Playing the Part

14. promise, princess

Allie

"I assume most of you have breached the second draft of your dissertation." The last couple of classes have been uneventful, mostly consisting of deep dives into films that I've watched a million times anyway. 

But the thought of even starting my dissertation makes me want to reconsider life. Let alone finishing a second draft, like who do you think I am? A film bro who actively analyses movies they watch for 'leisure'? 

I pick apart shitty movies because it makes me feel good for fuck's sake. 

"Send your drafts over to your advisors. And please, proofread them thoroughly prior to sending them over. They are not going to entertain your grammar and spelling mistakes. Cut off date for their feedback is in exactly a week so make sure your drafts are prepared by then." Rahul checks his phone for the time, lets out a huff of air and dismisses the class. 

"In a week?" I mutter under my breath because holy shit, I haven't even picked a topic. 

I shoot Alex a text asking if she's landed and accidentally bump into some guy. 

"Allie?" I look up casually and catch sight of Zach, dressed in a black two-piece suit that looks like something out of a James Bond movie. 

His blonde hair is slicked back, making his infinitely blue eyes pop in a disconcerting way. 

My heart's racing at a million miles per hour because he looks so good it's uncanny. 

"H-hi. What are you doing here?" 

"Had an interview with the school journalists. It was some column about future NBA stars. Total drag but hey, some publicity is always welcome here." I force a weak laugh. 

"Are you going to Everett's game today?" He flexes his wrists. 

"Yeah. Gotta show some love, right?" I wince. 

"Wanna go over there together? I always get the front row seats." He winks effortlessly and I feel like I've just entered a game show with how smooth it was. 

I thank myself for wearing an off-shoulder 76ers jersey and a short grey skirt instead of beach shorts. 

"Sure!" I smooth my hands down my bottoms because I'm sweating like a banshee, again. 

Zach looks down at me, eyes trained onto my chest. "You look beautiful today." 

Heat rises straight to my cheeks and I look away from his gaze to calm the fuck down. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." 

He chuckles. "Well, I try." 

* 

Everett

We lace up in the locker room while Coach gives us a rundown of things we had to watch out for. 

Like the fact that most of our core team is not even playing the match and our teamwork is completely in the ditch. 

The added fact that Cornell's players are literal six-seven giants with builds of Arnold Schwarzenegger is definitely not in our favour. 

I'm about to hit the ice for warm ups but not before Tori, loitering outside the locker room, gives me a piece of her mind. 

Leon shoots her the dirtiest glare but Nick slings his arm over his shoulder and drags him to the ice, which is probably for the best.