Stone Creek by Davis, Lainey (reading diary .TXT) 📕

at me to shut up and ignore that impossible scenario. “I fucking love her.”

Kevan leans back in his chair, munching on a chicken breast. “So what’s the big deal, then? Go marry her and put giant babies inside her.”

I shake my head. “I can’t do that. I can’t risk our friendship. When I say she’s all I have, man…she’s it. I don’t have a family. I don’t have parents who support me no matter what.” Kevan’s social media profile is full of pictures of him with his parents all decked out in Pride shirts.

I looked him up online. He’s right—I had to be an asshole not to notice he’s gay.

I meet his eye. “If—no, when. When I mess shit up with Olive, romantically, then I won’t have her as a friend anymore. You have seen first hand that I’m a dick. I don’t do relationships, I don’t know how to be with women. And I’m not going to risk turning Olive away. I can’t risk that. I need her.”

He raises a brow at me. “How do you know you’ll fuck it up? You seem ok. I mean, yes. You’re an asshole, but the team likes you.”

I scoff at him. “Trust me,” I tell him. “I’ll fuck it up.” All I’ve ever heard my entire life is what a piece of garbage I am. My father’s favorite line is that I couldn’t convince my own mother to stick around once her preferred kid died. “It’s better this way.”

Kevan chews the rest of his carrots and takes a long drink of his shake. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and stares at me. “You’d rather go on a friend-date with your gay substitute quarterback than tell Olive you love her?”

I open my mouth to tell him he’s an idiot and hasn’t listened to anything I said. But he keeps going. “You can’t even sit and imagine what it would look like if things turned out your way? You’re right—I have no idea what your family situation is, man. My family is fucking amazing. They’re coming over today just to hang out. But listen.”

He stands up and throws a crumpled napkin onto my plate. I swat it away and look up at him. “She’s not all you’ve got, ok? You’ve got me.” He gestures his elbow toward my roommates, who are currently arguing over an issue of Car and Driver. “And you’ve got those assholes, too. We’re not going anywhere, even if you’re a sulky prick.”

And then he walks out of the cafeteria before I can come up with something snarky to say back to him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Olive

I’m avoiding Bax. And I know he knows it. I’m not done figuring out how I should respond to what happened after his game. The feelings he drummed up when he told me he loved me, when he kissed me…I know he wasn’t conscious, but I haven’t been able to let go of my racing heart, of my throbbing ache of need.

And, frankly, Tim needs me right now. His confession to me in the coffee shop opened a floodgate for him, and he and I spent hours together talking about his fears that his family will reject him, shun him forever.

Where my parents’ rejection stung, it wasn’t unexpected or even unwelcome. It’s not like I had a warm and loving embrace to miss now that I have no relationship with them at all. Tim has nieces and nephews and siblings, and he’s absolutely convinced they will reject him if they find out the truth.

Baxter is going to lose his damn mind when he finds out I’m going to the banquet with Tim. Bax has always been so protective…I’m not sure if he knows, but his intimidation of every guy in a 20-mile radius meant that I have basically zero experience with guys. A few fumbled kisses at parties. A few stolen dances in dark frat basements where I awkwardly ground against some stranger’s hips.

That prolonged kiss with Bax the other night was far and away the most action I’ve had. And one thing became crystal clear: I need more. If I don’t get some physical stimulation with a guy, I’m going to combust.

So rather than deal with any of the crap going on with me and Bax, I dive into my work in the training room, utterly ignore my best friend, try to console my newest friend…and grow increasingly sexually frustrated.

Tia and Elyse are, of course, insisting I try to seduce Bax. I sort of snapped at them the last time I saw them, so when I rap on their door later, I try to smooth things over so they’ll help me make a plan.

“Hey,” I say. I’ve come bearing peace offerings from the training room. “Anyone want any SCU gear? It’s the good stuff.” I hold out a box full of extra team polos and the coveted gray SCU sweatpants all the athletes wear. My neighbors gasp and urge me into the room.

“How’d you get all this stuff,” asks Tia.

I remind her and Elyse that I work in the training room  “This is a perk, I guess!”

Elyse pulls the sweatpants on over her pajama shorts. “These are so soft,” she says, cooing. “This is amazing of you to share.” She nods at the TV. “Wanna watch Outlander with us?”

I perch on the edge of Elyse’s bed and sigh with them as the attractive actors fight off their enemies. “Men in kilts, am I right?” Tia flops back against the bed. I nod in agreement, getting interested when the female lead begins treating a shirtless guy’s dislocated shoulder.

I’ve been studying dislocated shoulders for years. We see one or two each season with the football team…not really any with the swimmers. I’m suddenly super interested in this show, but Tia grabs the remote