Page 46 of Foul & Fake
Sam groans again. “He probably would. I think the universe made women smaller because we’d take over the world otherwise. They’d be crying over a nut-tap while we make boss-bitch moves no matter what time of the month it is — I’m on my period if you can’t tell. My inner feminist comes out this week, I can’t help it.”
“The power imbalance is fucked. I know that, and I think that’s my biggest problem. I keep telling myself that this article will make us even. It’ll balance the scales, and then after all the dust settles, we’ll see where we’re at. But the logical side of me knows that there won’t be any coming back after this. I turn the article in, he releases the video. We bury each other and then what? Nothing.”
“I want to say he won’t release it, because it will also ruin him. That’s such a violation of privacy he’d completely ruin his credibility on and off the field, and you have a legitimate legal case against him. But at the same time… guys are fucking stupid, Riley. They’re so impulsive when they’re emotional he might not care about the repercussions. I don’t know him enough to say which side he’d fall on, unfortunately. He was always the loud, flirty one that flashed his annoying dimples every chance he got. I never could have guessed he was this toxic.”
Me either, but here we are. “He doesn’t appear in the video anywhere. All he’d have to do is upload it to one of those revenge porn sites and I doubt I’d ever be able to prove it was him.”
“Oof. Yeah. Girl, this is a mess and I just realized it’s completely my fault. I’m sorry, Ri. I should have just let him prank me.”
I shake my head. “It’s not your fault. He started all this the second he laid eyes on me. He wanted me and used any excuse or threat that he could to get me. I don’t really think he cared about the hazing at all, and I agreed because I didn’t want to get caught in it.”
“Not me finding romance in that,” she releases a deep breath. “I need to chill with the dark romance audiobooks.”
“Maybe I should read some. It might make me feel better about the fact that even right now, I want to call him. He fucked me up.”
“Ugh! You got it bad. If only he was bad in bed, right? This would be a much easier decision if he was.”
It would, but unfortunately, he’s the best I’ll ever have. I know that. “Oh well. I have a few weeks before the article is due, so I have time to make up my mind.”
“Okay, well… I support you. I love soccer, but I’ll never pick a sport over something that’s just plain wrong. It’s going to be hard not to hit him though.”
Sighing, I bump her with my elbow. “You were supposed to freak out and beg me not to publish it. It would’ve made it easier.”
Sam drops her palm over her eyes and sighs. “Probably. Honestly, I might have if this had been earlier in the season, but by now I’m sick of the pranks. We cut all of their scrimmage jerseys last month and somehow made them look even hotter, boys in slutty tank tops should be illegal. The girls are either really happy with how they retaliated or crying in frustration,but either way they’re distracted from the game. At least us juniors have another year to play without having to deal with this bullshit.”
Unless I ruin it all. “It’s barbaric and I wish you guys could find another way to fuck with each other. Just end it willingly without anyone getting in trouble. But that won’t happen, so here we are.”
“Here we are,” she parrots. “Want to know something ridiculous? Over half of the teams end up fucking in the end. I repeat, we want what’s bad for us, I swear.”
At least I’m not the only one.
It should make me feel better, but even now, I’m just confused and pissed off he let it get this far.
Now I’m gonna have to be the one to finish it.
Chapter 18
Something About Her Smell
ELIAS
I’m not drunk. I’ve only had like four or six jagerbombs, and although those usually sneak up on me, this time I’m positive I’m not drunk. I mean how many drunk guys in college would willingly leave a party packed with willing women so they can go lay down with a girl that doesn’t even really like them? None. That’s how many… yet here I am stumbling across campus knowing damn well I’d be doing sprints for an hour if Doc found out. Coach Dr. Herrara — though no one calls her that — doesn’t mess around when it comes to us partying.
But I don’t care.
All I care about is laying in Riley’s bed with her because I’m positive her scent will help my equilibrium. I don’t know why, but I’m positive there’s a science about it somewhere.A science about it?I’m not sure if that’s a good sentence. Riley would know.
I speed up to get there a little faster just as it starts to sprinkle, and before I know it I’m shoving my way into her dorm room as quietly as I can. Unfortunately… that’s not very quiet.
I don’t know what I knock down, but it has Sam leaping up from her bed and chucking a shoe so hard at my face I swear mylip is already swelling. “What the fuck?” I whisper yell, falling against the closed door when she charges me.
“What the fuck me? What the fuckyou?Why are you here?”
I point over at Riley in the dark. “That’s my girlfriend. Did you forget?”
She mocks my words and drops whatever weapon she has in her hand. “You still didn’t answer my question. She’s not your property.”
“Property?” I ask incredulously as my eyes adjust to the dark room. “I didn’t say she was. I j?—”
