Students of the Game Read Online Free PDF

me.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
    JOY
     
     
    If I had known the way to get guys to talk to you, was simply agreeing to be a peer tutor, I would have done it much sooner. Well, maybe I should take that back. A certain guy, I should say. I can’t stop thinking about Carver and I chide myself for letting it break my focus during class all day. It’s consuming me, and I’ve never really been the type of girl who obsesses over a guy. It’s not like I’m a total failure with them, I’ve had boyfriends…OK, one boyfriend. We even had sex for Pete’s sake. His name was Ben Sweeney. We dated briefly my sophomore year and at the time we both had braces. Of course, everyone knows the urban legend about mouths getting locked together if you French kiss with orthodontic appliances, right? Well, I was absolutely mortified at the thought of that happening. So, we didn’t kiss a lot, and basically had sex to be able to admit we both had our firsts. Then we broke up. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and maybe in the future I’ll think it was a stupid thing to do. Right now, I feel like it was good to just get it over with, similar to taking the first step into a frigid pool on a hot summer day. Something you just have to do if you want to experience complete satisfaction. I’m not saying I intend on sleeping with a lot of guys, just that when I decide the time is finally right, I’m sure it will be much better.
        After final bell I stop at my locker, grab what I books I need for tonight’s homework session, then reluctantly drag the two blocks of cement at my feet out to my car. On any given day it’s a race between the students who drive and the school busses, to exit the grounds first. However, today is my first tutoring session with Bryce, and I’m thankful to be stuck at the mercy of the slow moving buses.
       “You should call Seth. You do have another best friend, you know.” Farah looks in the vanity mirror and wipes the caked up eyeliner from the corner of her eye while we idle in a line of cars. “He misses you and keeps saying I hog you all the time.”
    “Oh, did he really say it that sweetly?”
    “Nope, that’s the sugar coded version. I believe the word bitch made it in there somewhere, but I’m not saying if it was directed towards you or me.”
    I laugh. “OK, I’ll call him.”
    We eventually make it onto the road and gossip mindlessly the rest of the drive home. I don’t bring up Bryce, nor does Farah. Before stepping out of the car, she leans over and gives me a quick hug. Farah says she’ll be around if I want to talk later, and I think about how lucky I am to have her.
    Pulling into my driveway, I find Bryce’s glossy black Wrangler parked in my usual spot. The body of the Jeep is mounted upon large off-roading tires and a light bar is perched on the roof.  A matching bull bar completes the look of this menacing behemoth. A sole white decal that reads, Virginia is for Lovers , is slapped on the rear bumper. It looks completely out of place and emphasizes the overall masculinity of the vehicle. I wonder if it’s meant to be a joke or not, and feel a quick stab inside, as this silly bumper sticker highlights the fact that I don’t know who Bryce is anymore.
    I drive past his car and come to a grinding halt where my mom usually parks. Taking a deep breath I turn off the ignition and slowly open the driver’s side door. While I am collecting my things from the back seat, I hear his door shut and feel him approach.
    “Sounds like you need new brake pads!” he calls, making his way towards me.
    “Um, yeah…I guess,” I reply indifferently, slam ming the rear door shut. The guy doesn’t talk to me for ten years, and the first thing he mentions is brake pads?
    “I could do that for you. It’s the least I could do…in return for helping me and all.” He c omes to a stop in front of me, one arm effortlessly holding a large hardcover history book and three