We finish the half lap with only one more to go, and I’m surprised to hear the shouts of encouragement from the sideline. Even Sophie is up on her feet cheering, and Jay has a somewhat proud smirk on his face.

“Okay, girls, we have to book this last lap.”

The girls keep up with me the whole way, and Stephie even finds the courage to pass me right at the finish line. I send her a slight eye roll, but then remember what my mom has always taught me. You’ll meet some people in life who are simply glory hogs who demand every single ounce of attention there’s to be had. And I’m a big enough person to let Hulk—I mean Stephie—have that.

The girls are all hunched over, trying to catch their breath, while the rest of our stares are fixated on Jay. He’s taunting us by watching his wristwatch without saying a word or even offering any facial clues.

“All right, you made it. Now the real workout begins, and if I ever get wind of any of you treating each other that way again, it will be six miles.”

Stephie gets to her feet. “Coach, I just want to say I’m sorry for my behavior, and it won’t happen again.”

I shut my eyes for a moment to avoid the eye roll of all motherfucking eye rolls. Attention whores need attention to live. It is like air to them. I repeat the saying over and over in my mind until I hear my name.

“Blue, thank you for helping us.”

My eyes fly open and I realize the whole squad, along with Trainer Jay, is staring at me. My face turns beet red, and I simply shrug, repeating the attention whore mantra in my head. Oh, Stephie came to play, and I’ll let her play her ruthless game while keeping my distance. I came here to work hard and push the limits on being the best. She will not distract me. I notice the nod Trainer Jay gives me before he goes on about our workout, and I know that he knows who is real and who is fake.

If any of the girls thought the three-mile run was hard, then the rest of the day is killer. Jay doesn’t take it easy on us and promises we’ll barely be able to walk tomorrow morning. I eat it all up, taking on each new aerobic or weight lifting task to heart. It feels good to be in the gym and being pushed like an animal. Sophie can’t keep up with me, so I fly solo through most of the workout.

Coach Lindsey reminds us about the barbecue at her house tonight and that it is mandatory. Sophie assures me she has the address and can get us there on time. I love the girl already, but don’t trust her, so I also punch in Coach’s address on my phone.

As we exit the locker rooms, Coach Lindsey and several other coaches stand behind the counter chatting. I keep my head down as I walk by, not wanting any more conversation. My whole body aches and I need a hot shower.

“Basketball sure is missing out.”

I look up to see Jay smiling at me.

“My heart is here, I can assure you of that,” I say, pushing open the door.

“That was clear today.”

Sophie and I make our way outside and start the path back home. We worked straight through lunch, and my stomach is just now reminding me of this.

“What’s this basketball talk?”

“I played in high school.” I shrug as I dig around in my bag, searching for any morsel of food, and find a half-eaten granola bar.

“You did?”

“Sure did. Was even offered a scholarship my junior year, but passed it up.” Bits of granola fly out of my mouth as I talk.

“No wonder you can run like a freaking gazelle. I’m impressed.”

As we pass the football training facility, a large group of men exit the building. And as if he has some sort of radar tracking system, Lane spots us and jogs over. He’s freshly showered and dressed down in gym shorts, and of course Ethan follows him.

“Hey, girls.”

Sophie gives Lane a hug and takes over the conversation as we all continue walking. Ethan tries to talk to me, but I don’t have the energy, and quite frankly, he doesn’t hold my attention. My eyes scan the sea of faces for someone else.

“Distracted.” I feel an elbow contact in my left side.

“Ouch, what?”

“Distracted. Lane just said their coaches told them the showers at the dorms are down for the day.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Why didn’t you guys shower at the gym?” Lane asks.

“We didn’t want to wait in line,” Sophie answers.

“I’m jumping off a fucking bridge.” I let my bag land on the ground

“Settle down on the f-bombs,” a voice from behind me says.

As I turn around, I see Tuck Jones standing behind me.

“You girls can shower at my place if you want.” His face is just as handsome as I remember, if not more, with his freshly wet hair and musky scent wafting off him. His face is stone cold serious.

I’m shocked at his offer, but too exhausted to reply to him.

Sophie pipes up, “That would be amazing. Where do you live?”

“The gray house on the corner right before you get to the dorms.”

God, sex even drips from the man’s voice, and my legs begin to wobble. Then my body shakes a little more while my head takes another spinning dip. Before I make too big of a fool of myself, I take off toward the dorms. My legs are Jell-O as I try to walk, and I feel unstable, and then everything goes black as my body hits the pavement.

“She’s starting to wake up.”

When I open my eyes, I see Sophie peering down at me. I try to sit up, but she has hold of me.

“Blue, can you hear me?”

“Yes, why are you screaming?”

“I’m not. You fainted.”

“Let me up.”

I’m finally able to sit up and look around me. I’m sitting on a brown couch in an unfamiliar house that resembles a poster advertisement for a bachelor pad. I rub my hand over my throbbing head and then drag it down my cheek. Crusted blood and scratches line my jaw.

“Here.” I look up to Tuck and his outstretched hand holding a glass of water and white pills.

I take the glass and empty the contents. Thirst is an overwhelming feeling right now.

“I’ll get more water.”

“I’m taking a shower. Ethan went and got us clothes at the dorms. Don’t stand up.”

“Okay, mother.” I roll my eyes

Sophie bounces from the couch and I hear another voice join hers in the bathroom and know exactly what’s about to go down.

“You should take these.”

Tuck is back with another glass of water and the same two pills, with another container tucked under his arm. I don’t question him and pop the pills in my mouth and easily down another glass of water. He hands me the other container he’s holding—a chocolate flavored protein shake. I take it too and begin drinking it.

“I haven’t watched you cheer yet, but hell, I’ve seen you eat shit twice.”

I smile at Tuck’s remark. “I try my best to entertain.”

“What did you eat for breakfast?”

“Clearly not enough.”

“I’d hope you’d be a smarter athlete than that.”

Ouch. His words cut me and I have no response. He rises from his knees and heads back into the kitchen. I watch as his gym shorts glide with his movements, and then my gaze roams even lower to appreciate his toned, tanned calves. The man is straight muscle with an asshole attitude. Actually, I’m not sure if he’s an asshole or just defensive.

I lay my head on the back of the couch and mentally spank myself for being such an idiot today. I need to be more prepared tomorrow with protein shakes and extra food.

“Here.” Tuck places a large platter of food in my lap.

“Thanks. You’re like a drug dealer of carbs.” I look up at him with his hands placed on his hips and a pissed-off look on his face. “Sit?”

It takes Tuck several moments before he reluctantly sits on the couch, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that he chooses the opposite from me.

“Am I that repulsive to you?”

Tuck makes eye contact as I stick a Twinkie in my mouth.

“Naw.”

“Well, I don’t want to come across ungrateful since all of this,” I gesture to the pile of goodies in my lap, “but you’re mean to me.”