Virgin Playbook: Phoebe's First: College Football Sports Romance

P
hoebe wasn’t looking
for a free ride. She studied hard and was a no-nonsense kind of girl. She didn’t have time to socialize at school. She was committed and quite comfortable in her own skin.

Everything changed one day when her roommate’s thick-skulled football playing boyfriend walked in on Phoebe in the shower.

D
edicated
to all the virgin college girls out there who think that love has passed them by….

S
tratfordshire Hall was
not
the place to get a good night’s sleep. The hallways reeked of pot and booze, while the residents didn’t smell much better. Studying was difficult, and sleeping was nearly impossible.

My roommate spent most of her time socializing with friends at the recreation center, the library, the campus café, or wherever else she could go that was far away from me. Despite my various attempts to bond with her, she always found a reason why I couldn’t join her and her friends. Apparently, I wasn’t cool enough for them.

It was only the first week of school, and I was already considering calling my father to pick me up. All of my high school friends
loved
college. Their social media pages were chock full of pictures of them and their new friends, their class lists, their dorm rooms, and everything else that they loved about leaving home. My social media pages were full of sad posts and worried questions from my internet friends. Unfortunately, none of them went to my college.

In fact, I hadn’t made even one friend since arriving.

I was ending a video call with my best friend from back home when Ariana walked in. She gave me a dirty look.

“Do you
ever
leave?” she asked, tossing her neon pink backpack on the floor.

“Well, yeah. I have classes,” I mumbled. “Where’ve you been?”

“The café,” she replied, airily, “with Brendon and Casey.”

I pretended to be interested. I hated being left out.

“Which one of those is your boyfriend again?”

“Oh God, neither of them!” she laughed. “They’re from my drama club—totally
not
into girls.”

My face flushed. Ariana had so many friends that I could not even keep track of them, yet somehow, I had not even made
one
friend. I guess some people were just destined for social greatness.

“So are you in for the night, then?” I asked, hopefully. “I got some awesome DVDs from the five dollar bin at the grocery store. They had a load of cheesy seventies films so I thought—”

“Sorry, I have a party to go to,” Ariana cut me off. “I gotta get ready.”

I looked down at the floor. I knew it was a rain check that would go un-cashed.

“Sure,” I mumbled. “Another time.”

“You know, you should join a sorority,” she suggested. “I think it’d be good for you. You’d meet other girls. Find some friends. Get out of the house.”

I laughed a little. I was the last person on the planet that would join a sorority.

“Me? At a sorority? Funny joke,” I replied. “I’m just gonna lay back with my microwave popcorn and campy horror flicks.”

She nodded.

“Try to do something for yourself, okay? Maybe something social, so you aren’t, you know . . . completely depressed and bored.”

I looked at my TwillSpace buddy list. None of my high school friends were online.

“I’ll try,” I lied with a smile. “Maybe after a shower.”

L
iving
in a co-ed dorm was like living in my worst nightmare. Not only was Stratfordshire dubbed “the party dorm,” but we also didn’t get our own bathrooms. This meant we were forced to shower commune style.

I avoided the showers for as long as I could. Unfortunately, there was only so long a girl could go without washing her hair and the first week of college just happened to take place in the last hot week of summer. Sweat was clinging to my hair, and it was time to give it a rinse.

My heart pounded as I walked down the hallway. With a towel thrown over my shoulder, I was headed to the showers with dozens of other girls. I was convinced they were all going to size me up the second the towel dropped and desperately wished I could just take it into the shower with me.

I could smell the bathroom from nearly fifteen feet away. I kept my eyes on the floor as I entered it. Not making eye contact was rule number one when it came to sharing a shower with hundreds of other girls.

My eyes were still fixed on the floor when I saw a pair of feet that did not look even remotely feminine. Curiosity got to me, and I looked up. What I saw made me gasp.

“O-oh my God! I’m so, so sorry! I thought this was the—” I couldn’t even finish my sentence. I was so embarrassed.

“The girls’ room?” he asked. “It is. The guys’ bathroom was flooded, and I needed to shower after practice, so I came in here instead. No biggie. I’m sure we’ve all seen the opposite sex out of their clothing before . . . Hope I didn’t scare you.”

He shuffled past me as I hurried toward a shower stall. His manhood was still hanging out for the world to see. I didn’t know what to say to him, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Hey, aren’t you Ariana’s roommate? Phoebe, isn’t it?” he asked. “I’m Adam, her boyfriend. I think we’ve met a few times. You going to that party? I’m sure Ariana told you about it.”

My face became even hotter. I knew I recognized him.

“No, I don’t think so,” I replied.

He wrapped his towel around his waist.

“Damn, you look
just
like her roommate,” he said.

“O-oh! I am,” I replied awkwardly. “I don’t think I’ll be going to be at that party, is what I meant. Not really my scene.”

“Well, if you change your mind, come find us. We’ll be there all night–as long as the cops don’t turn up.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” I mumbled, desperately wanting him to leave.

He patted me on the shoulder and winked. “Have a good night, Phoebe.”

Seeing Adam naked was not intentional, yet I couldn’t get the image out of my head. He was tall and strong, with rippling muscles and a handsome smile. He was exactly the kind of guy that I could never land. So of course, my roommate had no problem impressing him.

When I got back to the dorm after my shower, I kept my head held low and hoped that Ariana would be gone already. When I unlocked the door, however, I found my wishes unfulfilled. Ariana sat on her bed with three of her friends, drinking a fifth of tequila. Alcohol was
not
allowed on campus, and I certainly didn’t want to get in trouble because of them.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked, incredulously. “That’s against the rules.”

“Oh, whatever,” Ariana scoffed. “I’m pre-gaming. Adam and I have another big date tonight, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So you’re drinking?”

“Tequila makes me more interesting.”

“Yeah, and you can’t screw up what you have with Adam,” one of her friends added. “He’s in Phi Alpha Alpha. If you two stay together, you’ll be like the
it
couple.”

“You’re right, Meredith. I can’t ruin this. I need another shot,” Ariana said. “I’ve never
not
dated football players, but this is the first time I’ve dated a star quarterback. I can’t wait for my parents to meet him.”

“How long have you two been going out?” another of her friends asked in a thick Texas accent. “Did y’all know each other before you came to Northeastern?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Just met, but I’m
hoping
we’ll seal the deal tonight.”

I gulped. Apparently, I’d already seen more of Adam than she had. I had to keep it to myself, though. She couldn’t know I saw him in the showers.

“Well, I’m sure you will,” one of her friends said. “He doesn’t exactly seem like he’ll be hard to get naked.”

Ariana laughed.

I cringed.

“Not when
I’m
at the wheel, anyway.”

T
he labs weren’t
open until the second week of school. While I was just getting used to my standard evening routine—which involved lots of shrimp noodles and
Spaceship USA
reruns—I had to change it all over again. Instead of microwave dinners and sci-fi shows, from now on, I would be spending my evenings dissecting frogs.

At least it’s better than being dragged to one of Ariana’s parties,
I thought to myself.

Surely, no one I knew would be taking an evening lab course. According to Ariana, anyone who was anyone wouldn’t take a class after five.

Madden Hall was one of the most modern buildings on campus. It was like walking onto a spaceship. Maybe missing my favorite sci-fi program was paying off. Why watch it when I could be in it?

I walked down the bright white hallways, books clutched tightly to my chest, when I noticed someone walking into a classroom. My heart stopped as I saw the man’s face.

Adam.

As I neared the lab he had walked into, I crossed my fingers and hoped that it wasn’t the same lab I was in. My eyes closed in defeat when I looked up at the number plastered on the door and realized that there was no escaping Mr. Football Star.

With a heavy breath, I walked in and looked for a seat as far away from Adam as possible. I wanted to avoid him at all costs.

Dr. Strickland was full of knowledge. I couldn’t tear my eyes off of her as she glided across the lab, animatedly talking about alleles and all the work we were going to be doing with them. I found her fascinating and wanted to give her my undivided attention, but a sound in the back was distracting me.

When I turned around, I realized it was Adam. He and his fraternity goons were high-fiving and laughing about something that surely wasn’t related to the course. It was going to be difficult to learn with five morons snickering at the back of the class every day.

“I know this isn’t conventional, but
I
will be picking your lab partners,” Dr. Strickland announced.

I looked forward again as everyone groaned.

“I know, I know,” she said, holding up her hands defensively. “You all hate me. But I think it’s a good way for the class to get to know each other. This is the latest night lab there is, so I believe we should have some fun with it. Pizza might be involved if you all can work well together.”

That got the room buzzing. College students will do anything for free pizza.

A girl at the back raised her hand.

“Yes? Uh . . . Tina is it?” Dr. Strickland asked.

“Nia,” the girl corrected. “I was just wondering how you’re going to pick our partners. Is it alphabetical or—”

“Popsicle sticks!” Dr. Strickland interrupted.

“Oh,” Nia groaned. Apparently, she’d had someone in mind when she asked.

Dr. Strickland jangled the cup of popsicle sticks on her desk and smiled. She looked around the room as she pulled out two sticks.

“Taylor Lawrence and Marcia Fox?”

A chubby blond boy and a slim, curly-haired girl raised their hands. Dr. Strickland motioned for them to pair together.

“Ralph Ritz and Manuela Lopez?”

The two paired up. Manuela did not look pleased.

“Adam McMasters and . . .” All the girls in the class perked up. Everyone wanted to be paired with Adam—everyone but me. “. . . Phoebe Warren.”

My face paled. Adam’s, however, beamed as he smiled and waggled his fingers. I looked away from him as he made his way over. I could not believe we were going to be stuck together. I raised my hand in protest.

Dr. Strickland furrowed her brow and called on me. “Yes? Phoebe?”

I cleared my throat.

“Dr. Strickland, I don’t think Adam and I are a good pair,” I explained. “I’m a physics major and—”

“And you’ll be working with Adam,” she reasserted. “If you have a personal reason for not wanting to work with Mr. McMasters, you can come explain to me after class. Now, moving on . . . Makayla Schlitz and Sally Black.”

Adam plopped on the chair next to me and smiled.

“Don’t wanna work with me, eh?” he murmured.

I shook my head. “I don’t—I don’t think we’d make a good pair. This class means a lot to me. I’m a science major, and if I can’t even make it through Bio 211—”

“You worry too much,” Adam cut me off. “We’ll do fine. I do fine in all my classes.”

Dr. Strickland gave Adam a disapproving glare. He had been talking most of the class period.

“Mr. McMasters, can you tell me what an allele is?” she asked.

Several students were still waiting to be partnered up. However, putting Adam in his place was apparently the most important task a the moment. I can’t say that I blamed her for using him as an example, though. He certainly had it coming after being incredibly rude during the entire lecture.

“A uh—a single-celled organism?”

Dr. Strickland narrowed her eyes. She had spent the first thirty minutes of the lab discussing what an allele was.

“It’s a shame that sports come before your coursework,” she muttered. “Hopefully, Phoebe will be a good influence on you.”

I buried my face in my hands. If I was going to be stuck with Adam, I was doomed. He did not even know the basics. He didn’t even care!

“I can’t believe I’m stuck with you,” I grumbled as Dr. Strickland went back to matching students. “You have to be the dumbest person here.”

Adam frowned.

“Why do you say that?” he asked. “I always do well on projects. Don’t worry.”

“Because you’ve always been handed a grade!” I spat. “Dr. Strickland isn’t just going to give you an A, Adam. You have to work for it.
We
have to work for it.”

“I’ve never been
handed
an A,” he argued. “I always do my fair share.”

I gave him a dark look. “Well, this time, you’re going to leave everything up to me. That’s the only way we’ll pass.”

Dr. Strickland made the last pairing just as the clock struck ten.

“Be safe going home,” she said. “Make sure to exchange contact info with your lab partners so you can get an early start on your projects.”

I gathered my belongings and hurried out of the lab. Adam was on my tail.

“Phoebe! Shouldn’t we exchange phone numbers? TwillSpace? Emails?”

I ignored him and just walked away.