Despite growing up together, Catherine Simmons and Mattis Reed were never close.
Cat was inseparable from Mattis' younger sister, Chloé, while he was busy running around on the football field.
But when Cat's new dream drags her across the country du...
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The end of the regular season always brings mixed feelings, especially since we've yet to make it to the playoffs during my tenure - although it's not like Columbia has ever had a big streak there. This year is no different.
Still, a break from football is usually a relief at this point. It'll be nice to close my eyes at night and not hear the echo of Coach Nikki yelling drills at me all night in my dreams. But on the other side, once the last game ends, it's all exam preparations until Christmas break.
And that's a real party damper.
For some of the guys, it's the first time they open a book this year. That's been me for a couple of seasons, too, but I've been putting in the work during the semester with engineering. That doesn't mean I'm not pulling all-nighters studying anyway.
Our house becomes study central. Guys from the team circle in and out, crashing on the couches or the guest bedroom, eating take-out for every meal, and cramming all possible knowledge into their brains during the day.
Cat and her friends join, too. It's a real incentive to get my studying done during the day, so I can spend my nights participating in something far more enjoyable. Blondie seems to be glued to Cadin's lap. Asshat mostly sits with the twins or a couple of the guys he shares classes with, and I manage to avoid him most of the time.
Once my last exam is over, I return to the house, finding it blissfully quiet. The past few weeks have brought my social battery dangerously low, and I'll need all the energy I can get for tomorrow when Cat and I fly to Austria.
There's a low buzz of chatter in the kitchen, occupied by the twins, Aran and, to my pleasant surprise, Cat.
I bump my fist to Aran's, grabbing a beer from the fridge before I sit next to Cat. She's barely turned towards me as I drag her off her chair and into my lap.
She makes a surprised noise, looking up at me under those dark lashes. "Hey."
"Kitty," I mumble, lowering my lips to hers. She tastes like freedom.
"Will you give it a break?" Ethan grumbles, throwing a cookie after us. I throw him a cheeky grin as I bite into the treat.
It's delicious. Ethan is great in the kitchen and tends to stress bake when he's procrastinating studying, which means we've been overflowing with cakes and bread the last couple of weeks.
"Jealousy doesn't become you, García," I taunt. His boyfriend already left for home, which has turned the otherwise easygoing twin into a downright Grinch.
"When's your planes home?" Cat asks the guys at large.
"Eight PM," the twins say in unison.
They'll be going north, spending the holidays with their older brother and parents, plus an assortment of family friends. I've always been a little jealous of them. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is usually a great time with Mom and Chloé, but we've never done the big parties, and I wonder if it's as fun as it sounds. I guess I'll find out. Our three-person celebration is being upgraded this year.
