The Girl Next Door
Chapter 16

Sophomore year of college...

Alyssa grabs my hand and drags me through the doors of the football house. For obvious reasons, it's the last place I want to be on a Saturday night. The Wesley Warriors crushed Tennessee this afternoon, and everyone is out celebrating. are a ton of other parties."

"Can't we go somewhere else?" I yell, so she's able to hear me over the thumping beat of the music that reverberates off the walls. It's so loud that it feels like my brain is rattling against my skull. When she fails to respond, I add, "In case you haven't noticed, there We traipsed past a dozen of them to get here.

"No," she shouts, bursting my bubble. "I told Colton we would meet up at nine."

Yup, you heard that correctly.

Colton and Alyssa are officially a thing.

It's still relatively early in their relationship, so who knows if it will last.

Alyssa is thrilled.

And me?

Shocked speechless would be an adequate description.

But I have to give the girl props where they're deserved. She was bound and determined to bag her man, and against the odds, she made it happen.

As you can imagine, she's become something of a legend on campus, having attained the unattainable.

She's known as the Yoda of Wesley.

The jock whisperer.

Girls come from near and far to seek out her sage advice. It's amusing to watch her dole out her wisdom magnanimously like a queen.

I glance around, noticing that most of the students are football players or friends thereof. Making up half of the population are the jersey chasers. Those girls are prepared to cling to the first meaty bicep they can attach themselves to.

Without trying to be obvious, I search the surrounding vicinity for one face in particular. My muscles loosen when he remains elusive. Ever since we had s*x after graduation, I've done my best to keep my distance from Beck.

The first couple of months on campus were nerve-wracking. Once I realized I wouldn't run into him around every corner, I could relax and have fun. Since our families always celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas together, I was concerned we would finally come face-to-face, but he was conspicuously absent from the holiday parties. It's been more than a year without contact.

Other than to serve as a warning not to mess with athletes, I like to pretend it never happened. It's my dirty little secret to keep. I feel guilty about not telling Alyssa, but I don't need her pushing me toward Beck. And that's exactly what she would do. Especially now that she's with Colton.

That girl is always trying to drag me to the parties where her new boyfriend hangs out. And since Colton and Beck are roommates, I know there's a good chance Beck will be there. Until this point, I've been creative with my excuses. Homework.

Volunteering at the tutor lab.

A meeting for the many clubs and associations I've joined on campus.

Headache.

You name it, it's in my arsenal of alibis.

Unfortunately, she wasn't buying any of them tonight. I even tried to convince her it was shark week, and she told me, in no uncertain terms, to pop a couple of Advil and woman up.

So here I am.

Thus far, Beck has been a no-show. I'm hoping my luck will hold, and it stays that way for the next couple of hours.

It takes effort and a fair amount of prodding to push our way into the kitchen where the makeshift bar is located. Every kind of conceivable booze is available, along with a few homemade varieties of moonshine. Word to the wise-you have to be careful with those, they'll knock you flat on your a*s. One-hundred-and-eighty proof Everclear is no joke.

We grab two cups of beer from the baby-face freshman football player who has been forced to man the keg before steamrolling our way through the backdoor. With so many bodies packed in the house, it's warm and stuffy.

Alyssa's head is on a constant swivel as she searches for her new beau. She's happier than I've seen her in a long time. I really hope, for her sake, everything works out with Colton. The last thing I want is for her to get hurt. He's never been one for labels or permanent situations. I'm not sure how she convinced him to pull the trigger.

"Maybe he's not here," I say hopefully.

The look she shoots me is chock-full of exasperation. "He has to be. It's his party."

Which means it's Beck's party, too.

When Alyssa grinds to a halt, I slam into her from behind. Barely do I avoid spilling my beer down the back of her shirt. I peer around her shoulder, trying to see what's going on. My gaze sweeps over the area until it lands on Alyssa's golden-haired boyfriend and the bevy of girls that surround him. There are at least six vying for his attention. I glance at my bestie to see how she's taking it. As much as Alyssa likes to pretend that she's secure in their relationship, she's not. And who can blame her?

"Why do they have to act so thirsty?" Her nose scrunches like she caught a whiff of something nasty. "It's embarrassing."

This is the downside to dating a football player-or any athlete on campus-there are always a ton of females trying to lay claim to what's yours. I have no desire to put up with that.

I lay my hand on Alyssa's arm before giving it a gentle squeeze. "You all right?"

"I'm fine." She rolls her shoulders in an attempt to lock down her jealousy before it rears its ugly head. Glancing at me, she hoists a fake smile. Alyssa would never mention it, but I know the constant groupie attention bothers her. "Colt would never cheat." I can't tell if she's trying to convince herself of that or me. It's not like I want to be a hater, but I'll do what I have to in order to protect my friend. "Lys-"

"Don't say it."

I press my lips together and remain silent.

What I will admit about the situation is that Colton has surprised me. I never expected him to settle down. And he's been good to her. That being said, I'll remain on high alert until he proves to me that he can be trusted with her heart. Colton has never been the poster boy for monogamy. More like the opposite.

"He's not the guy he used to be," she murmurs. "He's changed. If you spent more time with him, you would see that."

No, thank you.

When one girl reaches out and trails her fingers over the bulging muscles of Colton's arm, Alyssa clenches her teeth and pokers up like someone just rammed a two-by-four up her a*s. "Looks like I need to put a few bitches in their place."

Before I can respond, she stomps away, cutting a path straight to the golden football god. She's like a heat-seeking missile. Let's hope she doesn't explode upon impact. It only takes a few minutes before those thirsty females are scattering in all directions. A smile tilts my lips.

Alyssa is a force to be reckoned with.

Colton is damn lucky she didn't give up on him. I hope he recognizes that and acts accordingly.

And then there was one.