Chapter 8

8

KING

Stepping under the hot water, I sigh deeply when my muscles start to relax. I always go full throttle at practice, and once the adrenaline wears off, it hits me like a ton of bricks. My head drops down and I let the water cascade down my back, the voices of the other players being drowned out by the rushing sound of the shower.

My mind drifts to Niko and the surprise I felt when I saw him step out onto the field. For someone who hates baseball, I never expected him to show up on the field. But fuck me, did he look gorgeous. He was wearing blue jeans and a tight, black shirt. He tends to always wear a leather jacket, so I enjoyed seeing him more relaxed.

I was shocked he offered me a small smile. I can tell I'm wearing him down. I just need to keep being his friend, and eventually I'll break down all his walls.

My dick starts to harden at the thought of Niko, and I groan silently, not wanting to get a hard-on in the communal shower. But it's next to impossible when Niko takes up space in my mind. Even when he's being fiery or an asshole, he turns me on. Which is probably fucking weird, but apparently, I like it.

Every time he's mean to me or talks down to me, it does nothing but arouse me more. Not wanting my teammates to see me like this, I quickly wash up and step out, then wrap the towel around my waist. I head to my locker and sit on the bench in front of it. I slide my briefs up my legs, then take in my surroundings.

The team has been so damn welcoming, and I’m thrilled everyone has been getting along. I thought I would have more problems being a human coming to a university filled with monsters, but so far there haven't been any issues. The locker room is filled with different species of monsters and humans commingling, and I love it.

Sam sits down next to me on the bench and knocks into my shoulder. "Any plans for tonight?"

"Nah, I don't think so. Why? What's up?"

"Some of the guys were talking about going out. Told me to spread it around and see who wanted to meet up."

"Yeah, sounds good. What's the plan?" I ask, giddy. I haven't done much since I arrived at Creelin U besides the night of the bonfire, so I'm itching to get out.

"We're going to meet up at Zomb-Bar then figure it out from there."

"Hell yeah, I’m down. What time?"

"Eight."

"See you then." We fist bump, and I finish getting dressed. Can't wait for a night out.

I pull my hoodie over my head at the slight chill in the air as I walk down the sidewalk. Scanning the street, I see the sign for Zomb-Bar down the road so I stride over to it and pull the door open. My head turns left to right, looking for a familiar face when I spot Will sitting at a table in the back corner.

Dropping into the chair next to him, I smile and nod at him as the table starts to slowly fill with Creelin U students. There’s a couple Vampires, a Phoenix with her bright red wings spread wide, and even a Sasquatch who’s taking up two seats. Once the table is full, Will stands up and asks everyone for their orders, saying he'll order for us at the bar.

We do two rounds of shots while talking, laughing, and getting to know one another better. Sam finally shows up, taking the vacant spot next to me.

"Fucking finally. Was getting worried you weren't going to show up."

"Sorry, I ran into someone I know outside and we got lost in conversation." His lips tilt up into a smile and his eyes soften.

"Ah, a special someone?"

"Nah, just a friend." He says it like he believes it, but from the look in his eye, I can tell there's something more than that. "So, I see you've started without me. Now I need to catch up."

Sam heads to the bar and grabs a shot for himself and a beer for me. We sit with the team for a while longer, drinking and talking. Most of our conversations center around the upcoming season and how we're going to kick ass.

I'm talking to Will when the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Turning in a circle, I look to see what's caused the reaction when I take in Niko and Mateo heading toward the bar.

As much as I want to get up and say hi to them, I know I need to keep my distance for now. Niko and I still aren't on friendly terms, and I don't want to ruin his night. I watch as they both order a drink and walk over toward an empty table by the dance floor.

I turn back to Sam and Will, talking to them about the party that's happening in a couple weeks. It's Will's birthday, so he wants to do a karaoke party down the street at Scare-aoke. We also make plans to go out and eat before the party. I turn to ask Sam a question when I notice his attention is elsewhere.

Following his line of sight, I see he's staring at Niko and Mateo on the dance floor. They're dancing with one another, Niko's back to Mateo’s chest. Mateo leans down and whispers something in Niko's ear, and he throws his head back laughing. I watch them, a sensation that feels a lot like jealousy rising to the surface.

"You know him?" I ask Sam, hoping we're not crushing on the same man.

"Hmm?" He looks at me and I gesture my head in Niko's direction. "Oh, that's my friend. The one I was telling you about. I ran into him outside."

"So that's who you were talking about. I'm actually roommates with him."

"Wait, you're roommates with Mateo?"

"Mateo?"

"Yeah, my friend, Mateo. I met him in class on the first day of school."

He's staring at Mateo. Fucking hell. I shouldn't feel relieved, but I do. "Yeah, I'm roommates with him and his best friend, Niko."

"His friend? Not boyfriend," he murmurs, still staring at them. For someone he claimed was just a friend, that's not the vibe I'm getting now. His eyes are trained on Mateo, a lust brimming behind them.

"No, not boyfriend."

"I'm going to go talk to him." He doesn't wait for me to respond before he's up, out of his seat, and making his way to Mateo. I watch as he taps Mateo on the shoulder, putting an end to their dancing. Mateo flashes him a huge smile and they stand there talking in the middle of the dance floor.

Niko takes the cue and walks over to the table, sitting back down on the chair. Not wanting him to be alone, I stride across the dance floor and take the spot next to him.

"I thought I saw you dancing out there."

"Huh?" he asks, turning to face me. "Oh, it's you."

"It's me. The one and only." I beam brightly, scooting closer to him. "Surprised to see you here. Didn't think this was your kind of thing."

"What was my kind of thing? Drinking? Dancing? Hanging out with my friend? Did you think I was so boring that I just stay at home reading textbooks all night?"

"What?" I sputter, my eyes widening. "No, that's not what I meant at all. I was just surprised since Creelin is so big. So running into you anywhere was a surprise." Coby hisses at me, and I know I've made him mad. Already. "Do you want to dance?"

"No."

Not even a second to think about it. Just a flat-out no. "Do you want another drink?"

"No."

The alcohol from earlier must be making me bolder, because words start falling out of my mouth without much thought. "Why do you hate me? What did I do to you?"

"I don't hate you." He turns his head, taking a sip of his drink. My eyes track the movement of his Adam's apple as he swallows. His tongue peeks out and swipes across his bottom lip, and I wish it was my tongue doing the licking.

"You never want to hang out with me."

Sighing, he pinches the bridge of his nose before glancing at me, then looking away. "We’re not friends."

"But why?" I whine. Probably pathetically, but whatever. I've been nothing but friendly to him, and it hasn't made a single crack in his hatred for me.

He reaches over, grabbing the shot glass on the table and downing it with one gulp. He winces at the taste, and closes his eyes. "I don’t know."

"What the fuck? You don’t know?" I ask incredulously.

"It's too complicated to get into."

"I don't think that's fair to me. Besides, I've been nothing but nice to you. But whatever, Niko. I'm done trying to be your friend."

I don't wait for him to respond before I'm pushing my way through the crowd and out the front door. My throat is getting tight and my skin is starting to warm. Pulling at the collar of my shirt, I exhale once the crisp air hits my face. My blood starts to boil, the anger taking over. I can't fucking believe he doesn't like me for a reason he doesn’t even know. I can only imagine how he would act if I turned around and pulled that same shit on him. Fuck him. And fuck trying to be nice to him.

Roommates.

That's it.

No more friendly King.