Chapter 2
Katya
I stared at Professor Foley, but couldn’t make sense of anything he said. He may as well have been speaking Greek. I couldn’t stop thinking about Carter. That was what Professor Foley had called him when he walked in.
It had surprised me. I mean, I totally thought Carter was lying about knowing my professor. It wouldn’t have been the first time some guy had stalked my schedule and pretended to have something in common with me.
There was also something different about Carter. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly, but whatever it was made it so I couldn’t think about math—and I needed to pass the upcoming exam.
Sure, Carter was hot, but that hardly made him stand out. There was an unusually high concentration of good-looking guys around here. Definitely not like anywhere else I’d lived.
“Katya?”
I snapped my attention back to Professor Foley. “Yes?”
Giggles sounded around me.
“Do you know the answer?”
My face burned. “Sorry, no.”
“Maybe you should pay attention, then.” He gave me a friendly smile.
I nodded but didn’t respond. Usually, he gave stern expressions to people who zoned off in class. Was it because of Carter that he was being so generous?
Ugh. I needed to get that guy off my mind and just focus on math. Carter who?
I managed to pull myself together and pay attention to the lecture. The next time Professor Foley called on me, I gave him the right answer before he finished asking.
After class, I gathered my things and headed for the door, desperate for some fresh air. Thankfully, I had the next hour free.
Professor Foley stepped in front of me. “Is everything okay, Katya?”
I forced a smile. “Just a little distracted. It won’t happen again.”
“If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
Now my professor wanted me to talk about my life with him? Had I entered into some kind of alternate universe?
He cleared his throat. “If you have any math questions, stop by my office. I’m happy to help.”
I stared at him, trying to make sense of everything. Unfortunately, nothing made sense since Carter happened. How could so much change in such a short time?
“Thanks.” I hurried out of the classroom and made my way outside. The warm sun comforted me. I pulled out my earbuds, stuck them into my phone, and listened to some music. Then I strolled over to a large oak tree I’d started to think of as mine. At least in the hour between math and art.
I sat at the base and closed my eyes, losing myself in the music. Once it switched over to a song I didn’t like, I opened my eyes. And practically jumped out of my skin.
Across the courtyard, Carter sat at a bench. He was looking at his phone, but what was he really doing there? Was he following me again?
I studied him. He was possibly more gorgeous than any other guy on campus. He was tall, tan, and well-built. It was like he spent his entire life at the gym. From where I sat, his short, dark hair exactly matched his intense eyes. Some tattoos stuck out from under his short shirtsleeve.
Carter was probably used to girls falling over themselves to impress him. He had a serious wakeup call coming if he expected me to react that way.
What I needed to do was to march over to him and demand to know what was going on. Why was he following me? And did he have something to do with why Professor Foley had given me a kind smile after I’d gotten lost in thought in the middle of class? It was all because of Carter, but none of it made any sense.
I mentally prepared myself to walk over and demand answers. He turned toward me and smiled. I stuffed my earbuds and phone into my bag and took a deep breath. What was his deal? Did he think I had a shortage of stalkers? Counting him, I had one. And that was one too many.
Once I was done questioning him, he could take his sexy, tattooed, muscular self as far away from me as possible. I certainly didn’t need the drama.
He continued to hold my gaze as I made my way over to him.
Someone grabbed my arm. I spun around, surprised. Jessie, Lola, and Paige swarmed me.
“Where have you been?” Paige demanded.
“Did you hear the news?” Lola exclaimed.
“I can’t believe it!” Jessie clasped her hands.
I stared at them. “What are you guys talking about?”
Paige pulled me over to a picnic table. “You didn’t hear? Oh-em-gee, Katya! Best news ever.”
“What is?” My mind raced, trying to figure what they could be talking about.
“Seattle—they’re out.”
I gave her a double-take. “You mean the volleyball team?”
“Yeah!” Lola squealed. “A couple of their players were caught with drugs. They’re out of the playoffs.”
The gravity of the situation sank in. A thrill ran through me. “That means we’re in!”
“Exactly!” Jessie held her palm out, and we all exchanged high-fives.
I twisted my hair over my shoulder. It was a nervous habit. “When do we start practicing?”
Paige smiled. “Today. The coach set up daily sessions. Did you drop your phone in the toilet or something?”
“No.” I dug around in my bag to find it. “I was in class.”
Jessie shook her head. “The whole team has been texting all morning. You seriously missed the all the conversation?”
I finally found my phone underneath my math book—it felt more like a stack of bricks. “I had a big fight with Alley last night, so I silenced it.”
“Couldn’t you just block her?” Lola asked. “This is huge. Too huge to miss because you were avoiding someone.”
“I know it is!” My thoughts raced. “I had no idea we stood a chance of being in the finals.”
This was great news, not only for our team but also because it gave me the perfect excuse to avoid my sister and stop thinking about Carter. Between classes and practices, I would barely have time to eat and sleep, much less worry about anyone else.
I glanced over the texting conversation as we sat and discussed the playoffs for a few minutes before going our separate ways.
“Turn on your ringer,” Lola called.
I held up my phone and flipped the little bar over. “It’s on!”
She gave me a thumbs-up and spun back around. I leaned against the picnic table and read the massive texting thread more closely.
The first one was from our co-captain, telling everyone about Seattle’s bad news but our good news. Then everything exploded with questions and verbal high-fives until the coach confirmed what everyone wanted to hear. We were in the playoffs. It was official.
I couldn’t stop smiling. We’d worked so hard, only to be defeated right before the playoffs. If Seattle hadn’t beaten us, we’d have made it. But thanks to their drug use, we were in!
By the time I was done reading through all the texts, it was almost time to head to art. I sent a quick reply expressing my excitement and explained that my phone had been off. Then I put my phone away and glanced around.
The bench where Carter had been sitting was now empty. A wave of disappointment washed over me. What was wrong with me? He was a stalker. Not someone I had feelings for.
I pushed the disappointment aside and ignored it. The fact that he was nowhere to be seen only made my day better. I didn’t need that annoying hottie distracting me from the playoffs.
The playoffs! Still grinning from ear to ear, I headed over to my art class. Though the day had started out horribly—I hated fighting with my sister, and I certainly didn’t need a stalker—everything had turned around in a matter of minutes.