Page 91 of Scoring the Player
Who knew breaking up with your fake boyfriend could hurt so much? I did, or I thought I did. But it hurts even worse than I expected.
“Shots!” Vi carries the little cups of liquor over to us. We’re at an off-campus apartment where some of the hockey players live.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’m sticking with seltzer.” I drank too much on Wednesday night and woke up Thursday morning with the worst hangover of my life. I’m not loving the idea of feeling that way tomorrow, especially with my dad still in town. We’re supposed to have breakfast in the morning before he flies back home.
“I’ll take hers,” Jane says.
While they toss back the shots, I glance around the party. Lots of people are already crammed into the living room where we’re standing. Some are playing video games and others look like they just wanted a spot to sit down and make out.
I follow my friends outside on the balcony. It’s less crowded out here. Jordan and his roommate Liam are talking with a few other guys I don’t know. Daisy cuddles up to Jordan’s side, and he wraps an arm around her waist without breaking conversation.
“Hey.” One of the guys juts his chin at me. The movement reminds me of Felix. But it’s the only thing about him that’s similar. He has blond hair and the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. “You’re—”
I wince before he finishes the sentence, knowing what he’s about to say and wishing I could rewind back to a few minutes ago and take that shot. I forgot what it was like to be known as the girl from the video. Felix shielded me from that. Maybe even more than I realized. But the words that come out next aren’t what I was expecting.
“Dahlia, right?”
I stare back at him, a little stunned. He cocks his head to the side, and I finally nod. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m Dahlia.”
He smiles, revealing a dimple above the corner of his mouth. “I think we had a class together last year. Psychology with Professor Handler?”
“Yeah.” Now that he mentions it, I do remember him from that class. His hair was shorter, or maybe he always wore a hat? He sat in the back row. We never spoke. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember your name.”
“Steven.” He sidesteps so we’re closer. He’s not as tall as Felix, but I still have to tip my head up to look at him. “You’re one of Daisy’s roommates?”
“Yeah. There’s four of us. Do you know Jane and Violet?”
At their names, my friends join the conversation. I introduce them and Steven is polite, but quickly turns his attention back solely to me.
“Do you need another drink?” he asks when I finish my seltzer.
“Oh, uh…I haven’t decided if I’m having another.”
“We have water and some other non-alcoholic stuff inside.” He jabs his thumb over his shoulder.
Jane nudges me forward. “She’d love one.”
I almost fall into him. I turn a wide-eyed glare at her, before smiling at Steven. “Yeah, I could use another drink.”
I follow him inside. He goes to the fridge and calls out my options. I decide on one more seltzer. After this, I’m switching to water. He hands me a can and grabs himself another beer. Leaning against the counter, he smiles at me.
“So, you live here?” I ask.
“Yeah. Want the tour?”
It doesn’t look like that big of an apartment, but he’s cute and seems nice, so I say yes. There are three bedrooms. He points out his roommates’ bedrooms, but we only go into his. It’s about the same size as mine. It’s clean. Black comforter and matching pillowcases. A few jerseys hang on the wall and an old hockey stick. Framed photos sit on the desk under the window. It makes me think of Felix’s room, all bare walls except for the poster his friends hung up.
When I’m done taking it all in, I look at Steven. He’s standing just behind me staring at me like maybe he wants to kiss me. At least that’s the look Felix would get. I wanted experiences, but now they’re all wrapped up in him. I’m adept on all things Felix, but still clueless when it comes to other guys.
“I like your room.” My voice is tight and my heart races.
“Thanks.” His fingers brush mine and I startle. I have got to get my shit together. This is exactly the kind of guy I used to dream about paying attention to me.
“I should probably get back to my friends,” I say. “We’re having a girls’ night. I don’t want to bail on them.”
“Yeah, of course. Come on.”
Back outside, I find Jane and Vi playing beer pong at a little table set up on the far side of the patio. Daisy is sitting with Jordan, so I go to her. Steven goes to hang with another group, giving me some space. I think I might have blown him off. I wasn’t exactly trying to, but I don’t know if I’m ready to make out with someone new.
