His face shifts. "You're right. It's really cool of you to meet me here. I'm sorry I'm half naked…ok?"
I nod. I pull out my copy of the assignment and he shrugs, obviously not having his at hand. I skim and say, "So we basically have to pick an area of statistics to discuss. Talk about some work being done in that field, current research, job descriptions, that sort of thing."
He says, "Easy. Sports statistics. Right?"
I shake my head. "No way. I'm going into biostatistics, and that's Professor Jacobs's field of interest. I told you. I just did football stats because--"
"You actually never said why you were doing it, but I know you must kick ass at it because there aren't other undergrads up there. I asked."
This surprises me enough that I drop the assignment sheet. "You asked about my internship?"
"I did. Once I remembered who you were today. I asked about you last fall, too, but only because I wanted to hit on you." He grins, but continues. "But here's the weird thing, Serena. None of the other guys claim to have slept with you, and I know you've been up there for 3 seasons. How do you avoid the advances of 80-plus college football players for 3 years?"
I start to chew on the inside of my cheek, uncertain about this conversation. "I try to keep to myself," I say. "I just mostly avoid the players."
He waves this suggestion away, but says, "Well, then I remembered you told me you made a pass at our professor, so I just assumed you must be into someone on the staff."
My face is crimson now and I feel hot. "What? You think I'm sleeping with the STAFF?"
"I'm just trying to figure you out, sweetheart. This might surprise you, but I usually don't have to work this hard to get into a girl's pants."
Before I can stop to think, I'm blurting, "You're not even working hard, and, I mean, you've already had me in your bed…without pants…and your roommate interrupted."
I look over my shoulder, but thankfully nobody is around. Talon laughs. "I probably will never forgive him for that. Anyway, don't you think the easiest solution is if we present about sports statistics?"
"This might surprise you, Talon, but I don't just do things because they are easy. We're going to do biostatistics."
He runs his hands through his sweaty curls. "What's your deal, Serena?"
"Excuse me?"
He looks at me, his blue eyes softer now. "What happened to you? I can tell something did."
"Oh." I don't usually tell people about my background. Apart from Alissa, I don't think many people at SCU know my story, but then nobody has ever asked me point blank to talk about it before. "You don’t really want to know all that."
He puts a hand on my leg and leans close. "I absolutely want to know, and not just because I'm hitting on you. I feel like I have to know your deal or it's going to drive me crazy."
I exhale slowly. "Ok, so my mom died when I was a baby, and I was raised by my dad."
"Shit, Serena. I'm so sorry."
"It gets worse, trust me."
CHAPTER EIGHT
Talon meets my eyes and I'm really moved by the fact that he actually seems to care. I half expect his entourage to pop up to respond to each part of the story, with groans and back slaps. I continue, stuttering just a bit with emotion. "So my dad was head football coach at the private school near where we lived. Football was all there was at my house, so even though I wanted nothing to do with it, I had no choice. Plus, to be enrolled at that school, students had to be involved in sports in some way. I kept stats."
"That's a pretty cool rule. I like that," Talon says. I make an annoyed face and he says, "Sorry. Stats. Your dad."
"When I was 16, my dad got really sick, really quickly. He had somehow gotten meningitis, and then wound up contracting pneumonia in the hospital." I close my eyes. It is still painful for me to talk about what happened in my late teens. A tear leaks out and slowly rolls down one cheek as I say, eyes still closed, "He died that fall."
I open my eyes and Talon is staring at me, his mouth slightly open. He moves one hand to my leg, gently rubbing my knee, and says, "God, Serena, that's really awful."
I start wiping my face and breathing rapidly. "I shouldn't have dumped all that on you. I'm sorry. Now you must think I'm such a Debbie Downer."
He shakes his head. "Hey, I made you tell me. That shit's rough, Serena. What happened to you then? I mean…you're an orphan."
"My dad's brother took me in. He lived closest and I didn't have to change schools. He says I always have a place there to come back to, but I try not to. I mean…it's better if I'm at school. Working."
"So how'd you get the Stone Creek football internship?" Talon asks, still rubbing my knee. His hand feels reassuring, friendly. I like it.
"Oh," I say. "Well. Coach Burns actually knew my dad pretty well. I mean, some of the players at my high school went on to play here. Anyway, Coach wrote to me after my dad died and asked if he could ever do anything to let him know." I shrug. "I don't know why I asked him if I could be up in the booth."
The friendly hand on my knee seems different now, searching. I feel the tip of his finger sliding along the seam of my jeans, and I like how my body is responding. Heat seeps
