Page 5 of The Change Up
“Thanks, B, but my dad is the chef, not me.”
“Whatever.” She takes another large bite of her pizza.
“So how’s Q?”
“Ohemgee! I swear he’s spent the last two weeks partying his ass off. From college parties to parties at The Eagles Nest. Hell, he’s even gone to other bars. Everyone wants to party with the CTU Eagles.”
Chewing around a mouthful of food, I take a second to swallow. “I mean it is a big deal.”
“Obviously,” she says. “But this week he’s paying for it. He’s like a hungover zombie right now. I saw him last night, and he was laying in bed with his blackout blinds shut trying to sleep off a two-week-long bender.”
I laugh, shrugging. “What else is the top running back in the country supposed to do after bringing home CTU’s first championship?”
“Please, the boy doesn’t need any more ego going to his head. The other day we were having sex, and he paused right in the middle, looked me dead in the eye, and said ‘call me Mr. MVP.’” I burst out laughing, choking on the beer I had just attempted to swallow. “I’m not kidding. Motherfucker literally said that. Like I’ll call you Daddy before Mr. MVP.” She made a gagging noise, and the laughter kept pouring from me.
“Was he joking?”
“Thank God he was. He said he was waiting for my reaction.” Her eyes roll. “I told him I was waiting for my orgasms, and he owed me three after that bullshit.”
The two of us laugh. I watch as Brynn goes from hysterics to her face dropping, as her features turn serious.
“What’s wrong, B?” I ask, my voice softening as I watch my friend wage a war in her mind.
“He’s leaving.”
Giving her a tight-lipped smile, I reach for her. Brynn sets her plate on the table before putting her hand in mine. I pull her toward me as she slides across the couch. She doesn’t stop until the two of us are wrapped together under my blanket.
“Babe, deep down we’ve always known that Quinton was going to enter the draft and leave school early. He’s been talking about his plan since we’ve known him.”
“I know, but like now it’sreallyhappening.”
“Brynn, Quinton Boyd is in love with you. Madly. Deeply. Whole-heartedly. He’s not going anywhere.”
Her body shimmies before her head rests against my shoulder. I pull her in tighter to me, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “I know, but shit, I thought the jersey chasers in college were bad. What’s it going to be like when he’s in the NFL? Women are going to be throwing themselves at him even more.”
“It’s for one year. One year apart. Once you graduate next spring, the two of you can be together again. And let me remind you, he loves you!”
“You sound like Cody.”
I tense at the mention of his name, hoping Brynn didn’t catch the way I stiffened.
She noticed. Sitting up and slipping out from our little cocoon, Brynn turns slightly to face me. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
Her eyes narrow into slits as she stares me down. “You stiffened when I mentioned his name.”
“No, I didn’t.” Lie.
“Yes, you did. Did he do something to you?”
“No.” Yes.
She stares me down. This time I had luck on my side, and the TV starts with the intro to the new season ofVanderpump. Thank God.
“This isn’t over,” Brynn says as she settles in next to me, situating herself so the two of us are cuddled together.
Reaching beside her, I watch as she grabs her phone. Swiping open the camera app, she situates the lens until the two of us are at the angle she wants in the frame. Snapping a picture of us, she heads to Instagram before posting it with the caption ‘Beers, Bitches, and Vanderpump #noboysallowed.’
