Page 1 of The Change Up
“Dude, this party is sick,” Hudson, my teammate, roommate, and best friend, shouts over the music as he tosses his arm around my shoulder. The cup of keg beer sloshes over the rim as he dangles it in front of my chest. I watch as tiny droplets hit the gray T-shirt I’m wearing leaving dark spots behind.
The two of us played together in a summer baseball league outside of Dallas before we even started college. Our summer spent playing ball together bonded us immediately. Both of us have a love for the game and a passion for the next level. Plus, we both like to party.
“Hell yeah!” I respond, gazing around the packed Football House, home to a handful of guys on the team. It’s a colonial house that has been passed down through the football team over the past six years. Right now, my buddy Quinton lives here with his brother and two other guys. There was a time when Quinton and I weren’t super tight, but that all changed once he started dating one of my best friends, Brynn Wilder.
Drunk people are crammed into every inch of the house. Most of the furniture has been moved out to the garage to create more space. The makeshift dance floor is lined with people ass to elbow. Navigating through the crowd is nearly impossible. It’s so crowded people are spilling out of the back door looking for a place to stand where they aren’t getting pushed every time someone tries to walk by. If we aren’t careful, campus PD will be rolling up and shutting this shit down.
And none of us need that.
Especially those of us on the baseball team.
Baseball season kicks off in a few short weeks. This is supposed to be our year. The year we bring home the hardware just like the football team did. Central Texas University will be the place to come for athletics if that happens. Scratch that, when that happens.
While this university is known for always producing epic sports teams, it seems the teams always manage to come up short in the eleventh hour.
But not this year. This year the baseball program is ready.
I’m ready.
We’ve been waiting for this opportunity for years. Not to mention our coach is celebrating his tenth season with the team, which is practically unheard of in college sports. Especially for never winning a championship game. Everyone has their eyes on us, which means the team has to be extra careful not to get into any trouble, especially the underclassmen. My eyes scan the room, and I quickly find seven underclassmen all with red Solo cups in their hands.
Hopefully, since the football team just brought home Central Texas’s first championship trophy, the campus police will be more willing to turn a blind eye to all the noise. It seems like just about everyone is at the Football House. At least we aren’t the only place with too much noise tonight. Some of the fraternitiesare also hosting parties to celebrate the team’s success as if they contributed to the winning season. And I’m not complaining. There’s nothing I enjoy more than partying.
Except baseball.
Baseball will always be my first—and only—love.
Being here, witnessing this celebration has made my desire to bring home the hardware for the baseball team grow even stronger. I’m almost desperate at this point. I’ll do whatever it takes to get the team ready. And prove to my dad that I do, in fact, have what it takes. But fuck him, he’s not taking me out of this moment.
“Bro, tell me why the fuck you ended things with Monica,” Ty groans, coming up to meet us and interrupting the whirlwind my brain was spinning. I follow his gaze to the dance floor.
Girls are dressed in skimpy clothes, grinding on each other and hoping to bring home a jock. I’m not stupid. I know the girls on campus are only after one thing.
Skimming the crowd, my eyes land on honey-blonde hair and eyes bluer than the sky on a cloudless day. She tries desperately to blend into the wall, avoiding the crowd completely.
The only problem is I see her. I’ve always seen her. No matter how hard she tries to melt into her surroundings, those bright eyes call to me like a siren singing her song to lure me into her depths. Those bright eyes beg me to dive head-first into her soul.
Only they’re not the blue eyes attached to the girl Ty is talking about. They’re not the eyes of the girl who had been working her way into my bed over the last couple of weeks.
Nope, this girl.
This girl is completely off-limits.
“Earth to Jacobs.” Hudson nudges. It’s then that I realize his arm is still dangling off my shoulders. Shrugging out from under his touch, I take a long gulp of the beer in my hands. I don’t stop drinking until the cup is empty.
I need another one.
“Seriously, dude. Monica is a total catch.” Ty continues. His eyes peruse her as she makes her way over to us. I watch as he takes in her low-cut dress which has her large tits on display. One wrong move, and she’s going to have quite the wardrobe malfunction. But knowing Monica, she’d welcome the attention.
Monica and I ended things a few weeks ago. It was fun while it lasted, but the two of us had an arrangement. She was a distraction, someone to let me work my stress out on. Nothing more, nothing less. A means to an end.
“Cody,” she chimes, throwing her arms around my neck. Her pink plumped lips find mine. Monica seems to have forgotten that our little arrangement is over and that I don’t do public displays of affection. But maybe I can let things slide one more time. We always have a good time together. The girl knows her way around the bedroom. And the season doesn’t start for a few more weeks.
Monica’s lips are still planted on mine, and I give her a small kiss back. It’s not at the intensity she’s after, but it’s enough to satisfy her for now. Hudson is still grinning like a cat who ate the canary, knowing I’m going to allow her back in my bed one last time.
Reaching up, I lightly circle Monica’s wrists before pulling them down. Ending our kiss, I step away giving us a little more space.
“I’ll be back.” I don’t give her any room to object before I brush past her and head toward the kitchen. But I see the slow smirk that spreads across her lips.
