Page 46 of Campus Heat

“I did no such thing! It was a strategic ground inspection.”

She laughed. It was full, bright, and completely unbothered by the fact that we were stranded on the side of the highway. Another car flew by without slowing down, but Elizabeth stuck her thumb out dramatically anyway. The driver didn’t even tap on the brakes.

“Rude,” she muttered.

“Do you realize how insane this is?” I asked.

“Totally.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

I had wanted to touch on the topic since we left, but I didn’t want her to get mad at me again.

She shrugged. “Panicking wasn’t helping you.”

“I wasn’t panicking.”

She stopped walking, but I took a few steps before I noticed she wasn’t next to me anymore.

“You’re right. You weren’t panicking. You were spiraling out of control.”

“I was just… assessing the situation.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You don’t get to decide that you’ve lost before the game even begins. It’s bad luck, and that isn’t fair to the rest of the team.”

She started walking again and lightly brushed her shoulder against mine. I just stared at the endless stretch of road ahead.

“Where does it rank for you?” I finally asked.

“Oh, I have a whole list,” she said without hesitation.

“That tracks.”

“In freshman year, I locked myself out of my dorm. I was stuck outside wearing only my pajamas. Oh, and it happened during a fire drill.”

I could actually picture the scene playing out, and it was way too funny for me to control my laughter.

“Please tell me it was winter,” I said while trying to get some air.

“It was the middle of November. Campus Security gave me a blanket and a lecture.”

“I would’ve laughed,” I admitted.

“You would’ve been completely useless,” she mocked.

I nodded eagerly, and she nudged me again. That was when I realized that somewhere between the arguing, laughing, and cars rushing past us, the pressure in my chest had eased. I wasn’t counting the minutes anymore. I wasn’t replaying the worst-case scenarios. We were just walking, and I couldn’t remember the last time I enjoyed something this much.

“This must be the weirdest pre-game ritual I have ever had.”

She grinned. “It’s iconic.”

I shook my head in amusement, and for just a moment, I completely forgot about the kickoff.

Then a truck slowed down beside us. The engine rumbled low as the passenger window rolled down.

“Do you two need a ride?” the driver called.

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