FALLEN FOURTH DOWN (Fallen Crest #4)

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

MASON

I glanced at my phone. It was almost ten and Sam would be calling at eleven. If we left for this party now, I knew I might miss her call. That couldn’t happen. Something had been wrong with Sam all summer. I knew she was worried about being apart for a year, but everything would be fine. It was one year. It sucked. Okay, it didn’t suck. It was torture at times, but even thinking about her and knowing she was probably with Logan right now, when I was supposed to head to one of Nate’s parties, felt like a branding iron to my heart.

Fuck. Whatever. This was what we had to do, but I hated it.

My roommate came back from the shower and glared at me. A towel hung around his neck, and his hands went to his hips. He let the other towel fall. His stomach rolls jiggled as he held back his laughter. “You, man. Matteo doesn’t like this. This party, nothing good will come from it.”

I showed him my phone. “I’m Skyping with my girlfriend.”

Curses came from him as he dove for his towel and disappeared back into the bathroom.

I laughed, threw the phone on the bed, and finished dressing. When he didn’t hear any voices, he poked his head back out. His eyes fell to the phone and he scowled. “You a liar, Kade. That wasn’t cool.”

“Got your fat d**k out of my face, didn’t it?”

“That’s right. Be jealous.” He pounded a hand to his chest and swept off his towel again. “It’s like the helicopter.” His hips started moving, as did his d**k, and his white teeth gleamed back at me. He smacked a hand to his bald head as he kept moving his d**k in circles. “It goes round and round. All the girls like it. You should try this move. I bet your girl will like it.”

Pulling a shirt over my chest, I shook my head. “Sam hasn’t complained yet, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

He grunted and slapped his stomach, making those rolls jiggle again. “It’s the only thing that matters, keeping your woman happy. You got a good one?” He didn’t wait for my answer and went into his closet. A second later, Matteo came out with a pair of pants, a shirt, a pair of boxers, and socks. As he sat on his bed and began to pull his boxers on, he glanced at me. “Those are some nice threads. You must come from money, Kade.”

I scowled. I did, but I didn’t want that to define me. “My rich parents didn’t pay for these clothes if that’s where you’re going.”

“Oh. Whoa, my dude. I was gonna say that you don’t seem like one of those rich pricks.” He held his hands in the air, making a show of backing up a step, smirking at me. “I’m messing with you. I can be wack sometimes.” He hit himself in the chest.

“Sometimes?”

“Oh ho ho. You funny, man. You funny.” He pointed his hand at me and shook his head, laughing as he grabbed his wallet, put two condoms inside, and slid his phone into his pocket. He stood up and spread his arms wide. “How do I look?”

Matteo was tall and large. He had muscles, but some of it was fat. Being an offensive lineman, he needed that. I’d been practicing and rooming with him for three weeks, so I knew he was quick and fierce on the field, but easygoing and a joker off. I was tempted to tell him he looked like one of those rich pricks he was referencing, but I didn’t. He wore a white polo over trendy khakis and sneakers that put him in that rich prick category. I knew how much those were, but I didn’t want to question it. Where he got his money wasn’t my concern. We were still getting to know each other.

“You’re good. You hoping to get a few girls?”

“Me?” His eyebrows shot up. He was tan, with white teeth and handsome features. He could. From what I had witnessed around campus, football players at Cain University were like gods. Matteo would have no problem getting a girl, or two, if that’s what he wanted. “No, no, no. I’m taken. My girl’s meeting me at this party. Speaking of,” the scowl he had been wearing when he first dropped his towel reappeared, “we never go to Park Sebastian’s frat parties. Why are we making an exception tonight?”

“My best friend pledged. His dad’s an alumni.” I lifted my chin. “Why’s your girl going?”

“Her friends like the frat pricks. She doesn’t. She’s going because of me.” He paused. “You’re talking about that dude you were trying to get Coach to let him live in the football house with us?”’

“Yeah.” Nate hadn’t been happy when he heard the entire house was for football players. He wasn’t good enough to make the team, but he’d been fine with that. Nate had known coming into Cain U that he wouldn’t be on the team with me. However, when he found out the living situation, he went a different route. “He says they’re the best frat to pledge?”

Matteo’s scowl deepened. “Because Sebastian’s an ass kisser. You’re warned, Kade. He’s going to try and do you doggie-style. He’s been around the game, and he loves football players, especially a football player that’s going to the pros. He’s like his dad, some senator. They pull people in close until those people aren’t useful to them, then they drop ‘em.”

I followed Matteo, as he led the way to the hallway and down the stairs. A few other players were waiting for us. It was the first night we didn’t have practice in the morning. When Nate mentioned the party, I figured I’d go to be supportive. The guys found out and more than a handful wanted to tag along.

When we were on the sidewalk, covering the three blocks to frat row, I asked, “So, how do you know all this?”

“Because he screwed over my best friend last year.”

“Yeah?”

“Jamie Satture. They were real good buddies until Jamie got hurt and lost his scholarship. He thought Sebastian would help him out since his fraternity has a lot of money and his father’s corporation sponsored the scholarship, but no way, man. That prick dropped him like a one-night stand. Ignored him for the rest of the year. He’s bad news, dude. I’d stay away from that one.”

It was noted. I wasn’t a pushover, but these guys didn’t know that. They knew it on the field, but not off. I’d been warned. I knew what I was walking into, and I wasn’t happy. Nate was friends with these guys. It’d been a vacation in some ways, being out of Fallen Crest. There were no battles. People weren’t plotting to take me down or fighting with my brother or my girlfriend. It’d been me and football. Even Nate had kept away since he was busy with his fraternity. I had a strong hunch that those simple days were about to end. If Sebastian was half as bad as Matteo said, he would not like me. He might think he would, but he’d find out I wasn’t one to be manipulated.

Letting out a silent sigh, I grimaced. I didn’t want to deal with that battle, but if it came, it came.

The street leading to frat row was packed with cars, which wasn’t a surprise. Every road within the campus vicinity rarely had an open parking spot. When we rounded the block, it was evident which one was Nate’s house. It was an old house with bricks and green stuff growing up the walls. Greek letters had been carved into the brick above the front door. The lawn had people all over it. The door was open and music blared out from it. As we started across the street, people stopped and watched us. I’d gotten used to anonymity over the last three weeks. Classes hadn’t started so no one knew me, but walking with this group of guys, all large and toned, they knew who we were. A group of girls turned to gawk from the patio. Shock filled their gazes and one girl’s mouth dropped open. Another dropped her drink.

“Hold up.”

A guy separated from a group of guys on the lawn. He disappeared inside, and it wasn’t long before another guy came out with him. The second one was taller, as tall as me, but leaner. I grunted. This was Park Sebastian. I could already tell. He was a pretty boy with enough arrogance to fill a blimp. This guy was another Adam Quinn, and at that reminder, I gritted my teeth. The old feeling to rip into Quinn came back to me, but this guy was the new target.

His eyes lingered on Matteo, who lifted his chin in a challenge. Sebastian pressed his lips together, as if holding back a scowl, but walked towards me. His eyebrows furrowed together. I could see it plain as day. He was racking his brain, wondering if we had met already. We had, the day I helped Nate move in, but he hadn’t given two shits about me that day, and I hadn’t with him. Things were different. My reputation as a wide receiver had been building since I got to school. With my performance on the field and in practice, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that had been the real motivation behind Nate’s invitation. He hadn’t invited me to one all summer. As I stood there and looked right back at Sebastian, I wondered if I was staring at the real reason I’d been invited.

He looked me up and down, holding a cup of beer in his hand.

I didn’t stand for this s**t at home; I wasn’t going to now. “We can leave, if you’d like.”

His head snapped back up, and he narrowed his eyes, assessing me once again, but with a different emotion. I had surprised him. Extending his cup towards Matteo, he said, “I’m not in good standing with the football team. No offense, I’m surprised is all.”

Matteo shifted on his feet and growled softly.

“My friend is a pledge. He invited me here.”

“You?”

It was an unspoken question to find out who I was. I kept quiet. I had no intention of dancing to his tune.

“Mason!” Nate came from the front door and waved a hand. He jogged off the patio and stopped beside Sebastian. “This is my best friend I was telling you about. Mason Kade, this is Park Sebastian. He’s the president of our fraternity.”

Park started to hold his arm out. I shot Nate a warning look and he stepped in, laughing, as he blocked his president and held his arm out to Matteo instead. “I’m Nate. You’re Mason’s roommate, right?”

Matteo glanced sideways at me, but shook Nate’s hand with reluctance. A corner of my mouth lifted up in a small smirk, and I rounded behind Matteo to stand on the other side of Nate. I was no longer in his president’s line of sight. Nate was firmly between us. Reading the situation correctly, Nate waved at the rest of the guys and gestured to the house. “Park said all football players drink for free. Just let the guys manning the kegs know that Nate Monson vouched for you. They’ll know what it means, not that five bucks is a lot of money.”

The guys headed inside. If I had stood there, Park would have tried to shake my hand again, and I would have ignored it a second time; I wasn't going to shake the guy’s hand. Nate knew the awkward situation would’ve occurred had Park tried to offer his hand again, so to prevent the insult from happening, he flashed Park a grin. “I’m going to show Mason around. We haven’t talked much the last few weeks.” He pounded my shoulder. “He’s been busy with training.”

Sebastian stood there, that same frown on his face from before. The other fraternity brother nodded and grinned, waving to me. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

As soon as we were clear from their hearing range, he muttered, “f**k, Mason. That didn’t take long.”

I flashed him a grin. “Yeah. Well, you know me.”

He groaned, weaving through the crowd. “You want a drink?”

“No, I’m training.”

“Oh.” He shook his head. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“The guys might have a few, but they won’t go nuts.”

He moved his head in a nod and continued to move through the crowd until we were in the backyard. Guys and girls clapped him on the shoulder, calling out hellos and greetings. Nate said hello to each in return until he found a back table in the corner of the yard. There were a few chairs around it, but we had a private area to watch the party. I nodded. I liked it. As we sat, I noticed people were still watching us.

“Since we’re alone right now,” Nate started as he sat across from me, “you don’t like Park, I’m assuming?”

“He’s an asshole.”

“You just met him.”

“That’s all I needed. What’s going on with you? I’m not known for getting my reads wrong.”

Nate sighed, irritation flashing across his face. Seeing some of the players coming over with their beer, he cursed. “This isn’t good.”

“Why?”

“Because Park wants to get to know you. His dad gave him the heads-up about you and to make friends with you because of your dad. He asked me about you. I never brought you up to him because I figured the two of you meeting face to face would go how it did.” The guys were almost on us, so he hissed, “I don’t want a war happening with my fraternity.”

“Too late.”

He stood, holding my gaze. The guys stopped as they saw the tension. Nate shook his head. “Really? This is for me. You’re going to do this?”

“I’m not doing shit.” For f**k’s sake. This wasn’t Fallen Crest. An act of war didn’t have to be thrown out there, not yet, anyway. This was on Nate to handle. “I’m here for football and school. That’s it. I don’t want to get involved with any political social stuff.” And that was the problem. That was who Park Sebastian was. Every nerve in my body went on alert when I saw him. Even without Matteo’s warning, I would’ve pegged him the same way. I was surprised Nate hadn’t.

He cursed again and stepped back from the table. The guys sat down around it, and Nate shook his head again. “I’ll have to figure something out.”

“Yeah.”

“f**k, Mason.” Nate c****d his head to the side.

I didn’t say anything. He should’ve seen this coming. “When have I ever been friends with guys like that?”

“He knows your dad.”

“When has that mattered to me?”

“He knows my dad.”

I kept silent. It wasn’t my problem. This was his problem, and Nate knew it. He rolled his eyes, raked a hand through his hair, and started to leave. “I gotta take care of this somehow.”

He was gone, disappearing through the crowd again.

The guys didn’t seemed fazed by our conversation. A few of them were eyeing up the girls, and Matteo grunted at me, nodding his head in approval. “That was smooth, Kade, real smooth.”

He had no idea.

He lifted his cup up in the air. “A toast to Kade. I’m thinking this year’s going to be epic, on and off the field.”

“Hell yeah.”

“Cheers!”

“Salute to Kade.”

I tuned them out. They raised their cups, did their toasts, and went back to drinking. As we stayed there, most of the guys took off to find girls. Matteo’s girlfriend came over with a couple friends, but I tuned their conversations out.

I had only met the guy, but my gut was telling me Park Sebastian was going to be a problem. Nate came over later, less stressed and less sober. I knew this could be a problem with our friendship. Only time would tell. I missed Sam and Logan.