure of where this is going. “What is it, then?”

“I’m just ... how many girls have you slept with in this house?” she finally blurts out, cheeks flushing a deep shade of crimson.

I freeze. “Sorry? What?”

“Like, at least half of the girls here are acting like they know you. You know, in the biblical sense.”

“Probably because half the girls here are on the cheer team.”

The look she gives me is somewhere between frustration and confusion. She pulls away from me, her back pressed against the cold bathroom tiles.

“Right, that doesn’t help.” I grab her hand again, thumb tapping against her palm. “No, of course I haven’t slept with anywhere near half the girls here. I barely even know most of them. They’re just friendly with all the football players.”

“Friendly, right.”

I furrow my brows, studying her flushed expression. “Where is this coming from?”

“I overheard some girls talking about you at the stadium,” she admits after a long pause. “And even Sophie made a comment about how hot you are. I wasn’t expecting all these girls to be ... doting over you tonight.”

“What did they say?”

“Not much, honestly. But Cassidy was there talking about how good you are in bed.”

And that’s when it all clicks. Jade isn’t used to dating athletes, and especially not a Dayton football player. We’re treated like commodities here—good for one thing and one thing only.

“Ah, I see.” I thread our fingers together. “So, this is about you being jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” she counters hastily. I cock a brow at her, working to suppress my smirk. “Okay, I’m fucking jealous. I mean ... it’s so annoying. Why can’t you just be ugly?”

I can’t help but chuckle. “You want me to be ugly?”

“No, I just, I want you to be unappealing to the rest of the female population.”

I release her hand, trailing my fingertips along the side of her arm. “You know there’s no reason to be jealous.”

---