THE LIST

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Clayton

"Unpacking sucks." I tossed the last of my boxers in the top dresser drawer.

I didn't even have much, but still, it felt like it took me all day when I needed to get prepped for my first day with Doc at his clinic tomorrow.

"What'd you say?" Mom asked as she strolled in. "Whoa. Looks like a tornado hit here."

Boxes littered the floor. My bed was a mess, but I didn't care. My computer desk was set up in the corner, and my clothes were mostly hung up. That was all that mattered.

Now I needed to get my stuff ready for tomorrow.

"Do me a favor, huh?"

"Mom. I want to—"

"You want to take the trash to the curb? Awww, thank you for offering. That's so sweet."

So not what I was going to say, but when she joked like that...she wasn't really joking. And the sooner I got that done, the sooner I could hop online and get more research done on the football team.

I was meeting with a handful of them tomorrow for their pre-scans, and I had to be ready. My first day as a research assistant. Holy test tubes.

"Dr. Asgarth said he stopped by the school today to officially meet you." Mom followed me out of my room.

She peeked into Jordan's as we passed by and must have been okay with what she'd seen because she kept following me.

"Yeah, Doc stopped by. He's cool."

"He's been good to Jordan, too. He swung by here to say hi." She grinned as she held the pantry door open. "This trash, and the one in the hall bathroom, please."

I must have smirked because she tilted her head, and her blue eyes narrowed. No one sassed Mom and got away with it. I hopped into trash collector duty and hustled out the side door off the kitchen. The scorching sun hammered down on me instantly.

Early August sun in the desert was so not like North Dakota sun. At least the humidity wasn't so bad. Man, that pool sure was calling my name...

No. I needed to get studying. Facing off with five football players tomorrow for baseline scans was not going to be easy. Challenging their sport with a concussion study...yeah, I so wasn't going to be the popular kid on the block.

Not that I ever was.

Or ever would be.

I trekked around the corner and down the small sidewalk beside the house. Some rustling from our neighbors mimicked my sounds...probably doing the trash as well. Each of these houses and yards were pretty cookie-cutter, so their trash area was probably in the same space mine was.

No time to meet them, though, so I hustled to the trash bin, threw open the side gate and hauled ass to the curb.

"You a Vampire Hunter or something?"

I whipped around at a girl's voice.

There stood Megan. Bikini top and all. Holy crap, a bikini top. I diverted my focus to the ground as heat steamed my face.

"Now that's a first," she said, dragging the trash bin behind her. "A guy choosing not to look at a chick's chest. Impressive."

Her flip-flop caught a rock, and she stumbled. I jetted forward, my hands outreached. "Here. Let me."

"Back off, Nerdacious. I got this."

Nerdacious? "That's a new one."

"What?" She trounced to the end of her driveway, and I glanced up enough to catch a grin on her face.