Waiting For You: Bragan University Series Book 5 Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Gianna Gabriela

  Just Because of You

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Copyright

  Waiting For You

  Bragan University Series (Book Five)

  Copyright © 2020 Gianna Gabriela

  ISB Ebook: 978-1951325275

  ISBN Print: 978-1951325299

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, or by any other means, without written permission from the author. The only time passages may be used is for teasers, blog posts, articles, or reviews, so long as the work isn’t being wrongfully used.

  This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, events, and incidents portrayed are solely from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual places, people, events, or other incidents is coincidental or are used fictitiously.

  Dedication

  Amanda, Chasidy, Ebonie, & Katie

  Thank you for helping me make this story all that it is.

  Tiffany Landers

  Thank you for taking no time off to make this happen!

  To My Readers

  Thank you.

  Prologue

  AMELIA KING

  February

  I sit at the couch with my pajamas on as I swipe left on most of the guys on this dating site. I downloaded this app because my sister told me to. Apparently, I need to put myself out there because otherwise, I’m going to die old and alone; those were her words. The thing is, I don’t want a relationship right now. I told her that too but she said this app is the best way to meet non-dating guys.

  I guess that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

  No dates. No dating. No strings.

  “What are you doing?” my sister, Elia, asks as she walks out of her room with her cheerleading uniform on. She was so excited to finally make the team after trying out two years in a row and failing. She kept trying though because she had to be a cheerleader.

  “Just swiping,” I tell her, showing her my phone and the latest guy to pop up on the screen.

  She comes closer to look at the picture then takes the phone from my hand. “Nope. No. No. Absolutely not. Uh, wait, this one. He’s cute,” she says, her fingers moving quickly on screen and then halting.

  “Wait!” I yell, knowing what she’s about to do next and not wanting her to do it. The last thing I want to do is match with a guy who my sister selects for me. It’s not that she has the worst taste, it’s just that her taste is totally different than mine. The opposite really. So yeah, not my taste. “Let me see!” I tell her.

  “Too late, I’ve already swiped right!” she exclaims.

  “You’re the worst!” I reply, still lying down on the couch and looking up at her as she leans over me.

  “Anndddd it’s a match!” she announces dramatically.

  I shake my head. “Pass it over!” I tell her, ready to see who I’ve matched with—who my devious little sister has chosen for me. Funny I call her my little sister, we’re twins. I’m only a few minutes older, but I’ll hold that against her forever.

  She tosses the phone to me and I catch it before it hits me in the face. “I gotta go,” she says, walking toward the door.

  I point at her outfit. “First day of practice?” I ask. Do cheerleaders wear their uniforms to practice? Is that a thing?

  “Yes!” she exclaims, eyes wide in excitement.

  “It’s February though, isn’t that late to start?” I ask, wondering why they’d accept new cheerleaders into the team at the beginning of the spring semester.

  My sister sighs loudly, tired of having to explain things to me, I assume. “This is how they always do it because they start training the cheerleaders who will join them in the fall now while the travel team is off competing,” she explains.

  I pretend it all makes sense. “Why do you have to wear your uniform?” I ask. Shouldn’t she be wearing sweats or something? I mean, they’re going to be practicing. Doesn’t make sense to use their uniforms.

  “We all have to wear them the first day of practice. They want to make sure they fit properly and comfortably.” Another thing that doesn’t make sense if they won’t be using the uniforms until September but maybe they use it earlier. Who knows? I don’t really care enough to ask.

  I take in her appearance from her ponytail down to her sneakers. “Seems like it fits tight.”

  “In all the right places,” she says, smiling.

  “Well, good luck with that!” I tell her.

  “Thanks. I’m really excited.” Of course she is. Cheerleading is the one thing she’s passionate about. It’s actually the reason she chose Bragan University. That, and the fact that I was already coming here and she hates being on her own. She’s never had to be on her own. We literally shared a womb and just about everything since then, except tastes and hobbies, obviously.

  “I’m happy for you,” I tell her, sitting up and getting ready to turn on the TV. “So what do you guys do again?” I ask, trying to show some interest in the things that interest my sister yet finding it really hard.

  She rubs her hands together before she starts. “Well, we have competitions, that’s what the travel team is focusing on,” she tells me. She rounds the couch so she’s in front of me. “And we also cheer for the football and basketball teams,” she pauses, “just to practice,” she adds, making sure I understand that cheerleading is a sport independent of cheering for other sports.

  I nod. “Well, remember what Mom said about athletes,” I start, knowing my sister knows exactly where I’m going with this makes me smile.

  She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like I even know any of them. We haven’t even started!” she says defensively. “They won’t even be there until later in the semester,” she adds.

  “Still, what does she always say?” I press, enjoying this way too much.

  “Gotta stay away from them,” she repeats my mother’s words begrudgingly.

  I clap, knowing it’ll annoy her even more. “Good job! Now don’t forget that warning now that you’ll be cheering for them,” I tell her.

  She shakes her head and walks right out the door without saying another word. The moment the door slams shut I burst out laughing.

  I’m about to grab the remote when my phone buzzes with an incoming message. I unlock the p
hone and find that the guy my sister swiped on has already sent me a message. I open it before I even have a chance to look at his picture.

  Him: So, what brings you here?

  NICK HUNTER

  April

  I sit on the couch of this full ass house watching my brothers with pride. Watching the day their hard work pays off.

  I can’t help but feel jealous and a little sad, which is selfish, but it is what it is. I’m jealous that my dad made college graduation a requirement and so I couldn’t apply and be drafted alongside them. Sad that I’ll no longer be sharing a house with these guys, even though they were a pain most of the time. The truth is that college is really all we had; we may never live in the same state at the same time ever again. And that disappoints me, more than I thought it would.

  I look around and see the way they sit nervously in the living room with their eyes fixed on the TV, waiting for the draft to begin, for their names to be called. My attention focuses on three guys specifically. My brother, Colton. His best friend, Chase. And my best friend, Zack. I can’t believe they’ll all be gone and I’ll still be stuck here on my own. I turn my attention to where Jesse and Zoe are, oddly enough talking to my dad and the other parents. I can’t believe Jesse is leaving the team. Though I guess his goal isn’t the NFL, it’s to be a doctor and he needs to focus on that now that he’s getting ready to go into his final year of undergrad.

  It’ll be a team core rebuild, basically, and I’ll be the glue keeping it all together. Coach informed me that I was Captain and that now that my brother is leaving, I’m responsible for the Football House too, replacing one Hunter with another.

  “Are you guys ready?!” Zack shouts just as the Commissioner walks toward the podium to welcome everyone to the draft. No one answers his question and I bet it’s because everyone is on the edge of their seats. Anticipation is killing them. I mean, all you’ve worked for as a football player comes down to this moment. Even the guys not getting drafted tonight, like me and Jesse, know the importance of this.

  After a few minutes, the Cincinnati Bengals, who have the first pick, are finally on the clock. I sit there with a beer in my hand and look around the room. I take it all in one last time before things change. Because they will change, it’s inevitable.

  I watch my brother, the guy I’ve looked up to my entire life, though I’d never tell him that. Even though he’s first pick material, he’s sitting here at the Football House with his family and friends, choosing us over a bunch of strangers, though that doesn’t surprise me. The Colton graduating looks nothing like the Colton who started at Bragan. We used to be more alike back then but people grow up. I look at the way he holds Mia’s hand. I can’t believe those two are getting married soon. Even though I miss the old Colton, I’m happy for the new one. He’s less miserable now and I have Mia to thank for that.

  My eyes travel to Chase, who sits mere inches from Mia and Colton. He’s sitting next to a random brunette. I’ve never seen her before, but I don’t miss the way she tries to get his attention while he just focuses on the TV. I don’t even know why girls try to be around him; he never gives them the time of day. The dude’s an ass. Always has been, so at least that hasn’t changed. I’m not sure it ever will.

  Then there’s Zack, who’s sitting next to me. Zack, well, Zack has a grin on his face and his girl, Emma, is seated next to him. I can’t believe he’s dating Coach’s daughter. I don’t know how he’s still alive. Shoot, if it had been me, Coach wouldn’t have let me make it to this day. I’d be buried somewhere in the woods.

  I see Colton and Mia get up from the couch and head to the kitchen, walking past the parents. I wonder if they’re nervous about this next chapter. If they think about what that would mean for the two of them, I wonder if he’s got a knot in his stomach. I know I do.

  Commissioner Goodell comes back to the podium and once again any chatter that was in the room disappears. We have first-pick material in this room, so we have to pay attention. I’m really hoping none of the guys here end up in Cincinnati.

  Goodell starts. “The Cincinnati Bengals have traded away their first pick to the New York Giants in exchange for the Giants fourth pick in the first and second round. With the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Colton Hunter, quarterback, Bragan.”

  Colton walks back into the room with his phone to his ear and a smile on his face. “Let’s go!” I get up from my seat on the couch and scream as I run over to my brother and embrace him. New York is only a couple hours away. “You didn’t have to keep us in suspense, you know!” I tell him, knowing the phone call he just finished had to have been the reason they went to the kitchen earlier.

  “I wanted to make sure it was actually happening,” he says, shrugging.

  Everyone claps and shouts and the cameras I’ve been ignoring since I walked into this draft party are instantly on him. Jokes on them though, this is about to be the most boring interview they’ve ever held.

  So, I was right. The interview Colton had lasted less than two minutes and every word out of his mouth sounded as if he had been coached by Bill Belichick himself. That would’ve been a better landing place for him, especially now that they need a quarterback, but there’s no way they would’ve had him at twenty-three and no way they could’ve or would’ve traded to get him at one. The draft continues with players from other schools being drafted. I start to feel the energy change in the room and I know it’s because the guys who haven’t been drafted are wondering how far they’ll fall now that we’re getting toward the end of the first round.

  The Patriots are finally on the clock and I can’t wait to see who they draft. They’re clearly in desperate need of a quarterback, but somehow, I doubt that they’ll draft one right now, that’s too obvious. I look around the room to see who’s still here. This wasn’t an open party where everyone was invited. It was mostly the team and the parents of the players being drafted.

  Everyone shuffles around, grabbing beers, water, and just distracting themselves as they wait. I just stay seated on the couch and take it all in. This will be me next year.

  Emma and Zack walk back into the living room, both with beers and huge smiles on their face. “Let’s go!” Zack shouts.

  “What happened?!” I ask while jumping up from the couch.

  He walks over to where I’m standing and throws his arm over my shoulder. “You’re not going to believe me if I tell you, so you may as well wait and see.”

  I turn to the TV and then back to Zack’s goofy smile. He can’t be saying what I think he’s saying. “You’re not serious.”

  “Just watch,” Emma says with pride in her eyes and the whole room is silent. Shocked. Surprised. Waiting.

  The Commissioner steps back onto the podium and Zack’s smile gets even wider. “With the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select Zack Hayes, Left Tackle, Bragan!” The moment the words leave Goodell’s mouth, I run around the room screaming like a crazy person.

  I wait for Zack to hug his parents and I don’t miss the tears in their eyes. “You’re a Patriot!?!” I shout when he comes over to where the guys are standing.

  Zack nods.

  “Holy crap!” I scream.

  “You deserve it,” Colton says.

  “Guess you’re staying in New England,” Chase adds.

  “I’m definitely going to be your plus one for all the home games,” I tell him.

  Emma clears her throat and glares at me. I deserve that. She is his girlfriend, so I understand why she’d want priority. “Ah, I’m still here!”

  “Eh. You can just read it in a book. I’ll even write you a report if you want,” I say half-jokingly.

  “The Patriots, my guy, how do we feel about being drafted by the New England Patriots?” Jesse asks, doing his best impression of Matthew Slater.

  “Like it’s all been worth it,” Zack says with relief visible on his face. He deserves this more than anyone I know.

&n
bsp; “Hey buddy, was that Belichick who called?” I ask curiously.

  “Yeah,” he responds, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “And?” I ask, grinning.

  “Scariest phone call of my life,” he chuckles and I laugh alongside him.

  “Get ready for the Patriot’s Way,” I tell him.

  The Commissioner continues and we sit down and celebrate while also wondering who’ll get picked next. Colton is going to the New York Giants and Zack is going to the New England Patriots. Man, I wish I were joining them or competing against them at the next level. I guess I will soon enough.

  I turn to Chase and see the worried look on his face. A look he’s trying to hide but is failing. It’s the look that comes from the fact that it’s the second round and his name has yet to be called. He shouldn’t worry though; he’s definitely getting picked today. He’s one of the best in the draft class.

  As the second round progresses, the air feels a little more tense. We all sit there with excitement buzzing at what we already know but worry creeping in for what we don’t. The tension in the air is sharp. The silence doesn’t help.