4. Chapter 4

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Macy screams as she comes barging into my room. I was still sound asleep with my sheets barely covering my body in a pair of tiny sleep shorts and a tank. "It's the first game of the season, bitch. Wake up!"

Groaning, I lift my sleep mask to see Macy standing beside me with a Jell-O shot in one hand. Our annual tradition is to kick off game day with a morning shot, followed by spending a couple of hours drinking coffee and getting ready, and then we head to the game. This year, the first game of the season is a night game, which is always trouble for us, but the atmosphere of a night game can't be beat. Not only are night games a blast, but this year we are having a rematch of last year's playoff game, which we lost. Tonight's game is a huge deal.

"Morning," I grumble.

Taking the shot from Macy, I dip my tongue into the cup, sliding around the rim of the plastic, breaking loose the Jell-O before sucking it down. Mmm, cherry Jell-O shots are my favorite. Before getting out of bed, I reach over to my phone, check the time—it's nine forty-five—and pull up my text messages.

"Q ready for the game?" Macy asks.

"Oh yeah, he's pumped," I answer, climbing out of bed and heading over to my bathroom to brush my teeth.

Since I was the one to find the town house, the girls gave me the master suite. Both of their bedrooms are upstairs, as well, but they share the guest bathroom. It's not that big of a deal since we all get ready together. Usually, that's in my room since it's the biggest.

"Chlo ran out to grab donuts," Macy says while I brush my teeth.

She heads out of my room while I finish my morning routine—brush my teeth, bathroom, wash my face. You know, the typical stuff.

By the time I make it downstairs, Chloe had returned with the donuts. She picked up a dozen glazed donuts decorated in CTU colors, along with three red, white, and blue Eagles lattes, which are only available during football season. The drink features our school's team colors, and the latte is a combination of white chocolate, raspberry, blueberry, milk, and espresso. It's really good, but I only drink them on game days. I much prefer my coffee black and, if I'm feeling adventurous, I add a splash of cream.

"Okay, so what's the game plan?" Chloe asks, shoving a donut in her mouth.

Reaching around Chloe, I grab myself a donut and sit down on a bar stool at our island. College GameDay is blaring on the TV from the living room behind us. Before answering, I take a swig of my iced coffee, but not before I shake the ice around for a couple of seconds, because it obviously makes iced coffee better when you shake it around first.

"Get ready, get drunk, get food, and get rowdy?"

Macy looks up from where she's painting her nails in OPI's shade Color So Hot It Berns.

"I'm down for that plan. The baseball house is having a party, and I'm sure we can find somewhere to eat at the tailgate."

"Oh, I forgot. Q said he told his parents we would be stopping by their motorhome for a barbecue."

Quinton's parents and I have a like/dislike relationship. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are CTU royalty. Mr. Boyd set the sack record for the Eagles before playing fifteen years in the NFL. He just recently retired and has become a heavy presence in the athletic boosters. His wife was also a CTU legend in basketball. While she didn't go on to play in the WNBA, she holds the CTU record for most rebounds in a season. After graduating, she put her business degree to use and is a Chief Financial Officer at one of the largest Credit Unions in the state. The Boyds are a well-respected family, and that's why I believe they think I'm not good enough to call Quinton my best friend.

But what can I do? I am who I am.

"I can't wait to see what the Boyds bring for their barbecue spread. I wonder if they hired a professional," Mace responds.

"Knowing Mrs. Boyd, I'm sure it's catered with some kind of decorator coming to set up the motorhome and the outdoor tents," Chloe says, standing from her seat. "I'm going to grab a shower while your nails dry, Mace. Meet in your room in an hour, B?"

"Sounds good! I still need to figure out what I'm going to wear. It's going to be hotter than hell today."

Early September in Texas is always hot. Throw in outdoor tailgating and standing in a crowd of a hundred thousand people, and it gets really hot.

After an hour, we all met in my room for hair and makeup. The best thing about living with girls is that we all have unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to getting ready. Now we can all do our own makeup and hair, but it makes it more fun to have girl time and do it for each other. Chloe is the hair goddess, Macy the makeup guru, and I always provide the killer soundtrack.

Macy is a fashion major and each year she makes us custom shirts to wear to the games. She finds vintage shirts, cuts them, and combines them to make unique combinations. For the first game, she found vintage CTU T-shirts, cut them to be tube tops, and sewed elastic in the top and the bottom. This way the shirts would fit snugly on our bodies and would prevent any wardrobe malfunctions. Nobody wants a nip slip. Well… one that isn't intentional.

Our outfits are the same, aside from the colors of the shirts. Chloe is wearing blue to bring out her blue eyes, with white denim shorts, and brown leather sandals. Macy has white to contrast against her tan skin, paired with ripped denim shorts, and red Converse. I'm wearing red to pop with my platinum-blonde hair, opting for a denim skirt, and my new boots.

"You guys! Look what I ordered for this season!" I scream, running to my closet and pulling out my most prized purchase.

I slip on my new Glitz Cream Lucchese Priscilla boots. Walking out of my bathroom, I'm met with squeals from the girls.

"Shut up! Girl, you look amazing!" Macy screams.

I've been talking about buying these boots for a year. Finally, I bit the bullet and put them on my parents' credit card. It's the least they can do since we haven't seen each other in almost a year. If they won't show me their love, they can buy it.

Five years ago, our family dynamic changed. It was never that great, but the events from five years ago nailed the coffin closed. Each year, the time between our communication gets longer and longer. It's been a year since we've seen each other, a year since we've spoken. I didn't even bother flying home for the holidays. They still live in my hometown, a suburb of Chicago, and I'm here in Texas. If one of us needs to communicate with the other, it's done through text or email. As long as they keep the credit card balance cleared, I'll take their bought love. It's fine. I've accepted it.

That's why my relationship with Chloe, Macy, Cody, and Quinton means so much to me. We aren't family by blood, but our love is deeper. And that's what matters to me.

B, enough, we aren't focusing on them today. Today is about you. Today is about the girls. Today is about Quinton.

Shaking my head, I go over to my phone and pair it with my Bluetooth speaker. "Believer" by Imagine Dragons starts playing and all three of us crack open our Coors Lights.

Game Day 2022 has begun!

At a quarter past one, the three of us emerge from my bedroom with our hair and makeup looking fabulous. Grabbing our clear belt bags, we make our way to the parking lot to wait for our Uber driver.

Campus is buzzing.

Cars are trying to park. Students are walking with backpacks that you know are full of beer. Fans are decked out in their red and powder blue Eagles gear. The sun is shining, and even though it's going to be a hot one, I love it.

These are the days I live for. There's nothing better than football in the fall. As excited as I am, the first game always brings with it some sadness. My brother should be here with me. We should be celebrating the first game together. Shotgunning a beer in the parking lot after the game, just like we did in high school. Yeah, yeah, I know, but it's what we did.

The Uber driver stops in front of the Baseball House. There's no more street parking, and the cars behind us are honking. The three of us climb out and head up the sidewalk toward the house. Tables are set up in the yard for Beer Pong and Flip Cup. There's music coming from speakers.

Scanning the yard, I recognize one of the guys playing beer pong. "Isn't that the guy from last week? What was his name?"

Macy looks around before responding, "Gregg. Yeah, that's him."

Stopping abruptly, Chloe grabs Macy's arm. "Wait, you slept with Gregg? Why didn't I know about this?"

Macy shrugs. "It was after the Thirsty Thursday party at the Football House. It wasn't a big deal."

"Small dick?" I ask.

Chloe snorts and Macy glares at me.

"No, it wasn't small. It was just a one-time thing."

"Gregg is relationship material and a serious dater. He doesn't just hook up. If he hooks up, he wants more," Chloe says as we make our way over to the cooler to grab more beers.

"Guess his streak is going to stop with—" Before she can finish her sentence, Gregg interrupts her.

"Hey, Macy! How's it going?" Gregg asks, leaning down and grabbing another beer for himself.

"Hey, Gregg! I can't complain. How about you?" she replies as he pops that tab on his beer, sliding next to her.

And that's my cue to go check out the rest of the party. As much as I'd love to stay and watch Macy get out of that whole situation, I've got people to see and drinks to drink.

Macy is a dater, even though she claims she isn't. She had a boyfriend our freshman year but found out he had been cheating on her the whole six months they were together. Since then, she's decided college isn't for relationships, and guys suck. She's not wrong, but she's a relationship girl. It was hard to see her so defeated and broken after that douchebag.

The inside of the house doesn't look much different than the outside. There are people gathered everywhere. I didn't realize this was going to be such a party before the game. I'm the definition of a party girl, but if your girl is going to make it to a seven o'clock game and stay up to, hopefully, celebrate a big win with the guys, then I've got to pace myself. Reaching inside my belt bag, I fish out my phone.

Cody lives with three other guys on the baseball team. Hudson Larsen, centerfielder; Ty Billings, third baseman; and Niko Vega, shortstop. Much like the Football House, they also have a large house and turned their attic into a game room with couches and an eighty-inch TV. Making my way up the two flights of stairs, I push open the door to the attic. Whistles and catcalls fill the room as I enter.

"Goddamn, Brinley Wilder, warn a guy before you enter," Hudson rasps out, choking on his beer. I ignore his reaction.

"Damn, Brynn, you look smokin'," Cody says, pulling me in for a hug as I sit down on the couch next to him.

"Thanks, guys. It's not too much?" I ask, curling into Cody.

Glancing up, I notice the five guys in the room scanning my body from my boots to my face—well, they don't make it up to my face but stop at my boobs.

"Not at all, but if I was Q, I'd never let you out in public," Ty says, finally pulling his eyes from my boobs and back to the game that's playing on TV.

"Why would you think Q has any say in what I do?" I retort.

"You two aren't together?" Ty asks genuinely. He's a new transfer who arrived over the summer from the West Coast.

"Um, no. Just friends."

Before I have a chance to elaborate any further, Cody jumps in. "Yeah, dude, if she was with Q, there's no way I'd be curled up with her like this. Dude would beat my ass. Hell, he still might."

"So why aren't you guys downstairs partying with everyone else?" I ask.

"Shit, if I started this early, I'd be passed out before kickoff," Cody says. "We've got a cooler of beer and water, snacks, and other games to watch until we make our way to the stadium around five."

"Same. I'm hoping there will be a big celebration party somewhere tonight," Hudson adds.

There's no denying the campus is eager for the game tonight. Everyone is hoping for some revenge against The University of Loganville Raiders.

Every year, the playoffs come down to the same six or seven teams all vying for a spot in the top four teams in hopes of making it to the championship game.And for the past three years, we"ve come up short, by either not making the playoff, or losing in the semi-finals. It's aggravating.

Fans are annoyed. The team is frustrated.

But most of all, the team is hungry for a win.

My seat begins to shake.

Holy shit, is it an earthquake? Wait, does Texas have earthquakes? I don't know my geography.

My body is now moving, and I can feel my heart rate start to increase.

"Brynn? Brynn, wake up," Cody whispers in my ear.

What? Why is Cody whispering in my ear?

Jerking upright, I realize that I'm curled up on Cody's shoulder with my hand… oh god, my hand is on his crotch. "Oh my god," I jerk away. "Did I fall asleep?"

Cody laughs before standing up to stretch. "Yeah, about thirty minutes ago. Your phone chimed and I saw it was Chloe checking on you. I told her you dozed off. She said to let you sleep until it was closer to us leaving."

I stand up and straighten out my clothes.

"I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that," I answer, embarrassment spreading across my face.

"Brynn, it's fine. Really. I didn't need to go anyway, I was just watching the Georgia game," Cody says.

"Shit, what time is it? Q told his parents we'd be over for their barbecue," I ask, standing up and adjusting my clothes.

"You have plenty of time. I woke you up a few minutes before you girls needed to leave so you could freshen up. Come down to my room and you can use my bathroom." Cody leads the way out of the game room, which I just realize is empty and walks to his room.

Reaching his door, Cody types in the code to get his door unlocked. This is my first time in Cody's room, and it's surprisingly clean. He has a navy comforter and gray sheets. Above his bed is a panoramic view of Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. His desk is organized with textbooks, notebooks, and his MacBook. On his dresser are a few framed pictures that I walk over to check out. I pick up a picture of him with a younger girl. She looks to be about fifteen with long brown hair, hazel eyes that match Cody's, and braces.

"That's Leah, my sister," he says, answering my unasked question. "And the picture next to it is my two buddies from high school. We started playing baseball together when we were six. Now we play against each other."

"It's a cool picture. My brother had a picture on the baseball field with his two best friends like this. It's a special bond," I say, nostalgia taking over my voice. If I don't snap out of it, I'm going to start crying. "Mind if I use your restroom real quick?"

"Go for it, B," he says. "I'm going to change real quick."

Standing at the sink, I take in my appearance in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, I let the memories of Bryce, my twin brother, leave my mind. Searching through Cody's cabinet, I find a bottle of mouthwash. Swishing it around my mouth, I spit it out and have instant fresh breath. Reaching into my bag, I pull out my holy grail of long-lasting lipstick, Maybelline's Innovator, and reapply. This shit is a game changer. Nobody wants red lipstick that smudges or doesn't last a whole night out.

Feeling like myself again, I make my way out of the bathroom. Cody and I head downstairs and reunite with Chloe, Macy, and, surprisingly, Gregg. Hell, who am I kidding? This is not surprising. It's typical Macy. I knew she couldn't go all year without dating.