SCORE (A Stepbrother Sports Romance)(14)

I hoped practice would improve my mood. We ran a few plays, and my focus got better. The world whirled around me as I ran fast and hard down the field, pushing myself. I dodged the other players and performed every play with ease. By the time practice was over, I was a gloriously sweaty mess, and I headed to the showers, waving to Alyssa, who was waiting for me near the bleachers.

I took a quick shower and changed, noticing I was the first one to leave the locker room. I wondered if I was being too eager, but I couldn’t help myself. I was excited to spend time with her. I jogged over to Alyssa. It felt weird to be so exhilarated for studying, but being around her made anything seem exciting.

“How was practice?” she asked me as we walked away from the football field.

“Good, actually. I guess you were right about today,” I said, smiling down at her. We walked close, our arms brushing as we moved.

“I’m always right,” she told me playfully.

“Well, your day can’t go wrong with me around,” I said slyly, giving her a wink. She rolled her eyes, but the small smirk on her face indicated that I might be right. As we walked, I noticed we weren’t heading in the right direction for the library. “Where are we going?” I asked, interrupting the comfortable silence that had surrounded us.

“Oh…well, I was studying in the library during practice, and it’s full of kids cramming for finals, so I thought we could go somewhere quieter.”

My skin prickled at the thought of being completely alone with Alyssa. I pushed the thought away, reminding myself I had to focus on the schoolwork. Alyssa led me up the stairs of the main building. She pulled out a set of keys as we approached one of the many doors that lined the side of the long, empty hallway.

“I’m the assistant TA for this class, and I was able to get the keys so we could study in here,” she explained as she unlocked and opened the door. I raised my eyebrows, impressed.

We walked into the empty classroom, which looked more like a chemistry lab than an actual classroom, with two rows of oblong desks that each sat two people. Most of the tables had beakers and measuring cups. The table closest to the door was empty, and I watched as Alyssa set her stuff down, pulling out textbooks and binders full of neat, hand-written notes.

I smiled at the cute wrinkle on her face as she flipped through books. She looked up at me and said, “Well, are we going to study or what?”

I chuckled and tossed my backpack on the table, taking the seat next to her. I watched her as she talked, but I was so focused on her plump, pink lips moving that I didn’t hear her words.

“Hellooooo?” She dragged out the word as she waved a hand in front of my face. I laughed and knocked her hand aside, electricity jolting as her skin touched mine. I pulled my hand quickly away from hers. The few inches of our skin connecting was enough to send me reeling.

“Sorry.” I dragged in a breath and let out a low, wheezy laugh. “What were you saying?”

She blinked a few times before answering, apparently caught off-guard, then finally stuttered, “I was…uh, asking what you wanted to go over first?”

I let out a sigh and turned to my textbooks. I slid out a large, heavy green one labeled “Biology.” With a sigh, I tapped the cover and said, “This is probably my most difficult class right now.”

She nodded and pulled out the same book from her backpack, setting it on the table with a loud thud. I watched her carefully as she flipped delicately through the pages and pulled out one of her many binders to look through the notes.

“We’re not in the same class timeslot, but we have the same professor. We’ll have to take the same exam, and I have loads of notes on this subject,” Alyssa informed me. Her voice had an edge of excitement in it, as if she actually found joy in helping me.

We studied for almost an hour together, our bodies less than a foot apart, and I could feel her warm breath breeze by me as she spoke softly. By the end of the hour, I was anxious and antsy, the proximity between us almost unbearable. I couldn’t stop staring at the soft, bare skin on her neck, desperate to press my lips against her throat and taste it, sweet and supple. I shook my head and focused on the book in front of me.

Alyssa looked at me and said, “Do you want to take a break? You look a little distracted.”

I nodded and shot up from my chair, my muscles tense from being so near to her. She stared at me, semi-confused. I spoke quickly to reassure her. “Yeah, I just have to use the bathroom. I’ll be back.”

I left the classroom and let out a long, heavy sigh. Being in a different room than Alyssa meant I could finally breathe properly. I took a walk down the hallway and cleared my mind of her. I didn’t actually have to use the bathroom, so I headed down the empty hallway and leaned against a wall, taking another minute to collect myself.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my jeans pocket. Brittney had sent me a text message. I grimaced, annoyed, but clicked to open the message anyway. My eyes scanned the text on the screen quickly. Hey, take me to the party on Friday?? It was followed by several smiley faces.

I almost clicked delete, but she would be a good distraction, so I texted her a reply saying that I would pick her up before the party. I headed back to the classroom with my phone clutched tightly in my hand. I opened the door quietly and watched Alyssa sitting gracefully at the desk, scrolling on her phone. Before she looked up, I noticed she had taken off her white sweater, leaving her in a tight, white camisole and her little pink skirt.