Even though I knew her loyalty was to Dakota and the team, I waited for a minute to see if she was going to end her call and explain to me what she meant. But when I heard her sit down and giggle, I knew I wasn’t going to get more out of her.
I had only climbed three steps when I heard the front door opening. I turned, bracing myself to pounce on Dakota’s smug face as soon as I saw her. My hand gripped the bannister and I tensed, waiting for her to show herself so I could demand answers.
The door opened slowly but creaked loudly.
“Jay!” I exhaled his name as my body deflated.
“I told you I’d wait, but fifteen minutes felt like too long and the house was too quiet. I didn’t know if you’d killed her or not,” he replied with a smirk. Looking around, he closed the door behind him. “Did I miss it?”
“She’s not here.” I gestured toward the kitchen. “Sonya said she went out.”
He shook his head as if he were thinking of something that amused him. “You know Sonya has a thing for me, right?”
Rolling my eyes, I turned to move up the steps. “Surprise, surprise.”
James Williams was an athlete and a scholar. He wasn’t just good-looking, he looked good on paper, too. Sonya had a way of knowing everything before everyone else—especially the names of all the good-looking men, their grade point averages, their majors, their earning potential, and their shoe size. So, it was no surprise Sonya had a crush on him. He was a catch.
“Don’t be like that,” he teased. “You know I would never sleep with anyone on the squad. You’d never forgive me.”
“You got that right,” I muttered, pushing open the door to the bedroom I shared with Carter.
Jay snickered as he saddled up beside me. “Aw. Don’t be jealous.”
I flipped on the light and scoffed. “I am not jealous.”
“You know you want me all to yourself.” He tickled my sides, causing me to squirm as I walked.
I swatted at his hands. “Stop it.” I turned a little too fast and winced.
“Oh! Brook, I’m sorry. I forgot.”
“No, it’s okay,” I responded, exhaling through the pain. “It’s okay.”
Even though my ribs were still tender and my muscles sore, I felt a lot better. But the move I’d made was a little too much too soon and I instantly regretted it.
Jay scooped me up in his arms and gently pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
I folded into his embrace before I heard a pointed clearing of the throat from the hallway.
“James, I thought you said you didn’t date cheerleaders? Didn’t you say Carter was the only exception you made?” Sonya asked pointedly, her head cocked to the side. “And Brooklyn, I thought you were still trying to hold on to your fledgling friendship with Carter? Dating her ex doesn’t seem like the best way to do that.”
With a sigh, I turned my back to her and grabbed my luggage from the closet. Her comments didn’t deserve a response.
“Actually,” Jay started. “What I said was I wasn’t interested in dating you because you’re a cheerleader.”
I turned around just in time to see her face flush.
Masking her embarrassment, she asked, “So, if I wasn’t a cheerleader, you and I would have a shot?”
“My heart belongs to this one right here.” He gestured to me with his head. “So, it’s still a no.”
“She’s a cheerleader, too,” Sonya complained.
“She’s a dancer,” Jay countered.
I turned so my back was to them both, and I smiled.
“There is no dance team anymore. She’s a cheerleader,” she reiterated.
“Goodbye, Sonya,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Well once you realize she’s giving it to any and every PRO who asks, you’ll move on,” she said tauntingly. “And when that happens, call me.”
Turning around, I walked over to the door and slammed it in her face.
The room was silent as Sonya yelled for Jay to call her through the door.
I shook my head in annoyance as I returned to my luggage and continued to pack.
“So… it looks like I’m not the only one who has noticed your PRO love—”
“Oh my God!” I groaned, pushing his shoulder. The intention was to bump him out of the way, but his solid body stayed put. “Just shut your mouth and pack! Always being a jerk!”
Jay chuckled and I kept my back to him so he couldn’t see me smiling.
“I just think it’s funny that I’m not the only one who noticed.”
Tossing an icy glare over my shoulder, I growled. “If I wasn’t sore, I’d fight you where you stand. I swear to God. One more word and it’s over for you.”
Laughing even harder, Jay lifted his hands in surrender. “You’re so scrappy. Okay, fine. I give up. What can I do?”
“Yeah you better.” The smile pulled at the corner of my lips. “You can pack up everything on the right side of the closet please.”
He gestured to the divider. “So… the side that says Carter’s isn’t yours?”
“Pretty much.”
Jay started grabbing clothes from the closet while I pulled out the clothes, bras, and underwear from the dresser drawers.
“I wonder where Carter is? It doesn’t look like her bed has been slept in,” he remarked after we’d been diligently working in silence for a while.
“I’m not sure. I need to get my phone back from her. And I was hoping she was going to be here so we could talk. I just…” My eyes stung just thinking about it. I put my last bra into the bag and turned to look at him. “Ever
