Game Changer: #UofJ Book 2- A Second Chance Romantic Comedy Sports Romance (U of J) Read online

  #UofJ2

  Game Changer

  #UofJ2

  Alley Ciz

  Also by Alley Ciz

  #UofJ Series

  Looking To Score

  Game Changer

  Playing For Keeps- Preorder, Releasing December 3, 2020

  *An Untitled Royalty Crew U of J Spin-Off Novel*- Preorder, Releasing March/April 2021

  BTU Alumni Series

  Power Play (Jake and Jordan)

  Tap Out (Gage and Rocky)

  Sweet Victory (Vince and Holly)

  Puck Performance (Jase and Melody)

  Writing Dirty (Maddey and Dex)

  BTU6- Coming 2021

  @UofJ411: Thought you didn’t fumble @CasaNova87? #OffYourGame #LosingMoreThanTDs

  I had the girl—THE girl.

  Kay. My Skittles…MINE.

  The a blitz from the past flattened me like a linebacker.

  Time for a new playbook.

  Mason Nova is…argh!

  I told myself to stay away.

  Warned my heart not to fall for him.

  Did it listen? NOPE.

  Now it feels like it’s crushed under a fallen cheer pyramid.

  Sorry to tell you, but you are NOT a game changer.

  GAME CHANGER is book 2 in the U of J Series and cannot be read as a stand-alone. It picks up right from the cliff LOOKING TO SCORE threw you off of. Can our too-charming-for-his-own-good Casanova win back his pint-sized, rainbow-haired sass queen in this second chance sports romance? The banter between these two continues until Mase and Kay’s story concludes in PLAYING FOR KEEPS out in December.

  Game Changer (#UofJ2)

  Alley Ciz

  Copyright © 2020 by House of Crazy Publishing, LLC

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, medium and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Copyright © 2020 by House of Crazy Publishing, LLC

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-950884-13-1

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-950884-14-8

  Cover Designer: Julia Cabrera at Jersey Girl Designs

  Cover Photographer: Wander Book Club Photography

  Cover Models: Megan Napolitan & Wayne Skivington

  Editing: Jessica Snyder Edits, C. Marie

  Proofreading: Gem’s Precise Proofreads; Dawn Black

  Created with Vellum

  To Jenny! You are so much more than my PA, you are literally the other half of my brain most days, as well as my best friend.

  #YesWeKnowMaseIsYours

  Author Note

  Dear Reader,

  GAME CHANGER IS BOOK 2 in the U of J Series. You must read book 1, LOOKING TO SCORE, prior to this installment to follow the story properly.

  If I’m new to you and you haven’t read my BTU Alumni books you’re fine.

  If you have met my other crazy squad of friends and Covenettes there are a few cameos in here you might enjoy, with a tiny time gap between the two series.

  XOXO

  Alley

  IG Handles

  CasaNova87: Mason ‘Casanova’ Nova (TE)

  QB1McQueen7: Travis McQueen (QB)

  CantCatchAnderson22: Alex Anderson (RB)

  SackMasterSanders91: Kevin Sanders (DE)

  LacesOutMitchell5: Noah Mitchell (K)

  CheerGodJT: JT (James) Taylor

  TheGreatestGrayson37: G (Grant) Grayson

  ThirdBaseAdam16: Adam

  CheerNinja: Rei

  TheBarracksAtNJA: The Barracks

  NJA_Admirals: The Admirals

  TightestEndParker85: Liam Parker

  Nicknames

  Mason Nova: Casanova/Mase

  Kayla Dennings: Kay/PF/Smalls/Short Stack

  E (Eric) Dennings

  CK (Chris) Kent

  Em (Emma) Logan

  Q (Quinn)

  JT (James) Taylor

  T (Tessa) Taylor

  Pops (James) Taylor Sr.

  G (Grant) Grayson

  D (Dante) Grayson

  Mama G- Mrs. Grayson

  Papa G- Mr. Grayson

  B (Ben) Turner

  Contents

  Playlist

  1. Kayla

  2. Mason

  3. #TheGram

  4. Kayla

  5. Mason

  6. #TheGram

  7. Mason

  8. Kayla

  9. Mason

  10. Kayla

  11. Mason

  12. Kayla

  13. Mason

  14. #TheGram

  15. Kayla

  16. Mason

  17. Kayla

  18. #TheGram

  19. Mason

  20. Kayla

  21. Mason

  22. #TheGram

  23. Kayla

  24. #TheGram

  25. Kayla

  26. Kayla

  27. Mason

  28. Kayla

  29. Mason

  30. Kayla

  31. Mason

  32. Kayla

  33. Mason

  34. Kayla

  35. #TheGram

  36. Mason

  37. Kayla

  38. #TheGram

  39. Mason

  40. Kayla

  41. Kayla

  42. Mason

  43. #TheGram

  44. Kayla

  45. #TheGram

  46. Kayla

  47. Mason

  48. Kayla

  49. Mason

  50. #TheGram

  51. Mason

  52. Mason

  53. #TheGram

  54. Kayla

  55. #TheGram

  56. Mason

  57. Kayla

  58. Mason

  59. Kayla

  60. #TheGram

  61. Mason

  62. Kayla

  Randomness For My Readers

  Acknowledgments

  For A Good Time Call

  Also by Alley Ciz

  About the Author

  Playlist

  “Haunted”- Kelly Clarkson

  “Dark Side”- Bishop Briggs

  “Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)”- Plain White T’s

  “Blurry”- Puddle Of Madd

  “Notice”- Little Mix

  “Malibu Nights”- LANY

  “All Around Me”- Flyleaf

  “Wasabi”- Little Mix

  “Guys Don’t Like Me”- It Boys!

  “Haunted”- Taylor Swift

  “Trust Issues”- Olivia O’Brien

  “Up & Down”- Dana Dentata

  “Make You Miss Me”- Sam Hunt

  “Break Up With Your Girlfriend (I’m Bored)- Ariana Grande

  “Just A Man”- SoMo

  “Unsteady”- X Ambassadors

  “The Heart Wants What It Wants�
�- Selena Gomez

  “Nights Like This”- Kehlani feat Ty Dolla $ign

  “Fuck Apologies”- JoJo feat Wiz Khalifa

  “Call You Mine”- The Chainsmokers feat Bebe Rexha

  “My Kinda Party”- Jason Aldean

  “Human”- Rag’n’Bone Man

  “Frustrated”- R.LUM.R

  “Low”- Greyson Chance

  “Sound Of Your Heart”- Shawn Hook

  “Suffer”- Charlie Puth

  “Brokenhearted”- Karmin

  “Don’t Stop”- 5 Seconds of Summer

  “Close To Me”- Ellie Goulding with Diplo

  “Never Really Over”- Katy Perry

  “Dangerously In Love”- Destiny’s Child

  “Falling”- Harry Styles

  “Just A Friend”- Biz Markie

  “STFU & Hold Me”- Liz Huett

  “Hallucinate”- Dua Lipa

  “Pom Poms”- Jonas Brothers

  “A-YO”- Lady Gaga

  “I Love Me”- Demi Lovato

  “F.F.F.”- Bebe Rexha feat G-Eazy

  “Teenagers”- My Chemical Romance

  “Distraction”- Kehlani

  “Ruin My Life”- Zara Larsson

  “Play With Fire”- Sam Tinnesz feat Yacht Money

  “Castle”- Halsey

  “Thunderstruck”- AC/DC

  “Unstoppable”- The Score

  “BLOW”- Ed Sheeran feat Chris Stapleton

  “How To Start A War”- Simon Curtis

  FIND PLAYLIST on Spotify.

  #Chapter1

  “This was a mistake.”

  Replaying the words in my head does nothing to dilute the painful memory of them.

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” I implored. The irony of it all…the campus playboy, Mr. Casanova, accusing me of being a cheater.

  “No. I mean this.”

  Tears fall again at how callously he classified us.

  “This is the reason I don’t do relationships.”

  More tears, so many more.

  “Oof. What the?”

  Dimly I’m aware of being stepped on…neither the pain nor the sound of a body stumbling to the ground next to me really registering, lost inside my head…

  “Are you breaking up with me?”

  Even now I cringe at how pathetic I sounded.

  “Yes.”

  One word. One syllable. One finite answer and he was gone.

  “Kay?”

  Wait…

  That was said out loud. I heard that with my ears, right?

  “Kay?”

  I know that voice.

  “Kay?”

  Why is JT calling me Kay? He barely ever calls me that, not since he coined my PF nickname.

  PF.

  Thinking of the name makes me scowl.

  “Why don’t you tell me, P. F.” Mason spits out each letter of my nickname like it offends him.

  How could two letters be the catalyst for destroying such a vital part of me?

  “Kay, what’s wrong?”

  Everything.

  “Oh my god, Kay.” Em crouches down at my side.

  “Why is she in the hallway? Is she hurt?” Q drops down on my other side.

  I’m still in the hallway?

  Hmm…

  I wonder how long I’ve been here. If they’re here, it must mean the game is over, so I guess it’s been a few hours. Have I really been sitting in this spot the whole time?

  It’s happening again—the breakdown, the foggy haze, the complete loss of time, the inability to speak, the shutting down. It’s like an old habit I can’t break.

  The breakup, though debilitating in the moment, isn’t even the worst of it. That’s the biggest blow. I thought I’d grown stronger, thought I’d learned ways to cope, ways to never fall victim to the crushing weight of my emotions again.

  “Kay, talk to me.” Strong hands grip my shoulders but, again, I barely register the touch, like a ghost floating, taking in the scene from above.

  “Kayla, what the fuck is going on?”

  Fingers pinch my chin and lift until I’m no longer staring at the floor. Instead, as my vision clears, the haze dissipates and a new stream of tears starts to fall down my cheeks as I meet a concerned set of whiskey-colored eyes.

  I watch as those same eyes track the drip of tears onto my chest, like a leaky faucet I can’t turn off.

  “Why are you crying?”

  Because…

  I don’t answer. I can’t even think it; how am I supposed to voice it?

  “Em, check the Gram,” JT instructs, doing his best to piece together what happened without having the puzzle pieces.

  “Were you even bullied? Or is that just some lie you used to get me to stop pushing the issue of posting about us on my social media?”

  “Nothing since they figured out she’s PF Dennings from NJA.”

  I flinch at the name, my body having a Pavlovian response. I close my eyes to shut out the pain but then force them open again, anchoring myself back in the present by locking them onto my oldest friend.

  “This doesn’t make sense.” JT runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “She wouldn’t just be like this. Something happened.”

  Just my heart being broken.

  “Should we call Mason?” Q asks.

  I jerk in JT’s hold. Why am I fighting the numbness? I should give in, let it take me away again so I can just stop hurting.

  “He didn’t answer.” Q’s voice sounds like it’s coming from inside a tunnel, but I still manage to be conscious of her relaying the information to JT.

  Of course he wouldn’t answer.

  “Try again,” JT instructs.

  I should tell them not to bother; the result isn’t going to change. Mase—no! He’s not Mase; it’s Mason now—won’t answer. He’s done with me.

  “Are you breaking up with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Kayla, I swear to god, if you don’t open your mouth and use your words right now, I’m calling E.”

  The threat is enough to pop the last of the bubble of gloom surrounding me.

  “Can we stop with the Kay/Kayla stuff? It freaks me out.”

  JT sags like a deflated balloon, his body falling forward, his head pressing into my lower belly as puffs of air ripple the fabric of my sweatpants.

  “JT is just a friend. He’s as much a brother to me as E.”

  “Yeah, and in Biz Markie’s song, that’s exactly what the bitch says when she’s actually hooking up with the other guy.”

  “Fuck, Kay.” JT’s arms band around my hips and he holds on to me like he’s the one in need of the lifeline and not me.

  “You’re still doing it.” I bring a hand up and start to run it through the short dark auburn hair on the back of his head. The action soothes him, but I do it more to reaffirm to myself that he’s real. As close as E and I are, JT has always been my anchor.

  Our friendship may not be the most conventional, but it is purely platonic. JT is legit my bloodless brother.

  Mason isn’t the first person to think there’s more to my relationship with JT than there is. It’s one thing to think it; it’s entirely another to believe it. I know there are parts of me, things I still haven’t told him, about how bad things got after my dad died and the events that led to the deletion of my Instagram…but, seriously, after all the stories he’s heard about JT and me growing up…how? How did he come to such an incorrect conclusion?

  “—you didn’t want things posted of us because you were worried about your other boyfriend finding out.”

  I’m not a liar, and I’m certainly not a cheat. For Mason to accuse me of being both those things is what hurts the most. Yes, I’ve kept parts of my past secret. It was a way to protect myself, to shed the veil of being a victim, to keep my heart safe.

  Fat lot of good that did.

  “What happened?” JT tries again.

  Both Em and Q fidget, unsure what to do. I don’t blame them. Bei
ng aware of the fact that I fell apart in high school is tough enough, but witnessing it is a whole other level. For as bad as this scene is coming across, it isn’t anywhere near me at my worst.

  “J.” I choke out the single letter, giving away my desperation. It’s as rare for me to drop the T in his name as it is for him to call me Kay.

  With a muttered curse, I’m lifted from the floor and cradled in JT’s lap. My nose brushes along the skin bared by the V of his cheer uniform’s collar and sweatshirt, the familiar scent of sweat and eucalyptus keeping me from the brink of total collapse.

  “What can I do? What do you need?” he asks in a distressed plea, taking on the anguish bleeding off me.

  “Home,” I sob.

  I can’t be here, in the place where I first started to fall for Mason, surrounded by memories that are mundane but still hold weighted significance.

  “Okay.” With the ease only a person used to tossing girls over his head can exude, JT rises from the ground, still holding me in his arms, and follows Em’s directions to my bedroom.