Page 18 of The Pass Protection
Once the door is shut and locked, I reach for my gym bag and pull out a case of cleansing wipes. Rubbing the damp fabric down my arms and armpits, I give myself a quick cloth bath before applying fresh deodorant. The clean fragrance from my extra-strength deodorant fills the space.
Reaching for the gearshift, my phone dinging has me pausing. Pulling it out of the cup holder, I smile at the name across the screen.
Liv: I just tattooed a butterfly on some girl and now I’m depressed.
Liv: I miss you, bitch.
Me: ?? I miss your face.
Liv: How’s life in Texas? Boring and miserable?
Me: Totally. I mean, I’m living with three hot guys. It’s downright miserable.
Liv: Such a horrible life.
Me: They are great to look at, especially when they cook shirtless, but it’s not like living with you.
Liv: I hear you. Maybe I should come for one of your dad’s games. Check out Daddy Campbell and these men in your life.
Me: Gross. Don’t call him that.
Me: But let’s plan something. Maybe for Halloween?
Liv: My favorite holiday. Count me in.
Liv: Gotta run. My nextclient is here. ??
Shaking my head, I toss my phone back in its designated cup holder as I shift the car into drive and head toward campus.
One thing I’ve learned in my twenty years of life is how hard it is to make friends, especially growing up the way that I did. We moved whenever Dad got the call that something bigger was taking shape. I never resented him for that because I think it’s essential for parents to keep chasing their dreams even after having kids. The one thing that always sucked about moving was leaving behind friends and the struggle to make new ones.
But when I arrived in Arizona, Liv was the first person I met in our dorm. She was on the same floor as me, and we had roommates we didn’t relate to. Which meant the two of us became fast friends. Her unique personality encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone. She hung out with people who I wouldn’t have necessarily gravitated toward. They were more of the loners who smoked pot in the quad with their skateboards tucked under their arms. There isn’t anything wrong with the skater lifestyle. I wasn’t accustomed to it, especially living in the Midwest, where the farm boys constantly surrounded me.
Liv taught me how to see color in a black-and-white world, how to get out of my shell, and how to experience life. Best of all, she taught me what it was like to have a real, genuine friend—the kind of friend who picks you up off the bathroom floor and cries with you.
Olivia Reed is one of the good ones, and I can’t wait to introduce her to my people.
It’s a little after seven when I’m leaving my last class for the day. The campus is blanketed in beautiful golden hues as the sun slowlydescends for the night. My body is starting to feel it in my muscles from today’s gym session. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to hit the court as hard as I did today. While it felt good at the moment, my body is a little angry with me.
Entering the glass doors of the Union, I notice the groups of students sitting around the tables for dinner. Deciding not to take my chances at home after last week’s disaster meal, where I completely screwed up the asparagus, I follow the line of students into the cafeteria. I’ve spent the last couple of days trying different options, and I’ve found that the sub station has the best chicken, bacon, and ranch sub.
Once my order is placed, I grab a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator while I wait for my sub. Scanning the people around me, uneasiness washes over me, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. Roaming the faces again, no one with ice-blue eyes catches my attention.
You’re safe. He’s not here.
“Campbell,” the worker calls, interrupting my internal panic. With shaky hands, I reach for the paper-wrapped sub and thank him.
Moving swiftly, I make my way through the checkout line and start to hastily walk down the hallway toward the central area of the Union. As I turn the corner, I run into a muscular chest. Letting out an oof, hands grab my shoulders to steady me.
“Bret?”
Looking up, I find deep emerald eyes that mirror mine. “Dad?”
“Hey, kiddo, what’s got you in a hurry?”
Steadying my breath, I paste on a smile. “I’m starving and ready to head home.”
His appraising eyes scour over me before he wraps an arm around my shoulder and moves next to me. “Great, I’ll walk you to your car. Have you talked to your mom today?”
