Babysitting the Player

Chapter 17

I charge up the steps to the deck, hating that I gave Olivia the satisfaction of getting to me but eager to find Bryce.

"Maggie, where's your son?" I ask her when I reach the top of the stairs.

"He just went inside."

"Thanks." I open the back door and head inside. "Bryce!"

I don't get a response.

"Bryce!" I yell again, louder this time.

"What?" he yells back.

"Where the fuck are you?"

"My room!"

I stomp down the stairs and throw his door open.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"You slept with Olivia."

He lets out a sigh.

"Bryce."

"It was one time."

I can't find any words to say.

I hoped Olivia was lying, just trying to get to me.

"There wasn't even any feeling behind it. She didn't want to go into senior year a virgin and I was leaving anyway so we just did it."

"It's that easy for you to sleep with someone?"

He shrugs and my heart shatters in my chest.

"How do I know you're not sleeping with me just to sleep with someone?"

"You're different."

"How?"

"You just are."

"Oh, that makes me feel special."

"You are special, Alex. It meant nothing to either of us."

"Like Jessica Myers."

"Alex."

"What?"

"I'm sorry that I was ever the type of guy to sleep around."

"You're just saying that because you know it's what I want to hear." I roll my eyes.

"No, I'm saying it because two of my past hookups are causing problems for us. And if I knew they would, I never would've even thought about doing either of them."

I shake my head.

"I'll tell her to leave."

"You don't have to."

"Alex, you're not gonna be comfortable if she's here and I'd rather have you here than her."

"It's fine."

"It's not. She's the type to try to rub stuff like this in people's faces."

"Yeah, I already found that out."

"What exactly did she say? How did that even come up?"

"I may have been playing a little rough during volleyball and she asked if I had it out for her since you guys slept together."

"Of course that's the first thing out of her mouth." He rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, I wasn't happy about it either."

"I'm sorry."

"You swear it meant nothing?"

"On my life."

I let out a sigh. "Okay. Let's go back upstairs."

"What were you doing down here anyway?"

"Just thinking about my incredibly sexy girlfriend in that incredibly sexy jean shorts and bikini top combo."