Page 27 of Most Valuable Players
“Want one?”
“Dear God, no.” He looks absolutely horrified at the idea.
“Come on. Have one. Live a little.” I wave a red candy in front of him, and he grimaces, pulling his lips into a tight line.
His refusal only eggs me on, and I lean on my knees to get closer and press it into his lips as he tries to keep me from getting the candy into his mouth. I swear you’d think it was poison the way he fights.
“Come on. One piece.”
His lips part slightly, and I drop the candy in and sit back. I watch his face carefully. The grimace turns to intrigue and then pleasure.
“That’s good,” he says finally. “Give me another.”
I hand him the pack and he tosses a handful of colorful candies into his mouth.
“Hey, that’s all I have left.” I swipe my precious Sprees back and frown at the two remaining. “Now how am I going to study?”
He shakes his head. “I could rub behind your ears and tell you good job.”
“Just ask me the next question,” I grumble and hold my candy tightly.
He gives me a scenario, and I fumble to remember anything we’ve just covered.
“You know the parts, just put them together.”
“Ugh, I suck at this part. The essay questions kill me.” I close my eyes and focus. Negativity isn’t going to get me anywhere. “Stay positive. I can do this. I’ve already come a long way. I know more today than I did a week ago. I just need to keep putting in the effort.I can do this.”
“Uhh . . .” He cocks a brow, and I realize I’ve been muttering aloud.
“Sorry, you weren’t meant to hear that last part.”
“What the hell was that?”
I’m sure I turn a hideous shade of red as he stares at me like I’ve officially lost it. “A pep talk. When I’m feeling down about something, I try to flip it, phrase it to better represent my achievements instead of focusing on the things I can’t control. Positive thinking attracts miracles.”
“You’re weird,” he says but winks and goes back to drilling me.
We continue long after the Sprees are gone, and my eyes start to glaze over. “I need a break,” I finally admit when I can’t take it any longer. “All the definitions are jumbling in my mind.”
“You want to stop for the night or . . .”
“I just need a short break. You ate all my rewards, and I’m losing focus.” The loss of focus might be in part due to the way he’s sprawled out on the bed, making me picture all sorts of scenarios that involve fewer clothes.
He snickers. “I’m afraid we don’t have any candy in the house.”
“Of course, you don’t.” He probably fills his sculpted body with carefully proportioned meals meant to fuel the long hours of practice and training. Not pure sugar.
A knock at the door snaps my attention toward it. Joel’s face appears, hand covering his eyes. “Everyone decent in here?”
“We’re studying, asshole.”
Joel stands to his full height and lets his hand drop. “I know. Just messing with ya. It’s six.”
“Again, we’re studying.”
“Take a break then.” Joel turns, and I’m looking between them, trying to figure out what is so important about six o’clock. “Movie starts in five. Nathan said to tell you he wants extra butter on the popcorn this time.”
Wes looks sheepish as he explains, “It’s movie night.”
