Heart Starter by Michelle Hercules
9
SADIE
By the timeDanny and I finished having dinner, Katrina had already texted me back, so instead of hanging out at his place, I simply dropped him off. I didn’t think spending more time with him after we bumped into his crazy ex would be enjoyable anyway. The encounter messed him up, which obviously made me uber-curious to know what their deal was.
I’m completely beat when I finally walk into my dorm room. Katrina is watching a movie on her laptop with her headphones on. I inspect my bed to make sure she didn’t use it as an extension of hers. She’s burning a scented candle by the window—probably to mask the scent of sex.
Ew. Fucking gross, now that I think about it.
She glances up and pulls her headphones off. “Hey, you’re finally home.”
“I was here sooner, but the room was at full capacity.”
I take off my jeans and then jump under the covers. I don’t want Katrina to see my scar, so I keep my T-shirt and bra on. I used the restroom before I got here, and there’s no chance in hell I’m going back out to brush my teeth. I’m too exhausted for that.
“I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t a planned hookup.”
This is where I should ask who the lucky guy was, but I honestly don’t care to hear the story right this second. My eyelids are heavy, and all I want is the sweet oblivion only my pillow can provide.
“Fine. But I think we should establish a schedule of when we’re allowed to bring guests. I had a full day, and I was planning on going to bed early.”
“Totally. But I heard your evening wasn’t a total bust.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were spotted having dinner with Danny Hudson,” she says way too chipperly.
“He was with me when we found the sock on the doorknob.”
“What?” she shrieks. “Were you hoping to score a hookup yourself?”
“Will you tone down the excited poodle behavior? He came by to grab the money I owe him for his car repair. We decided to kill time at the diner. That’s all.”
“Really? So it wasn’t a date?”
“No, it wasn’t a date. You can stop planning our wedding now.” I roll onto my side, giving my back to her, hoping she’ll cease with the inquisition.
I can’t believe she already knew I was with Danny tonight. Blimey, gossip travels fast here.
“Too bad. I heard you bumped into his ex,” she continues, ignoring my blatant sign that I want to go to sleep.
Shite. She had to go mention something that’d pique my attention. I roll onto my other side so I can see her face.
“We did. She was a nightmare.”
“I’m not surprised. I heard from a girl who is rushing her sorority that she forbade any of her sisters to even look in Danny’s direction.”
“She sounds like a psycho. Poor bloke.”
“For real. But anyway, nothing for you to worry about, right? I mean, you said you weren’t interested in boys.”
“Nope. Still haven’t changed my mind.” I yawn heavily. “I’m going to sleep now. I’m destroyed.”
“Okay, sweet dreams.” She puts her headphones back on.
I try to get comfortable again, but even returning to my favorite sleeping position doesn’t help me. My body is tired, but my mind is now whirring nonstop.
I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t interested in boys. They can be such a nuisance.
So why is Danny living rent free in my head?
* * *
It tookme a while to fall asleep last night, and it was equally hard to get out of bed this morning. My internal clock is still wonky. I skip breakfast and, bleary-eyed, trudge toward the school. I didn’t bother brushing my hair, just simply pulled it back into a messy ponytail. I couldn’t tell someone what clothes I’m wearing if they asked me. It’s only when I’m a block away from my building that I remember I actually own a car now and don’t need to walk.
Bollocks. I can’t believe I forgot. I’m having way too many Bridget Jones moments for my liking.
I turn around, and on the way to my car, I debate if I should stop to grab coffee somewhere. I could use some caffeine.
My phone rings when I slide behind the wheel. I don’t recognize the number showing on my WhatsApp, and for that reason, I almost reject the call. Then I realize telemarketers wouldn’t be calling me on the app.
“Hello?” I say, suppressing a yawn that sneaked in.
“Hey, good morning, Sadie.”
“Who is this?” I grumble.
“It’s Danny.”
My pulse quickens, and in an instant, I’m wide awake. It seems Danny Hudson is better than coffee.
“Hey. Hi, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice.”
Shite. I sound like an idiot.
“It’s okay. I hate to do this last minute, but I was wondering if your offer to give me a ride still stands.”
“Of course. Do you need one now? I’m about to drive out of my parking lot.”
“No, I’m going to practice with Andy. I need a ride later today. What time are you done?”
“Around three. Where do you need to go?”
“I gotta run an errand for my mother. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.”
Taking Danny on an errand run means spending more than just a few minutes with him. I’m not sure I should be doing that. He’s already taking up too much space in my mind.
I could offer to lend him my car. I wouldn’t have to play chauffeur, but then he might think I’m avoiding him.
Blimey. Why am I having such a hard time with this?
“Sadie? Are you still there?”
“Yeah, sorry. I spaced out for a moment. I didn’t have coffee yet. Where am I picking you up? At your place?”
“Uh, probably easier to swing by the field. I’ll be done with practice around the same time as you.”
“Okay. Sounds good. I’ll see you later, then.”
“Thanks a lot, Sadie. I appreciate it.”
“No worries.”
It’s not until I end the call that I see the problem with the logistics. What if my father sees me when I come by to pick up Danny? Would he think I’m messing with one of his players just to get to him?
Hell, it’s too late to change plans now without sounding like a dimwitted fool.
Shoving all my concerns related to Danny to a dark corner in my mind, I drive to practice. I managed to avoid boy drama throughout school back in London; I won’t fuck it up now when being the best on the field matters the most. I have to make up for lost time while I was recovering and prove to Coach Lauda that I shouldn’t be benched.
Despite getting out of bed later than I planned, I’m one of the first ones in the locker room. None of the Three Musketeers are there, only Joanne and Vanessa, who are already in training gear. Both are covered in a sheen of sweat.
“Hey,” I greet them.
“Morning, Sadie,” Joanne replies.
Vanessa simply stares at me with a grin. What does she find so amusing? I choose to ignore it for now.
“When did you get here?” I ask.
“An hour ago,” Vanessa answers. “We wanted to get a cardio session in before today’s training.”
“I should have done the same, but getting out of bed this morning was almost impossible.”
“Someone keeping you up at night?” Vanessa raises an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes. “Ugh. For fuck’s sake. Not you too.”
Joanne glances between Vanessa and me. “What did I miss?”
“Sadie went out on a date with Danny Hudson last night.” She laughs. “I knew I saw sparks when you guys were at each other’s throats.”
Joanne’s eyes widen. “Sadie got into an argument with Danny? How is that possible? He’s the most mellow football player I’ve ever met.”
I point at Vanessa. “First of all, that wasn’t a date.” Then I turn to Joanne. “And you’re wrong if you think Danny doesn’t have a temper. You should have seen his reaction when his ex showed up.”
Both Joanne and Vanessa watch me with renewed interest, making me regret my big mouth.
“Oh, don’t stop there. Tell us more, tell us more,” Vanessa sings to the tune of the Grease song.
“Now you’re just taking the piss.”
I give my back to them to shove my duffel bag in my locker.
“We’re not making fun of you,” Joanne pipes up. “Well, at least I’m not.”
“There’s nothing to tell. She acted like Danny still belonged to her, all jealous. He wasn’t amused.”
More of our teammates join us, effectively killing the conversation. I hope the subject dies for real. This is only the first week of preseason training and I’m already headlining gossip. I don’t want to be known as Danny Hudson’s date, hookup, whatever. I’m here to make a name for myself, not be arm candy to a football player.
