Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
He studies me, his face twisting up as he considers his options. “Okay, then. I know what I can kick your ass at.”
“Try me.”
We head over to the Skee-Ball machines, competing to see who can get the highest score. Dax is laid-back, effortlessly sinking his into the 100 corner pockets. I’m more determined throughout the game. Same end result—the score is still tight—but definitely different attitudes to get us there.
As I sink another ball into the 100 pocket, I can’t help thinking about how so many of these games have something to do with getting something in a hole, which just keeps my mind going back to Ty’s words…thinking about his thick dick.
I miss my pocket, and Dax wins this round.
“Dammit,” I say. “You got me, frathole.”
“Ooh, even when you try to sound playful, you sound annoyed as fuck when you lose. No wonder you and Ty are always at each other’s throats. I’m probably betraying some kind of Sigma Alpha oath by telling you this, but Ty got so worked up last year every time Alpha Theta Mu did better at TaskFrat.”
Am I a monster for how good it feels knowing how much it bothered him? Or is it exciting knowing he was thinking about me even back then?
“What about this year?” I ask. “We won the last challenge.”
“He didn’t seem as bothered. Maybe because it’s early enough in the year, so he knows we have plenty of time to kick your asses. And as a Sigma Alpha, I must tell you, we’re definitely gonna kick your asses. Although…I probably shouldn’t say even that much now. Ty was all in my face, like I was gonna come here and haze you tonight.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. I know we go out of our way to give you guys hell, but I think he respects you because you’re a worthy adversary.”
I’m not surprised to hear it, but I don’t want to give away anything about my new feelings about Ty, so I just say, “Well, if you’re recording to get me to say something nice about the guy, I think he’s an asshole who needs to accept that Alpha Theta Mu is gonna kick your asses this year.” I say all that loudly, leaning close like he’s wearing a wire, and Dax chuckles.
“You guys. Have you always been this way? Like supercompetitive?”
“Pretty much,” I admit. “I don’t think I’ve mentioned this, but I had an older brother, Kacey. He passed away when I was younger. He was very competitive, couldn’t really do anything without it becoming a competition.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Not the sort of thing you go around chatting about, you know?”
“I hear that. My brother is competitive too, but that had the opposite effect on me. Made me pretty chill about stuff. I enjoy friendly competition, but I’m a good sport about losing.”
“I’m not like that. At all.” I laugh nervously, biting my lip.
“That’s sexy,” he says. “When you bite your lip.”
A part of me is waiting for Ty to appear out of nowhere and tackle Dax to the ground.
“That wasn’t me flirting with you, man,” Dax says. “Just giving you a compliment. Don’t worry. I can tell you have zero interest in me.”
“Huh?”
“I think you’re hot as fuck, but trust me, I know when guys are into me. And the way you’ve been acting tonight, it’s clear you just want to be friends, and I wanted to say I’m cool with that. So…who’s the lucky someone?”
I eye him. “What makes you think there’s a someone? You think that about everyone who’s not into you?”
“Naw, you’ve been spacing every five seconds.”
“I could be thinking about work or school. Maybe I’m working out my essay for my Tissue Mechanics class.”
“So this is how you look when you think about Tissue Mechanics…” He stares off, tilting his head, a dreamy look in his eyes, giving an overdramatic performance of what I was doing.
“Okay, okay.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “Enough of that. Maybe I’m caught, then. There is someone.”
It feels criminal to call Ty a someone when he’s more than that—he’s Ty fucking Lancaster.
“They must be pretty special if they managed to catch your interest.”
I notice Dax isn’t assuming this someone is a girl, and I have a feeling he knows, but he’s sensitive enough not to press. Reminds me that he’s a good person to talk to, especially about some of these things running through my head, and while part of me fears he might connect that it’s Ty, the reality is, it could just as easily be some guy at Alpha Theta Mu, so it’s not like talking about my feelings will out his fratmate.
“Since you mentioned this person…” I say, “I have been struggling with some stuff recently. Well, struggling might not be the right word. I’ve had girlfriends, but those happened because they were usually someone I was friends with already and things developed slowly.”