End Game

Chapter 3

*THIS NOVEL IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - ANY COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED BY THE READER. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR READING MY WORK*

Chapter 3

Griffin

I don't know what makes Aurora Westbrook so different from every other girl on campus, but I find myself watching her far too often during class and wondering what she does outside of the lecture hall other than work a few shifts at The Study.

The last time we worked together was the shift I was assigned to train her. My recent shifts have been sparse and during the evenings to accommodate my class and football schedule. While Aurora's have been more frequent on weekdays.  I just happened to notice her name and when her shifts were scheduled on the bulletin board in the breakroom. I didn't purposely check the schedule to see when Aurora was scheduled to work.

Her strawberry blonde hair is pulled high and messy on the top of her head as she diligently took notes on her laptop during the lecture. She's wearing a white tank top that shows off the shape of her perfect tits, a face free of makeup except for the pink shine on her lips. Her blonde friend, Callie, I think is her name - sits on the other side of her, and I watch as she scrolls through Amazon on her laptop instead of taking notes like Aurora.

My best friend and teammate Samuel nudges me on the shoulder. "She's super hot, huh?"

He looks at my face and then nods toward Aurora and Callie. Holy fuck. Does Samuel like Aurora? Every muscle in my body hits pause, and my brain seems to trip over the sudden thought. I shouldn't even care, though. I can hardly stand Aurora Westbrook and the pretentious air that swirls around her when she enters a room, never mind liking her as more than classmate and colleague. I type a few notes on my laptop, redirecting my attention to the screen.

"Aurora?" I ask.

I turn and look at him when I'm met with silence, and his wary expression is hilarious. "I don't know. Is Aurora the tall blonde one?"

I hope he doesn't notice the relief on my face.

"No."

"Oh right," he says, straightening and giving me a little knowing smirk. "The petite redhead sitting beside her is the girl you pegged with a football. She's hot, too, but you know my type. I much prefer a tall blonde, all-American girl."

I bark out a laugh. "I think her name is Callie."

His brows lift. "Callie, huh?" A smile tugs at the side of his mouth when he repeats her name. I've never seen him this intrigued by a girl who wasn't already throwing herself at him. There is no shortage of ladies infatuated with Samuel K. Loyola. He's the star defensive lineman on the football team and one of the biggest and burliest guys I've ever met, but he's also one of the funniest. "You're going to introduce me to her after class," he says.

"Huh?" I laugh again, feeling slightly taken aback. "No way. I don't know her; I barely even know her friend Aurora."

He shakes his head, dismissing me. "Since when has Griffin Johnson ever turned down the opportunity to hit on women?"

Fuck. Sam does have me there. I've hit on more girls on this campus than I'm proud to admit, and I've consistently scored on every attempt. My chest tightens when I glance at Aurora again. I don't know why the thought of approaching her and Callie makes me slightly nervous, but it does. I'm feeling an odd mix of blindsided and naive for not anticipating Samuel would make a move on a girl like Callie and launch me into Aurora's inner circle.

Swallowing, I say, "Okay, fine. I'll introduce you."

When the class ends, I glance at Aurora as she packs up her laptop, and for a stabbing, panicked second, I worry about how approaching her and Callie will look. Samuel nudges me to lead the way in their direction, and now I'm standing in front of her, not ten feet from the red-headed girl I pegged with a football and pranked during her shift at the coffee house. Her big brown eyes give me an unimpressed once-over.