The Romeo Club

Water sprayed out of the sprocket and I about gagged. “I’m so getting in the shower as soon as I get inside.”

“Oh, did you want this back?” Trey held up my green, lacy thong, which was torn and covered in slobber. His ears turned pink when he realized what was in his hands.

My cheeks warmed. “Um—probably not. I swear they must feed their dog Viagra coated dog food or something. He’s way too obsessed with humping things and stealing undergarments.”

“Maybe we should get him into dog counseling.”

I giggled. “Oh and by the way, my mom thinks you’ve been stealing her bras from our clothesline. I tried to tell her you’re not into older women.”

He groaned. “And I think that’s my cue to head home—it’s been real.”

“Yeah, maybe a little bit too real.” I waved and went back inside to shower.

Chapter 5

My lungs burned. Sweat beaded on my forehead. Any moment now, I expected my legs to fall off. I dribbled the soccer ball down the field, keeping it just ahead of me.

“Push it, Denson.” Coach Rafferty hollered.

If I pushed anymore, I’d barf.

“God, I swear she’s trying to kill us.” Kenadi came up beside me, out of breath. “I’d like to see her ass out here.”

“Twenty bucks says she’d keel over.” I grinned. “Never thought I’d say this, but I wish Coach Meckler wasn’t out for the next couple of games.

Coach Rafferty stood on the sidelines, whistle to her lips. Her robust frame would give The Hulk a run for his money. “Less talking, more running.”

“Remind me again why I love soccer?” Kenadi winced.

We ran around the outside of the field, the sun beaming down us. A breeze fanned across my face, giving me some relief from the heat.

I glanced at Kenadi again, as she matched my pace. I wondered what she’d think about me agreeing to start The Romeo Club? So, I’d been sworn to secrecy about it, but how could I keep something like this from my best friend? If I asked her, I knew she’d keep it quiet. Besides, it might be nice to have someone to go to if I needed help.

My heart pounded against my chest, and I sucked in a deep breath of air. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.

“There’s something I want to tell you. But you have to swear not to tell anyone.”

Kenadi looked at me. “You know I won’t say anything. What’s up?”

“I agreed to help the Nerd Herd get dates. Amongst other things.”

She burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m not kidding.”

“Wait, what? You’re not serious.”

“Yeah, I am. We’ve started a sort of club—The Romeo Club. I’m gonna teach them the ropes of how to talk to girls, get dates, interact with the human species.”

She raised her eyebrows. “And what are you getting out of it?”

I grinned. “Hopefully, my prom dress.”

Coach’s whistle blasted. “Denson and Green, get moving or you’ll have extra laps.”

Kenadi glowered at Coach Rafferty then turned her attention back to me. “So you’re getting paid?”

“Yes.”

“I wish I could help.”

“Well, they’d freak if they knew I told you. But maybe there will be some things you can do for me.”

She smiled. “I think what you’re doing is kind of sweet. I mean, who else would take a bunch guys like them and actually give them pointers.”

“I’m definitely going to have my work cut out for me. You should see the lists they gave me on who they want.” I went on to tell her about what they’d written down.

“If you want, I can do some spy work on Portia for you. She’s in quite a few of my classes. And trust me, she talks all the time, I shouldn’t have any issues getting info.”

“I’d so owe you.”

“No you wouldn’t. Hello. Best friend here.”

***

When practice finished, I found Rex waiting for me in the parking lot. He’d just finished with track, one of the many sports he played. Sweat lathered his bangs and forehead as he chugged a bottle of water then tossed the container into his vehicle.

“Hey,” I said as he gave me a quick hug. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to bring you home so I could spend a few minutes with you. Thought we might be able to hang out for a while tonight.”

We hopped into his jeep. The black leather seats burned the backs of my legs as I slid into place. At this rate my butt cheeks might melt off.

Guilt washed over me. “I’m actually busy tonight.”

He leaned over, his gaze focused on me, as his lips brushed against mine. “Maybe we can do something on Saturday then.”

“Um—I kind of already have plans.” Geez, I had to be the worst girlfriend in the world. I mean, what girl would turn down a chance to get together with Rex in favor of going to the mall with the Nerd Herd?

“Are you avoiding me?” He quirked an eyebrow, as he shifted into drive and pulled up to the four way stop. He signaled a right then turned onto the main road toward home.

“Of course not. The thing is, I’m being tutored in science now.” I blurted out, half expecting God to strike me down for lying.

“You need a tutor? I thought you had an A in all your classes.”

“This term’s been tough.”

“You know, I could help you.” He reached over and took my hand in his.