Page 2 of The Pass
He responds, I’m almost positive, but I lose the ability to hear. I scan the group of girls with Chloe and my gaze gets stuck on a tall blonde with big brown eyes that render me stupid. She’s wearing a neon pink dress that hugs her athletic frame. She’s staring at me too, although not quite so blatantly. Her gaze flits to me and then darts away. A shy smile tugs at her lips.
I know I’m gawking but I’m having a hard time doing anything about it until Nathan interrupts my thoughts by elbowing me in the ribs. “Shaw, can you lend Maureen some dry clothes?”
“Definitely,” I say without thinking and before I realize Maureen is the girl that took him down in the pool and not the one I’m currently eye fucking. Reluctantly, I give my attention to Maureen who bats her eyelashes at me as she wrings out her dripping wet hair. I wrap an arm around her shoulders while not taking my eyes off Chloe’s friend. “Right, yeah, come with me.”
As quickly as I can without being rude, I get Maureen some dry clothes and a fresh drink, then head back outside. Chloe and Nathan are nowhere in sight, but the friend in the neon dress is easy to spot. As I’m making my way toward her, she turns away from her group of friends as if she could feel me coming.
“Hey,” I say. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself back there. I’m—”
“Tanner Shaw,” she finishes for me. “I mean, I know. We’re in communications class together. I sit in the row in front of you to the left.”
“You’re in our class too? The one with Chloe and Nathan?” I could have sworn Chloe was sitting by herself in there, and this girl isn’t someone you miss.
She smirks. “Yep.”
Damn, how did I miss her?
“Sorry, I must have been actually listening to the professor. First week of classes habit.”
She laughs. “I’m Sydney.”
“Well, Sydney, I promise I won’t overlook you again.”
Damn, way to sound like a creep.But seriously, I feel like someone just told me Bigfoot exists and I’ve been walking by him my whole life without noticing.
“Do you want to hang out?” I motion with my head to the pool.
“I’m here with some of my teammates. I don’t want to ditch them.” The group of girls behind her sneak glances at us as they arrange patio chairs so they can sit together.
“All right, well, got room for one more?”
“You want to hang out with us?”
“I want to hang out with you,” I correct her.
She grins. “Absolutely.”
We’re just getting situated and Sydney is introducing me to her teammates when Nathan and Chloe rejoin us looking cozy. Definitely something going on there.
“Aren’t they cute together?” Sydney says to her roommate. Emily, I think she said her name was.
Emily sighs. “Chloe’s been at Valley U for less than a month and already has a boyfriend. I’ve been here a year and nothing.”
Boyfriend? Well, damn, I didn’t think Nathan had it in him, but it explains his newfound disinterest in getting shit-faced and partying with randoms.
Girlfriends aren’t normally my thing. The commitment doesn’t freak me out, I’m just not interested in the drama that often seems to follow. Playing two sports means I don’t ever have an off-season. Getting up early, working out, long practices—it’s a lifestyle for me.
The girls play twenty questions with the happy couple while I focus my attention on Sydney.
“What year are you?”
“Sophomore.”
“Same.” I think back, really peeved that I haven’t run into her before. How is that even possible? “Have you been at parties here before?”
Maybe she doesn’t party much or had a boyfriend last year?
“I have and a few at the baseball house, too.”
