Page 101 of Game Plan

“Yes. The sooner I go back to my normal life, the less I’ll worry about psychos on the loose. And maybe Carl will show up, and I’ll be able to have that chat with him.”

Cassidy and I sat on our beds, facing each other, later that evening. “Okay, I gotta be honest with you about something,” I said as I set my half-eaten plate beside me on the bed. “You know the day we studied at the library and you left early?”

“What about it?” she asked, bringing a forkful of food to her mouth.

“After you were gone, I witnessed two people having sex on the third floor. It turned out one of them was Mase’s teammate, and he recognized me. Evan Nichols. The same guy I’ve been having face-offs with a couple of times at work. He cornered me at Lola’s that night and threatened to hurt me or you or Don or even Mase if I told anyone about his sexual encounter against the bookstacks.”

“Why would he do that? People doing it in public are exhibitionists. They love the risk that comes with getting caught. It’s a dopamine thing in their brain. Some chemical reward for getting to completion without someone barging in on them. Like skydiving or swimming with sharks. I get the appeal, but I’d never risk getting arrested for some super kinky sex. Anyway, sorry for dumping on you info you didn’t ask for. I just find humans’ unexpected behaviors super fascinating. Back to business. Why would this guy even care you saw him? Unless he was with a professor or someone else’s girlfriend. He asked for attention when he dropped his pants in the library, no?”

I fidgeted with Mason the elephant. “He’s…he was getting a blow job.”

“So? I kinda figured out that part.”

“From an-another guy.”

Cassidy’s fork fell from her grip. “Oh. And he’s like hiding his sexual preferences and doesn’t want anyone to find out?”

“Kinda.”

“The library is a weird place to bump uglies with another guy if you wanna hide you’re gay. Have you told Mason?”

I shook my head a few times. “I don’t want to mess up the team. If Mase learns about his teammate threatening me or giving me any kind of trouble, he’ll want to deal with him, and he can’t jeopardize his future. I won’t risk it. Things are already complicated enough as it is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some stuff he’s dealing with. Also, guys on the team are giving him a hard time because they lost a few games, and they wanted the other guy to be the starting quarterback this year, but he’s injured, and that’s why Mase took his spot. I guess it’s easier to blame the freshman when you lose than to admit you played like shit. Mase has always had a hard time letting down people he cares about. And his team is his top priority, so he’s taking it pretty hard and feels responsible every time they lose or when things don’t go as planned.”

“It all makes sense why you wanna keep quiet. But about Evan Nichols, if I were Mason, I’d wanna know if one of my teammates was bullying my girlfriend, no?”

“It’s complicated. Also, I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Not yet. From what you’ve told me and all the nights you’ve been staying at his place lately, it’s just a matter of time.

I gave her a pointed look.

“You know what I mean.”

“Whatever. Things got weird today. Anyway, I won’t tell anyone, so Nichols doesn’t have anything to worry about.” I paused. “Do you think he could be the one who is stalking you or who sent that bouquet?”

“No. He would have no reason to scare me. No matter what he said. I’m of no interest to him.”

“Don told me that some guys cornered him at the gym. They didn’t really threaten him per se, but they used homophobic slurs and said stuff about him not being man enough to lift weights. Nothing super original. You know Donovan. He wasn’t too affected by it. They never said anything that could link their verbal assault to me—or Nichols—so he has no idea it’s all related.”

“Whoa. The lengths people go to hide their true selves. It’s kinda pathetic when you think about it. They’re so miserable that they feel like bullying will fix what they believe is fucked up inside them.” She huffed a long breath. “Typical. Sorry I’m being all psychological on you. It’s just both fascinating and troubling how human beings can be sometimes. I forgot to tell you I talked to Carl earlier.”

“You did? How did it go?”

“Okay. As I said, he doesn’t fit the profile of a stalker. I think you were right, though, and he has a giant crush on me.”

“Did he admit it?”

“No, but he said we should go for a walk sometimes. And his face got all red when he suggested it.”

“A walk?”

“Yeah. I think it’s his way of asking me out.”

“Wow.”