Ziz put a hand on my arm. “I’m fine, really. I’m about ready to head home anyway.”
“No way. As you pointed out, this is the last weekend to get crazy for a while.” Unlike me, she didn’t have football, but her engineering course load was grueling. And again, unlike me, she actually gave a shit about getting A’s in her classes.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, she appeared guilty as she looked toward my friends. “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s time.”
“Ziz, knock that shit off. The only way you’ll ruin my time is if you won’t hang out.” Running into her had been a stroke of luck. I always had a good time, but now I could have a great time.
“What about your friends?”
I shrugged. “If they want to stay, then fine. The two of us can have fun.” I spent plenty of time with my teammates. But I hadn’t seen enough of Zizzo recently. We used to hang out way more. I didn’t know why that had changed.
I tapped Jimmy on the shoulder. “Are you okay with going back to my place? Or do you want to say here?”
He shrugged. “I’m up for whatever.”
I looked at… shit… Nicole. Nicole, Nicole, Nicole. I needed to remember that. “How about you?”
She cast a sly look at Jimmy before responding. “Sure.”
I grinned. “See, Ziz? It’s settled.” I draped my arm around her shoulders. “Who looks out for you?” Even when you think you don’t need it. It didn’t matter, though. I would always have Ziz’s back, whether it meant kicking some guy’s ass for ogling her or forcing her to unwind.
She sighed. Her exasperation was just a show, though, because she was fighting a smile. “You.”
“Damn straight.”
CHAPTER 2
Becca
“TELL ME ABOUT Jimmy,” I said.
Ignoring or not hearing my question, Carson frowned while he surveyed the spread on his kitchen counter. “Do you think this is enough?” He’d insisted on stopping at Kroger on the way home, and he’d picked up every kind of mixer imaginable—orange juice, soda, cranberry juice, sweet and sour mix, and even grenadine. He’d also bought snacks—fruit and cheese platters, chips and dip, and cheesecake, of all things. I’d waited in the car, and the sight of him strutting out of the store with a shopping cart full of groceries was comical.
“This is a ridiculous amount of food,” I told him. “There are only four of us. And it’s not like it’s mealtime.”
“Yeah, but at the bar, they had a full menu. If anyone is hungry, I want to make sure there’s something they like.” That was Carson logic.
“I don’t think cheesecake is on the bar menu,” I pointed out.
He grinned. “Upgrade, right?”
He was so pleased with himself, I couldn’t help but smile and agree. “Upgrade. Back to my earlier question—tell me about Jimmy.”
Carson picked at the plastic seal on the cheese platter. “What do you want to know?”
“Well…” I leaned around the wall so I could see into the living room, where Jimmy and Nicole were sitting. Carson’s place was a townhouse instead of an apartment. His dad had bought it, saying it made more financial sense to own rather than rent while Carson was at school. His roommate had moved out at the end of last year, so now it was just him. “Nicole seems into him, so I was just wondering about him.”
“He’s an okay guy.”
That told me nothing. I pursed my lips. “Would you be okay if I dated him?”
“Hell no.” His response was immediate and firm.
I crossed my arms. “If he’s not acceptable for me, then he’s not acceptable for Nicole.”
Carson leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “He’s acceptable.”
“You just said he wasn’t.”
“For you. But for her, he’s probably fine.”
“Probably fine?” I gaped at him. “Don’t be an ass. Nicole is my friend.”
“I don’t know him all that well, but I don’t have anything bad to say about him.”
“Then why wouldn’t he be acceptable for me to date?”
Carson’s jaw clenched. “Are you saying you want to date him?”
I threw my hands up. “No! Haven’t you been paying attention? Nicole seems into him. I don’t understand your standards. If I shouldn’t date him, then neither should my friend.”
He looked at me like I was the one talking in circles and being asinine. “He’s an okay guy, so I won’t cockblock him. But I won’t let you date him because I don’t know him well enough.”
Closing my eyes, I rubbed my fingertips in circular motions over my temples. “You don’t get to let me date or not date someone.”
“Uh, yeah, I do.”
My eyes snapped open. “No, you don’t.”
“Remember Brody?”
“Oh… my… God.” I rolled my shoulders and let my head fall back so I was staring at the ceiling. “That was junior year of high school.” Besides the fact that he was referring to something that had happened nearly five years ago, it wasn’t some horrible experience. Brody had been a senior in my calculus class. When his girlfriend broke up with him a week before prom, I agreed to go with him. At the dance, he made up with his ex-girlfriend and ended up leaving with her, stranding me at the hotel. It wasn’t that big of a deal—more annoying than anything. I should have known better than to call Roman to pick me up. He and Carson had swooped into the Marriott to save me like my life had been in peril. I was pretty sure they had words with Brody afterward because he’d moved his seat away from mine in calculus after that.
“No one ever mistreated you again.”
“Yeah, because you and Roman scared away any guy that got within five feet of me.” Even back in high school, Carson had been intimidating. Well over six feet tall, he’d already had biceps bigger than my head. Though my brother wasn’t as bulky as Carson, he was no slouch either. The two of them made a formidable pair.
“I don’t see the problem.”
Of course he doesn’t. To be fair, I’d never complained. For the most part, I hadn’t minded. Even in high school, my studies had taken up most of my time, not to mention all the extracurriculars I’d been involved in. It had all paid off, though, in the form of scholarships. And that was a good thing because out-of-state tuition wasn’t cheap. Anyway, I hadn’t bothered to develop my own extensive social networks. It was easier—and more fun—to hang out with Carson and Roman.
“Forget it,” I muttered.
“Are you?” Carson countered. “What’s going on with you, Ziz?”
“It’s Becca.” I didn’t know why I bothered correcting him because I’d long ago stopped trying to change that. He’d started calling me by my last name freshman year. I guessed since my brother wasn’t there, I’d become the Zizzo of VVU.
“Hey.” Carson’s voice was soft as he stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”
I smiled tightly. “Nothing that a drink won’t fix.”