Rick casually drapes his arm around me as I watch the players lift weights the next day. None of them paid attention as Rick pull me just a little closer.

"Hey, Nora," he says with a smile.

The BO coming from his body is enough to make me hold back a gag. I crinkle my nose and resist the urge to push him away.

I have seen Rick do this to other people on the team, however this is the first time he's done it with me. For a second, I like it; it makes me feel like I am more than just the intern. So for the few brief moments, I will put up with his BO.

I smile at Rick.

Everett says he is not to be trusted and that he was the one who drugged the drinks at the party, but there is no evidence of this. No one knows who drugged the drinks, so why is Everett so keen to throw him under the bus? Unless Everett is guilty and is covering it up.

Since the party, I paid careful attention to Rick, however I saw no red flags. Rick was kind, friendly. I have a hard time believing it is him. So, Everett's warning seems like nothing to be concerned with. "Aren't you supposed to be working on weights?"

He nods as he drops his arm, allowing space between us so I can breathe. "Nothing escapes you, does it?"

I shake my head with a smirk, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "Go on, before you get in trouble for slacking."

"Nah, you wouldn't let that happen to me," he pouts, giving me puppy dog eyes.

I roll my eyes with a chuckle. As if that will work on me. Silently, I raise my eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest. Just because we are friends doesn't mean I will be wooed by him. "You underestimate me."

He smiles, taking it as a challenge. "Is that a good thing?"

I shake my head the push him lightly. As the intern, I try not to have favorites, but Rick talked to me the most, so people might start to think otherwise. "Go, Rick."

With that, he runs off to do the things he needs to do.

I smirk as he runs off. Dad was right, I wouldn't fall in love with any of these boys. Even now that I know them. Maybe they aren't as obnoxious as I thought before, but still, none of them are my type. In fact, they are boys, children really, and I have no interest in them.

However, one thing I didn't see coming was falling in love with being an intern. We are only three weeks into the season, and being here gives me a sense of excitement that I haven't felt before. As something that I just thought I would do to fill time, really turned into something I couldn't see my life without.

"You're friendly with Rick," Tad says as he walk up to me with a grin.

I turn to him. His hair is getting long. Soon he would be able to suck it behind his ears. "Because Rick actually talks to me more than most."

He wiggles his dark eyebrows. "Do you like him?"

My eyes widen as I shake my head. "Rick, gosh no. Never in a million years."

He nods as his smile slides down his face.

"Do you like him?"

Tad shrugs. "Rick's posy is one of the cuter ones on the team."

"You like his friend Shelly, don't you?"

"Yes, Shelly's cute. But don't tell him that."

I roll my eyes. I don't understand why it matters, but on his request, I will stay silent. "How do you like these men when they don't even remember your name most times?"

"Haven't you liked something that was bad for you?"

I frown as I think about my unhealthy relationship with boba tea. "It's different."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "Is it though?"

For a moment, I let his words dig into me, making me wonder if he had a point.

"So, you are telling me you don't like any of these players? We've been working with them for three weeks and you can't say any one of them stands out to you?"

I shake my head, confident no one did. "I'm not interested in football players. It's just not my thing."

He nods as he watches some of the players switch equipment. "How about Everett?"

Instantly my cheeks grow hot. He must be joking. Never in a million years would I like Everett. Yes, maybe we had a moment a few days ago, but since then, he had not talked to me. That experience started to fade in my mind like a dream. "Never."

He smiles. "Are you sure? I think I saw him stare at you today. He might be interested in you."

He must be mistaken. "Everett doesn't care about me, just like he doesn't care about anyone else expect himself."

"Are you sure though?"

"Positive. I thought you hated him, too."

Tad stuffs his hands in his pockets as he looks at the ground. "Hate is such a strong word. I would say I dislike him most of the time. But there is something about him... Like candy, you know? It's bad for you, but you can't keep away from it."

"I don't like candy."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm serious. I prefer chips to candy any day."

"Ok, you're weird."

"Ok, great lift guys. Let's call it a day. Get your gainer and some post lift food. Let's meet again this afternoon to watch plays." Tyler shouts loud enough for the whole room to hear.

"Where has your dad been? I haven't seen much of him today," Tad says as players pass us to get out of the room.

I thought about the meeting he had last night. He got home late and didn't tell me details, but he looked defeated when he returned home. When I tried to pry, he quickly shut me down. I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to talk about it or if he couldn't.

I glance around to make sure the coast is clear to speak. The last thing I want is to get Dad in trouble. "He had a meeting with the University President last evening, and I don't think it went well. I think he's getting pressure on improving teamwork and it's not working. He's been in the office all day, scheming."

"If you ask me, this team is already doing much better than the end of the season last year. It just needs time. But I'm sure the university doesn't want to hear that. You know how football is in Ohio, it's a religion."

I nod.

"I don't worship anything else."

I hit his arm lightly.

"Anyhow, are we still on for boba this afternoon?"

"Of course we are."

"Great, I'll see you there in about an hour." With that, he leaves.

Quickly, I gather my things and run to Dad's office before I head off to see Tad.

As I peer through his office door, I hear him give a tired sigh. I see him looking over a stack of papers. "How's it going?" I ask as I walk in.

Dad looks up at me as he takes off his glasses and rubs his mustache. "I think I have some good ideas, but only a scrimmage will help me know if it'll work." Although his enthusiasm is less than normal.

"Sounds good," I say.

"We just need to start this season and go from there. Like wrinkles on a tablecloth, they end up just flattening over time. I know your mom hates it when I tell her that."

"That's the spirit!"

"So what are you going to do, since I don't need you for the second part of the day?" Dad asks as he organized his papers.

I shrug just as my eyes catch hold of my shoes with mud spots on them. "Not much. Just getting boba with Tad."

"Don't choke on it."

I shake my head. "It's kind of hard to do that."

"Say that to people who choked."

I chuckle as I give him a finger gun, then leave without saying another word.

There is a skip in my step, I walk down the hall, getting excited for boba. It has been a few days since I had it last. I can feel my mouth salivating just thinking about it.

I stop when a smack down echo the hall, then I hear Everett's booming voice. There is an uneasy feeling that washes over me.

"Knock the Hell off. Damnit, I'm warning you. Stay away," Everett says.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rick's voice rings out. It shakes slightly and I wonder what Everett is doing to him.

"Hell, you do. I'm warning you and I don't give many warnings."

I bite my lip as if that will keep me quiet. There is silence as I wait to hear anything else.

A second later, Rick passes me in the hall as he rubs the back of his head.

"Hey Rick," I say friendly, however he doesn't make eye contact as he passes by. "Bye, Rick." I mutter as my smile slides from my face.

Rick always smiled at me, so this is a complete change. I couldn't help but wonder if it was related to what Everett said.

Anger boils beneath my skin as I clench my fists. I don't want to believe Everett was warning Rick to stay away from me, but Rick's reaction makes me think otherwise. Is Everett pushing people away from me? No, I won't let that happen.

With long strides, I walk towards the source of the sound. I will give Everett a piece of my mind. He will never speak for me or muter in my business again.

I round a corner and find him, pulling on his T-shirt.

I glare as my nails dug into my damp palms. "What was that?"

Everett frowns as he wipes his hands on his shorts. "What was what?"

I take a step closer to him. "I heard you. Are you telling the players to stay away from me?"

He shakes his head with a chuckle. "You really think of yourself that highly?"

I roll my eyes and bite my tongue. So much for trying to understand him. I am not that much of a saint. I hate him and that will not change.

The moment we shared a few days ago was only but a moment and now he is back to being his dicky self.

"You don't know the whole story," he says, his tone softer.

My body relaxes just a little. I cannot help it. When he is calm, I feel it too. He has this effect on me that I cannot shake away. "If I don't, then why don't you tell me?"

His brows furrow as he falls silent. "This isn't about you. Don't you trust me?"

I shake my head. Rick didn't even look at me, that was enough proof for me. I know deep down this is about me. He is just lying. "Trust demands more than words."

"What about a friendship?"

I scoff. We barely talk without fighting. How can we be friends? He just throws that word around as if it is nothing but a foam ball, expecting no damage to be done. "We have no friendship."

His face twists up as if he ate something sour and, without saying another word, he stalks off.

I don't stop him. There is nothing left to say and I'm too tired to fight any longer.

Everett is the worst and that is it.

_______________________

As I sit on a metal chair, sipping my boba tea, watching people walk down the road, waiting for Tad to come join.

My attention perks up when I hear Rick's voice ring out. I am about to wave to him, but stop when he walks up to another guy wearing an OSU logo shirt and a pair of gray and red Nikes. I recognize those shoes before. Other players had those same sneakers, but the guy doesn't look familiar to me.

The two look friendly as they laugh about something. The two bump shoulders as they walk into the boba shop, completely unaware of how close I am. I debate about saying something, but I hold my tongue. This is my chance to see how they act without knowing I'm near.

A minute later, they come out with cups in their hands and walk across the street, once again without noticing me.

Am I really that invisible or do they really not care about anything else?

As they cross the road; Rick slaps some girl's butt as she passes them. Almost instantly, she turn to him with a red face of anger but stops when she notices his football getup. Her face softens. Within seconds, she is smiling at him.

The scene makes my stomach twist into knots.

That is why I hate the players. That is why I cannot stand them. They think they can get away with anything. They think they are gods.

"You're on the OSU team, right?" I overhear her gush.

He nods with a smile then thumbs over to his friend. "He is too."

Although, I know he isn't. I had never seen that other person before.

"Wow, it's so exciting to meet two players at once. I'm such a huge football fan," she says with a smile.

"Well, if you have time, we should hang out. We are having a party next weekend."

"I would love that," she says as she follows them down the road to continue the conversation.

Slowly their conversation becomes less audible as they walk farther from me. But I heard enough to churn my stomach. This city views too highly of these players. They see them as gods and maybe that is why they work terribly together. They are all too selfish, thinking they can get away with anything. And after what I witnessed, Everett did have a point. Maybe Rick isn't a good person. Maybe most of the players aren't and Dad knows that.

"Nora, sorry I'm late!" Tad's voice rings out, causing me to turn around to look at him.

"No problem. I had tea, so I was fine."

He nods as he sits down next to me.

"Hey Tad, who is that?" I ask as I point down the road, noticing that Rick and his friend are gone.

His dark eyes squint into the distance. "Who?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. I'll just wait here while you get your drink."

He smiles as he walks into the tea shop without another word.