Second String (In Too Deep #3) (13 page)

Chapter
16

Ethan

It had been a week or so since the Valentine's Day debacle when Jeremy Salyer (quarterback extraordinaire) showed up at Emily's house out of nowhere. It was Saturday night, and Collin drove down to San Diego for a fund-raiser my mom helped out with every year. Feeling the need to get it off my chest, I told him everything that had happened with the old boyfriend showing up unannounced. The weirdest part was that Collin wasn't surprised. Not only did he already hear about it through the grapevine, but apparently Emily also mentioned the football player to him one time when they were talking about she and I keeping our relationship casual.

"Why were you talking to
Emily about whether or not we'd be
keeping it casual
?" I asked.

"We were just talking about how a low key relationship would probably be the best for both of you
, that's all," he said.

"And
when did you become an expert on what's best for me?" I asked. I couldn't believe Collin had a conversation about what
I
needed in a dating partner. "What'd you tell her? That I needed a casual relationship because I'm afraid of commitment? Because that's
exactly
what a girl wants to hear when she's considering going out with you."

"Simmer down, E," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"I didn't say anything to make Emily think bad of you. You're my boy. I just told her you were irresistible."

"Yeah, and s
he thought you meant I was irresistible to
other
girls since that's just how girls think."

"Dude, you're making too much out of it. Why are you letting her get to you like this? Is it just because it's the first time you've had a girl choose someone
else over you?"

"She didn't choose him over me," I said.
I wondered if he knew something I didn't, but I was sure Emily wasn't the type of girl to string me along. I knew she'd call. "She had a lot to sort through, and she promised she'd let me know when she had it figured it out."

"
Damn," Collin said, laughing. "You sound just like
her
when you say that." 

I gave him a questioning look, like he better just go ahead and
clarify what he was saying.

"That's exactly what
she
was saying about Jeremy," Collin explained. "
I'm just giving him time to figure things out."

I wanted to explain that what
I
was doing was nothing like what she'd done since I'd only been waiting a week and she'd waited years. I didn't say that, however, since the thought of her waiting years for him only made me want to hit somebody.

"
What exactly did she say when she told you about him?" I asked. "Did she just say she used to date him and she'd been pining away ever since?"

Collin
didn't say anything. He just looked at me with a regretful expression. What a crock of shit. What did that guy have that I didn't? And why was it taking her so long to figure out she didn't want him?

****

If my friends gave me a hard time for giving Emily a week to "think about it", imagine how hard they were on me when I still hadn't heard from her a month after the fact. I felt like they were on the verge of staging an intervention to get me to go out and score chicks like I used to do.

"You've had at least two Sundays off and you haven't driven to L.A.," J
osh said, leaning against the doorjamb of my bedroom. His expression was impassive and his arms were crossed at his chest. "I know you aren't seeing her because you never text her anymore," he continued. "Just come out with us tonight. I always get hotter chicks when you're with me."

"That's not true," I said, laughing at Josh. "Remember that night when you hooked up with that
girl who was a singer in a band? I wasn't there
that
night."

"Yeah, you're right about that
one. But, that was luck. I was on a roll that night," Josh said, thinking back. "Usually, you're my ticket to the A-list. Come on, you know you want to."

I laughed, but I knew he wasn't going to leave me alone until I agreed to go out with him
. I was an easy target since I never had the heart to tell my friends no unless I had a legitimate excuse. I had absolutely no excuse right then. Tomorrow was Sunday, and I'd have the day off.

"I'll go," I said, "but I can't make any promises with the ladies. I might not be in the mood to hook up. Who else's going?"

"Might not be
in the mood
?" Josh asked, incredulous. "Seriously, Ethan. What the hell is wrong with you? Why can't you just get back to regular old Ethan who knows how to party on his one night off?"

"It's not like that," I said, trying to deny any change. "I'm just not into an easy lay these days. I sort of gave Emily the impression I'd be patient while she—"

"Goes out with another guy?" Josh asked. "Because that's what she's doing. Collin tried to tell you that."

"I know what she's doing," I said. "
I know she's seeing him. She told me a few weeks ago that I can go ahead and see other girls if I'm tired of waiting… but she's
not
sleeping with him. She promised she'd tell me." Josh had been at my mom's fund-raiser that night when Collin and I spoke about the prick football player who'd left her and then come back, so he was privy to everything that was going on. He liked Emily, but he hated the idea of one of his boys being played by a girl. I could tell he wasn't happy with me for putting my life on pause for her. I couldn't blame him. I'd probably feel the same way if our roles were reversed.

"I don't know what's going on with them,"
I said, "but I believe she'll tell me when she makes up her mind. I owe it to her to chill out a little bit while she does her thing."

"That's just what I'm talking about," Josh said. "You don't normally say things like '
owe it to her'
and '
chill out'
. This girl has you totally whipped, and she's dating another guy. Are you in fucking love or something?"

I let out a laugh. "I already considered that," I said, "and since that can't
possibly
be the case, I think it's more likely that I can't stand the thought of her choosing someone else. It's gotta be the competitive side of me that won't stop thinking about her."

"Well you need to tell that competitive side to hang it up because it's been a month.
I think it's time you consider the possibility that she's blowing you off."

"
I don't think she is, and that's what I'm going on right now. For real, though, Josh. I'm not having fun waiting. I'm tired of being second place." I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, and let out a sigh. "It's gonna take a fucking miracle for me to win against Anthony at the trials, and now I have to sit back while Emily does
whatever
with this guy. "

"
Stop saying that about Anthony Davis. You beat him in Austin and you can do it again in Omaha. As for the girl, I'll bet I can get you to forget all about her by the end of the night," Josh said. I looked at him, and he raised his eyebrows suggestively. He flashed me the screen of his phone so I could see the text he'd just gotten.

"Just tell me what it says," I said, barely glancing at the phone.

"Zoey and a few other girls from the team are meeting us out... she's bringing Sabrina." Josh knew I hooked up with Sabrina in Austin. She was a beautiful girl and a talented swimmer… an irresistibly easy ticket to a good time.

"I thought you needed me to help you with a hook up," I said. "Sounds like you already have it all planned out."

"Yeah, but Zoey only wants to come if Sabrina and some other girl come with her… and Sabrina said
she'll
only go if
you
go," Josh said.

"What about the other girl?" I asked.
"Who's she supposed to hook up with?"

"My friend who told me about the club." Josh said. "He'll be there. He's cool. You've met him before. You remember, Eli?"

"Eli the black guy?" I asked.

"He's half, but yeah, that's him," Josh said. Why? You think she'll care?"

I just gave Josh a shrug.
I
certainly didn't care. I liked Eli a lot, and I was fairly sure the girl wouldn't argue much since the Eli I remembered had an easy time with the ladies.

The club was fairly new. I'd heard good things about it, but had never been. I figured we'd have a good time, so I agreed
to go along, telling Josh to leave me alone while I got cleaned up.

I was changed and out
the door within twenty minutes. We were headed to a new, little underground dive where you literally had to have a password to get in. Apparently, the password is subject to change without warning, but Eli, the guy Josh knew through his fancy job, was hip to what was going on. He promised to text us everything we needed to know.

Josh
told the girls they could meet us at the nearest street corner so we could go in as a group. There were three of them and only two of us, but Eli was planning on meeting us there.

The girls
all looked hot in miniskirts. The toned, muscular body of a swimmer was just the thing to go with a miniskirt and heels. I checked Sabrina out, but only found myself comparing her to Emily. I had to remind myself that having a little fun with Sabrina was okay as long as I didn't sleep with her.

The girls
must have planned who was going to pair up with whom before they got there because they each went to their respective guy and gave us a hug. The third girl just stood there, looking around. I felt a little awkward, myself, since I wasn't expecting Sabrina to mark her territory right off the bat like that. "We're meeting one of Josh's friends inside," I said to the girl without someone to hug. Lena or Layla was her name, I thought.

"He better be cute,"
Zoey, Josh's girl, said to Josh.

"
That's him right there. Josh said, pointing up the sidewalk. Eli was walking towards us. He had an easy confidence that people were drawn to. Being smart and having a great job were just bonuses with him.

"Looks like I have perfect timing," Eli said with a smile as he approached. The girl swimmer whose name starts with an L moved in for a kiss on his cheek. "I'm
Layla," she said in a sultry voice.

Apparently, she was happy with her date.

"All right then, Layla…" Eli said, smiling at her and taking her arm. "How about we go find a nice, comfortable booth to sit down in?"

She
smiled and blushed, but didn't hesitate to follow him inside. The rest of us all fell into step behind them. Eli talked to the guy at the door for a few seconds in private before we all walked in. It was an upscale gentleman's club with card games and barely dressed hostesses. I wondered for a second why we'd brought girls to a place like this, but as I looked around, I could see that there were nearly as many women here as there were men.

Eli said hi to a few people on our way to the table.
Layla's grip on his arm tightened with each encounter. You could tell she was proud he knew everybody. I actually saw someone I knew as well. It was the son of my father's lawyer. He and I were close in age, and his dad had gotten me out of a few jams in college. The six of us made our way to one of about ten large, round booths that surrounded the main floor. It was the only one open, and it had been reserved for Eli. One of the employees tried to kick us out until they realized he was with us. That too, made Layla snuggle up closer
. And to think I was worried
. Eli told us to order whatever we wanted. He said tonight was on him. I knew the place would be expensive, so I told myself I'd pick up part of the tab once the check came.

Now, I'd
never been one to have problems holding my alcohol, but Eli and Josh were succeeding in drinking me under the table. My training regimen didn't really allow for a nightlife, and I couldn't possible perform at full strength if I let myself drink on a regular basis. All this to say… I was wasted within two hours of entering the bar. I talked a lot when I got drunk, and I knew this about myself, so I figured I should slow down when I caught myself having a detailed conversation with Sabrina about my training schedule compared to hers. I knew when I started rambling about specific drills and techniques that I should probably slow down a little.

Sabrina was all over me. She made it perfectly clear that there would be happy ending
s if the night went as planned.
What exactly did I have planned
? She had on a loose top that showed a lot of skin, and the more alcohol I had, the more I forgot why I'd ever thought it was a bad idea to sleep with her tonight.

"Do you want to spend the night at my house?" she whispered close to my ear. "Josh told me you had the day off tomorrow."

Emily. Emily. She was the reason I
couldn't…
shouldn’t
sleep with Sabrina. I wanted to just say screw it (no pun intended) and blame any indiscretion on the alcohol.
Oh great, you know you're wasted when you say the words "no pun intended" in your thoughts,
I thought.
I need to just get out of here before the temptation becomes too much to handle.
"I think I might head on to, my house, apartment, place." I said. I hoped that was the first thing in the last few seconds I'd said out loud. My head was spinning. The room was spinning. "It's nothing against you," I told her. "You look amazing. I love how you look. I just wasn't planning on spending the night."