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  “It’s still school, bro. And you have to pass your classes, or you can’t play,” Dayton said, suddenly sounding like the parent. He was always so serious.

  “I know that, Dad,” Matt teased, clearly thinking the same thing I was.

  “Just don’t forget: no passing grades, no baseball.” Dayton nodded before finishing off his glass of orange juice.

  “I’m excited, not stupid,” Matt fired back, getting agitated.

  “So, who’s taking me to school this morning?” I asked, hoping to change the subject before Dayton started dishing out one of his famous lectures and pissing Matt off. One of the worst things was having two guys who ended up not getting along, living in the same house. “I have class in thirty,” I said because if someone wasn’t giving me a ride, I needed to leave now and start walking.

  Dayton raised his hand. “I’m driving you. Actually, I’m driving all of us this morning,” he added with a smile.

  “You don’t have a car?” Matt asked, and I realized that we actually knew very little about each other.

  “My parents don’t let me bring it out here,” I explained.

  He grimaced like that was the worst thing he’d ever heard. “So, it just sits at your house? I’ve never understood why parents do that,” he said.

  I agreed, “Right? Incredibly fucking annoying that I have to rely on everyone else to drive me around when I have a perfectly good car sitting at home, collecting dust.”

  “That sucks. If you ever need to borrow my car, just let me know, okay?” Matt said as he grabbed our plates and tossed them into the sink for one of us to clean later.

  He was far more generous than I’d thought he’d be, but I appreciated it.

  “Thanks.”

  Colin clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go. I hate being even remotely late to class. It’s embarrassing.”

  Grinning, I stood up. “Couldn’t agree more. Let me get my stuff.”

  We all piled into Dayton’s car, and on our way to campus, my skin buzzed with awareness.

  Craning my neck as if that would help me see better, I told Dayton, “Pull over,” but he wasn’t slowing down. I smacked his shoulder hard, getting his attention over the sound of the radio. “I said, pull over!” I shouted, and he gave me a quick glance.

  “Jesus. I’m pulling over. What the hell, man?” He looked around at the cars on the road before pulling off to the side.

  Pointing at the lone car leaning to the right up ahead, I said, “It’s Sunny.”

  “Oh shit. It is Sunny,” Colin agreed from the back, practically sitting between the front seats. “We have to help her.”

  “I’d like to help her,” Matt interjected with a smirk, “with my cock.”

  I whipped my head in his direction so fast that I thought it might spin off. “Don’t talk like that. She’s not for you.”

  Matt shrugged. “Who’s she for then? ’Cause I’ve never seen her with anyone in this car. Looks like she might be for me.”

  Dayton slowly creeped toward Sunny’s car, her tire flat, as I tried not to lose my cool on the new guy.

  “Don’t get out. I mean it. Everyone else can help but you. You stay in this fucking car,” I demanded before opening the door and hopping out before Dayton even stopped.

  I heard Matt say something in complaint, but Dayton and Colin both told him to do what he had been told. Jogging toward Sunny, I felt satisfied when I heard only two other doors slam shut from behind me. I glanced back to make sure Matt was doing as I’d asked. He was fidgeting around in the backseat, most likely cursing my name.

  “Hey. Are you okay?” I said as soon as I reached her, wanting to pull her into my arms and hold her against me.

  She looked fucking stunning but flustered. Her face was flushed, and I assumed the tire popping must have rattled her. The desire to take care of her overwhelmed me.

  Her eyes skirted past me, like she didn’t want to answer me until the rest of the guys caught up. I was probably the last person in the world she wanted to see in this moment, but Sunny needed a knight right now, and it was going to be me and not anyone else. That fact was not up for discussion.

  “Hey, Sunny,” Colin said, and her face practically lit up.

  What the hell?

  “I got a flat. I have no idea how to change it, and I really don’t want to be late or miss class. Should I just call AAA? What do you think?”

  I stepped toward her, and her eyes crashed into mine. “I’ll fix it. Do you have a spare?”

  “Yeah. It’s a full-sized one in the back.” She swallowed. “I couldn’t even get it out. I tried.”

  I knew that must have pissed her off, not being able to get the tire out and handle this herself. But she was a tiny little thing. How did she think she could pull a giant spare out of her car without any help? The damn thing probably weighed more than she did.

  “You ever changed a flat before?” I asked Dayton and Colin, who both shook their heads.

  They’d be no use. I knew I could change it on my own, but having at least one other guy to help would make it go quicker.

  Matt leaned out the now-open back window. “I have!”

  Of course he had.

  “Get out here and help then,” I shouted, and he popped that door open so fast that I thought it might come off in his hand. He sprinted over to us and went to say something to Sunny, but I cut him off and turned him away from her, “Don’t talk. Just work.”

  His mouth snapped shut as he glared at me, obviously wanting to fight back; instead, for whatever reason, he seemed to know better and listened.

  “Dayton, do you want to get Sunny to school, so she isn’t late?”

  “Wait. What? You want me to just leave?” She looked at me, thoroughly confused, as she pulled her shirt away from her body and fanned her chest with the movements.

  I touched her shoulder, and I swore she shivered even though it was already ninety degrees out. “Only so you aren’t late. I’ll handle your car.”

  “But where are you going to take it after you’re done? To school somewhere or my apartment? How will I get the keys?”

  She was rattled, and it was fucking adorable. Everything about this girl bordered on the sweetest damn thing I’d ever seen, even when she pretended to hate me.

  “Let me do this for you.”

  “You don’t have to,” she argued.

  “I want to. Sunny, go with Dayton. Where’s your class at?”

  She told me the building and class number, and I knew I’d figure out all the details later. Right now, I wanted to do this for her. Take care of her the way she’d taken care of me when I needed someone. Apologize to her without actually saying the words. At least, not yet.

  “Go.”

  “Are you sure?” She looked uncertain, her eyes all pulled together like it was a tough decision.

  “I’m sure. I got this. I got you.”

  She fidgeted with her hair, brushing it back from her shoulders and tucking it behind her ears. “Okay. Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  “Come on, sweetheart,” Colin said, and I lunged toward him to tear out his vocal cords before he started laughing. “He’s just jealous.”

  I couldn’t hear Sunny’s response, but the tone of her voice told me she didn’t believe him for a second. That girl had no clue how twisted up I was inside because of her.

  I waited until they drove away before I looked at Matt. “We can do this in twenty, right?”

  “Pshh”—he waved me off—“more like ten.”

  Arrogant ass.

  “So, what’s up with the two of you? You have history or something?” he asked as he jacked the car up off the ground, and I started to work on loosening the bolts, sweat dripping down my head from where my hat was.

  “Not history. A future.”

  “So, I can’t shoot my shot with her then?” he asked with a shit-eating grin on his face, and I had no idea if he was busting my balls or if he was really asking.

  “Not if you want to play this season,” I threatened, but what was I going to do, break his arm? And why was I acting that way? This wasn’t like me, all broody and intimidating.

  He stood up as I pulled out the last remaining bolt and removed the janky tire. It was shredded. I laid it down on the ground next to me.

  “I’m only joking. I’ll stay away from her. But what about that chick you made leave the party the other night? I was pretty drunk, but I think she might have been the hottest girl I’ve ever seen, and you were throwing her out of the house.” Matt was practically foaming at the mouth, just talking about Hayley.

  I stood up and reached for the bad tire. “Get past her looks and remember that a fire-breathing devil lives inside that body. That’s why it’s so smoking hot.”

  “Come on,” Matt complained as he rolled the good tire toward me and took the flat one. “Seriously? She can’t be that bad.”

  “Stay away from her.”

  “Jeez. You can’t forbid me from screwing all the girls on campus.” He maneuvered the good tire on and held it in place while I started with the bolts. “Can you?” he genuinely asked.

  “That one’s for your own good. She will ruin your life. But Sunny’s mine—whether she knows it yet or not. And if you mess with her, I’ll ruin your life.”

  Matt saluted me, and I rolled my eyes.

  “I thought you were supposed to be the fun one,” he practically huffed, but he wasn’t wrong.

  I used to be the happy-go-lucky guy without a care in the world, who hooked up with new girls every weekend if I wanted to. At least, that was what I always pretended to be before this year started.

  “Done.” I spun the tire, and Matt double-checked it before lowering the jack.

  We put everything in the back of Sunny’s car, and I hopped in the front seat, not fitting inside.

  I moved the seat back right as Matt got into the passenger side, and we took off. By some kind of stroke of luck, we weren’t going to be late. I dropped Matt off on the other side of campus, where our classes were located and parked Sunny’s car in the lot closest to her building. When I got out, I noticed a planter filled with fresh flowers for the semester. I picked a purple daisy and left it on her dashboard.

  Strutting across the great lawn toward my class, I was feeling confident and good, which had been a rare feeling lately. Maybe seeing Sunny this morning and being able to help her gave me some sort of solace I hadn’t realized I was craving. Fixing her car had been easy, but I knew it wasn’t enough. At some point, I needed to actually talk to her and explain my side of things. I just wasn’t ready to do that yet, and I had no fucking idea why not.

  Can’t Believe I’m Doing This ... Again

  Sunny

  Mac had figured out a way to get my keys to me that day after he fixed my car. When I walked out of class, there was a young guy I’d never seen before, holding them in the air along with a note that I assumed was from Mac. It showed exactly where my car was parked with a little hand-drawn map and everything. When I went to my car later that afternoon, I saw the purple flower inside. It hadn’t been there before, so I knew it was from him, but I had no idea what it meant.

  I’d texted Mac, telling him thank you, and included a picture of the flower, which was still on my dashboard because I was never taking it out of my car—ever—and he responded a few hours later with a, You’re welcome, but that was it.

  There had been no other communication since, and it was driving me freaking batty. That was almost two weeks ago. TWO WEEKS, and I hadn’t seen Mac in person one single time. I hadn’t run into him on campus or spied him from a distance or anything.

  He wasn’t in the commissary, or in the commons, or the library, or even at the field the one time I’d worked up enough nerve to pass by it. It was infuriating. When the last person on earth I’d wanted to see was Mac, I’d smacked right into his chest. But now that I was hoping to at least catch a glimpse of him, he was nowhere to be found. Our school was spread out, but it honestly wasn’t that big. I should have been able to see him if I tried hard enough.

  I was currently in my kitchen, whipping up a batch of my famous chocolate chip cookies. The act of baking was soothing me, which I appreciated, but knowing why I was making them in the first place was working against me, forcing me into a ball of nerves. There was a get-together tonight at the baseball house, and since I hadn’t talked to Mac in what felt like forever, I thought I’d bake him cookies to thank him for what he’d done with the car. I knew how much he loved them and figured the rest of the guys would, too, if I brought some with me.

  My cell phone beeped, and I glanced down at it before picking it up and moving it closer to my face. I didn’t recognize the number even though it was local, and it wasn’t saved in my phone. Pressing on the text button, I read the message.

  UNKNOWN: Don’t forget about the kickback tonight!

  SUNNY: What kickback?

  UNKNOWN: Don’t play dumb with me. I know you put it in your calendar. I watched you, remember?

  SUNNY: Who is this?

  UNKNOWN: It’s Colin! Don’t tell Mac I’m texting you, okay? I like having all my limbs.

  As I added his name to my Contacts list, I laughed, picturing Colin hiding somewhere in the dark and texting me without anyone seeing.

  SUNNY: How’d you get my number?

  COLIN: You have it on your profile. It’s all linked together somehow. Phone number and email. Speaking of, you should probably take that down. It really isn’t safe.

  I had it on my profile? Shit. How come I never noticed that before?

  SUNNY: I do? Thanks for the heads-up.

  COLIN: The party. Tonight. You’re coming. Right?

  SUNNY: Ugh. I’ll be there.

  COLIN: Don’t ugh me, Sunny. You need to be there. Mac is driving us all crazy.

  That was interesting ...

  SUNNY: What do you mean?

  COLIN: I’ve said enough. Be there, or I’ll come kidnap you. Operation SunnyMac is in effect.

  SUNNY: Do I want to know?

  COLIN: No. Shit. Gotta go. Show up, Sunny. Or else. I mea—

  His text cut off at the end, and I wondered if he’d gotten caught. For whatever reason, I was nervous for him, like he could actually get in trouble somehow.

  I’d pretended that I didn’t remember about the kickback at the baseball house, but Colin had known I was lying. I’d put it in my calendar the morning they dropped me off at school. Mostly because they’d forced me to, Colin and Dayton both hovering over me until I typed it in and pressed Save.

  They had talked the entire way to campus about it, telling me that it wasn’t a normal party like they usually had, but something more casual and with way less people. They insisted I be there. Said it was invite only and I was invited. I never actually said yes or even agreed to go, but somehow, I had known I’d find myself in this position when the night finally came around.

  When I pulled up in front of the house, once again, someone pulled up right on my bumper.

  That’s going to make leaving virtually impossible, I thought before realizing that I was already planning my escape.

  There were way too many cars here to just be a little kickback, like the guys had promised. This was a normal full-blown party. There was nothing laid-back or casual about it. And there was no way that all these people had been invited.

  I briefly considered leaving and going back to my apartment, alone, where I could possibly get murdered in peace, but Colin’s text messages lingered in the back of my mind. I had no idea what Operation SunnyMac was, but I had to admit that I liked the sound of it. Color me intrigued. Or a glutton for punishment. Either way, I was going in there to hopefully find out.

  I walked through the courtyard and into the baseball house when I remembered that I’d forgotten the cookies I’d made earlier. They were sitting on the table by the front door, where I’d set them down and fumbled for my keys. But looking around at the sheer number of people here, I was happy I’d left them at home. I would have looked so stupid, walking into this house, carrying a tray of baked goods. I was self-conscious enough already.

  Scanning the immediate area, I didn’t see anyone I recognized. There was no Mac in sight. No Colin or Dayton either. And the guys who did look like baseball players, I’d never seen them before. Nothing made you feel more insecure than standing in a crowded room by yourself.

  “Hi. I’m Matt. Welcome to my house.” He waved an arm and almost lost his balance. The liquid in his red cup sloshed out and splashed onto his forearm, but he didn’t seem to notice. “You’re not leaving, are you? Wait, do I know you? I think I know you.”

  He dramatically squinted his eyes, and I recognized him as the fourth guy from the morning of my flat tire. The one who had been sitting in the backseat until Mac asked for his help.

  “I’m Sunny.” I gave him a forced smile, but my attention was elsewhere, and even in his drunken state, he sensed it.

  “Sunny.” He rolled my name around on his lips like he should know who I was but couldn’t place it. “Operation SunnyMac, right? I can help you find him,” he offered, his eyes opening and closing slowly as I tried not to laugh at this whole SunnyMac thing. This guy was hammered. “Unless you’d rather hang out with me. Want to hang out with me, Sunny?”

  “Not a chance in hell she wants to hang out with you.” Mac’s voice broke through the noise and pierced the air between us.

  I wasn’t sure how my legs didn’t give out on the spot, but I managed to stay upright as I took him in. There was something about Mac that just did it for me. No matter what he wore, if his hat was on or not, the guy pressed all my buttons.

  Matt snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “I know. I know. Stay away from Sunny. She’s off-limits. Sorry. Don’t kill me,” he said toward Mac.

  I marinated in every drunk word that he’d said. I’m off-limits? Since when?

  “Hey,” I said, offering Mac a small smile. I hadn’t forgotten that he’d ghosted me during the summer and been kind of a dick so far this year.