That’s not like Cody; nothing has ever taken him away from the game. Even when there was no practice going on, he’d be somewhere practicing his throws. For as long as I’ve known him, and it’s much longer than her, it’s been like that. He never had time for me because he was always too busy with the stupid game.
I’d driven by the field where he and his friends usually spent Saturday mornings, but there was no one there. I’d seen some of his friends about the little college town, but there was no sign of him. I’d wanted to see him, to assure myself that he hadn’t changed that much, that what I saw that night wasn’t the big deal I’d made it out to be, but now there’s this nonsense about him confessing his feelings.
It’s a lie; I bet they just said that to get under my skin. It’s obvious they know that Tracy’s my friend and that the news would get back to me. There’s no way Cody is in love with her that he’d choose her over me. Besides, they haven’t known each other that long; what love?
I know for a fact that Cody eats, sleeps, and lives for the game, that nothing will ever come between him and his dream, least of all someone like her. I’d learned a lot about him before he shut me out and forbid his friends from sharing anything about him with me, and in all these years, even when he started to freeze me out, that has never changed.
I rubbed my chest where my heart hurt, and a new fear crept in. All these years, I’ve been able to keep other girls away from him. No one has ever challenged my claim to Cody before, and I refuse to believe that this time will be any different. So what if she’s hung around longer than the others? It just means I have to come up with another way to get rid of her. But first, I have to put an end to this rumor before it grows wings.
“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear; it’s stupid; what’re you, in high school? Do you really believe that someone like Cody would fall for a little nobody like her?”
“I’m not so sure she’s a nobody; hey, don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying. For her mom to get them all in without any fuss, she must be someone high up in the council, right. And we both know what that means”
“Are you trying to piss me off?”
“It was your idea to gather information. If you don’t want to know, I can always….”
“No, just keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t bring me any more of this bullshit; I want facts.” I stormed out of the classroom and headed for the cafeteria, only to walk in just as Cody and that girl were heading to the table with the rest of his friends. The friends who never gave me the time of day. It was all I could do to hold back the scream that blasted into my lungs.
CODY
Either my girl is an excellent actress, or I’m getting false information. When I confronted Steve the other night, he admitted to slipping up and mentioning the fact that Susie had drugged me to Lisa, but according to him, she hadn’t shown any interest other than surprise that it had happened, and she never mentioned it again.
I was there when that chick invited her and her friends to the sorority party, so there’s no way she could’ve orchestrated that, and I’ve kept an eye on her ever since that night and have seen nothing out of the ordinary. Susie just walked into the room behind us, and Lisa had no reaction one way or another when she sat at the table across from us, which left me confused.
I’m beginning to think the changes I see in her stem only from the rapid pace of our relationship. Maybe she’s coming out of her shell more now because she’s surer of herself and her place in my life. I don’t know, but I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary, and I haven’t yet figured out how to broach the subject with her without getting her involved.
If I have my way, none of this would ever touch her. We got through the whole picture fiasco without much harm; in fact, we grew closer in the days following once the misunderstandings had been cleared up between us, so there’s nothing for Lisa to worry about and no reason for her to get mixed up with Susie as the rumors seem to be hinting at.
After Chad told me what he’d overheard, I’d kept my ear to the ground but got nothing. Jess and Alexis don’t seem to be up to anything either, so I’m back to thinking Chad must’ve heard wrong, or he took an innocent comment and blew it out of proportion. As much as I was keeping a close eye on my girl as she sat beside me in the dining hall, I was also very aware of Susie’s presence.