Page 19 of Without Bound
I tell myself it’s because I’m looking out for my best friend’s niece, but I know it’s bullshit.
The guys still mull around slightly so I yell, “Go! Now!”
They jump at my bark and quickly file out to walk down to the weight room, and I spend my morning with a scowl on my face and a guilty conscience on my shoulder.
I rub the bridge of my nose and close my eyes. The headache that started to build during this morning's workout now feels like a jackhammer pounding into my temples.
I look at the time and see it strike eleven-forty and decide it’s a good time to take a break.
Just then, a tap sounds at my door and I look up to find my conditioning coach standing there.
“You busy?” He asks.
“Nah man. I was just about to head over to the main campus and grab some grub. What’s up? Did you need something?”
I stand up from my desk and pocket my phone.
“Actually I was coming to see if you wanted to go grab a burger. Why’re you headed to campus? Got a meeting or something?”
I flip the lights off and close my door behind me, locking it up and double checking the knob.
“No. Nix’s niece is a student here and he’s asked me to keep an eye on her.” We reach the doors and push them open, exposing ourselves to what feels like a furnace blowing hot air on our faces. “Shit it’s hot.”
“Balls hot, man.” He adjusts his hat, pulling it further down to block the sun. “So West has you on babysitting duty?”
I press my key fob and the lights in my truck blink. “He’s real protective of her and just wants to know she’s fitting in well.”
The drive to the main campus is a short one, but we circle the lot for parking, finally finding one after several minutes.
We walk to the dining hall and each go to a separate line, picking a table to meet at once we have our food.
I step up to the salad bar and begin piling my plate with veggies. In my peripheral I see a group of girls step up and start doing the same.
“Oh my gah! Did you see that one with the backwards cap? He was seriously yummy.”
“I did. I also noticed that he couldn’t take his eyes off Ana.”
“Um, none of them could take their eyes off of her. I mean, look,” one says and I slowly and slyly turn my head to look over my shoulder.
In the distance I see Anais walking with the girl who I think is her roommate coming towards us. She smiles and laughs at something her friend says, her eyes closed and head thrown back. Her hair tumbles down her back and the ends brush across the top of her round ass.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to wash away the thoughts I just had, but they still remain when I open them.
“Hey Bishop,” a silky voice calls.
I look over and see Anais standing right next to me along with the group of girls who were talking about her just moments ago.
“Hello Ms. De La Cruz, and it’s Coach Michaels,” I reply with a voice that feels like it’s being squeezed out of me. “In between classes?” I ask.
She bites her bottom lip and nods. “Yeah. Keyara and I told the girls we’d meet them here for lunch before heading off to our next class.” She motions to the girls beside her and I glance at them.
They all stand silent but with smiles that speak a thousand words.
“How are your classes going? Everything okay so far?”
“They’re okay. I do have one class I’m hoping I can switch, but I haven’t been able to make an appointment with my advisor yet,” she answers and hefts her backpack up on her shoulder.
“Just send your advisor an email with ‘schedule change request urgent’ in the subject line. They put priority on schedule changes so you’ll hear back from them pretty quickly,” I explain.
