Bitter Sweet Heart (Lies, Hearts & Truths #2)(16)

“I don’t know how much of a thing we ever really were, but she’s having trouble letting go.”

“She was here a lot at the beginning of the semester. Didn’t you take her on a date to a movie? Or am I remembering that wrong?” He scratches his forearm, then pulls his shirtsleeve down to cover his wrist.

I sigh. “The whole movie situation was supposed to be a group thing, but it ended up being the two of us. She keeps showing up wherever the team is, so my go-to tactic is avoidance.” And has been since Clover took over the creative writing class. Being involved with someone feels wrong for whatever reason. “I’m not dating right now. Gotta stay focused.” Kody knows about my end-of-summer hookup, mostly because I was late for practice the next day. But he doesn’t know she’s currently my professor.

“I thought you were low-key seeing someone after the Carly thing ended,” he muses.

I did make an offhand comment about seeing someone who wasn’t into the party scene back when him and Lavender first started dating. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek since I was stuck on the Clover situation and the fact that I was seeing her on a weekly basis. “That ran its course,” I sort of lie.

“Oh, that makes sense.” He nods. “You wanna hang out for a bit? I’m watching replays of our last game against Illinois State.”

I should go upstairs and work on that creative writing assignment, but I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to hang out with Kody since he started dating my sister, and I could use the distraction. Being alone with my thoughts isn’t very alluring. “Yeah, sure. Want me to grab you a beer?”

“Yeah. Great. That’d be awesome.”

I leave my gym bag and backpack at the bottom of the stairs and stop by the kitchen to grab a snack and two bottles of beer. But the second I return, Lavender comes barreling into the living room.

“Vaginaland is open for business!” She makes a V in front of her crotch and then stops mid-thrust when she realizes I’m standing there. “Oh hey, Mav. If you can pretend you didn’t see or hear that, that would be great.” Her face turns red in patches that also cover her neck.

“You’re not worried about BJ?” I thumb over at him.

“He’s asleep.”

“That’s what you think.” BJ cracks a lid. His eyeball shifts from Lavender to Kody—who’s frozen like a statue, eyes comically wide with horror—over to me. He reaches for the lever on the side of the chair and pulls the footrest down. “Way to make things awkward, Lav.”

“I thought Kody was alone—or mostly alone! And what’s awkward is when Maverick’s past flavors of the month stop by looking for him, and I have to be the one to give them the bad news that he’s having a herpes flare up!” She pinwheels her arms like a drunk octopus.

“Wait! What? You don’t seriously tell people I have herpes, do you?” While I can deal with rumors, that sure isn’t one I want to contend with.

Lavender rolls her eyes. “Of course not. I’m not that much of an asshole. But I did tell a girl at one of your parties that you broke your dick when you tripped over some dirty underwear on the way to the bathroom. I also told her you probably wouldn’t be back in the saddle until next semester. I was doing you a favor, because she seemed a little obsessed with you. Like, she knew all your stats and could list every single girl you dated last year. She did stop by with a card and some chocolates, which I told her I would give to you, but I threw them out because it seemed a little too, ‘Tag, You’re It,’ circa Melanie Martinez’s Cry Baby album. You’re welcome for saving you from that potential stalker nightmare.”

“Did you get her name?”

“No. But I think she hangs out with Bethany.” Lavender’s eyes slide Kody’s way for a second.

None of us are surprised when he purses his lips and grumbles, “Can we treat her like Voldemort and never say her name again?”

“You, of all people, should know you can’t run away from your past,” Lavender says. “Anyway, like I said, I’m done with my assignment, so you’re allowed back in my room whenever you’re done bromancing.” She makes a circle motion to the room and spins around, heading back the direction she came from.

“Now that the entertainment is over, I gotta head home.” BJ pushes out of the chair, pats Kody on the head, and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “See you guys when I run out of food or I get bored, whichever happens first.”

Kody’s phone pings. He glances down at the screen and gives me a sheepish look. “Sorry about that.” He motions to the space where Lavender was standing.

“Eh, it’s Lavender. She inherited the same faulty filter as I did.” I let him off the hook. “Why don’t we take a raincheck on the beers. I need to work on an assignment anyway.”

“Maybe we can go for a late lunch after practice tomorrow or something?” He gathers his things and unfolds his legs.

“That works.”

“Cool. See you in the morning.” He rushes up the stairs, leaving me alone.

I put the beers back in the fridge and head for my room, glad my sister’s is on the third floor, in the attic, and that it’s not directly over mine.

Now that I’m home and not in quite the same panicked state, I realize all over again how bad my situation with Professor Sweet could be. She has every right to report me.