Page 16 of Facing the Line

Hadley: Really? Could have fooled me with those comments.

Hunter: Fair. I just want you to have a great and safe freshman year.

Hadley: I’ll call you if I need anything. I promise.

The ding of a FaceTime alert sounds on my phone, and I pause my eyeshadow application. Kendall is down the hall, showering in the communal bathroom. When Jonas’s name appears on my screen, I prop it up on the dresser vanity and press accept.

“Hey.” A stupid grin lifts my cheeks when I see his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He’s relaxed against a pile of pillows in a hotel room. “I just wanted to chat.”

“Oh.” I aim for a frosty tone, because I’m still a little pissed he didn’t have time for me last week. He’s gone this weekend for games in Denver. I didn’t see him at movie night at Hunter’s place, either. Where do things stand between us? “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just…” He runs a hand through his curls and heat coils low in my stomach at that simple gesture. “Tonight’s game was really good, you know?”

“Yeah?” I checked the score. So I’d know what’s going on with my brother. Obviously.

“Yeah.” A happy sigh escapes his lips. “God, when I’m with this team, I have moments where I feel like I can do anything.”

The team again. They’ll always come first. But then he sits up straighter in his pillow pile. “What are your plans for the night?”

I hold my eyeliner pencil up to the camera. “Getting ready to go out with Kendall. Frat party.”

His gaze sharpens. “Where?”

“Sig Alph.”

Jonas nods, his jaw tense. “Make sure you watch your drinks. And don’t?—”

“I don’t need another brother. I already have one for these lectures,” I interrupt, then apply a perfect wing to my left eye.

His face softens. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I know you’re smart. I don’t have to be your brother to want to take care of you, though.”

My frustration melts away at his sweetness. “I’ll be safe, I promise.”

The frown lines on his forehead disappear. “Thanks. And Hadley…”

I pause and set down my eyeliner, staring straight at him. His tone makes my heart beat faster. What’s he going to say?

Before I find out, Evan’s head pops into the frame. “Hadley! Looking fine tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

I laugh. “That’s everything.”

“Exactly!” He grins, and I return the smile.

Jonas shakes his head at Evan’s antics. “Anyway, Hadley, thanks for the chat. Sometimes I just want to see a friendly face after a game.”

Warmth fills my chest at his words. “Anytime. Have a safe flight tomorrow.”

“See you soon.”

“Can’t wait.” Butterflies take flight in my belly at the flirty look in his gaze. I hang up before I say something I’ll regret.

“Hey, we should go out sometime.”

Tugging at the hem of my white body con dress, I stare at Devon over the rim of my red Solo cup. I take a sip of my watery beer and formulate my response.

Kendall has continued talking to JaShawn, and he invited us to this Sigma Alpha Epsilon party. Ethan’s nowhere in sight, which is fine with me. I had a good time with him last weekend, but not enough that I want a repeat. There are too many other guys here for me to settle for the first one I find. And Devon, JaShawn’s frat brother, has been chatting me up since we got here.

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