Page 27 of The Heartbreak Blitz

“Your friend’s dating his sister?” she coos. “I love that.”

“Yeah.” I grab my own slice of pizza and take a bigger bite than Charley did. “They’re perfect for one another. It was rockyat first, to say the least, but they deserve each other.” I take out my phone, scrolling through our group chat until I find the last photo Briar sent of her and Reid on the Wildcats football field where Reid now plays professionally and angle it toward her.

“Cute couple. Does he play for a different team?”

I chuckle. She really knows nothing. If I showed Reid’s picture to anyone else on campus, nine times out of ten, he’d be recognized.

“What?” she asks around a mouthful of food.

“Reid was the quarterback here last year. He got drafted and plays for the NFL.”

“What?” she exclaims, eyes rounding. “That’s where they get paid to do it, right? The Super Bowl and all that jazz?”

I nod. “He’s living the dream.”

“Wow,” she stammers out. Then she peers at me pointedly. “Are you going to play in the NFL?”

“Well, I have to get invited to the combine first, then get drafted, then actually be allowed playing time, so…”

“Are you good enough to do all that? That sounds like a lot.”

“I mean…” I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Oh my God, you are, aren’t you? I can see it in your face.”

I hold my free hand up, taking another bite out of my pizza before a piece of sausage falls to the floor, but it gives me a chance to get my thoughts together. “Let’s just say this is an important year.”

“Now who’s being evasive?” She wipes her fingers off and then reaches into the box for another slice before leaning against the desk.

“There was a time when I thought I was good enough but I don’t know anymore, and I’m not sure it’s something I want.”

She chews quickly, waving at her face. “Please. You don’t owe me an explanation. I was only teasing.”

“It actually feels good to talk about things out loud.” I wait a few beats. “You should try it.”

“I don’t plan on playing professionally, no. The only game I was in, I got tackled really hard and then some weird guy said I was going to fall in love with him.”

I wipe at my face, then grab a napkin. “I said I was going to make you love me. Everyone loves me.”

She licks her lips, then smiles and stares at her pizza like it’s the most amusing thing in the room right now. A few bites later, she polishes it off and reaches for another. “I thought maybe I’d go into healthcare, but the first few years here, it became clear it’s definitely not my thing. I’m currently on the liberal arts track that leads to mediocre paying jobs and a miserable life.”

“Well, what do you like?”

“Being alone. Silence. People minding their own business.”

“Sounds like you’re destined for a padded room at the Hillcrest Mental Facility.”

“Don’t tempt me. But also, rainy nights. Thunderstorms. Black cats.”

“Are you a witch?”

“I was kidding about the cat.”

She smiles to herself while she finishes off her slice. I eat the rest of mine and then grab another, taking her spot at the desk while she sits back on the bed. “So, the WNBA? Is that where they make money, too?”

“Yeah, they do, but unfortunately, they don’t make as much money as the NBA.”

“Hmm?”

---