Free Beauty and the Running Back by Colleen Masters

are used to telling each other everything about our sexual
conquests. But we don’t really have a protocol for relationships that aren’t just sexual. Not that Jessa and I are in a relationship or anything, but… You know…
We could be, sometime soon. I decide to throw Bryan a bone. Shit, I could use
someone to talk to about all this.
    “Well. There is someone …” I begin cautiously.
    “I knew it!” Buck crows, pounding me on the back, “You’ve
been holding out on me, bro! So, what’s the deal?”
    “No deal,” I shrug, “We’re just, you know. Hanging out.”
    “Yeah? And how is she?” he asks, grinning lasciviously.
    “Jesus Christ, Buck. Grow up,” I snap.
    “Ohh shit!” he howls, eyes going wide. “You haven’t fucked
her yet?”
    “That’s none of your—”
    “Who is this girl, anyway?” Buck demands, “She must really
be something if you’re putting all this time in when she’s not putting out .”
    I’m about to tell Buck exactly where he can shove it when I
spot a familiar glimmer of blonde hair across the stadium. Jessa has appeared
at the locker room entrance, flagging down her father as he exits the field.
The untrained eye could never tell, but she looks nervous to be here. Or is it
excited? For my part, I’m just stunned to see her and the Coach actually speaking
to one another. It’s not exactly a common occurrence, especially in public.
Jessa’s handing him a set of house keys—he must have forgotten them at home or
something.
    “Oh, fuck…” Buck breathes, following my spellbound gaze all
the way across the field to where Jessa Cahill is standing. “Are you serious,
bro?”
    “What?” I ask, playing dumb.
    “Don’t ‘what’ me. I know that look anywhere,” he shoots
back, “You’re going after Coach Cahill’s daughter?!”
    “Say it a little louder, why don’t you?” I growl, looking
around to make sure no one’s heard him.
    “Do you have a death wish or something, Crash?” Buck goes
on, “You think the coach is gonna let this stand?”
    “The coach isn’t gonna find out,” I say threateningly.
    “Yeah. Sure,” Buck says, rolling his eyes, “It’s not like
this entire campus is watching your love life like it’s under a damn
microscope, right?”
    “You think I don’t know how to cover my tracks, Wallace?” I
challenge him.
    “Sure you do,” he replies, “But not well enough to stop the
Rayburn gossip machine.”
    I try to look straight ahead as we come up on Coach Cahill
and Jessa. We have to walk right past them to get into the locker room, and now
Buck has me all paranoid about it. But the second Coach sees his running back
and wide receiver approaching, he turns to face us with as near to a smile as I’ve
ever seen him crack.
    “There you are, Crash,” Coach Cahill says, beckoning me
over, “Have you had a chance to officially meet my daughter yet?”
    Oh, I’ve just had my tongue down her throat a few dozen
times, I think to myself.
    “Jessa, this is Dean Carter. Though around here we call him
Crash,” Coach says to his daughter, “He’s the one you’re going to be tutoring.”
    “Nice to meet you, Jessa,” I say to her, hoping I’m not
laying it on too thick.
    “Nice to meet you too,” she says politely, keeping her arms
crossed firmly across her chest. I can tell from her body language that she’s
not thrilled about even having to spend a few minutes in her dad’s company.
    “Why don’t you come on over to the house tomorrow so you two
can study?” Coach suggests to me, “My wife Marianne and I have a function at
the church, so you two will have the place to yourselves.”
    I pray to god that Buck doesn’t burst out laughing beside
me.
    “Sure,” I say to the Coach, my eyes fixed on Jessa, “That
would be great.”
    Our bemused, excited gaze lingers for another moment.
Neither of us can believe our good luck. We’re going to get an entire house to
ourselves not 24 hours for now. And I, for one, am pretty