"Maybe?"
"Maybe," I repeat, glaring at Stephan as we enter my dorm room. "You told Alix Russel, who clearly thinks I'm 'stealing you away,' maybe?"
"You didn't steal me," he rolls his eyes, placing my soccer bag down. "She knew where we stood." He takes a seat on my bed.
"That was a dickhead comment," I state, heading to the washroom, peeling off my sweaty jersey and shorts, leaving me in my black compression shorts and sports bra.
"More like a truthful statement," his voice carries to the washroom. I peek back into the room to see him now sitting on the floor, his head resting on the side of the bed.
"Well, I don't want to go," I say, coming into the room, my arms crossed. His eyes trail up until they meet mine.
"Neither do I, Delezarâ"
"They're your friends," I retort, rolling my eyes. "Plus, I'm tired."
"You looked like you could play another forty minutes." He wasn't wrong, Id play another two games if I had to. "We pop our heads in, make our happy couple appearance, leave."
"Fine." I pause. "Whose party is it?"
"One of the football guys. Does it matter?"
"No." Yes, Yes it does.
I rummage through my closet, trying to find something that won't make people question, "Why is he with her?" with a snotty expression. I settle on a tight black mini skirt and a matching cropped tube top. I head back into the washroom, taking the fastest shower known to mankind and giving my hair the quickest blowout my hands can manage. I put on the outfit and walk out of the room to see Stephan on his phone.
He lets his phone fall on his lap in response to my presence and his eyes dart to my face before they fall, trailing down my legs. "You sure you're not trying to leave with someone else?" His eyes narrow at me as he gets up, stepping closer.
"Relax." I walk over to the closet, putting on my wine leather bomber jacket and some crew socks.
"It wouldn't matter if you wore a garbage bag, Delezar," he says, his tone flat.
"Careful, that almost sounded like a compliment." My eyebrows shoot up, and my eyes trail from his black T-shirt down to his black denim jeans and sambas.
"Why, you catching feels?" His eyes narrow, and I roll mine before reaching into the back of my closet to grab my own pair of sambas. I choose to ignore his amused expression and instead walk toward the door as he trails behind me.
+++
This is not my idea of a post-game celebration. In fact, this is not my idea of anything remotely enjoyable. This apartment is worse than Cherry's. It's not just filled with athletes and girls pretty enough to be invited, but it's also small, which means the twenty - five or so people here are paying attentionâto us, to me.
"I'll be right back," Stephan speaks into my ear over the moderately loud music before disappearing. To my shameful admission, I know my way around this apartment, I walk around till i'm in the living room. My eyes scan the room, spotting familiar faces I've seen on stat profiles, and good ones at that. There's Demarcus Trentâfootball, Max Popovâsoccer, Hunter Freemanâhockey, and now Mike Dennisâtennis, who approaches me with a red solo cup in hand.
Even if you don't follow tennis, you know Mike, everyone knows Mike. To put it shortly, he makes most of these guys here look like Mother Teresa.
"Haven't seen you around," he says, offering an attractive smile, his eyes trailing to my lips. Mike is the worst kind of hot; the kind that knows it, and uses it to get whatever, whomever he wants. His soft blond curls fall over his forehead, and his hazel eyes hold steady eye contact.
"This isn't normally my scene," I shrug.
"Clearly, I would've noticed you before." He hands me a drink, and I hold onto it. "Mike." His hand reaches out.
"I know who you are," I state, and he smirks in response "And you are?"
In a matter of seconds, in a swift motion, Stephan's arm slings over my shoulder a drink in hand, now resting over my left shoulder while his other hand meets Mike's offering a short but firm shake. "Taken."
The tension is palpable as Stephan's presence asserts dominance, something that should make me roll my eyes. Mike's eyes flick between us, his confident facade faltering slightly. Stephan moves his arm from my shoulder to around my waist pulling me closer, a silent declaration that sends a clear message.
Mike recovers quickly, his smile returning, albeit with a hint of something more calculated. "Ah, Stephan Westerman. Didn't realize you were off the market."
"Now you do," Stephan replies smoothly, his tone carrying an edge. Mike puts his hands up in surrender, a smirk still playing on his lips before he walks away, Stephan removing his grasp in response.
"Who gave you this?" Stephan asks, motioning to the cup in my hands.
"Mike." I state.
"Yeah, fuck no." He grabs the cup and switches it for the one he had.
"How should I know to trust you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"At your own risk, sweetheart," he says lowly, his voice barely audible over the music. I take a sip whilst maintaining eye contact.
"Diet coke, that's cute." My eyes shift away, the sarcasm light in my voice.
"The fuck?" We both look behind us to see Tommy with an olive-toned curly haired girl under his arm, visible hickeys scattered across her neck.
"What are you doing here? You hate Austin," Stephan asks his tone serious.
"Who doesn't?" Tommy shrugs and then looks at me. "Ah, Sofia." He greets and I smile in response.
"So, you guys also see each other here? orrr..." Tommy asks, clearly tipsy. His words slurred, as he sways slightly, the girl clinging to him.
"We came together," Stephan states. "That's what couples do?" He speaks as if it were obvious, and Tommy's expression widens in surprise.
"You and dating is never implied, Stephany. I mean, sure, there was tension that was blatantly obvious, but I thought you guys were gonna fuck it out." He says with all seriousness, leaving both me and Stephan in silence and the bluntness of his statement hanging in the air awkwardly.
"lay off the drinks," Stephan responds, his tone dry.
"Deflection isn't cute, Stephany," Tommy says pointing his finger, then turning to the girl and whispering something in her ear as she pulls him away, before they Inevitably head upstairs or somewhere more private.
"Let's make our rounds and then head out," Stephan turns back to me, taking my hand and leading me through the crowd. We soon come across a group of people, a mix of guysâone in particular I'm avoidingâand girls sitting on the floor playing what looks like a drinking game.
"You two, come join us," Alix smiles, though her tone is more demanding than inviting.
"We're good," Stephan starts, "I'm not drinking tonight."
"Okay, Mr. Changed Man, that's not the point." Alix rolls her eyes, gets up, and shoves a soda into his hand and tugs him downwards, before sitting where she was seated before. Stephan reluctantly sits down, earning a pat on the back from one of his football buddies.
"You can sit beside me," a brunette, clearly one of Alix's friends, says with a scheming smile.
I hate these people, God I hate these people.
I make my way towards her sitting down, not that I care whether I sit next to Stephan or not, but out of the selection in this room he'd be my best bet. The girl pours vodka into a solo cup and hands it to me.
"I'll start," Demarcus says, "take a shot or a PG sip." His eyes look to Stephan before continuing. "if you've had a... threesome."
Surprisingly, quite a few people take a shot, including the girl beside me. I watch Stephan to see his bored expression, his soda remaining untouched.
"Drink if you like anyone in this room," Someone else adds. Almost everyone takes a drink, including Alix, whose eyes dart to Stephan. However, his gaze meets mine while we both take sips, one a lot more painful than the other.
"Boring," Alix interrupts, her eyes widening. "Drink if you've fucked anyone in this room." She follows that statement with a shot, looking pointedly at Austin Tebow to her right, then another shot and an obvious stare at Stephan.
I glance at Stephan, who looks at Alix in annoyance before rolling his eyes and taking a sip from his drink. Alix's eyes then shoot to me, along with another cold blue-eyed glare I'd rather ignore. Stephan's gaze follows until he's looking at me while I bring the cup to my lips. His expression remaining unreadable. I give in, taking a decent drink, letting the acidic liquid burn my throat and dignity.
I ignore Stephan's lingering gaze. The game continues, and Alix's digs don't go unnoticed.
"Drink if you've slept with Stephan," The girl beside me chimes in. I choose to ignore whoever raises their cups and get up, leaving the room. I make my way out and past the people in the living room, taking a sharp left up the stairs toward the washroom.
"Holy shit," I overhear a girl whisper as I make my way up the steps.
"Yeah, and she's dating Stephan," another girl adds, which stops me in my tracks. I attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation coming from the hallway.
"She must be a total whore to tie him down." She laughs before continuing. "I mean, the dude fucks anything with a pulse, and she's not even that pretty."
I decide to continue on my way, walking right between the two girls, my head held high as they exchange wide-eyed looks. I open the bathroom door on the right-hand side, closing it behind me with an exhale. Not even seconds go by, and there's a knock at the door.
Great.
"Del?"
Even greater.
I don't respond, instead combing my hands through my hair in an attempt to calm the anger currently making me want to set fire to this entire house and hit Alix Russell and her posse of stupid gossipers with a chair.
"Sofia," Stephan says again, opening the door then closing it behind him. I curse myself for not locking it.
"What, Stephan?" My eyes bore into his soft expression. he dosent respond and I laugh bitterly.
"You don't see what's happening here, do you? What's happening now? They're painting me out to be some slutâ"
"Slut?" he repeats.
"Yeah, for being with you. "For sleeping with you"."
"And that's such a bad thing?" He rolls his eyes.
"I wouldn't know, and I'd like to keep it that way. Besides, it seems like everyone else has that covered."
"Are you calling me a slut?" He steps forward his tone running dry.
"I'm not denyingâ" He cuts me off.
"Who I've had sex with is none of your concern. Delezar." He pauses. "Remember your not actually my girlfriend."
"Right, but everyone in there thinks I am. And I'm not having fun being known for putting out to somehow tie you down." I brush past his shoulder and exit.
A/N Vote and comment <3
Alix Russel
Austin Tebow