“Shut up.” I turned back to Dante. “Anyway, what are you thinking?”
“He put Hadley in there, now this girl. The dean wants someone watching them too.” He stood. “Or am I paranoid?”
“You’ve always been paranoid,” I answered automatically. “Why? Isn’t he, like, the head of all things?”
Dante gave me a flat stare. “Does he look like he’s winning against Coach Sutherland?”
“True.”
We lapsed into silence. Dante’s phone buzzed, and he exhaled loudly. “They’re back.” He got to his feet. “Well, almost back.” He cursed when he read the rest of the message, his attention switching to me. “Sav wants to bring Hadley here for an update. You good with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I’d tried for nonchalant.
Noah’s snort told me I failed.
* * *
Dante had gone to fetch the girls. His words, not mine.Fetch them, like they were wayward pets.
Noah had gone into his room to hit the books for thirty minutes; he had a test coming up and was muttering something about asking Savvy if he couldn’t get it by the time she came.
Which left me alone on the couch. Alone with my thoughts. So they were back, but I still didn’t have an acknowledgment of the text. Nothing. Fine. Whatever. The world was still turning, and the sun would come up tomorrow.
This was as clear a signal as any that Peterson wasn’t interested, and I was beginning to think that Dante was right in his assumption that she was trying to get an ‘in’ so she could pursue the story. Savvy had reached out to her; she didn’t need me anymore.
That was fine. I didn’t need the drama, and that girl was drama personified.
I got up off the couch and rapped my knuckles on Noah’s door.
“What?”
“Are you decent?” I asked through the door.
He opened the door, all six four of him looking down on me, an eyebrow raised. “Never been accused of being decent before.” He leaned against the doorway. “Why are you knocking?”
“It’s polite.”
His eyebrows were in his hairline. “You’re never polite. Why are you being polite now?”
“You’re rude.” I took a step back. “I didn’t want to barge in if, you know... you were... indisposed.”
Noah studied me for a moment longer, then laughed. “You thought I was jerking off?” he asked me with a wide grin. He went back to his desk. “If I was, I’d lock the door.”
“I did not think you were jerking off. You and your dick and you touching your dick has never entered my mind.” His grin was wider. “You’re a dick.” I grinned at him. “I’m here for that.” I pointed at his books. “I wondered if you needed any help?”
Noah looked at his textbooks and then at me. “You don’t mind?”
I walked into his room. “Nah, man, I wouldn’t offer if I did. What class is it?” I asked him, taking a seat on his bed.
“Leadership in High-Performance Teams.”
“Cool.” I got comfortable.
“It’s not cool, not at all,” he grumbled.
“Look at it this way, it’s basically what you do already: you’re a strong voice on the defensive line, you’re alreadyleading, so we just take what you do and then explain that in words that other non-sports people understand.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and groaned like the pages personally offended him. “How do I dothat?”