Tutoring the Player (Campus Wallflowers #1)(14)

“You’re right. I don’t get it. I mean, I understand, but that doesn’t sound fair. Because he’s not playing well, the team blames him for the losses? Isn’t the whole point of a team that you’re stronger together? If he were playing well, you wouldn’t say he won you the game. Why should a loss be blamed on a single guy?”

I mull that over. It isn’t exactly the way I’d put it, but she isn’t wrong either. No one is blaming Liam for us losing. We just know we can be a hell of a lot better with him playing well.

Before I can respond, the door opens, and Liam walks in.

“Hey.” His gaze goes straight for Daisy and his face breaks out into a wide smile. “What are you doing here?”

She stands and pink dots her cheekbones. “Hi.”

An awkward beat passes before she blurts out, “I’m sorry to drop in like this. I have sort of a favor to ask.”

“Sounds interesting.” Liam continues to smile at her. “Let me just toss my stuff in my room.”

I guess that’s my cue. Liam comes back out and sits next to her on the couch. That’s the last thing I see before I stand and start toward my room to give them some privacy.

Sitting at my desk, I open my laptop to do homework. Liam’s voice carries through the thin wall, but I can’t make out Daisy’s quieter words. Adrenaline vibrates under my skin. What are they talking about out there?

“Yeah,” Liam says so enthusiastically that a pit forms in my stomach.

She did it. I can’t believe she did it. She actually asked him out. Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have invited her up. Fuck.

Daisy’s voice climbs as she thanks him. I stare at the screen of my laptop, then snap the lid closed. Their voices move closer, and the door to the hallway opens. Leaning back in my chair, I can see Liam standing with the door held open and the slightest sliver of her dark blonde hair in front of him. I push back a little more until I can see her through the crack in the door. She has a nice smile. Full lips hide straight, white teeth. When the corners of her mouth pull high enough, she gets a cute little smile wrinkle on the left side of her cheek.

Balancing on the back two legs of the chair, I tilt back another inch to watch as Liam steps closer. It’d be a bold and uncharacteristic move for him to kiss her, but my heart stops as I wait to see how far he’ll go. His arms lift at the same time my legs go over my head, and I’m unceremoniously dropped on my head.

I curse the chair and groan as I pick myself up. She’s gone by the time I glance toward the door again.

“Everything okay in here?” Liam steps into my room and eyes the chair overturned in front of my desk.

“Fine.” I right the chair and rub my elbow. “Daisy left already?”

“Please.” He sits on the end of my bed. “Like you weren’t in here eavesdropping.”

Sitting back at my desk chair, I smile. “She talks too damn quiet. I assume you said yes?”

A deep laugh leaves my buddy. “Yeah, it’s no problem. It’ll only take an hour or two.”

His shrug is so blasé I struggle to find the words. “Only take an hour or two? I’m confused. That’s a good thing?”

He tilts his head to the side. “What is it you think she asked me to do for her?”

“To go out on a date. What else?”

His shoulders and chest shake with laughter before I hear it.

I toss a pencil at him. “What the hell is so funny? She’s obviously into you.”

“You think?”

“It’s painful to watch someone be so oblivious,” I tell him. “Yes, that little mouse just tracked you down and waited for you to get home so she could… well, fuck, I don’t even know what now. But whatever she asked, what she was really hoping for, was a date.”

“That sounds better than what I signed us up for.” One side of his mouth lifts. “She needs a couple of strong guys to move some flowers for an event in January.”

“Oh.” I can’t hide my surprise. “That’s it?”

Liam nods. “Yeah, man. That’s it.”

I take in a deep breath and lean back in my chair. “You’re not going out with her then?”

He shakes his head and gets to his feet. He gives my door two taps on his way out, then takes a step back inside my room. “By the way, she said to tell you the answer is Pascal’s Law.”

“The answer to what?”

“I’m not sure. That’s all she said. PlayStation?”

“Nah, I need to finish a couple of assignments before we leave tomorrow.”

“Cool.” He leaves my room for real this time, and I open my laptop and type Pascal’s Law into the search engine. I know it, of course, but I don’t understand what she’s trying to tell me.

I pace the room, equal parts annoyed and intrigued. I really do have some homework to finish up before the bus pulls out tomorrow for Utah, but I can’t focus on anything else but Daisy’s cryptic message.

I pull up my email and type her name into the directory. Daisy Johnson.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Pascal

I give up. How is Pascal’s Law the answer? And what was the question anyway?