Flagrant Foul (gxg)

Chapter 17

When I got into the car, I pulled up the GPS, and plugged in Leah's address. I was surprised that it was so far since I almost all the way to the UNC campus, and I'd have a decent drive to get back. I guess I'd been pretty out of it after I left Tegan's place. But I hoped I could just crash on Leah's couch, because I wanted to talk to her about what happened too. I needed an ally on the team, and she was the only choice for me. As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed the overnight bag with clothes in it that I had packed before I went to Tegan's place, and realized I had been an idiot yet again. I hadn't needed the ones that Skye had leant me after all! But I was glad to have a reason to come back.

The rain had lightened, though it was still drizzling as I made my way through the roads. I looked in the rear view mirror and caught a glimpse of myself, and realized I was smiling. I'd been embarrassed and humiliated, and yet somehow Skye had made me laugh and smile. A stranger, who I'd just met, had been so kind and fun, that she'd completely changed how I was feeling. And she flirted! Okay, yeah, maybe she didn't mean it, but I'd seen her face when I pulled off my shirt, I'd seen her blush, and I'd seen her glances.

Even if she was just doing it to make me feel better, she meant at least some of it. I hope so anyway, because I really wanted to go back and see her again. Maybe next weekend I could go back to Jack's and hang out with Skye? I really wanted to. I could tell I had no chance, there was no way she was single. But she made me feel better. She'd made me feel human when I had been feeling like pond scum. I needed a person like that in my life, even if it was just in her professional barkeep persona.

I would be back for sure.

When I got to Leah's place, she and Gee were playing Cards Against Humanity with her roommates. They all chorused out a hello, and I waved back. I think if I had come directly here after leaving Tegan's, I would have been a wreck, but now I was in a good mood. I also didn't need the Chinese food they were sharing, because my belly was still full thanks to the wings and potato skins. I was feeling pretty damned good, all things considered.

"You have a good night?" Leah asked as I sat down to watch them play. I didn't want to play, but I was happy to giggle at the answers.

"Nope. One of the worst in the history of my existence. But then I met a girl who made it all better," I replied with a smile.

Gee and Leah shared a glance before looking back. "What happened to the closet girl?" Gee asked. I assumed she was talking about Tegan, since she knew I was seeing someone in the closet.

"Oh, closet girl fucked me over. I'll have to tell you later, but I might have to keep Leah in check for a bit," I told them while getting a glass of water, smiling at the thought that I didn't need to flush any alcohol from my system after the Shirley Temples.

"Oh, you need to tell us this story!" Leah said. "How am I supposed to know who to fuck up?"

"No, now we all need to know!" Morgan complained. I wasn't telling them, but I could tell they all wanted to know. Hell, if I was in their position I would want to know as well.

"Let me figure out how I want to handle it, and then I'll tell you all," I promised. "Just be patient, okay?"

The ensuing grumbling didn't sound like they were okay, but it wasn't exactly their choice. Leah and Gee were the two I needed the support from. At this point, I had no more loyalty to Tegan, I just didn't want my business public.

When at last the game was over, with Morgan narrowly scraping out a victory over Gee, Leah almost dragged me to her room while Gee pushed me from the back. As soon as we got there, they tossed me on the bed while laying on either side of me. This would be fine, except the bed was only a full size, and we were pretty cramped because I was so big.

"Okay, talk!" Gee commanded as she lay draped over me.

"Fine!" I agreed. "The quick version is that Tegan Massey was closet girl, and for some reason she set me up earlier today, and then I went to a bar and the bartender made me feel like a new person."

They were both quiet for about two seconds before Leah started yelling. "Are you fucking serious? Tegan and you?" I quickly put my hand over her mouth, because I wouldn't put it past any of her roommates to eavesdrop.

"Yeah. That was pretty much it," I confirmed before going into a recap of what had happened. Now that I'd talked it through with Skye, it was much easier to explain the situation and what had happened earlier. Like her, they were also baffled by her motivation.

"I just don't get it," Leah muttered. "She knows she has to play two more years with you, what the hell does she gain by doing this?"

"No idea. Skye thinks I should just ignore it. Keep my on court chemistry with you, and just treat her like a teammate and nothing else. I can do that, I just don't know how she'll react yet."

"And Skye is the bartender?" Gee asked. I hadn't explained my time at the bar, just that I'd gone there after leaving Tegan's place.

"Yeah. She really helped calm me down. She fed me, listened to me, and was generally a very decent human being," I told them.

"And was she hot?" Leah asked while poking my belly with her index finger at each word.

"She was beautiful," I admitted. "I know she's older than me, but damn I don't care. I'm probably going back next weekend if you two want to tag along."

"Why not tomorrow?" Gee asked. "I wanna meet her!"

"No way. I'm not going to rush back and seem desperate!"

"Tough call. Go back and show her you're interested but come off seeming needy or wait a week and have her think you're not into her." Leah hit the nail on the head with that one.

"I can't go back before I wash these sweatpants anyway. I think she let me take them as a reason to go back."

"But you do like her?" Gee kept pushing.

"Of course!" I admitted. "She was so damned nice, you have no idea. I was a wreck when I walked in there, and she took care of me and calmed me down before feeding me and helping me talk through everything. I like her a lot, but there is no way she's single. I'm sure she has girls in the the bar all the time hitting on her! And guys! I mean, I know she likes girls, but maybe a guy could tempt her into being bi!" Probably not. That Henry guy seemed pretty depressed that her breasts were a women's only zone.

But how many women? Was she a player? She was smart enough to deduce that Tegan was the one who screwed me over, had stunning looks and was kind on top of all that. That made her pretty close to the total package.

"Calm down!" Leah said as they both hugged me. "Don't talk yourself out of this, okay? Yeah, maybe she was just flirting to make you feel better, but maybe she was flirting because she likes you too. I mean, you're a hot woman, and I'm sure she noticed."

"Hell, you're the one that made me realize I should try being with a woman," Gee admitted, agreeing with Leah. "She'd be crazy to not have noticed."

"I just can't believe I can't kick Tegan's ass." Leah muttered, going back to the original issue. "She's supposed to be the damned team captain!"

"And that is why you're not going to," I reminded her. "We need to all get along.

"Fine, I'll play nice. But she better not try any more shit!"

"Yeah, she better just stay away from me," I agreed. I knew I sure as hell wouldn't be anywhere near her if I could help it.

By the end of the weekend, I was feeling better. I had Gee and Leah on my side, and the prospect of a great new friend in Skye. The weekend had started out as poorly as I could have ever imagined but ended up being pretty great. Yeah, things with Tegan were over, but maybe that was for the best. A real relationship with a good woman would be better than a FWB relationship with someone who obviously didn't care for me.

Monday was the start of a new week. I'd learned a big lesson, and I was ready to move on. College life wasn't going to be easy, but I could handle it. If that was the worst that could be thrown at me, I'd be fine.

How wrong I was.