CHAPTER 2

“Hey man, let’s go. I’m damn famished.”

And there it was again, the shoulder hit. What was this guy’s obsession with smacking shoulders? Every time Dave hit me, it felt like a jab to my taped-up chest.

I was already in the worst mood possible, with cramps, mood swings, and the growing fear that I was probably stained. If I stood up right now, I would be toast. Might as well wave goodbye to this place and say hello to prison.

“You go ahead,” I said with a weak smile. “I just wanna get familiar with the place.”

“If you say so, man. See you around.”

And just like that, he was gone. One by one, the others started leaving. I kept my head low, trying not to shift in my seat. But then I heard that annoying voice.

I turned slowly.

Of course, it was her, the girl who took my seat earlier, and now, she was blatantly flirting with him. My savior.

From the look on his face, he couldn’t care less. He looked like he was watching paint dry.

Can they both just get the fuck out already?

As if he heard me, Jimmy stood up and walked out. She followed like a lost puppy.

I waited a bit, then quickly peeled off my black jacket and tied it around my waist like a makeshift shield. Head down, I slipped out of class and straight to my room.

Crisis successfully dodged.

But for how long?

*****

I didn’t know how long I had slept, but when I opened my eyes, the cramps had cooled off. Thank God for painkillers and hot water. I rolled onto my side, stretching a little…

OMG!

Balls.

Naked, jiggling, out there. Dave was fresh out of the shower, humming to himself while creaming his body like this was some damn skincare commercial.

I felt… violated.

Wait, did I seriously just say that?

I swallowed hard. I had planned to get up earlier to pee, but with the hefty equipment I just witnessed, I was now glued to my bed by pure fear. That thing had weight. Gravity-defying mass.

What the hell?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to erase the image, but nope. It was burned in there. Sleep, just sleep it off, Irish.

 *****

By the next morning, it was like I had been in this school for weeks. The nerves were still there, but less this time. The lectures were easier to follow, and I’d even caught myself laughing once or twice.

And yes, I finally got to know his name.

Jimmy.

Jimmy the Savior. Had a ring to it.

Thanks to my so-called new girlfriend, Lilly, I got the full tea. Apparently, he was the CEO of a tech company by 22, and now, at 26, he was back to get another degree. He is hot and rich, of course, every girl wants him.

Too bad I wouldn’t get to taste a single drop of that fine wine.

Irish! Behave!

“Idris, have you been listening?” Lilly snapped her fingers in front of my face.

That’s her, Lilly the Loud girl. This girl could talk through a hurricane and still be heard. Honestly, she’s in the wrong major. Journalism is calling.

Then the last professor walked in and, no lie, I nearly burst out laughing.

What in fashion hell is this?

Orange pants, purple shirt, yellow tie. Man looked like a Skittles commercial gone wrong.

“Today we’ll talk about predictive analytics,” he announced. “Any ideas, anyone?”

I knew this one. Quite easy. 

I raised my hand and started talking. Words spilled out of me before I even realized. I was on a roll, until I wasn’t.

Suddenly, the whole class was staring at me.

Oh no. I bit my lip, praying the earth would swallow me whole.

Then the professor clapped. “Boy, you are so good. Jimmy, looks like you’ve got a competitor now. Well done, boy.”

Competitor?

What kind of setup was this?

Why would he compare me to Zeus? I mean, Jimmy. Zeus is just what I call him in my head now.

I didn’t dare look up. I forced a smile and kept my eyes locked on the open notebook in front of me.

Class ended, finally.

“Hey, man. Let’s go.” I tapped Dave’s shoulder, just wanting to get back to the room and hide.

He turned around, smiling widely. “We have a match in 20 minutes, and you, my man, are on my team. I can’t wait to see those skills come out in play.”

Skills?

Oh. Shit.

I’d told him I was good at football. Lied straight through my teeth just to seem tough. A bad cover for all my other soft spots.

“I…”

“Come on, man! Let's get changed. We’ve got this!”

Before I knew it, we were in the dressing room.

He tossed me a jersey.

I stared at it like it was a death sentence.

The shorts were short, tight, and form-fitting.

No way.

Wearing this would put my ass on full display, and my taped chest wasn’t ready for this level of bounce.

“I’m good like this,” I blurted. “Let’s show them what we’ve got out there!”

What the hell was I saying?

I sounded like I was drunk in panic.

But it was too late.

We were already walking toward the pitch.

Irish, brace for the absolute worst. The teams lined up. The ref blew the whistle, and just as I took one step…

BAM!

A heavy thud slammed right into my forehead. Everything spun and went dark.