Go Deep: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (17 page)

A
t least I
still had cheerleading, good old underestimated cheerleading. It had the physical challenge to take me away from all the drama and repetitive routine to temporarily restore order to my life. This was the last practice. The end of football season, and that meant we practiced harder today. The SEC Championship was in one day. I had something to look forward to.

Today we practiced at the indoor facility, rigorously going through each routine for tomorrow. It was exhausting, but exactly what I needed. The coach gave us one break in between practice. I went over to my bag for my second bottle of water when the side doors closest to the practice field opened and I heard my name.

Slade.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Of all the times to be on the floor and not in the middle of a routine. “What do you want?” I asked, opening the water bottle and taking a drink.

“Listen, I don’t have much time, but will you just let me apologize so we can get past this?”

“I’m in the middle of practice. I’ve got shit to do, and like you said, you don’t have time for this,” I explained.

“Just hear me out.”

“Not gonna happen. You crossed the line with that bet.” My voice raised right then, and a few girls started snickering around me. I didn’t mean to make a scene, but I didn’t invite Slade in here either.

“You don’t have to take it this far,” he growled.

“Oh, so you’re embarrassed now, are you? Just be glad I didn’t get on a bullhorn and tell everyone what kinds of jackasses are on this football team.”

“I can’t believe you won’t even give me a minute to explain.” He turned around to walk away.

It hurt to feel I had to be that way with him, but nothing else was getting the point across. Dammit, we were done. I shook my head and went back to the distraction, holding my head up high and pretending that nothing ever happened.

Slade still made a point of trying to catch me after practice. I rushed off with Miranda and left, but it seemed like he wasn’t going to just let me go this easily. A few minutes later I got a text from him.

‘Don’t be surprised to see me at your dorm tonight. We’re not done.’

I made sure to send a reply long before Miranda and I got to the dorm.

‘We’re through. Don’t show up unless you want me to call campus security.’

This was the night before SECs. He couldn’t risk getting into anything right now. The team had worked too hard for him to go screw it up by knocking out some wannabe rent-a-cop tonight. That was where a confrontation would take him, and I was sure he knew it too. Taking a breath, I walked inside with Miranda, climbed the stairs and headed to our room.

* * *

‘
I
’m sorry
. Please call me.’

‘Can I come see you?’

‘I still have feelings for you.’

‘I’ve never felt this way about anyone else.’

‘Hey, Cassidy, it’s Slade. Please give me a call. I’m really sorry about how things went down, and I’d like to make it up to you if you would just give me the chance. Again, I’m sorry. Call me.’

Over a twenty-four hour period, Slade had left me countless voicemail messages and text messages saying essentially the same thing. He was heartbroken and wanted me back. I found it somewhat entertaining that all of a sudden he could call and text me when he hadn’t been able to before.

I stopped checking them after the first couple of hours. It was like old times, back before the semester started, except now he came at me on the phone as well, instead of just in the hallway between classes.

There was nothing to hold me back here in Baton Rouge after graduation. I could finally get out and see the world. I’d held on to our investor’s business card, and planned that over the Christmas break, I would send along my resume and see if I could parlay that opportunity into something tangible. In a few short months, after walking across the stage to get my degree, I could be stepping off a plane and into a real life career, getting me out of Backwater Parish, Louisiana.

It was all for the best, really, and in no time at all, I would be past it. I’d made a bet with myself that I would be over Slade by Christmas Break. Or else I didn’t know what I’d do. He’d already ruined my fall semester. I couldn’t let him ruin spring, too. The worst part of it all was losing my best friend because I was too blind to see what was happening.

I’d texted Shawn a few more times, but with no reply.

‘Please call me. We need to talk.’

‘I miss you. I miss my best friend.’

‘Shawn, I need you. I need to talk to you. Call me.’

The texts got pretty desperate, but he never messaged or called back. I was happy for him, though. He was talking to Miranda, and she spent a few hours after practice with her face glued to the phone as they messaged each other back and forth like a couple of high school kids. It was cute. I loved the way it made her eyes light up. Still, I did want to borrow my best friend back from Miranda every once in a while, just to vent and to hear how he was doing. I missed him more now that I’d gotten the wake-up call about Slade. Still, he didn’t reply to a single text so it was my time to deal with the repercussions of what I’d cause him.

* * *

M
iranda got
up to get a drink from our minibar fridge. Her thumbs were probably worn out from texting Shawn too. Before she picked up her phone again, she sat at the edge of my bed.

“What happened with Slade?”

“What?” It felt like that question had come out of left field.

“You know, before practice?”

I looked at her and just shook my head. “He and his football buddies and their frat brothers are all a piece of work.”

“You’re only figuring that out now?”

“Good point.”

“Look, I’m sure he did something stupid, but maybe you need to cut him some slack.”

“Me cut
him
some slack?”

“What you did at practice, calling him out like that, it was wrong. That was a bitch move right there.” She wasn’t holding any punches today.

“I didn’t say what I should have, and even if I did, he deserved it. I’m not apologizing or giving anyone any slack.”

“Why?”

“Because my ass is not a freaking table game at the casino.”

She laughed.

“Why do you think that’s funny?”

“Because it is. Lighten up. We’re at college. Guys do that all the time, and trust me, Slade won’t be the last to make a bet on your ass. Sure, it was stupid, but that bet was going long before you two warmed up to each other, and when you two finally clicked, he called it off. By then too many people knew, and that Evan…well, he’s Evan. He stirs up shit for breakfast.”

“Slade could have come clean.”

“True, but he’s a guy. It was just a dumb joke.”

“What if it had been you?” I asked.

She raised her eyebrows. “Look at me, Cassidy. It’s Miranda you’re talking to. If I gave a crap about what those jocks think of me, I’d never go over there for the free beer. I’d have hung myself by now. I’d be one of the damn ghost stories around here. You just have to roll with it. I roll with every damn thing people throw at me, but at the same time, I know when it’s just joking and when they’re being assholes.”

“I don’t know. What about all those times he ditched our project meetings or never returned my texts?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, but he’s been bussing tables for his landlord.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I went out to eat with some people in one of my classes and I saw him. The frat house owner went apeshit about some furniture Slade damaged at one of the keg parties.”

“When did this happen?”

“About the second week of school.”

“And you’re only telling me now?”

She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a vault. Anyway, the landlord owns a restaurant, and told Slade he could either work off the cost of the repairs or the fraternity would probably get kicked out.”

“So he was working all this time?”

“Yep. That might be why he can’t always get back to you. Cut him some slack, Cassidy. You don’t know everything…Anyway, I’m hungry. I’m going to see what I can round up from the vending machine down the hall.” Miranda grabbed her wallet and left me sitting on my bed questioning everything.

My phone buzzed a minute after she left the room. I fished it out of my pocket, and just as I was about to swipe to ignore the call, I saw Shawn’s name at the top of the screen.

“Hey, Cassidy,” he said. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

“You, too. I was just talking to Miranda.”

“Me too.”

“She’s grabbing something to eat. So…are you doing okay?”

“I’m good. Hey, there’s some stuff I need to say.”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back in touch with you before now. I didn’t take the news about you and my brother well, and it didn’t help to see you and him…well, you know how that went. I’ve done a lot of thinking lately, and I was wrong for cutting you out like that. I’m sorry. I owe our friendship a lot more than that.

“Thanks.”

“Slade on the other hand, I’m still gonna duke it out with him over Christmas.”

“Geez. Remind me to keep a solid ten feet away so no one knocks me out this time.”

“Yeah, that was not cool that we hurt you like that…Hey. I want to say something else about Slade… Slade is an ass. A huge, epic dick, but he would never do anything to hurt you. He’s cared about you for a long time…I was the selfish one.”

It was ironic. Everyone had been telling me how horrible he was, and now that he’d screwed up and left me looking like a fool, everyone changed their tune. Now, Slade was the good guy. He was just misunderstood.

Shawn continued. “I know he has a reputation, but with school and sports, he’s a closet over-achiever. He doesn’t like people to know that he’ll bust his ass when it comes down to it, you know?”

Crap.

Where was Shawn to set me straight two months ago, or even two hours ago?

I laughed. “Yeah, I figured that out.”

“I have to go, Cassidy, but if you and Slade are a thing, you have my blessing. Talk to you soon.”

I put my phone back in my pocket after he hung up.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?