Page 24 of Away Game

Would West feel the same way when he woke up?

Only time would tell, but he couldn’t hide that something happened to him. It was up to him what the story was.

“We’ll find out in the morning.” I sat in one of the recliners closest to the couch and started to recline back. “For now, let’s keep this between us until we can talk to him.”

They all nodded. Oz went to the other couch and stretched out on it, putting his hands behind his head. The other two looked back and forth between where we were and upstairs.

“Go on up. If anything happens, we’ll come get you.” I listened to their retreating footsteps, happy for the diversion until I could no longer hear them.

“You did a good thing tonight,” Oz said softly from his side of the room.

My hackles rose at his statement. “Are you surprised?”

“Truthfully,” he waited for a beat until I nodded, but I already knew the answer with his pause, “maybe a little bit. I don’t think your evil or anything, but I know you hate West, and—”

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t like the guy. I would have done it for anyone.” I gritted my teeth. Did he really think I was that shitty of a human being that I’d let someone be assaulted?

“Maybe, and maybe one day you’ll tell me why you hate him so much,” he muttered.

Doubtful.

No one could know my secret. Not even my best friend.

Closing my eyes, I tried to forget about what West had looked like lying there defenseless on the bedroom floor and what could have happened if we hadn’t gotten to him quick enough. Unfortunately, those thoughts were embedded into my brain, and I wondered how long it would take for me to accept that there were things in life I couldn’t change no matter how hard I tried—like my feelings for a certain mocha-skinned football player with a scattering of freckles across his nose that made him look even more innocent in slumber. My eyes popped open of their own volition, and I scanned the couch to make sure West was still resting comfortably.

It was going to be a long night.

12

West

Every inchof my body ached as I tried to move. The surface beneath me stuck to my overheated body. Where the hell was I? When I tried to pry my eyes open, I moaned, and from that small noise, a stampede of wildebeest ricocheted through my head.

“He’s waking up,” someone said in the distance.

I tried to listen to what was going on around me, to figure out where I was and what had happened, but nothing was making sense. Everything sounded as if it was coming through a tunnel.

A hand on my shoulder made me flinch and then groan in pain. My eyes fluttered open to find Oz standing over me with a line of people standing behind him. “You’re safe, but I advise you try to move slow.”

Slow? I was moving at the rate of a sloth as it was. I didn’t think I could move any slower.

“Everyone clear out,” Fin barked out, making me a jolt.

I watched as what looked like half the team scrambled out of the room from my spot that I now recognized as the couch in the living area. Why were they all in here?

Oz’s brows knitted together, and he swung his head around. “Fuck man, did you have to be so damn loud?”

Swinging my legs down until my bare feet hit the floor, my body swayed, and I nearly face-planted into the table. A hand shot out and pushed me upright. I winced at the pain and watched as the hand and Fin quickly retreated.

“Cover yourself up,” Fin gritted out.

Looking down, I found myself completely naked with only a blanket draped around me, exposing everything of interest. Quickly, I tucked the blanket around me.

What the hell happened to me last night? I tried to think back, but I could barely remember anything after arriving at the Alpha Mu party.

“Did I get wasted?” My voice came out rough and sounded like I’d been at a concert the night before, singing my ass off instead of a party.

Oz and Fin gave each other a look I couldn’t decipher before they sat down on the table in front of me.

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