“I’m going for a run.”
“Are you allowed to do that?” She questions.
“Does it matter?”
“Sophie. Of course it matters.”
Grabbing a sports drink from the small fridge, I chug it before I leave. I’ll need it to get my body through the workout. “I’ll be back later. I need some fresh air.”
“Okay,” She responds quietly. I pass Drew on my way out and am thankful Cara has him. If either of us deserves happiness, it’s her.
Once outside, I pause to look around, deciding which route to take. Still not entirely familiar with the town, I do my best to remember which way will avoid the wrestling house while still getting me to the gym. Out of the corner of my eye, I do a double take when I spot Kipton hugging a girl. He reaches his hand up to touch her hair and Déjà vu hits me hard. Thoughts of catching Blaine making out with her at his locker resurface, but I push them away before they have a chance to consume me. He will not ruin me—step. He will not hurt me—step.
The gym’s deserted by the time I get there. I skip the weight room and go right for the balance beam—my favorite. I’m thankful for the peace and quiet; although I’m not sure being left alone with my own thoughts is safe right now. Running my fingertips through the leftover chalk on the beam, I hoist myself up to sit on it. Straddling my legs around each side, I propel myself upward into a handstand. The sensation of being upside down makes me slightly dizzy, but I do it anyway. Inhaling deeply, I know without a doubt this is where I belong. I’ve been missing the rush of adrenaline—the accomplishment of learning something new. The only other thing I can compare it to is being intimate with Kipton. He sends me to heights similar to the thrill of competition.
But I don’t deserve him and I never will.
LEAVING SOPHIE’S ROOM WAS ONE of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The emotion on the other side of the door leaves me confused and angry. If she’s so upset about telling me to leave, then why is she pushing me away? Her actions conflict with her words and I’m more determined than ever to figure out what’s going on inside her head.
Deep in thought, I’m oblivious to the meeting I walk in on in the rec room. I excuse myself though with an apology for the interruption. Once outside, the fresh night air relaxes me slightly, but not enough. Tonight I’ll need a few drinks to take the edge off.
“Kipton! Wait up.”
Turning around, I notice a cute brunette hurrying after me. Looking vaguely familiar, I figure I know her from one of the parties at the house. Praying I haven’t slept with her and don’t remember, I wait for her to speak first. I’ve been known to suffer from foot in mouth syndrome.
“I thought that was you. At least I was hoping so I wouldn’t look like an idiot,” she says.
Upon closer inspection, I have no clue who this chick is. “Hey, what’s up?” I adjust the brim on my hat and stuff my hands in my pockets jingling the loose change inside. Hopefully she says something to clue me in.
“How’ve you been? It’s been awhile.”
“Pretty good. How are you?” Okay, so I knew her a while ago. That doesn’t help.
“You have no idea who I am do you?”
Laughing, I put my hand on the back of my neck while looking down at the crack in the pavement. “Honestly, I’m not one hundred percent positive. You look familiar, but this campus is huge. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay, I’ve changed. We had freshman English together.”
“Wait, Emily. Right?”
Playfully punching my arm, she smiles bigger this time, “You do remember.”
Hell yes I remember. I had the biggest crush on her, but she was dating some asshole on the football team already. She’s a local. “We wrote that god awful short story about ghosts and battle fields for our final project. It’s been a few years, come here.” I pull her into a friendly hug and she laughs.
“That was awful! I’m impressed you remember.”
I touch the strands of her hair, flipping up the ends. “I was thrown with the hair color change and well, you um, grew up.” She used to be a blonde and is now sporting a huge rack.
Throwing her head back in laughter, I’m instantly taken back in time to a place when things were fresh and easy. College was beginning and I had my entire four year academic career to look forward to. Being a senior, the pressure of the real world constantly breathing down my neck is a mind fuck. “You’ve grown up too, ya know.” She takes an appraising view of my body and under normal circumstances, I’d invite her into my bed without a second thought. Considering I only left Sophie’s a few minutes ago, that’s not about to happen. Instead, I smile at the compliment. “I have to get back to this sorority meeting with some of the freshmen pledges, but we should hang out sometime. That’s if you’re available and all.”
I like her style. A chick who isn’t afraid to take what she wants, unlike someone else I know. Sophie’s face flashes into my thoughts, but I push her away. The same way she pushed me out the door.
“You and the quarterback didn’t work out?”
“God, no. He’s a certifiable asshole.”
“Let me get your number.” She hands me her phone and I text myself from it, then text her back. “There, numbers are exchanged.” I’m not interested in her sexually, but Emily’s a cool chick and we used to have fun in class. “Maybe we can meet up for lunch sometime for old time’s sake.”
Giggling, she looks at her phone like it’s been encased in diamonds. “Sounds good.” She stops laughing and leans in to hug me again. “You should text me tonight.”
“I just might.” The night’s still young for college life, but my head’s not in the right place to entertain her. Not to mention, I still haven’t given up on Sophie. Not entirely, anyway. Winking at her, I turn and walk away.
“Bye, Kipton.”
I’m not more than a hundred yards away from the dorm when I sense Sophie’s presence. I don’t know what it is or why, but I turn around and see her jogging away from the dorm. She’s not supposed to be running or exercising until next week.
My gut reaction is to go after her, even if only to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. The anger and fresh defeat encourage me to do the exact opposite, but remembering the way she moaned my name a short time ago, my decision is made for me.
I’ll never catch up to her, but she stays within my sight the entire way. I’m relieved when she slows down before stopping in front of the gym. I hang back a ways, hoping to blend in as I hide under the darkness of the sky. After she goes inside, I wait a few seconds before I follow her.
Dumbstruck, I watch her flip around on the balance beam. Delicate yet powerful, she does each trick with ease and for the first time I see how talented she is. In no rush, she leaps from end to end; her beautiful body making her movements appear effortless. Making sure I stay in the shadows, I’m in complete awe. When she’s finished, she flips off the end. Landing hard, she reaches up and holds her head. Instinctively, I bolt from my hiding place to make sure she’s okay.
Sophie’s leaning against the side of the beam still clutching her temples. I forget she has no idea I’m behind her and when I rest my hand on her waist, her scream echoes off the rafters. Flailing her fist into my face, she lands a solid punch to my left eye. “Holy hell, Sophie. It’s me!”
“Shit! I’m sorry. How was I supposed to know you were in here?”
“Well now you know.” I rub my eye and can already sense a headache brewing. “You have a solid right hook for as small as you are.”
She hops up onto the beam and sits down, bringing her closer to my eye level. I move in and place my hands on either side of her. Her small body is easily encased by mine. “Why are you following me?” she questions.
“Because I saw you running and was worried you’d hurt yourself.”