Chapter 28: Staying away - Monet

The week that follows I throw myself into my course work, even more than I have always done. Amy constantly looks at me like I'm crazy, because I'm not even hanging out with her as much, always saying I'm studying and staying in my dorm when we don't have classes.

By Wednesday, she grabs my arm when I once again tell her I have to get back to the dorm to study.

"What's going on with you?" She frowns down at me. "You've been acting really weird ever since Sunday. Is it because I slept in Luke's bed? We didn't do anything, I swear. I know he's your childhood friend and that you're concerned about him?"

How do I tell her that what she and Luke did or didn't do is the least of my problems?

I masturbated on my brother's dick. I touched myself while he was holding me sleeping until I came so hard, I was shaking in his arms?

How do I tell her that I might be fucking sick in my head for even thinking of him in such a way?

"No." I can't even look her in the eye. "I just don't want to get behind or anything. I feel like I've been slacking, you know. I love football Saturdays, but I usually studied on that day."

"This is college, Monet, you're allowed to have a little fun. It's not like we're out every night like most of the student population here."

She's right, of course. Chrystal is almost never even in her dorm room, I don't even know if she ever studies or do her homework at all.

"This is all new to me, okay!" I whisper-yell, hoping nobody around us see my little crash out. "Do you know we were on some Instagram page for the hottest girls on campus!"

Amy smiles like the cat who ate the canary. "Coach's daughter and quarterback's sister takes hot to a whole new level. Yeah, I saw that."

"Do you know how many new followers I have! It's fucking insane!"

It just means more people to lie to, more people that are looking at what I wear, what I post, what the hell I had for breakfast. And I'm dubbed the quarterback's sister.

What happens when they find out the sister is getting wet for the brother. Social media will have a field trip with that one!

"I honestly have no idea why you think any of that is bad." Amy shrugs. "Again, we're not even out and partying it up except for one little home game. Besides, the team is travelling for two weeks, there goes all our fun."

That's a good thing. That means we're not drinking and I'm not ending up in my brother's bed dropping my panties and feeling him up.

"Ugh! Don't be such a Debbie Downer! " Amy exclaims and throws her arm over my shoulder while we walk to the parking lot. "How about this week we take it easy, okay? We can watch the game at my house. I'll steal some wine coolers, you can sleep over. No social media posts, promise."

I know I'm sounding stupid. Every other girl would jump at getting the attention we've gotten in just a few days. But this has never been my life. I've never cared about how many followers I have or what people think of me in general.

I do care what my peers think about my work ethic, but the world doesn't care about that.

"Okay." I stop in front of my car. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Maybe she's more used to being in the spotlight than I am, being the coach's daughter. It's going to take some getting used to from my side, and I don't even know if I like it.

I go to my dorm, already mentally calculating how much research I can get done in one night, still deep in thought when someone calls my name.

"Monet?" A guy looking about in his twenties jogs over to where I'm walking up to the front entrance. "I'm Mark Daniels, I work for The Tribune."

""How can I help you?" I ask, simply to be polite, but I actually have no desire to talk to a reporter.

"I'm doing a piece on Cole, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

Two games.

He's only played two games and the frenzy has already started.

"No." I say simply before walking again. "If you want to know anything about Cole, then you can ask him yourself."

The man is unrelenting, though, following me until I get to the door.

"He said in the press conference that his biological mother died, can you give more insight into that?"

The other students that are around are looking at me, and I feel my ears burn when I go inside and run up the stairs to my room.

Is this how it's going to be all the time now?

I get my phone out of my bag and immediately text Cole, letting him now what happened.

The fucking reporter knows where I stay, I'm sure it's not so difficult to have found that out, but I do feel like it's a breach of my privacy nonetheless.

Cole was the one who felt comfortable sharing all of that, he should be the one they go to.

Yet I feel this insane need to protect him. I don't want these strangers digging into him and exposing to the whole country and campus that adores him to dig up things better laid to rest.

How will he handle that? Will he fall into a pit of depression again? The season just started, that is not going to go over well for him.

My phone rings just after six-thirty.

"Are you okay?" He asks immediately after I answer.

"I'm fine." I run my hand through my hair. "I just hate that they know which dorm I stay at, he's probably going to be back."

"I'll take care of it, don't worry."

How do I tell him that I'm more worried about him than anything else?

I almost lost him once, I don't want that to happen again.