Page 108 of Bad Crush
“No, I guess it doesn’t.”
Mav drives the three of us to The White House. It’s Valley U’s unofficial basketball house. The place is insane. When you win a national championship, I guess this is what you can expect. Here’s hoping that’s us this year.
There are a lot of people, as is the case any time I’ve ever been here. The house itself is huge and over-the-top elegance for college guys, but the backyard is where it’s at. There’s a keg on one side of the yard, and a folding table has been set up as a DJ stand and music pumps. It should be too cold for swimming, but their giant pool is heated, and some of the bravest are in bikinis and trunks enjoying the water with a drink in hand.
Maverick disappears, mingling as he always does, Mad Dog in hand. Rhett and I fill our cups with beer and slowly weave through the crowd.
“Adam!” someone yells my name, and I look over the crowd until I see Sage heading toward me.
“Hey.” She gives me a side hug and waves at Rhett. “I heard you and Reagan broke up.” She sticks out her bottom lip.
Way to kick a guy when he’s down, Sage. Fuck.
“Guess who else broke up,” Rhett says, bringing the attention off me.
“No way.” Her eyes light up. “Wait until I tell the girls.” She claps and runs off.
When she’s gone, I look to Rhett. “Thanks for that, but I don’t think you know what you just got yourself into. These girls have been circling you for four years.”
“That was the idea.”
I don’t for one second think Rhett is going to turn into the guy who sleeps with puck bunnies. It’s not who he is, but far be it for me to get in the way if he needs to sleep around after dating the same chick for six years.
“What about you? How long until you get back out there?”
I glare at him.
“What? It’s a valid question. Remember Montana? You broke up with her on a Sunday night, and by Monday afternoon, you were dating…” He stares up like he’s trying to remember.
“Barbie,” I say.
He snaps. “That’s it. Barbie.”
“Not the same thing. Reagan’s not the type of girl you just move on from.”
“Have you talked to her at all?”
“Nah. Dakota told me to leave her be. She doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“That’s Kota talking. She’s hella protective of her girl.”
“Maybe, but Reagan hasn’t reached out.”
“All right, well, you aren’t ready to move on, and you’re not going to talk to Reagan. What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Can’t we just hang out without girls?”
He laughs. “Yeah, we could, but what fun would that be?”
“It’s like I don’t even know you.” I shake my head. “Come on. I’m a hell of a good wingman.”
And I am. It’s easy to focus on Rhett when I have no interest in talking to anyone else here. It’s weird seeing him flirt with girls. Or attempt to—he’s real rusty. He’s giving me ‘save me’ eyes while he talks to some chick who ran up to offer her condolences to us on our recently failed relationships. Rhett being Rhett engaged, and now she’s latched on to him.
“Excuse us,” I say and wrap an arm around his shoulders, pulling him away. “There’s an emergency. He’s the only man for the job.”
Rhett hurries with me to the other side of the yard. “What’s the emergency?”
“Getting you away from that chick.”
