She cringes in embarrassment. “I mean, I’ve watched a few games with my dad, but honestly, half the time I have no clue what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry, I can teach you,” I reply smoothly, proud of myself.
“All right, class!” Tracy yells over all the chatter, trying to take control of the room. “Are we ready?”
One by one, each pair of partners stands up and introduces each other to the class. When it’s our table’s turn, Dee quickly shoots up from her seat first, Rat Boy following suit unenthusiastically. I find out Dee’s real name is Delilah Harper. She’s a senior majoring in pre-med, wanting to become a neurosurgeon. Rat Boy’s name is Quinton Barnsley—still debating whether I’m going to call him by his real name or not. He’s also a senior majoring in pre-med, wanting to become an MD.
Once they’re finished, I stand up with Olivia, actually looking forward to this. “Hello, everyone,” I greet the class and gesture to Olivia. “This is Olivia McCausland. She’s a senior from Georgia, majoring in pre-med. After college, she plans on going to med school and becoming a cardiac surgeon.”
I look over at Olivia, who gives me a small, surprised smile and an approving nod for going off script, not needing notes in front of me like most students.
“And this is Bronx Miller.” Olivia gestures to me. “He’s a senior, originally from Florida, and majoring in exercise science. After college he plans on playing football for the NFL.” Now it’s her turn to look at me and I give her a grin, raising my fist to her for a fist bump.
Once we take our seats, the next table continues on with introductions, the class finally ending after the last pair goes.
Three
Introductions Part II
After lab, I head to one of the dining halls on campus to meet up with Chase and some of our teammates. After filling up my tray and paying, it doesn’t take me long to find them since they’re sitting smack-dab in the middle of the dining area, causing a ruckus.
“Aye! Look who finally decided to roll his ass out of bed,” Chase greets me with a grin on his face, prompting other members of the team to holler and give me a hard time as I sit down.
“Shut up,” I say, picking a fry off my plate and throwing it at Chase, hitting him in the chest.
“Seriously, if I didn’t see you at football practice I would’ve thought you were dead the past few days. You sleep like a rock, dude,” he comments before picking up the fry I threw and eating it.
“Well, yeah, it’s tiring carrying all of your asses out on the field,” I comment, earning a bunch of “Ohhh”s and “Burn”s.
Chase shakes his head. “Whatever.”
A well-manicured hand with black nail polish lands right next to my tray, causing the table to go silent. I look up to see Adrianna, her other manicured hand resting on her hip as she looks down at me.
“Bronx.” She says my name in a tone that has me dreading this conversation.
“Adrianna.”
Her eyes narrow and her lips tug up into a closed-lipped smile. “You didn’t want to be my partner?” she asks in a sickeningly sweet voice that tells me she’s actually pissed.
I shrug, taking a bite of my sandwich. “Your table was already full.”
She lifts her hand from the table, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto one hip. “Nessa was going to move, so you could have had her spot.”
“Didn’t look like it,” I comment, continuing to eat my lunch. If I remember correctly, none of the girls at her table looked willing to move. “Don’t worry about it, Ads. I like the partner I got.”
She scowls. “You’re at a table full of nerds.”
“More chance of passing the class, I guess.”
Fed up with me and my curt answers, Adrianna lets out a sound between a groan and a growl before stomping off. She’s just mad that she couldn’t snag me as her partner, trapping me for an entire semester. That and the fact that I left her low and wet after our little late-night rendezvous in the showers over the weekend and haven’t talked to her since.
“You didn’t want to be her partner?” Chase asks, slight amusement in his voice. He already knows the answer to his question, knowing my dynamic with Adrianna.
“Nope,” I say simply, opening my water bottle and taking a drink.
“Ouch, harsh,” Brennen comments, not sounding too sincere. “Who’s your partner, then? Some random nerd?”
“Nah. Her name is Olivia McCausland,” I say.
