Page 12 of End Game

My walk to the ASC is quiet. Johanna and I share a bathroom, but since she has a late start this morning, she’s not up at the crack of dawn like me. Campus is beautiful with the early morning light filtering in through the trees.

I recognize Mason, sitting with a group of people that I’m guessing are her track teammates. She catches sight of me and waves me over.

“Hey, girl. Good morning,” she chirps, sounding way too perky for this early.

“Morning.”

“Sit with us,” she says, pulling out the empty seat beside her. I spy four empty coffee cups on her tray—that explains it.

“I don’t want to impose...”

“Not imposing,” she says. “I remember what it’s like being a transfer student.”

“Yeah, Tucker mentioned you transferred last fall?”

“It was the best decision I’ve ever made,” she admits, toying with the eggs on her plate. “Georgetown wasn’t the right fit for me. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.”

“That’s how I felt about USC. It was never really home.”

I know that over time I’ll make friends. It’s kind of nice to know that Mason went through everything I’m going through now, only last year. And considering she and Tucker are together, I’m sure I’m going to be seeing a lot of her if I want to spend time with Barrett and his friends.

She introduces me to her teammates, Fred, Melissa, Mateo, and Bryce. They seem like an alright bunch. Not about to become my new BFFs or anything. We chat about majors and hometowns.

Within five minutes of conversation, I already know more about them than I do my new teammates. Fred is a dietetics major—we’ll have a class together, which makes it less intimidating. Mateo and Bryce flirt with me and with each other. Melissa is perfectly nice to me.

Eventually, I’ll make friends of my own. I’ll find people in my classes I have things in common with. I’ll meet other student athletes. I’ll expand my social circle.

Or I won’t.

At least I’ll always have Barrett to fall back on. He has sunrise weights with the guys every morning. The football team and I are about to become very good friends. They’re going to be the main bulk of my social circle until I’m feeling comfortable with the soccer girls—if that ever happens.

My first dietetics and nutrition class seems interesting enough. I get lost trying to find my second class, even though the nutrition consulting lab is only one floor above my first class. I have an hour break before my third class of the day, a psychology course in an entirely different building. I swipe my student athlete badge for a snack from the grab and go stand outside the psychology building and eat in the sunshine.

It’s warm, but the heat isn’t oppressive like it would be back in LA. The humidity makes my hair frizz and seize. On a good day, my hair can’t decide if it’s straight and wants to be wavy or if it’s wavy and wants to be straight. Usually it’s a tangled mess. After two decades of battling with it, I’ve made my peace with it.

Tucker is in my Ethical, Professional, and Legal Standards in Psychology class. I make a beeline for his side and slide into the seat beside him.

“Hey, stranger,” he says, giving me a side hug.

“I am so glad to recognize someone,” I admit with a laugh, and he grins.

“Stick by my side, kid. I’ve got your back.” He pulls a plastic container out of his backpack. He has apple slices and chocolate hazelnut spread in a little compartment. He offers me the container.

“I’m good, thank you.” I don’t want to break out in hives—or worse, go into anaphylactic shock.

He shrugs and drags an apple slice through the chocolate. “We got a late start this morning. Didn’t have time for a full breakfast. Had to run to my first class. This semester is going to be rough.”

“I saw your girlfriend for breakfast.”

He breaks out into a pleased grin. “She mentioned that.”

“I like her.”

“I do, too.” He blushes. “She’s good people.”

From Barrett, I know their start was rocky. They dated all through high school until she dumped him the day before they left for college. He spent the next two and a half years in a depressive funk. When she transferred to Newton, they were forced to work together, and things naturally progressed from there. Barrett spent most of last semester going to her track meets with the guys, cheering on Mason and her teammates.

They also went to all of Sam’s softball games last spring. I like that they all support one another. When these guys love, they love hard. Miles and Sam are cute. They clearly care a great deal for each other. It’s rare to find one without the other. He’s always been a quiet guy, reserved. Obviously, I didn’t know either of them before they started dating, but from what Barrett’s told me, he’s really opened up in the last year and come into his own.