Jack was ten minutes late for his nine a.m. Organic Chemistry class, despite the fact that he’d changed at top speed after practice and ran here straight from the gym. Luckily, the professor had his back turned to the class as he wrote today’s lesson plan on the board, allowing Jack to sneak in undetected.
As he jogged down the stairs of the classroom, Jack’s muscles ached and his mood was at an all-time low. Coach Morrison wanted to kick off the season with a victory against McGill, resulting in a particularly nasty workout. But it was the short chat with Peter beforehand that left Jack the sorest. As they changed in the locker room, the captain had given him the highlights of his date with Ice the day before. Jack had barely heard anything the coach said all practice, too busy imagining Alice and Peter locked together in that dark storeroom.
He paused halfway down the stairs and searched for the back of Alice’s head in the crowded lecture hall. It took him a minute to recognize her as the brunette sitting in their usual spot two rows from the front. The color change was doing weird things to him. He’d never thought he preferred brunettes over blondes or redheads. Yet for Ice, Jack was sure he preferred her as a brunette. He hopped down the steps and took his spot next to her.
“What did I miss?” he asked.
“Not much.” Ice didn’t turn to look at him, nor did she stop taking notes. “We’re just getting started on multi-step organic synthesis. Did you have breakfast?”
“No,” Jack whispered. “The coach kept us until the last minute.”
Ice abandoned her notepad to reach into her bag and take out an energy bar. This was why she was his best friend. She always carried around a supply of energy bars for him, exactly for days like this. Okay, so Ice was acting normal, showing no hard feelings over Saturday. But Jack couldn’t relax—even if he’d dodged an uncomfortable conversation about the library, Ice’s date with Peter was still bugging him.
“Here.” She also handed him a silver thermos. “There’s some coffee left. It shouldn’t be cold yet.”
“You’re a life saver.”
Technically speaking, food and drinks weren’t allowed in class, but the rule was widely overlooked around campus. Especially where coffee was concerned.
Jack finished his breakfast and tried to follow the lecture. Ice was pretending nothing had happened, and Jack wanted to pretend, too. He wanted to keep his mouth shut but found he couldn’t. “Did you have fun yesterday?” he asked.
Alice finally turned toward him with a sharp look. Yeah, dark hair definitely suited her best; it brought out her eyes. She studied his face for a few seconds before speaking. “If you’re asking, I guess you already know.”
True. They hadn’t spoken after the party, and she hadn’t told him she was going on a date with Peter. She must’ve guessed Peter had told him.
“Yeah, Peter mentioned your date this morning.”
Professor Procter raised his voice pointedly.
Alice scribbled something on her notepad and edged it toward Jack.
Talk later. Deal?
As he read, she underlined the writing twice. A final statement.
Jack mouthed, “Deal,” and took out his Organic Chemistry book, determined to finally concentrate on the lesson. He could talk to her between classes.
He had to wait until their lunch break to broach the Peter subject again. They had a morning full of lectures, and after each one ended, Alice was out of her seat, down the stairs, and by the door in seconds. She’d done her best to avoid talking to him. But as they walked toward the cafeteria, she had no escape.
“So,” he started, “you moved on pretty quickly from Ethan.”
“Not as quick as you, apparently.”
“Meaning?”
Alice gave him that seething look again. “Did you have fun taking off all that blue paint?”
Touché. She knew about the nurse. Becky had to have a flaw, right? She wasn’t a morning-after drama queen, but she had a big mouth.
“I never said I was in love with Lori,” Jack said, trying to justify his actions.
“Neither was I with Ethan,” Ice countered.
“Okay, but you were serious about him.”
“My bad.”
Jack let out an exasperated, “Come on, Ice.”
“What?” She played dumb.
“You’re always serious when you date.”
“So?”
“So you shouldn’t date guys like Peter—or myself, for that matter.”
Ice stopped walking. “Why do you have a problem with him?”
“He’s not good when it comes to girls, trust me on this.”
“He’s been perfectly nice to me.”
“It’s only been two days.”
“Well, you’d better get used to it.” Alice positively glowered at him. “I’m coming to the game Saturday, and we have another date Sunday.”
“What?” Jack asked, shocked. “You’ve never come to a game before.”
“You never asked.”
“Because I know you hate sports.”
“I don’t hate sports,” Alice said. “I don’t particularly enjoy them, but it doesn’t mean I can’t watch a game. It was fun playing yesterday.”
“You had fun playing basketball, or you had fun in the storeroom?” Jack inwardly cringed at how petty he sounded.
“Both, if you really have to know,” she hissed.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Listen, Jack.” Alice rolled her eyes. “Your objections have been duly noted. But right now I like Peter, he makes me feel good, and I want to feel good. I need to. So I’ll keep dating him. If or when he does something I don’t like, I’ll stop. End of story.”
“Are you going to sleep with him?”
“What if I am?”
“He’ll just use you.”
“Why?” She pursed her lips. “You think it’s impossible for a guy to want to date me for more than a few months?”
“A few months?” Jack laughed. “With Peter, you’ll be lucky if it turns into a few weeks before he moves on to someone else. If he’s not already seeing some other girl on the side. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“And why can’t he be different for me?”
“Guys like him just aren’t.”
“You mean guys like you!” Alice splayed her arms to her sides. “You’re such a hypocrite.”
“Why?”
“You sleep your way around campus and now you’re bashing Peter for his low moral standards?”
“I’m just warning you.” Jack wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. “If you want to make a fool of yourself, be my guest.”
“You know what? Go to hell.” Alice’s eyes became watery and her lower lip trembled as she repeated, “You just go to hell.”
She stormed away, not looking back, and Jack was too mad to run after her. He walked in the opposite direction, heading to a different café.
What was happening to him? Alice was right. He was in no position to judge Peter; their attitude toward girls was the same. Ice should steer clear of them both. Imagining her in bed with Peter made Jack see red. If Alice wasn’t going to listen to him, he’d have to distract Peter from her. Yeah, find a hot girl for his friend and have him forget Ice for good. It was all in her best interest. He’d be doing her a favor.