The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise

Chapter Ten

Dylan

“Iknow you’re in there, you asshole! Open the fucking door.”

Oh fuck.

“Who is it?” Zoe asked, still whispering.

I sighed and put her pizza on top of mine. Rubbing my neck, I went to open the door before someone called 911 for a noise complaint, or worse, Ms. Hilda decided to come out, if she hadn’t already.

I knew it would be pointless, but I still blocked his entrance.

“What the hell are you doing here JP?”

“Hello to you too, you motherfucker.”

Great.

I glanced at Zoe over my shoulder and she made a face that clearly said shit.

Shit, indeed.

I turned back to my impatient, pissed-off friend. “What do you want?”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe I’d ask such a question, and then he pushed me back, sweeping right into the apartment and coming face to face with Zoe.

“Oh, what do we have here?”

I exhaled a deep breath and closed the door. At least the dumbass had come alone.

When Zoe said hi, I turned around to find JP circling her like a shark observing its prey before deciding on an attack plan, much like he had years before, actually, though I doubted he’d remember her from that night, not like I did.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned him. “What are you doing here, man?”

He quit playing and focused on me.

“What am I doing here? Good question. Wait, I think I have an even better one—what the hell are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“I already got that much. You’ve been coming straight here after splitting with us these last two days.”

“Are you fucking crazy? Have you been following me?”

“Excuse the fuck out of me for being worried about you.”

“Maybe I should just go to my room so you guys can—”

My eyes landed on Zoe as she started to back away. “You stay,” I ordered her.

JP glanced between Zoe and me. “Is this why you’ve been so tight-lipped about where you’re staying? Because you’re shacking up with some girl and playing house?”

“Do you want me to knock your ass out?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’d love to see you try, you fucker.”

“O-kay. As fun as this is to watch, I’m just gonna take my pizza and—”

“Sit down, Zoe, and eat your pizza. JP will be leaving soon.”

Her eyes grew big and her lips twitched. “Aye aye, captain.”

As she walked back toward the couch, I scrubbed my hand down my face and sighed. JP was apparently still waiting for an answer, because he was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed over his chest.

“I told you I found a roommate. Why the hell are you worried about it?”

He relaxed his stance and sighed. “Come on, man. Finding a roommate isn’t the problem here. You barely speak to the guys unless we’re on the field or in a meeting. Do you think they don’t notice how distant you’ve been? You’ve been ditching us for study groups, and you always get all tongue-tied whenever we ask where you’re staying. I get calls from Vicky asking me where you are, and I don’t even know if you’re talking to her again or if it’s just her crazy ass trying something. It’s not just you trying to keep a secret about where you’re staying for some damn reason. It’s our last year—you can’t pull this shit now. What the hell is going on with you?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zoe tuck her legs under her and hug the pizza box to herself as she lifted a slice up to her lips. At least one of us was enjoying the moment. I turned my focus back to JP. I really didn’t want to get in trouble with Coach by having JP in the apartment, but since he was already standing in the middle of the living room, I couldn’t see how I could avoid it either.

“Nothing is going on with me, JP. What do you expect me to do about the team? I’m not dropping the ball out there, that should be enough. I don’t think you’d act any differently if you were in my shoes. Do you honestly believe none of them saw what was going on with those three at that party?”

“I was at that party, Dylan, remember? Chris was there too. You think we knew what was going on?” he asked in disbelief.

“No, not you, but don’t tell me you believed them when they said it only happened that once. Screw that. I don’t even care about it anymore, but don’t expect me to trust them any time soon. On the field, we’re a team, always, and I’ll have their backs, but off the field?” I shook my head and leaned my back against the door. “No, man. I don’t have a problem with everyone, but nothing says I have to like those few who I’m sure knew what was going on just because we’re playing for the same team. And of course I’m going to ditch your ugly asses to study. You said it yourself, it’s our last year. Scouts are there, watching every game. This is it. We either make it or we don’t. I gotta give it my all. Instead of being a creep and following me around, you should be studying too since Coach will have your head if your average drops.”

“So that’s it? That’s all of it?”

“What else do you want me to say?”

My friend gave me a cold stare. “How about an apology for making me worry about your stupid ass like a mother hen?”

“You being serious?”

“Yeah. Let’s hear it. I had better things to do than follow you around to find out what the hell you were up to, not to mention I didn’t know which apartment you disappeared into and had to knock on a shit ton of doors before I found it.”

I laughed. “Fine. Sorry. We good?”

“Yeah. It’ll do for now.”

I pushed off the wall and we did a one-armed hug, thumping each other’s back.

“Awww, you guys love each other. Either my eyes are watering or there’s a dust storm happening where I’m sitting. I would’ve never guessed that football players would be this emotional,” Zoe said as she popped the last bit of a crust into her mouth, her fingers immediately reaching for another slice.

Amused, I shook my head and sighed. “JP, this is Zoe, my roommate and my new buddy. Zoe, this is JP, my surprisingly emotional teammate.”

“Fuck off.” After elbowing me in the stomach, JP made his way toward her.

Giving my friend a shy smile, Zoe wiggled her fingers at him. “Hi.”

“Do I know you from somewhere?”

Zoe’s eyes slid to me then back to JP. “I don’t know how you would.”

I walked around the couch to sit down. There went my plan of watching a movie with my so-called buddy and spending a quiet night in.

“Do we have a class together or something?”

“Nope.”

He turned to me. “Do I know her from somewhere?”

“No, you don’t,” Zoe repeated, answering for me. I wasn’t planning on embarrassing her in front of JP, especially if he didn’t remember meeting her two years back, so I didn’t correct her.

“Where did you find her, again?”

Zoe narrowed her green eyes at JP’s back.

“I told you, I found her online. She was looking for a roommate. Be nice.”

JP’s eyebrows rose up toward his hairline, but other than giving me a shrug, he didn’t say anything. I’d hear about it later; he’d say whatever was on his mind when we were alone.

“Apparently, I need to be nice to you,” he said. Leaning down, he lifted the top of the cardboard box, which was still on Zoe’s lap. “And it works both ways. I be nice to you, you be nice to me.” Zoe looked at JP then back at the four slices of pizza left. How the fuck had she eaten half of it that fast?

Before my friend could lift one of the remaining slices, she slapped the box closed and held it away from him.

“What the fuck?”

Zoe leaned to her left to look around JP and met my eyes—another one of those rare occasions where she forgot she was too shy and avoided them. “I’m sorry, Dylan, I know he is your friend and all, but I really don’t want to share. I’m not at all a good sharer.”

I laughed. “It’s okay, I got it for you. He can buy his own pizza if he’s hungry.”

She tilted her head back to look up at JP, who was almost as tall as me. “Look, I haven’t had anything to eat since noon and I had a shitty night. Even though I’d be willing to give you one slice, I’ve seen how Dylan eats, and I can guess you’re no different. One slice won’t be enough for you, and I’m not willing to give you the rest…though, to be fair, if I only had one slice, it probably wouldn’t do anything for me either. So, why bother having a slice if it’s not gonna do anything for you? If I don’t have that one extra slice it’ll mean I’ll go to bed hungry, which would mean two people going to bed hungry. But, if I get all of these slices, at least one of us will be full.”

“You’ll go to bed hungry,” JP repeated, not as a question, but more like a statement. Zoe hugged the pizza box closer. “What’s going on with this one?” he asked, looking at me in confusion.

I smiled, relaxing into my seat for the first time since JP started banging on the door. “Nothing. She just loves pizza, maybe a little more than you and I do.”

“You can have his,” Zoe added when JP continued to stand over her. I didn’t think JP had ever been refused food by any girl.

He opened my nearly empty pizza box, which was still on the coffee table, and frowned down at it. “There’s only one slice here.”

“See!” Zoe told him. “I said the same thing when I saw it, and just like I told you, one slice means nothing.”

Again, JP met my eyes, waiting for an explanation. “What did you say was wrong with her again?”

“Nothing is wrong with her.” I had trouble looking away from Zoe as I spoke, and JP obviously picked up on it because his next question made me wanna cause him serious injury, even risking his spot in the next game.

“You’re definitely playing house here. Is that why Vicky is in such a tizzy? Does she know about her?”

“If you mention Vicky one more time, I’m gonna kick you out.”

Sitting down on the arm of the couch, he started to look around.

“Are you his sugar mama or something?” he asked Zoe when he was done taking in his surroundings. “I’m not judging, girl. To each their own, but how did you afford this place again, D? Even half the rent must cost an arm and a leg.”

Zoe’s eyes jumped from JP to me. Before I had to come up with a bullshit answer, there was another knock on the door.

JP jumped up. “You kids stay put. I’ll get it.”

I scrambled up after him. “JP, no.” If Coach was at the door, I was screwed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Zoe doing the same, finally putting the pizza box down. Was she thinking the same thing I was?

JP opened the door, and thank God it was only Chris who walked in. “Come in, come in. Look who I found here.” JP gestured toward me.

I groaned and dropped back on the couch, this time taking the seat closer to Zoe instead of going back to the other end. “For your sake, man, I hope he’s the only one you told.” I tried to meet Zoe’s eyes to assure her that they would leave soon—if not, I would kick them out—but she only had eyes for our quarterback.

My brows furrowed and I looked over my shoulder.

“What’s going on here?” Chris asked, looking between Zoe and me.

JP slung his arm over Chris’s shoulder and made a show of introducing Zoe.

“This young thing over here has been—”

I interrupted him by getting to my feet. “Just finish that sentence, man. Please do it.”

Zoe cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes sparkling. For some reason, that image of her didn’t sit well with me. Was she getting all worked up over Chris? She certainly hadn’t reacted that way to JP. It also looked like she had no trouble meeting Chris’s eyes whatsoever.

I furrowed my brows and watched her wipe her hands on her dress. “Hi. I, uh…I’m Zoe. Uh, Zoe Clarke.” She threw a quick glance at me, but I didn’t think she actually saw me. “I’m Dylan’s roommate.”

And just like that, I was demoted from friend to roommate.

“Nice to meet you,” Chris said, sounding a little unsure.

After a long moment of silence where no one said anything, I sighed and gestured to my left. “Since you two don’t look like you’re planning to leave any time soon, you might as well sit your asses down.”

Chris walked past by me to take me up on my offer, but JP headed toward the kitchen. “Is there anything to eat in this place—other than your girl’s precious pizza, that is. I’m starving.”

Zoe chose that moment to pick up the pizza box and offer it to Chris. “Would you like to have some pizza?”

JP said exactly what was on my mind: “Are you fucking kidding me?”