"Your mother and I are concerned—"

"Not my mother."

Bruce Rush sighed over the other end of the phone that I'd tossed onto the bench before sitting down for my workout. 

"Your step-mother and I are concerned about your future.  You haven't shown up for the past three meetings in the class I signed you up for."

Throwing another weight on the rack, I angled my body so that the bar was over my head as I zeroed in on the reps I needed to finish. 

"That's because it interferes with my practice schedule.  You should've asked me before signing me up."

"Basketball comes second to business, just like it always has.  You've always known this."

"Weren't you the one who always said I can't 'half-ass' anything?"

"Make it to the classes, Kalen.  Or you're going to have more to worry about than missing basketball practice."

"I don't—"

But my father had already hung up the phone.

My muscles shook with the strain of completing my reps, but on the last push, my arms trembled and the bar tipped to one side. 

Moments from having the bar clatter onto my chest, an arm shot out to grab it for me. 

"Easy there, cap.  Where's your spotter?"

"Don't need one, Hart.  I'm fine by myself."

"And you're captain why, exactly?"

Colby Hart was only a sophomore, but he had been a pain in my ass since he was a freshman rookie on the team. 

"Ask the rest of the team, they're the ones that voted me in."

Colby snorted, helping me to rack the weights back and shot me a look that bled with the burning need of desperation. 

Slinging my sweat rag over my shoulders I leveled him with a hard stare until he folded. 

"What do you want, Hart?"

"You and Gracie at the party last night...what was that about?"

"Gracie?  Who the fuck are you talking about?"

"You know—my little sister's best friend?  I only talk about her like, all the time?  What were you saying to her last night at the party?"

Oh, her. 

I remembered her, alright. 

Colby was shuffling his feet, eyeing me like I'd stolen something from him and he was afraid to confront me about it.

"What was I saying to her?  You worried I was hitting on your girl or something?"

"She's not my girl.  She's my little sister's best friend—she's basically like my other sister.  She's been through a lot in her life and I'm just making sure you're not gonna fuck around with her feelings."

"Oh, so this is the big brother talk, is it?  What's her name again—Gracie?"

He puffed his chest up a little at that and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the dramatics.

It wasn't like I had any interest in the girl—especially not one who was so clearly hung up on Colby, of all people. 

If she was in love with someone like him, she was definitely a lost cause. 

Still, the memory of her sweet, innocent features contorted into anger when she stared at me was almost adorable, watching her pink cheeks go flushed and her eyes widen as I got too close for comfort. 

"Yeah, Gracie Gatlin.  And this is me telling you to stay away from her."

Gatlin.  

The name struck the backboard of a goal in my unorganized mind.  

Surely, she couldn't be related to her, could she?  There were plenty of Gatlin's around this area, right?

Flashing back to the conversation at hand, I gave Colby my best 'fuck you' smirk and laid on the charm—something that always seemed to piss him off just enough to get the job done.

"You know, it's funny you think you can tell me what to do."

And suddenly I wanted to get close to her just to piss him off and see what he'd do in retaliation. 

The asshole had been trying to weasel himself into my position all year and had been riding the bench since he clearly wasn't as good as me. 

"She's young, and she's fragile.  I'm warning you not to fuck with her."

It was more fun riling up the girl last night than it was Colby, but it was a welcome distraction from my shitty conversation with my father, so I was rolling with it. 

"And what if I don't?  What if I like this Gracie?"

"You didn't even know her before yesterday."

"So what?  She's cute."

"You—fuck.  Just listen, please.  I'm asking you as your teammate not to mess with this girl.  Can you respect that?"

Rolling my eyes and standing to my full height which was a few inches taller than Colby, he took a step back to keep from being in my way.

Leaning down closer to him, I bared my teeth in a bloodless smile. 

"You don't have to worry, Hart—I'll be gentle."

Jerking away before he had the good sense to swing on me, I was laughing and out of the doorway of the in-home gym of the team house most players shared like it was some glorified frat while he was shouting obscenities at me all the while. 

Fucking with Colby always had its merits and managed to pull my head out of my ass when I was particularly stuck on something my father had said, which happened often enough that I'd had to resort to outlets to channel my frustrations at the man through.

Ever since the affair became public knowledge twelve years ago, my father's demeanor had gone from cold to cruel, and it was no one's fault aside from him and the woman he'd decided to step out on my mother on. 

It was commonly thought that my mother died of a broken heart a year later. 

Morbid as it may seem, I couldn't help but think as my nine-year-old self that at least he couldn't hurt her anymore where she was going.   Surely, he wouldn't be joining her there in the afterlife.

She was too good for him, for this world.  

"Hey man, you good?"

Calvin was who should've been captain—my best friend and roommate, he actually took the time to make sure the rest of his teammates were okay instead of goading them into fights just to see how far they could be pushed.

"Fine.  Just—Hart getting under my skin, as usual."

Calvin smiled that broad mouthed grin that had every girl on campus following him back here to our room, his brown eyes filling with amusement as our infamous fights were often bet upon by the other teammates in the house.

Calvin led the way to our room, stray solo cups and basketball shorts lining the hallway as he did so.

"That guy's always had it out for you since the moment he got here, I wouldn't sweat it.  He's your teammate—you've got to get along sooner or later."

"Tell that to his big mouth that doesn't know when to shut up."

Scrubbing at his buzzed head, Calvin eyed me with something close to guilt shining in his brown eyes.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, just—your dad might've called."

My entire being stiffened, body rigid and muscles pulled taut. 

The floorboards ceased to creak underneath my weight.  The scent of stale beer and body odor wafted up from the floors as I inhaled deeply once, twice. 

Uninvited, flashes of my father with his new girlfriend he'd cheated with my mother on—Jennifer Gatlin—infiltrated my mind and a permanent scowl etched itself onto my face.

Her unruly brown curls fell down to her lower back, brown eyes sharp and calculating as she watched me, wondering if I'd become her problem.  

She had a kid, too, my dad had said.  She was supposed to come live with us after mom died, but something happened and the father got custody, or so they said.

Needless to say, that one didn't last, and dad was currently on wife number four.

"And what did he say?"

"He might be coming to campus, to check in with everything.  He made it seem pretty casual, but you know your dad..."

It was going to be anything but casual.

"When?"

"I don't know, he just said sometime this week.  Look man, I'm sorry.  But maybe this time you could tell him about what you're planning, and—"

"Fuck no.  If he found out, he'd pull tuition here, and there's no guarantee I'll even be chosen.  This stays strictly between us, got it?"

The whites of Calvin's eyes stood out starkly against his darker skin. 

"Yeah, okay man, no problem.  I won't say a word.  I gotta say though—we're glad you stuck around and didn't leave us last year.  You totally could've been a 'one-and-done' freshman, but you stuck around last year, and you're back this year.  Coach is still surprised you haven't found somewhere better, but we're glad for it."

"Thanks man.  My manager thinks it's a good idea for me to get more experience before the draft, thinks it'll make me look more patient and 'seasoned', apparently.  But that's not the only reason I stayed.  We're going to take this team all the way this year, that much I can promise you.  I'm not leaving until we either win that championship or I graduate out."

"Well, with the talent we've got this year, I've got a feeling this'll be your last season with us."

"One can only hope."

Just like I could only hope my father would decide to stay exactly where he was and stay the hell out of my life.

***

"Miss Gatlin, a word please?"

My professor for my Intro to Ancient European Artifacts class caught me just as I was leaving, following the throng of over-tired students out to the hallway until his voice carried through the large auditorium where he held his classes.

Mr. Rhodes was a stocky man with a mustache that was suspiciously similar to the caterpillars I used to catch on the sidewalk outside my house when I was younger, but I wasn't about to point that out on the first week of classes.

"Hi Professor," I started out casually, hating the fact that I was going to have to run to my next seminar to make it on time. 

"I won't keep you long, I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that you're in my class this year.  You've already completed enough credits to basically be a sophomore here and I'm sure you're graduating a year early because of the classes you completed in high school.  I'm very impressed by your first introductory assignments already, and considering the glowing recommendations your previous teachers gave you, I'm sure you're to be a shoo-in for the TA and museum intern positions."

"I'm sorry—what positions are those?  I hadn't heard anything about this."

"Oh, with your applications, you sent in recommendation letters, and each department when looking for a teaching assistant or intern for the curriculum looks over them to see if there's someone that can match their criteria, and I think you'd be great in either position, or both.  The museum interns catalogue and help restore artifacts that come through, and my TA will help me grade papers and even tutor some students I feel need the extra help, though my TA position is paid and the internship is not.  Is that something you'd be interested in?"

While my initial instinct had been to turn down both jobs, the reminder of why I'd come to college in the first place reared its head and nearly sucker punched my brain into shutting up and accepting any offer the universe might give me. 

"Would the internship allow for research for any artifacts to help date and give proper context to any items made available to the museum?  Research has always been my passion, really, and this is the field that I'm hoping to get into when I graduate."

Some of the other students were starting to flood into the room fast, but my feet were still glued to the floor.

"Of course.  You could honestly do either job, both, or neither.  It's completely up to you—please, feel free to email me on the address on your syllabus your answer by next Monday if you're interested."

"I am definitely interested, I was just going to take some time to think it over if that's okay?"

"That's perfectly fine—just don't take too long, these positions tend to get snatched up sooner rather than later."

"Of course, thank you."

Mr. Rhodes turned his eyes to the half-filled class while I dashed out the door, bag thumping against my back with my brand new laptop nestled safely inside. 

My dad had never been able to buy me the newest, nicest things, and while we got by, it was nice to finally have something brand new of my own—no matter how I'd gotten it. 

Guilt chewed my nails to the quick as I called my dad the night before and told him nothing of who'd overnighted the laptop when I might've suggested I needed a new one considering the old one was crashing out. 

With a job like this, I could afford my own things and not have to rely on others who weren't so reliable to begin with in order to have the things I needed for school. 

I already knew the answer to the job question before I pulled my phone out and emailed my professor, accepting the job.

I'd only just crossed the middle of campus to make it ten minutes early to my next class, only to be stopped yet again by another man, this time much younger (and better looking) than my professor.

"Hey, what's up?"

Colby Hart was looking at me like he was checking me over for injuries. 

While it'd been a few days since the party and he hadn't hardly spoken to me since, there was still an uneasy tension pulsing between us.

He wasn't an older brother figure anymore, not after that kiss, and I wasn't just his little sister's best friend. 

We were stuck in some in-between limbo that neither knew how to climb back out of. 

He was sweating head-to-toe, his white t-shirt clinging to sharp muscles, eyes bright and blue and so beautiful it almost hurt to breathe in too deep in front of him, with him looking at me like that. 

"Hey, I'm just on my way to class."

"Cool.  I'm glad I caught you though—are you settling in okay?  No one giving you a hard time?"

His big brother senses must've been tingling. 

Rolling my eyes at his words, I took in the cut of his jaw and kind dip of his eyes.  The comforting lilt of his full, pink mouth. 

"No, no one's been giving me a hard time, Dad.  Is that all?  I'm going to only be five minutes early at this rate."

"God forbid Gracie Gatlin is only five minutes early to class instead of fifteen, or twenty.  How dare I cut into your professor ass-kissing you like to do every day.  I'm just trying to make sure you're adjusting to college life.  No guys harassing you yet?"

Colby's eyes darted around the quad, staring down anyone who glanced in our direction too long. 

He was shifting on his feet and wringing his hands, as if waiting for some metaphorical ball to drop. 

If anyone should've been wary and contemplative, it should've been me, not him, especially considering the fact that I'd followed the guy to college thinking I'd be with him romantically, for god's sakes, but with my long curls blowing in the wind and getting tangled the way they always liked to, Colby's eyes refused to meet mine and settled on the unruly strands framing my face.

"No...?"

"No?  Not even Kalen, at the party?  He wasn't messing with you?"

At the name of the captain of his basketball team, Colby's eyes shot to mine. 

"Why are you bringing that up?  No, Colby, he wasn't messing with me.  We were just talking."

"Yeah, well, sometimes 'just talking' can turn into a guy taking advantage real quick."

His cheeks were flushed and pink, his eyes zeroing in on mine as if trying to communicate with me without having to say the words. 

My own cheeks grew pink under his searching gaze, and while the anger was still rushing through me at myself for getting my hopes up without a solid promise from him, I couldn't help but fall into his eyes like always.

But what I found waiting for me in those baby blue depths wasn't what I was used to seeing. 

"You do know that I can take care of myself right?  I don't need you going all 'big brother' on me.  I'm not Franny."

Colby sighed, raking his fingers through his sweat-slicked hair just as the sun peaked through the clouds and shone a ray of light directly onto him, casting him in its brilliance just as I was starting to see through the cracks in his luster. 

"No, Gracie.  You're really not."

Pinching the skin on the inside of my elbow as I crossed my arms to keep from giving him the exact same look he was giving me because—he has a girlfriend, he has a girlfriend, he has a girlfriend—Colby tilted his head to the side and reached a hand out to hold onto my arm in some show of comfort that he didn't realize was having the exact opposite effect of giving comfort to me.

"I'm just trying to look out for you.  Can you let me do that?"

Exhaling a breath through my nose and counting down the minutes in my head that I wouldn't get to be early to pick my favorite seat in my next class, I flashed my eyes at Colby and found that he was already focusing on something behind my head. 

Turning, I caught sight of what had pulled him out of our conversation so easily and, sure enough, it was the same girl I'd walked in on him with on my very first day here. 

Rolling my eyes, I regarded him in a different light than I'd ever done before with Colby.

Sure, he'd been somewhat of a serial dater at our high school, but there had been something in our texts after our kiss that had made it seem like he was finally going to mature and wait for me to join him. 

The physical embodiment of that falsehood was bounding up to her boyfriend right in front of me. 

Luckily, my phone sprang to life with a phone call. 

"Sorry, gotta take this.  Thank you for looking out for me Colby, I appreciate it, but I'm a big girl.  I can take care of myself when it comes to Kalen Rush, of all people.  I'll see you later."

I had just skirted around him before his hand darted out to grab my elbow, keeping me in place. 

His fingers caressed the same spot I'd been pinching just moments before. 

"Let's have lunch once a week, you me and Franny?  What do you say?"

"Sure, fine, sounds good."

Anything to get me away from that conversation before that girl entered it. 

He shot me a relieved, sweet smile that reminded me of popsicle summer days and front lawn sprinkler afternoons. 

"I'll text you.  See you later!"

My brown ringlets fanned out behind me as I whirled around to get away as fast as possible and picked up my phone at the same time, on the very last ring as the unknown number flashed across the screen. 

"Hi, honey.  I was worried you were screening my calls again."

"Sorry, mom.  Won't happen again."

***

Author's Note:

What did you think of this chapter?

What do you think the hints I've been dropping mean? 

Any plot ideas so far?

This is going to be a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance, and I'm so excited to write their tension and steam!!

Until next time my lovely readers,
Kristen :)