75

Kassie

Red Undereye Paint

I pulled up my hair into a bun and carefully walked around June's living room, with the paintbrush in my hand, getting a good look at Zariah's poster, trying to figure out exactly where I could squeeze the Marrs crest on.

June's boyfriend—June's real boyfriend—had dropped off sushi a couple of hours ago and June, Zariah, and I had taken advantage of the lack of a football schedule to get Zariah's posters done for her semester as an RA. They were looking great. After months of sketching out the Romans' amscot, I was becoming a pro.

"Kass!" Zariah called from the kitchen. "Your phone's ringing!"

I perked up and stuck my tongue out at June while she giggled from the couch. "Should I ask who it is?"

"Slut number two!"

"Perfection." I hurried to the kitchen, off to my phone buzzing on the counter, with that cute picture of Ryan in his car, with my hand along the side of his jaw. Oomf. He looked good. But he wasn't calling - he was video chatting. I turned the volume down on the stereo and answered the call.

For a moment, the call blurred for a second before Ryan appeared on my phone screen, half-lidded and grinning down at the phone. With…red paint smeared under his eyes.

"Ryan?" I cocked my head to the side. "What's up with the paint?"

For a moment, he didn't say anything. He just sat back in a comfy chair outside and smiled at the camera.

"Ryan?" I repeated and checked the settings. "Did you put mute on?"

"I can't believe he knows how to call someone," Zariah laughed and her and June hurried over to crowd the call.

"Where are you?" June asked before I could.

"Where's the guys?" Zariah pressed. "What's that red stuff below his eyes?"

I frowned. "I don't know, he hasn't said anything yet."

"Hey, babygirl," Ryan said with the thickest voice known to mine, the throatiest timber that ever existed, a tone that sent a thrill up my spine and my thighs squeezing together. He tilted his head to the side, smiling down at the camera.

"Are you…?" I blinked.

"I think he's drunk?" June whispered.

He shifted up in his chair. "I'm at a stop light party." He settled back in his chair, abandoning the previous efforts. "Green is for single…yellow is maybe…red's taken."

Aww .

I bit back the smile. Ryan wanted to let everyone know he had a girlfriend. Of course he did.

"Did you put that on right before you called Kass?" Zariah pressed and I shoved her out of the frame, trying not to laugh.

"Be nice," I urged. "He's drunk."

Ryan stood up and for a moment, all the camera was looking at was the worn away porch of someone's house party. He bobbed in and out of view. Music pulsed from the phone and I could hear the clink of glasses before he emerged with a beer in view.

"I bought you something!" he shouted.

"I thought you're at a party?"

"It's not a gift because you need it," he said, like he didn't hear me. Which he might not have. Gingerly, he put the phone down on the table in front of him and reached down for his belt buckle, loosening it.

"Uh…" June shot a look my way. "Where're the guys?"

"Ryan!" I could've smacked my forehead. "Wait, Ryan!"

Instead, Ryan propped the cap of the beer against the metal buckle, tightening his hold on the bottle. His muscular arms were in perfect view. Definitely not what I was focusing on. The beer fizzled when the cap flew off, off to who knows where. I stared in disbelief as he slipped the belt back in place and took a swig of the beer.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" I asked, dumbfounded.

Zariah nodded. "Teach me how to do that."

"I bought a gift, art girl. But you have to ask nicely if you want to hear them," he slurred, pulling the phone back.

"Ryan," I pressed. "Where's Adam? Where's King?"

He sighed. "I miss you."

" Ryan. "

"Okay, I'll tell you—your makeup's expired—I bought you new makeup—"

"Oh my god." A blush hit me hard. I pinched the bridge of my nose and clicked the mute button. "June, can you—?"

"I'm calling Adam right now," Zariah assured me and stepped out of the kitchen.

"Ryan, are you in a safe place?" I called to him, trying to get his attention. "Are you at a party with the guys? Are you by yourself? Ryan—baby—look at me. Are you okay?"

"I miss you," he sighed again.

Zariah walked back in the kitchen, irritated. "Adam's in a threesome right now and told me to call back in fifteen minutes. Marrs Manwhore bastard. I'm poking holes in his condoms."

"I'll call King," June assured us and hurried out of the kitchen.

"I'm kind of worried right now," Ryan shouted again into the camera and I could see people glancing up from the background.

"What're you worried about?" Real panic was starting to set in. Was my boyfriend all alone somewhere, dropped off, shitfaced? How was I supposed to get to Louisiana?

"I'm building back a routine with my sleep schedule," Ryan yelled into the phone. More people glanced over at him. "But I can't—I can't eat your pussy here—how am I supposed to sleep—"

Zariah choked next to me and I whipped down the phone to put my hand over my face, blushing harder. My face burned hot. But it wasn't time to focus on that, it was time to focus on Ryan, possibly stuck at a party somewhere, without any of his teammates.

When I pulled the phone back, Ryan breathed out a sigh of relief. "I thought you left!"

"Ryan, baby." I had to keep calm. "You need to quiet down, okay?"

June burst back into the kitchen. "King's looking for him."

"Thank god." I held my phone up for June to take photos. "Ryan, are you still at the same party?"

A hand reached down to Ryan's shoulder with glittery, silver nails. The two girls and I stared at the phone while red hair cascaded over Ryan and he glanced up.

"You're looking a little too lonely over here," the voice purred from beyond the camera frame.

Ryan dug in his pocket for a moment and unfolded a piece of paper for whoever stood over him. "I have a girlfriend."

Oh my god. That's the sketch .

"Kass…" Zariah clapped a hand over her mouth and laughed.

The blush crossed my face for a very different reason and I explained to June, "I drew a picture of the two of us before he left on the trip."

"He whipped it out like a badge!" Zariah cackled.

"Oh, honey, I didn't see the red." The glittery nails dipped down and a girl's face hit the screen. She offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, girlies, couldn't see from behind!"

"You didn't know, it's fine," I assured her. The Marrs fans who told me I wasn't worthy to juggle Ryan's balls were one thing, a random girl who was just browsing at a stoplight party was another. Someone who could help Ryan. "Do you know what the address is for that place? We're trying to get him home."

"I have a girlfriend," Ryan repeated, stubborn.

"We're on Walspar Street," the girl explained and gave a sympathetic look to Ryan. "I do this all the time on my campus. Do you need help getting home?"

"I have a girlfriend."

"King's found him," June told us and all three of us pressed together, trying to spot the defensive end in the background.

Zariah pointed towards the left. "That's him."

"Who?" Ryan shouted again and King strode over from the side of the screen. He must've stood on the side of the chair because Ryan glared at him from his spot in the chair.

"Give me the phone, Ryan."

"I have an important phone call. I'm talking to Coach Lawson."

King grunted in disbelief. "Captain."

"I did a keg stand."

"Captain."

"Now I get a phone call."

" Captain. "

King muttered under his breath and I could see his hand swiping for the phone. My boyfriend was too drunk to keep his grip on it. The only thing I could see was King's face, momentarily taking up the screen.

"I'll take him back to the hotel," he promised.

In the background, I could hear Ryan arguing about why he needed to get the phone back before the line went dark.