Page 10 of The Late Hit
Shaking my head, I go over to my phone and pair it with my Bluetooth speaker. “Believer” by Imagine Dragons starts playing and all three of us crack open our Coors Lights.
Game Day 2022 has begun!
At a quarter past one, the three of us emerge from my bedroom with our hair and makeup looking fabulous. Grabbing our clear belt bags, we make our way to the parking lot to wait for our Uber driver.
Campus is buzzing.
Cars are trying to park. Students are walking with backpacks that you know are full of beer. Fans are decked out in their red and powder blue Eagles gear. The sun is shining, and even though it’s going to be a hot one, I love it.
These are the days I live for. There’s nothing better than football in the fall. As excited as I am, the first game always brings with it some sadness. My brother should be here with me. We should be celebrating the first game together. Shotgunning a beer in the parking lot after the game, just like we did in high school. Yeah, yeah, I know, but it’s what we did.
The Uber driver stops in front of the Baseball House. There’s no more street parking, and the cars behind us are honking. The three of us climb out and head up the sidewalk toward the house. Tables are set up in the yard for Beer Pong and Flip Cup. There’s music coming from speakers.
Scanning the yard, I recognize one of the guys playing beer pong. “Isn’t that the guy from last week? What was his name?”
Macy looks around before responding, “Gregg. Yeah, that’s him.”
Stopping abruptly, Chloe grabs Macy’s arm. “Wait, you slept with Gregg? Why didn’t I know about this?”
Macy shrugs. “It was after the Thirsty Thursday party at the Football House. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Small dick?” I ask.
Chloe snorts and Macy glares at me.
“No, it wasn’t small. It was just a one-time thing.”
“Gregg is relationship material and a serious dater. He doesn’t just hook up. If he hooks up, he wants more,” Chloe says as we make our way over to the cooler to grab more beers.
“Guess his streak is going to stop with—” Before she can finish her sentence, Gregg interrupts her.
“Hey, Macy! How’s it going?” Gregg asks, leaning down and grabbing another beer for himself.
“Hey, Gregg! I can’t complain. How about you?” she replies as he pops that tab on his beer, sliding next to her.
And that’s my cue to go check out the rest of the party. As much as I’d love to stay and watch Macy get out of that whole situation, I’ve got people to see and drinks to drink.
Macy is a dater, even though she claims she isn’t. She had a boyfriend our freshman year but found out he had been cheating on her the whole six months they were together. Since then, she’s decided college isn’t for relationships, and guys suck. She’s not wrong, but she’s a relationship girl. It was hard to see her so defeated and broken after that douchebag.
The inside of the house doesn’t look much different than the outside. There are people gathered everywhere. I didn’t realize this was going to be such a party before the game. I’m the definition of a party girl, but ifyour girlis going to make it to a seven o’clock game and stay up to,hopefully,celebrate a big win with the guys, then I’ve got to pace myself. Reaching inside my belt bag, I fish out my phone.
Cody lives with three other guys on the baseball team. Hudson Larsen, centerfielder; Ty Billings, third baseman; and Niko Vega, shortstop. Much like the Football House, they also have a large house and turned their attic into a game room with couches and an eighty-inch TV. Making my way up the two flights of stairs, I push open the door to the attic. Whistles and catcalls fill the room as I enter.
“Goddamn, Brinley Wilder, warn a guy before you enter,” Hudson rasps out, choking on his beer. I ignore his reaction.
“Damn, Brynn, you look smokin’,” Cody says, pulling me in for a hug as I sit down on the couch next to him.
“Thanks, guys. It’s not too much?” I ask, curling into Cody.
Glancing up, I notice the five guys in the room scanning my body from my boots to my face—well, they don’t make it up to my face but stop at my boobs.
“Not at all, but if I was Q, I’d never let you out in public,” Ty says, finally pulling his eyes from my boobs and back to the game that’s playing on TV.
“Why would you think Q has any say in what I do?” I retort.
“You two aren’t together?” Ty asks genuinely. He’s a new transfer who arrived over the summer from the West Coast.
“Um, no. Just friends.”
