Higher (The University of Gatica #3) (9 page)

She jogged along the sidewalk and slowed her pace when she was a few houses away from Carter’s. Tucking her hair behind an ear and playing with her bangs, she paused a moment, wishing she had checked the mirror of the car before heading out. She rummaged through her purse for some lip gloss and applied it.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to walk up the small set of concrete steps to Carter’s place. She paused with her hand on the doorknob when she felt the deep base of music coming from inside the house. She glanced behind her and realized some of the cars parked by the condo had to belong to swimmers. They all had a pair of goggles on the mirror as a dangly ornament.

Did she knock on the closed door or just walk in?

Carter had invited her so it wasn’t like she was crashing the party.
If the door’s locked I’ll knock
. She turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

A distinct putrid smell instantly filled her nostrils.

Not again.

Seriously how much pot did the swim team need? She knew a couple of distance runners on the track team that lit up once in a blue moon but these guys seemed to do it weekly. They were idiots to risk NCAA drug testing.

She slipped through the door and closed it quietly behind her. Waving the smoke out of her face, she took a deep breath through her mouth and held her breath as she walked down the dark unlit hall to the dim living room.

People were standing, chatting and eating in the kitchen. Jani waved to Carter’s roommate in the kitchen and continued on to the living room to find Carter.

A group of people sat around in a circle passing some kind of pipe bong looking thing. Jani stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move as she watched Carter reach out and take the pot stick from a pretty blonde sitting beside him. He had no shirt on, just his goggles around his neck. The girl ran a perfectly manicured hand over his chest and leaned in to kiss him.

Jani sucked in a sharp breath. She didn’t know what to do. Run away or call his name and catch him in the act. She’d just driven all the way to NYU and back and this was how he repaid her?

Carter’s head turned in her direction. He’d probably heard her gasp.

She gave him a dirty look and shook her head before turning to stomp away. She sighed and muttered, “Ass-hat.” He had been the one smoking pot in the sauna a couple weeks ago. She had just been too blind to figure it out.

“Jani.”

She heard her name but didn’t stop to see if Carter was following her.

“Jani!” A strong set of long fingers touched her shoulder. “Wait. Please.”

She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled through her nose. “What?”

“I didn’t know you were here.”

She spun around and imagined her face red with anger. Her hands went instantly to her hips. “So then it’s okay to kiss some random girl if I don’t know about it?” She huffed. He had hurt her and it made her mad. She leaned in to hiss at him, “I freakin’ drove to NYU to watch you race! You’re an ass!”

“I didn’t kiss–I don’t even know who she is! She kissed me!”

“You sure didn’t make any effort to stop her. I was right there!” People were popping their head around the kitchen doorway to see what the commotion was about. “Nice shirt, by the way.” She pointed at his bare chest.

Carter ran his hand through his hair. “The guys took my shirt. It’s a swim thing. Top swimmer has to go shirtless. You wouldn’t get it.”

“No. I don’t.” She hiked her backpack that had fallen back up on her shoulder. “I’m going home.”

He grabbed her hands and pulled her tight against him so her breasts brushed his chest and her hips crushed against his. “Don’t. Please. Stay.”

She hated that her body tingled and grew warm from his touch. She was mad at him. How could her body react like some hoe-bag? She tried to ignore her body but she didn’t pull her hands out of his or try to move away. “I drove up to NYU to watch you race. I’m an idiot.”

“No, you’re not. That was super sweet of you.” He dropped his head to catch her gaze, refusing to let her look away. His lips teased her with a sexy smile. “Come back to the living room with me. You can sit on my lap.”

And look like the dumb, small town girlfriend who let her star swimming boyfriend get away with anything? A slight movement in between his thighs pressed against her low abs. She blinked and hesitated, forgetting what she was going to say when his growing erection distracted her.

He bent his head down and brought his lips hungrily against hers.

She thought she tasted the pot in his mouth but couldn’t be sure if it was from the smell in the air. She didn’t want to enjoy his kiss, she was supposed to be mad at him. He’d lied to her about smoking and he’d let some other girl kiss him. And now his lips were on hers, his tongue in her mouth, and his hands pressed hard against her hips to crush them tight against his.

When he slowly pulled his mouth away from hers, he kept his forehead pressed against hers. “I PB’d today,” he whispered, a smile playing on his lips.

“I saw. You kicked butt.”

“I qualified for NCAAs.”

“And nearly broke the NCAA record.”

“I was pretty close.”

She smiled and grinded her hips closer against him. “Tight-ass close.”

He squeezed her glutes in response. “I qualified in the 100-yard as well.”

“And the medley.”

“Going to be one hell of a NCAAs.”

“Do you expect me to go and drive to that one and surprise you?” She tried to wipe the grin off her face. “I’m still mad at you.”

“I know.”

Man, how can he be so cocky and so incredibly sexy at the same time?

“Want to go up to my room?” He reached for her backpack, letting his hand brush against her breast as he slipped it off her shoulder and held it for her.

Like she was going to say no. She shrugged, not saying anything and letting him make the decision.

Carter slipped his hand in hers and tugged her toward the stairway. “I think we should celebrate that victory of mine.”

“Race ya,” she teased and tore off up the steps.

Carter tossed her backpack behind him and chased after her, his sexy laugh sending thrills down Jani’s spine as she took the stairs two at a time, both of them now oblivious to the party continuing on without them. 

Her Ironman watch’s annoying beep woke Jani up. Her legs lay entangled lazily with Carter’s and one of his arms lay over top of her shoulders, half burying her head in his forearm. He was snoring slightly. In a kind of sexy, adorable way.

She wanted to snuggle in closer to him and go back to sleep but after Carter’s performance at the pool last night, she was determined to do the same with her upcoming meet in two weeks. Except today she had practice and needed to be there.

She shifted, her body aching from sexual exertion and lack of sleep. She tried to slip out from under his arm and free her leg at the same time. Carter grunted in his sleep and pulled her tighter to him. It made her giggle. Like he was pretending to trap her in his sleep and any minute would smile.

Except he didn’t. He was dead asleep.

“Carter!” She tickled his ribs, managing to free her right calf. “I have to get to practice.”

He rolled closer to her and threw his long leg over her hip. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Jani strained futilely to escape under his weight. When he wouldn’t budge, she tried wiggling free. Finally managing to get an elbow out, she flopped her arm uselessly in the air unable to get out any further. He was freakin’ strong.

“Carter, wake up!” She stopped moving when she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. “You bugger!” She curled into him, tickling every corner she could reach.

He chuckled and finally rolled over, a lock of his hair giving him a sexy bedhead look. His blue eyes opened and he watched her a moment before letting his eyelids drop closed again.

Jani saw the red in the whites of his eyes. She checked her watch. She had about five extra minutes to say something to him before she needed to start rushing. “Carter,” she said quietly, her voice serious.

“Hmmm…” he murmured, slipping his hands behind his head.

“Can you sit up a minute?” She sat up with her feet hanging off the bed and curling her toes around the small shag carpet on the floor.

He sighed and slowly raised his upper body up on his elbows. “What’s up?”

“You raced amazing yesterday.”

He smiled, letting his elbows slide down again. “It was pretty wicked.”

“You know NCAAs’ going to test you,” she rushed her words and punched the mattress. “You were an idiot to smoke pot last night. And don’t tell me it was your first time. The way you held that… that… pipe-thing. You knew exactly what you were doing.” She inhaled, curious if the reek might still be in the air. Maybe it was downstairs. She couldn’t smell it in Carter’s room. “It was you smoking up in the sauna the time we… we…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. Not because she felt shy, but simply because she was stumbling on how to say it.
First time we screwed around? First time we made love? We fucked? We messed around? We got down and jiggy with it?
By the time she ran through the phrases in her mind, it was too late to bother finishing the sentence. She crossed her arms. “Don’t lie. Tell me the truth about the sauna.”

He dropped his head back slightly and huffed. “What’s the big deal? It didn’t seem to bother you then, or last night.” His eyes trailed down over her breasts and then lower down, below her abdomen.

“That’s not the point.” Though she did wonder about that in the back of her mind as well. She pretended not to know, but really she had, right? She switched gears. “I’m more concerned NCAAs is going to show up on your doorstep and require you to wee in a cup. Pot is banned. It’s il-le-gal.” She emphasized the syllables. “You’ll lose your scholarship if you test positive.” She shook her head. “Why would you risk it?”

He sat up. “I’m not an idiot!”

“I never said that.” She was mad, but she didn’t want him ticked off at her. She was the one who had the right to be angry.

“You should try some one time. It might loosen you up.”

She straightened, surprised he would consider her uptight. She’d skipped classes and practice to hang with him and he was basically calling her a prude. She stared at him and stepped back, ready to leave.

He must have realized his mistake. He reached out and touched her wrist. “Wait. I didn’t mean that.” He stood and pulled her close to him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I got tested after the meet. Right after I did the two freestyle.” He nodded his head to the side. “They came to me after the race and I went and did the test after the relay. There won’t be any problem. Or issue. Or banning. Or anything. So last night I figured it was okay.”

Jani scratched her eyebrow. “It’s still risky.” She closed her eyes, a sudden feeling that she was being pulled underwater pressed against her chest.
It’s just anxiety because of practice. It doesn’t have anything to do with Carter.

“Don’t be mad at me. Please?” He laughed. “But shit, you’re annoying sometimes. Stop mothering me. Lighten up and have fun. I thought that’s what we’ve been doing.”

“You have a chance to win NCAAs.”

“I know, and I will. But I’m not going to stop having a good time in my quest for it. Why should I?”

Was he going to tell her he wasn’t interested in seeing her anymore? Being with him was like the worst roller coaster ride ever.

His hand cupped the side of her face, surprising her. “Jani,” he said softy, his warm breath teasing her skin. “I really like you. You’re fun. You’re courageous, and daring with just the right amount of sanity. You have this contagious laugh that every time I’m around you, I want to make it come out.”

She was falling for a movie star. This tall drink of smoldering hotness with that James Dean wrongness. “I’m not into smoking, or any kind of drugs. Recreational or cigarettes. Or tobacco. Or even gum. Chew, or whatever it’s called.” She gestured up and down at his body. “This is an athletic temple. Treat it as such.”

“So… you still wanna hang with me? Maybe just me only?”

She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him on the lips. “I think that can be arranged.” She kissed him again. “I gotta go to practice. I can’t miss today.”

He gave her that sexy half smile. “So, we’re good?”

She wasn’t about to let him off that easy, but she definitely wasn’t going to let him go. “Good enough.” She pulled out of his embrace and headed across the hall and down the stairs. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t follow her. She half hoped he would, but he wasn’t that type. She found her track bag in the littered living room. It lay on the arm of the couch. Nipping into the bathroom by the front door, she changed quickly and then hurried outside to her car.

When she parked her car by Wavertree Fieldhouse, she changed into her runners and jogged into the indoor track. She wasn’t late, just barely on time. Aileen must have already run laps as she sat stretching with Chrissy, the heptathlete, and a freshman long jumper Jani didn’t really know. She waved at them and started running the two hundred meter track.

Coach Anderson’s head popped up as she jogged by.

She pretended not to notice.
He’s going to give me crap for missing practice yesterday.

The head coach walked over to Coach Maves and spoke to her, pointing at Jani.

I’m screwed.
She slowed her warm up down as she rounded the curve where they were talking. She stepped off the track when Maves motioned her over. “Yes, Coach?”

Coach Maves opened her mouth and then closed it and frowned. She sniffed the air.

A frustrated sigh came from Coach Anderson.

Jani looked back and forth at both of them and then held her hands up. “It’s not me.”

Maves set her feet shoulder width apart.

Coach Anderson said, “Really? We haven’t asked you anything yet.”

At the same time Maves commented, “Only the guilty plead innocence before they’ve been accused.”

Jani dropped her head. She inhaled and frowned. Someone must have blown pot smoke into her bag and closed it up. Or the stupid scent lingered from the party last night. “It wasn’t me, honest.”

“It wasn’t you who missed practice yesterday?” Maves snapped.

Ohhh, yeah, that was me.
She’d managed to tick Maves off. Her coach could fly off the handle when she was mad, but she always settled down again
.

Coach Anderson was no dummy. “Jani. You stink. And you know exactly what I mean. There is zero tolerance on this team for drug use, of any kind.”

Jani broke out into a sweat. It felt like she couldn’t breathe. “It’s not me, Coach. Honest. I have never touched the stuff. I was at a party last night—”

“A track one?”

“No!” She caught herself just before saying it was a swim one. “I left my track bag there.” At least she wasn’t lying about that part. “Someone must have put something in my backpack or blew smoke or something inside of it.”

“Did the dog eat your homework too?” He shook his head, clearly not believing her. “If I suggested we do a random drug testing right now, what would you say?”

She let out a shaky breath. “I’d say; where do you want me to pee?”

“Let’s go right now then.”

She blinked. He was dead serious. She was about to be drug tested. A painful lump in her throat warned her she was about to cry. She swallowed it down, determined not to show weakness. She hadn’t done anything. Well, not the drug part at least.

Coach Anderson had her follow him to his office. They walked in silence. Some of the sprinters passed them and slowed to stare. Jani pretended not to notice. She followed the coach into his office.

He pointed at a chair in front of his desk and walked around to his.

She raised her eyebrows, not sure if she was supposed to sit or if he was about to hand her some cup-kit to test her.

“Sit down, Jani.” He sighed. “I’m not going to test you. I just want to talk.”

She dropped in the seat. “I didn’t smoke anything, Coach. I never would do that.”

“If someone told me that at the beginning of the year, I would never have doubted you, Jani.” He pulled a file out of his desk. “However, something has changed. You seem to be going in a downward spiral and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“I’m fine.” She didn’t understand what he was talking about. “I’m sorry I missed practice yesterday, I should have asked.” Better to come clean now than get accused of more BS. “I went to NYU to watch the swim team.”

Coach Anderson said nothing. He read the file in front of him. “It’s not like you to miss practice. I’ve never seen you miss a day before. It isn’t just yesterday.”

“I haven’t missed any others,” she interrupted him.

“You are going to the weight room unprepared.”

Who had told on her? “Did Aileen tell on me?”

He gave her a puzzled look. “You received a pair of shoes to lift in. It has to be recorded in the files. If you need new equipment you need to come to our equipment people.”

“It was pouring rain that day! I jogged to the weight room and was drenched. They weren’t going to let me lift!”

“Now today you reek of marijuana.”

“It wasn’t me!”

“What about the fact that you are now failing three of your classes?” He flipped through some pages in the file.

“Three?” She thought it was only one. Whoops. “I’ll go back to study hall in January.”

Coach Anderson set the file down and folded his hands together. His face was dead serious. “I think you’re missing the point here, Jani. It’s not about study hall.”

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She had no idea what to say.

“This is far more serious. You are failing classes and not graduating. Not only that, you could lose your scholarship because of your grades. You need to pass at least two of those three classes you are failing.”

Jani stared at the head coach.

“Your scholarship is in danger.”