Wattpad Block Party - Summer Edition IV

joecool123 Presents: EXCLUSIVE First Chapter to My New Story, Locker Room Talk

"Uh-huh," I said as casually as possible, "That's not what I heard."

Jen's face turned the shade of Cardinal's sweatshirts. I laughed at the sudden shift in her energy. As experimental as Jen could be with her relationships, she was a master at keeping them secret and discrete until she either had her heartbroken, or it lasted for more than a month.

Unbeknownst to her, keeping relationships a secret was such a common human behavior that I'd even written about that as a topic for an Anthropology paper last year.

Granted, this one probably was different, because I doubted it was Jen who wanted it under the radar. My suspicion was confirmed as she leaned back and asked, struggling to keep a straight face "What did you hear?"

"Mike McCartney."

Jen's already red face flushed further. "I can neither confirm nor deny that I was---am" she corrected herself, "Maybe seriously seeing the most charming senior in Triple T... And the L-word may have been used."

"It's serious?" My mouth fell open. The Triple T, or The Thirsty Thursdays (I know) were the most popular guys on campus. Not popular in that lacrosse-guy-does-cocaine way, but rather the fun-loving, smart, articulate, everyone's addicted to hanging out with them way.

The Ts had dated a high percentage of the campus, though never seriously, and in a way that somehow made them more popular. (Thus the endearing gang name, as their version of thirsty had nothing to do with dehydration).

I whole-heartedly understood why girls were attracted to them. Between their athleticism, ability to do math, and gentlemanly decorum, it made sense. But something about them made me question the whole thing: their gang name wasn't funny, because it was true.

Mike McCartney was the most infamous of the Thirsty Thursdays due to his serial, simultaneous romances. Naturally the rumor mill was in a frenzy that he might actually be dating.

I raised my drink towards Jen. "Well, Mazel-Tov."

Jen air-clinked her frappuccino. Then her beam brightened even more. "Omg give me your phone."

I dug my phone out of my well-organized backpack, another unnecessary result of the unnecessary Ritalin. "Why...?" She grabbed it from my hands before I got an answer.

"So we can double, duh." Her fingers flew across my touchpad.

"Jen, no," I protested. I jumped from my cushion on before she could do any major damage. Jen had done this a few times before, when she found a guy she really liked. Because if she could only be happy in a relationship, then of course it was her god-given duty to end the single-hood that perpetually plagued me.

Jen laughed, "All the Ts are on Tinder." Because of course they were.

"I'm not dating anyone from the Thirsty Thursdays," I told her as she ferociously started swiping, "also we have to talk about that name," I said to make her think for a second. "Jen, stop."

"No, no, no, no..." she muttered, as if in her own little swiping world, "ah. Here's one." She held the phone up to my face. "Antoine's not that bad. He's just part of the group because they're friends, not because of his rep." She opened his bio. "He likes soccer... you like soccer! And he's from Brazil! A foreigner." She gave me her best seductive look.

"Jen, stop." I said again, but more lightly. Jen was already acting happier than I'd seen her all of last year.

"Oh." Her face fell. "I think this is the one Mike told me was into COD, actually."

"What's COD" I leaned closer to see what she saw.

"Call of Duty," Jen explained, swiping no to Antoine, although I didn't know what that was or why that disqualified him.