* WAITING GAME ! ✧

“  hmm?  ”    jesse  needed  to  blink  twice  to  come  back  down  to  earth.  her  insistent  stare  alluded  to  the  fact  she  must’ve  asked  him  a  question.  something  he  had  missed  despite  staring  at  those  lips  for  the  past  five  minutes.    “  nope.  not  in  pain  at  all.  feeling  great,  actually.  ”    he  might  not  know  whether  that’s  what  she  asked  him,  but  it  was  the  truth.  although  the  world  did  seem  to  be  spinning.  but  that  could’ve  been  from  her  proximity  as  much  as  that recent  hit  against  his  head.

a snicker quietly forms inside her throat, amused at how jesse was focusing on her instead of his own injury. “ do you feel nauseous at all ? dizzy, foggy ? ” practiced digits press around his neck and nape, looking to elicit a pain response, if there was any. “ look into the light for me. ” instructs as she glides a pen flashlight from the outer edge of his face inward toward one eye, and then the other, watching how his pupils react. no abnormal response, thankfully. allows features to display a soft smile, knowing he's not in immediate danger. “ you took a pretty big hit from that defenseman. ”

without  as  much  as  a  greeting,  tess  draped  herself  into  the  empty  plane  seat  at  his  side.    “  so  i  have  a  favour  to  ask  you,  ”    she  told  him  with  the  most  innocent  looking  smile  she  could  muster,  propping  her  chin  against  his  shoulder.    “  but  i  kind  of  need  you  to  trust  the  process,  and  tell  me  you’re  in.  ”    perhaps  that  was  a  dangerous  game  to  play  with  someone  whose  imagination  knew  no  boundaries,  but  she  banked  on  the  fact  he  would  give  in  if  she  held  onto  that  pleading  look of hers  long  enough.

familiar tone instantly catches his attention, though eyes remain trained on the clouds outside the small window, head rested back against the seat. “ is that your best sales pitch, tess ? ” diverts hues then, embracing the feeling of her leaning into him as he catches her innocent smile ... too innocent, thus a clear indication of trouble ahead. “ what's in it for me ? ” allows innuendo to hang in the air, before redirecting. “ don't tell me it's another dumb tiktok trend. ”

the  two  of  them  had  done  this  song  and  dance  before.  the  hotel  room  door  falling  shut,  her  hands  going  to  unbutton  her  blouse,  not  a  moment  wasted  on  talking.  but routine was broken when the headline of her latest article was read aloud.    “  do  you  want  me  to  say  i’m  sorry?  ”    there  was  an  almost  patronizing  tone  to  her  voice,  stunned  at  the  idea  her  words  somehow  struck  a  nerve.

phone in hand displays his name in big bold letters, along with a think piece regarding a hypothetical transfer. would rather let his gaze linger on unbuttoned blouse, but it focuses on her features instead, hues shooting daggers. “ i told you about that goddamn offer sheet from the panthers in confidence — is there no morality in journalism anymore ? ” huffs out loud breath, a humorless smirk on his lips. “ or do you fuck every player for intel ? ”

um, give me a plot where she used to be this sexy, wild girl and had a bad boy boyfriend to match but when he turned eighteen he was caught for some crime and sent to prison for a couple years. he came out fully expecting for her to be waiting for him but when he finds her she’s this prim and proper girl who is dating some pretentious ivy league dick. she pretends to be happy with her vanilla, boring relationship, but soon he wraps her up in his world again.

OFF CAMPUS 01.06 'The Breakaway'

MICHELLE RANDOLPH via Instagram