Page 55 of What Are The Odds?
“I got thrown up on,” I told him, grimacing at the memory.
“Shit. Holloway left the puke part out.”
I wondered what other parts Levi had left out. Hopefully the part where I was upstairs, in his bed. I felt guilty that I’d started the night with Ryker, kissed him part way through, yet ended it with Levi’s hand between my thighs. Heat returned to my cheeks just thinking about it. It sure as hell was a whirlwind. Being thrown up on was the least dramatic part.
“I’ve got to ask.” A curious expression overtook Ryker’s features. “Are you and Holloway a thing?”
A great question indeed. If someone could tell me, it would be much appreciated.
“We’re hanging out,” I said lamely.
Ryker bumped his leg into mine. “I hope that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out.”
I smiled. “We’re hanging out right now.”
Ryker smiled back. “I’m glad.”
“Here you are, Hughesy,” came Tripp’s voice as he reappeared and set a drink in my hand. “Did you find Cap? He was looking for you.”
“Nope.”
“I saw him earlier at the bar with Summer Spritz,” Ryker said.
Tripp glowered, his forehead pinching. I’d bite. She sounded fancy.
“Who’s Summer?”
“Head cheerleader,” Ryker answered. “She used to date Holloway.”
That piece of information wasn’t surprising at all. I remembered Summer very well from the media day. You couldn’t forget girls like her.
“They didn’t date,” Tripp said.
Ryker snickered. “That’s right. Holloway doesn’t do girlfriends.”
The game restarted. It was obviously a replay. If it was night-time here, it’d be partway through tomorrow back home. Not to mention the AFL season was over. Nothing about Philadelphia and home aligned. The time. The seasons. Not even the sport. The divide in the bar was obvious. The guys in football jackets kept to one side, and the guys in hockey jackets kept to the other. Whilst sporting rivalry was normal, I’d always seen it between teams rather than differing sports. Back home, states preferred different sports. Like Queensland and New South Wales frothed rugby, whereas in Victoria and South Australia it was all about football. But we didn’t hate the other. Except soccer. And no one really hated it. They just didn’t like it being called football. A guy walking past our table stopped to chat to Ryker. A moment later, someone else stopped to talk to Tripp. They were popular on campus. I looked around for Levi. It was already partway through the first quarter, and I hadn’t seen him once. Weird considering it had been his idea to watch the game here. Maybe he was in the process of picking up Summer. I’d hooked up with Levi knowing his reputation. At the time I hadn’t thought whether there were also other girls he was hooking up with. But I was naïve to think there wasn’t. When the half-time siren called, I excused myself to use the bathroom. By the time I waited in line then made my way back, Levi was at the table. It was just him and Ryker now. He was wearing his hockey jacket with a pair of black jeans and a backwards black cap. I’d never brought into theguys in backwards capstrend. Until now. When he spotted me across the crowded room and smiled, I felt it in my entire body. There should be cautions about being on the receiving end of one of Levi Holloway’s smiles. I faltered slightly when Summer slipped into the seat beside him. I’d seen her plenty of times in the Athlete’s Centre since the media day. She was always in crop tops and booty shorts. I didn’t blame her. If I had a body like hers, I would dress like that too. Right now, she was all leather, with leather pants, leather boots and even a fitted leather crop. I instantly hated her, which told me one thing. This girl was hot. A hand clamping over my arm startled me. Ava squeezed through the gap between two football players, Stella right behind her.
“There you are,” she squealed.
Their faces were flushed from alcohol. I kind of envied they had the energy to party. Lastlings had a cool vibe. Any other night, I’d be in my element.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“Dancing. We’re thinking of heading out soon. You keen?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to head back to the dorm once the game ends.”
Stella pouted. “You’ll be good to get back on your own?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I hugged them both goodbye before reluctantly returning to our table. I smiled at Summer as I sat down.
“Hey. I’m Grace.”
“Hi,” she returned, her glossy lips upturning slightly.
Okay. I guess she was the type of girl who assumed you knew who she was.
