Page 3 of What are the Risks
I thoughtfully chewed my lip. That was... possible. And Ididlove football, especially watching Ryker play. It had been a while between games. Seeing them on TV wasn’t the same.
“I could probably swing that,” I grudgingly confessed.
Ryker’s eyes lit up. “Yeah?”
I pulled up the group chat with my three roommates, checking if anyone else was free. The two-and-a-half hour drive would be much more bearable with company. Especially the trip home once it was late.
“Noah’s going to be annoyed,” I said. “I’ve only been to one of his games this season.”
Ryker snorted, drily. “If you’ve seen one water polo game, you’ve seen them all.”
The locker room door burst open an instant before Bri stomped in. Her scrubs, which had been clean when I passed her no more than ten minutes ago, were now covered in what I was guessing was puke.
As I opened my mouth to check, she shook her head.
“Don’t ask. Mind if I take a quick shower before we go?”
“Go for it. Ryker’s keeping me company.”
“Hey, Bri,” he called out from the phone.
“Hi, hotshot,” she returned.
She gathered what she needed from her locker before heading for the showers.
“Was that blood?” Ryker asked, pulling my attention back to him.
“Nah,” I answered. “Probably vomit.”
Now Ryker was the one looking like he was ready to hurl. For all the hard knocks and tackles he took on the field, the guy was weak as hell when it came to anything gruesome.
We chatted for a little while longer, the time passing easily before Bri ambled out of the shower, fresh and clean.
“Bri’s out. I’ve got to go.”
Ryker nodded. “Night, Rubz. Chat tomorrow.”
As I was locking my phone, I noticed a message had come through from Noah fifteen minutes ago.
Noah: Heading out soon. U got a spare 5 mins to FT and say goodnight?
Ruby: Sorry. I got held up talking to Ryker. Going straight home to bed. I’ll call you in the morning. Have fun. I love you x
CHAPTER TWO
Not blind to it
Ryker
I readjusted the icepack on my ribs. I’d been sacked late in the final quarter, so Coach had swapped me out for the backup quarterback. By that point, the game had safely been in our hands, otherwise I would’ve argued to keep playing.
I’d already showered and changed back into my football tracksuit. The team doctor had assessed me straight after I came off and given me a strict icing plan for the remainder of the night. With another game next weekend, I needed to get on top of this bruise and keep the swelling to a minimum.
A win on the road was always nice. The team was sure as hell pumped. Music played loudly in the locker room, and the chatter hadn’t died down since the end of regulation.
Beside me, my best friend Evan stripped off his gear, his sweaty hair sticking at random angles. The guy didn’t look like he belonged on a football field. His shaggy blonde locks and blue eyes suited a surfboard more, but I was thankful he’d traded in the board shorts for cleats.
We’d been both housemates and roommates since freshman year – housemates at our off-campus place, and hotel roommates whenever we were on the road for an away game.
