Tutoring the Player (Campus Wallflowers #1)(6)

It’s a month into the season, and we look like shit. We only lost two guys to graduation and transfers at the end of last year, but our conference champ record is taunting us as we struggle to put the puck in the net. Coach decided we needed a little motivation in the form of skating our asses off for two hours.

My buddy curls up into a sitting position and lets out a long breath that puffs out his cheeks. “Wanna grab a beer at The Hideout?”

“Can’t. I have to finish that paper for tech writing.”

“You still haven’t done that?” The disbelieving grin he tosses my way doesn’t have any judgment in it. “I thought you were doing that last night when I crashed early.”

“Nah. I ended up playing video games with the guys across the hall. Then some girls from the volleyball team brought up a bottle of Malibu.”

“That explains the high-pitched noises coming from your bedroom when I got up to shower this morning. I thought you were singing along to Celine Dion again.”

“Hey, Celine’s got great pipes. So did Abby, or was it Anna?”

He gives his head a playful shake and then gets to his feet. “Finish it and then meet up with us.” Liam struggles to get his practice jersey over his head. We all look like we took a dip in the swimming pool after practice without removing our gear.

“I thought you said a beer?” He hardly ever drinks, especially during the week.

“It feels like a pitcher kind of night.”

No freaking shit. “Doubt I’ll make it but call me if you need a ride.”

He tosses his jersey in the laundry bin. “I’m not staying out that late. I’ll be home before you finish that paper, probably.”

I snort a laugh. “Later.”

Back at the dorms, I pull a half-eaten sandwich and a blue Powerade from the mini-fridge and sit at my desk. I scarf down the food while I pull up the document due tomorrow.

One sentence—that’s how much I’ve written on the three-to-five-page paper assigned two weeks ago. Damn. I knew I was going to regret putting it off as long as I did.

I turn on some music and twirl in my desk chair, hoping an idea comes to me. I can bullshit for three pages no problem, but I need some inspiration.

A knock at our suite door snatches my attention, and I shoot up, glad for a distraction.

“Leonard,” I say as I pull the door wide. “What’s up?”

Stepping back, I give him room to duck his head to enter. At six foot six, Gavin Leonard’s a good five inches taller than me and towers over the general population.

“Where’s Price?” he asks.

“He and some of the guys went out after practice.”

“And you stayed in?” He scans the suite I share with Liam, his gaze stopping on my open bedroom door. His voice drops to a whisper. “You got a girl in there?”

“Do you really think I’d be answering the door for your Gumby ass if I did?” I take a seat on the couch, and he drops into the chair. “What are you doing slumming it with us dorm-folk?”

He leans back with a smirk. Gavin lives at The White House with three other basketball players. It’s a palace. They have their own gym, pool, and media room. Must be freaking nice.

“Warren lives downstairs,” he says of one of his teammates.

“Uh-oh. What’d he do to deserve a visit from the team captain?”

A devious smile pulls at his lips. “Today’s his birthday. The guys took him out to dinner, and we filled every inch of floor in his room with cups of water for when he comes back.”

I bark a laugh at the image.

“For real,” he says. “What are you doing tonight? There’s a party at Sigma and a bunch of people at The Hideout.”

I rake a hand through my hair. “I have a paper due tomorrow.”

“So finish it and let’s go out. I’m meeting the guys in twenty.”

Indecision wars inside of me. “I shouldn’t. Practices have been awful, the team isn’t meshing, and we have a game on Friday.”

“Staying in while the rest of your guys are out isn’t going to magically make it come together.”

He’s probably not wrong about that. Still, I hesitate.

“What time is your first class tomorrow?” he asks.

“One I’m actually planning on attending?” I ask with a laugh. “Not until one.”

“Practice or workouts?”

I shake my head. Coach gave us the morning off to recover from the brutal conditioning we did today.

He stands tall. “What are we even talking about then? Come on. At least come say happy birthday to Warren, and then you can come back and finish it and still get a full eight hours of beauty sleep in.”

“Yeah, of course.” I stand. Warren came out for my twenty-first celebration. It’d be shitty not to go and at least have one beer with him.

When we walk up to Sigma, the scene is insane. I can barely see the front door with all the people standing in the front yard. And the party is in the back.

“Whoa,” I say as adrenaline hits. I love a good party.

“I told you.” Gavin pushes at my shoulder and stretches his long legs to hurry up to the house.

I texted Liam on the way to see if he wanted to meet up with us, but he was already headed back to the dorm. Be like Liam, I tell myself. One beer, and I’m out.