"You're sure you don't wanna go to the bar with us?"
Dylan turned to his teammates and shook his head. "Nah, not tonight, man. I gotta get back to the apartment and study for my Business Ethics midterm. But, I promise, when I pass that fuckin' thing, I'll buy all y'all a round, and we'll get fucked up!"
That got a few cheers from the boys. More than one of them clapped their hands on his shoulders and gave him a noogie before leaving the locker room. One by one, each of the guys left, until Dylan and two of his friends were left.
"You're not studying shit," muttered Montrell. He slipped his shirt over his head, covering the muscular plane of his dark chest. He grabbed a pick comb from his locker and began to style his hair. "You goin' home to spend 'quality time' with your sister. Ain't that right, Colby?"
"If I had a sister half as fine as Brooke, I'd spend quality time with her too," Colby responded with a sensual gyration of his hips. "I'd lay the business down with her all night long. Ow!" He slammed the locker door shut and grabbed his bag.
"And y'all wonder why people say white folk crazy," Montrell snorted. "Y'all nasty motherfuckers go around fuckin' your sisters."
"What, you don't think Lexie's hot?"
Montrell turned away at the mention of his own sister. He tossed his comb into the locker and grabbed his backpack. Colby guffawed at the telling silence while his friend flipped him off.
Dylan smiled at his friends. "Alright, alright. Bust my balls all you want, but I really do have to study. If I fail this, I risk getting a bad grade in the class."
"Whatever, man," Colby laughed. "You think a B is a bad grade. You should see my grades."
"Don't need to when I see coach runnin' your ass," Dylan countered. He shook his head and waved. "I'm outta here. Drink a few for me."
They nodded, then Colby shouted after him, "Tell Brooke I said, 'What's up, baby girl'!"
Dylan gave him the one-finger salute and walked out of the locker room. The late afternoon sun made him squint. He ran his hand through his long hair and adjusted his gym bag on his shoulder, then walked down the hill towards his car. He tossed his bag into the back seat and turned up the radio.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, his mind drifted to his sister. Those two chucklefucks could tease him all they wanted, but at least he had someone excited to see him when he got home. Rolling down the window, Dylan took in the cool autumn breeze. He took in the sight of the leaves blanketing the campus, the smell of the crisp air, and the dense sound of traffic.
He drove by the Greek houses and student ghetto and turned right onto Ashland Avenue. A few of his teammates waved and hollered at him as he passed their favorite bar. He waved back, but his mind was on Brooke. Excitement raised a tent in his sweats as he pulled into the parking lot of their apartment building.
Grabbing his gym bag, Dylan hurried upstairs and unlocked the apartment door. The sounds of the television greeted him as he walked in, quickly followed by his sister shouting,
"Sup, Meathead! I got us some chicken wings! They're in the oven, and there's some of that shit beer you like in the fridge."
Dylan rounded the hallway and peeked into the living room. Brooke, his younger sister by a year, was splayed out on the couch in nothing but an oversized T-shirt and a pair of lady's boxers. Her eyes were fixed on the TV as she shoveled a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
When she noticed him staring, she smiled and threw her popcorn at him. "How was practice?"
Dylan managed to catch a few kernels in his mouth before answering. "'S fine," he replied, tossing his gym bag down the hall toward their room. "Montrell nearly took my arm off when he tackled me."
"Well, looks like you still have both your arms, so I don't have to kick his ass," Brooke smirked. Her expression fell when she saw Dylan looking at his desk. "Still studying?"
Dylan sighed and nodded. "Yeah..."
Brooke sat up a bit and crossed her legs. "Go shower and change, then eat dinner, then study time." She tilted her head toward the bathroom in a way that was almost like someone dismissing a child.