When the truck comes to a stop, I let all my manners fly straight out the window as I bolt for the dorms. I even forget to greet the security guard. I’m beyond being nice and just want my bed. It’s a welcome sight being greeted by a dark dorm room. I strip down and find an over-sized cheer shirt I got at camp years ago and go snuggle deep down in my bed. My sheets smell like home, and it might be the only thing that can hold me together. I grab my phone and FaceTime my mother.

Of course she answers immediately. Her screen is as black as mine, and I know she and my father are in bed as well. Even in my high school years, I’d cuddle between the two of them when I’d endured a difficult day, and that’s what I want now.

“Blue, you look so black.” I hear my dad laugh at his corny-ass joke.

“I miss you guys.”

I roll my eyes at the sound of my mom sighing and my dad saying, “I told you so, I won the bet.”

I get lost talking to the black screen as all three of us share our days, and I know my mother cringes just like I do when my father shares some of his experience in the ER. The man is the best surgeon around. My mom warns me about the crime that Trainer Jay talked about at the barbecue, and I tell her to keep her ass off of Fox News. We all get our fill of giggles and chuckles before we hang up, and even as silly as it seems, I kiss the screen two times before hanging up.

I lazily begin to drift off as I keep my cellphone clutched to my chest, and I wish I had Tuck’s number. I have to get him off my mind. When sleep is about to finally win out, the door flies open and reveals one silhouette. Sophie hurries to shut the door and uses enough courtesy to not flip on the lights. I hear her rustle around in her drawers looking for clothes to wear, and then she climbs in my bed.

“That was the best sex ever, Blue.”

“Eww! Get your sex-soaked body out of my bed.” I push her away as her giggles fill the room.

“We did it in the showers.” She flicks a lock of her long hair on my shoulder.

“How?” I don’t believe a word she says.

“Ethan was lookout, and we took our time. He even went down…”

“Whoa, whoa. Shut up.”

Sophie laughs hard, shaking the bed. The little fucker loves taunting me with their sexcapades.

“But, Blue, for reals, Lane and Ethan both told me to warn you about Tuck.”

Now the little ass has my full attention. “Why?”

“Because they say they’ve never met an angrier person than him.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s not angry, just reserved.”

“They’ve known him a bit longer than you and are on the team with him. They’re genuinely concerned for you.”

“Tell them not to be.”

Sophie slaps me hard across the face with another lock of wet hair, leaving behind a stinging trail on my cheek.

“He sounds dangerous, Blue.”

“Well, I’m saying don’t worry because he has no interest in me at all. Period. End of story. Don’t want to talk about it again.”

Chapter 7

Routine. It’s the vitamin that keeps my blood pumping through my veins. It’s taken two weeks to get a routine down pat, and I can say I’m finally over the homesick stage. Cheer practice, lunch, more workout, a yoga class, and then more cheer practice. Learning all new dances and cheers has been difficult, and not because of my skill level, but learning to work with new teammates. Stephie has been true to her word and kept her distance. She and Ethan made up days after their dramatic break-up, and I couldn’t be more thankful because he treats me like a flesh-eating disease. I love it.

Sophie still enters the dorm room late at night sated and with rubbery legs from Lane’s rabid love-making skills, and she sure as shit still tries to give me blow-by-blow action. I always act disgusted, but deep down I’m jealous, and pretend it’s Tuck doing those things to me.

Ah…Tuck. Unfortunately for my heart, but fortunately for my lady parts, he also became part of my routine, and I tingle every night when his scent joins me. Damn, I really make that sound hot and sexy, when in reality it’s only hot. He finds me each night on the jogging trail when I’m sweating and hot as hell as I push my body harder and faster. I’ve never spooked and performed gymnastics for him since the first night. When he catches up to me or I catch up to him, we find a steady pace and finish our workouts together.

Some nights he picks the paths, and some nights I do, and it all happens with no words. It’s just the sound of his pounding feet and the scent I have, and trust me, I soak it all in each night and then memorize it as I fall asleep.

I refuse to be the first to talk to him. He knows I want to be friends, and I clearly know he has the ability to pop a boner for me, so yeah, I’m pretty sure the ball is in his court. It may be a deflated ball with no hope, but it’s still in his court. And I hate to admit it’s my favorite part of the day. Even when my muscles are pushed to the edge of ripping, I go running just to see and smell Tuck. And when I say see, all I see is a dark hoodie or long sleeve shirt with a beanie on his head and long gym shorts.

I want more of him. I yearn to see more of his gorgeous skin, and every single time we run underneath a light I take the chance to study his beautiful face. Most of the time he’s doing the same to me, and I know I get to him whenever I see his strong jaw flex.

Tonight is one of the biggest mixers before school starts. All the athletes will be in attendance along with their coaches, so it’s not going to be a rager or anything. But leave it up to Sophie and Lane to have the hook-up on the after party. My body lies limp on the bed, exhausted and with no motivation to go to this mixer.

Sophie tosses dress after dress out of her closet. Some she holds up to her body and checks the view in the full size mirror, and others are an automatic no. She stands in a matching bra and undies, and I know it’s only a matter of hours before those babies get shredded.

She’s left with an empty closet and a mound of clothes behind her, and some that landed around me on my bed.

“Well, shit. I have nothing. Absolutely nothing. Why didn’t I schedule in a shopping trip this week?”

“Probably because you were too busy fucking Lane from one end of the campus to the other.” I don’t look up as I mindlessly scroll through my Facebook wall on my iPhone. It’s filled with old high school classmates and their selfies and bragging posts. It’s like my crack; it makes me sick, but I can’t seem to look away.

I spot a hot pink sun dress at the bottom of my bed and hook it with my big toe. I try to fling it over to Sophie, but it lands right on my face, and I giggle. Sophie is so distracted now, digging through her mole pile of clothes, that I re-adjust the dress on my toe and send it flying. This time it lands right on the top of her head.

“This one was my favorite. Pair it with your silver flats and pull up your hair.” I lie about the dress since I wasn’t paying attention. The simple fact is that Sophie would look drop dead gorgeous in a gunnysack, and Lane would fuck her right out of it.

“Thanks, Blue.” She bounds from the floor and begins getting ready.

Every once in a while I look up from my phone and admire the transformation Sophie is going through. I adjust the pillows under my head into a more comfortable position, cross my legs, and go back to Internet stalking. I’ve typed in Tuck’s name over and over and even stalked friends we might have in common…and nothing. Which is really not that surprising since he’s so damn private.

Our door bursts open and Lane grins over at his princess, who is now fully dressed and just finishing her make-up. I’ve come to terms with the fact we have an open door policy and don’t lounge in my panties and camisoles like I would at home. Nope, it’s always fully clothed here.