Twenty-nine
April and Sienna are deep in a conversation about books when I finally make it back.
I have no idea how long I’ve been gone, but judging from April’s reaction it must have been a while. “You’re back! Was there a long line for the bathroom?”
I stammer, struggling to come up with a response, then shove in a mouthful of popcorn they must have bought while I was away to buy me some more time. “Yeah. Super busy.”
April shrugs and looks away, none the wiser, but Sienna’s not so hard to fool. She eyes me for a minute, a smirk playing on her lips.
I feel the heat of my embarrassment all over my skin and I clear my throat, trying for a subject change. “So, what did I miss?”
“Nothing, really,” Sienna says. “There’s been a delay. Something about the captain potentially being injured or—” Her attention flicks to the field as the crowd jumps to their feet, cheering at the top of their lungs. “Oh, looks like he’s back.”
Sure enough, Asher takes to the field and runs toward his teammates. Jesus, even from all the way up here I can see how his muscles ripple with every movement, the way his pants hug his round ass perfectly. The ass I was inside of just minutes ago. Fuck. I swallow hard, covering my lap to hide the inappropriate boner that springs up against my will. He looks so damn good out there, and not just in a way that makes me wanna tear his clothes off. He belongs there, and I hope to God that this scout can see that.
I’ve never really been a football guy. My dad was more into skiing and ice hockey - basically anything cold - so, naturally I just grew up the same way. But, you wouldn’t know that right now. As soon as the game starts, I’m completely hooked. If I’m not on the edge of my seat, vibrating with tension, I’m up on my feet screaming Asher’s name and yelling out all kinds of sports-related phrases and chants that I’m not even sure are right. It’s like I’ve become someone else. Even April seems confused by my behavior, giving me a weird look every few minutes.
I guess it’s not only my heart that Asher’s sent into a tailspin, it’s my brain too.
At half-time, I collapse into my seat again, out of breath from all the wild shouting.
“You’re really getting into this, huh?” Sienna teases, a shit-eating grin on her face.
I nod. “Apparently I like football now. Who knew?”
She laughs and leans closer, out of April’s earshot. Unease crawls down my spine. “By the way, you could try being a little more subtle.”
I try to tamp down my shock, force a neutral expression, but my eyes widen anyway. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. You really think I believe you were waiting in line for the bathroom for that long? I know what you were doing.”
My heart skids to a stop. “Y-you do?”
She nods slowly, tauntingly. “Sure do. I saw her follow you inside. Were you trying to be sly, getting her to wait a couple of minutes to come out after you left?”
She’s giggling now, her amusement clear. Me? I’m fucking confused. Baffled. In fact, my head feels like it’s about to explode. “Wait. Who followed me inside?”
“Peyton, obviously. So, it’s still happening, huh? Honestly, I thought the carnival would be a one time thing, but… what do I know? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still don’t approve. But I guess you know her better than I do.”
“Guess so,” I choke out.
Holy shit.
Peyton followed me. It could just be an insane coincidence. Maybe she needed the bathroom or left something in her locker. Or maybe she did exactly what I’m afraid she did. Followed me into the locker room and saw me with Asher. Saw us together. This can’t be happening.
I know Asher said he wants us to be together, consequences be damned, but no good can come out of Peyton finding this out first. She’ll use this to her advantage, make it ammunition to destroy us both with.
“Hey,” Sienna continues, completely oblivious to my internal freak-out. “There’s your girl now.”
I follow her gaze back down to the field, where the cheer squad are performing their half-time routine on the sidelines. And right in the middle of the fray is Peyton, staring up at me, fury in her eyes. My blood turns cold.
I was riding such a high earlier, but now… all I can think is that we’ve fucked up. Majorly.
* * *
Asher’s team wins the game, just like I knew they would.
He plays fucking amazingly, so good that pride swells within me until I’m sure I’ll burst. As soon as it’s over, the crowd goes wild, jumping and shouting and waving their hands in the air. I want to join them, to scream until my lungs hurt that my Asher won. But after finding out about Peyton, I’m frozen in place, unable to do anything but worry.
I watch as Coach Anderson calls Asher over to where he’s standing with the Golden Bears scout. They shake hands and talk for a few minutes, then Asher leaves with a beaming smile on his face and tears well in my eyes, knowing that the future I want so badly for us might not happen now. Not if Peyton has her way.
April, Sienna and I weave our way through the crowd back to the parking lot. I text Asher a bunch of times, telling him that we need to talk and that it’s important. But, he must be too busy showering or celebrating because all I get back is radio-silence. When we reach Sienna’s car, I’m so fucking antsy I can barely stand still. Going to the party would be a bad idea now, for both of us, but I have to. I need to tell him what I know, to figure out a way to fix this before it blows up in our faces.
“I had a great time tonight,” Sienna says. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Yeah. It was, um… it was good.”
She narrows her eyes, another one of those smirks twisting her lips. “Uh-oh. I know that face. It’s your I need a favor face. Come on, hit me with it.”
“Fuck.” I scrub a hand down my face, feeling like a piece of shit for even contemplating asking her. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, but…”
“What is it, Oakley?”
“I have to do something tonight. Just for a couple of hours. So, would you mind watching April for me? I can ask Mrs Sanderson instead if—”
She waves me off. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, why doesn’t she just spend the night at my place? That way, you won’t be rushing back.” She waggles her brows and I almost puke, knowing that she thinks I’m heading out to spend some one-on-one time with Peyton, when that couldn’t be any further from the truth. “What do you say, April? Feel like having a sleepover at my house?”
April jumps up and down. “Really? Can I, Oakley? Please?”
I ruffle her hair. “Sure, kiddo.”
She launches herself at me, squeezing me so tight that I can barely breathe. Then, she yanks open Sienna’s car door and tumbles into the backseat.
“Should I be upset by how eager she is to get away from me?”
Sienna laughs. “Don’t sweat it. She just wants some girl time, and no offense, but big brothers can’t really provide that. Should I swing by your place to grab her some stuff or—”
“I’ll pack her a bag and bring it to you. You better get her to your place before she explodes from excitement.”
Sienna pats my arm and climbs into the car. She backs out of the spot, April waving at me through the window the whole way out of the parking lot. I watch them go, my mind spinning in circles the whole time.
What the fuck are we gonna do?
* * *
Luckily, my uncle’s not home when I get there.
I duck inside, making quick work of packing April’s bag. For an eight-year old, she needs a surprising amount of stuff for an overnight trip. Hairbrush, pink fluffy pajamas and a stuffed animal she’s had since she was a baby that she can’t sleep without are just a few of those things.
As soon as I’m finished, I lock up and head toward Sienna’s house. I’m only ten minutes away when Asher finally replies.
It’s another pin drop location.
Apparently, this is how we communicate now.
I frown, seeing he’s at the junkyard on the edge of town. Part of me is worried he’s in some kind of trouble. I mean, who decides to go to a junkyard this late at night? But, another part of me rationalizes that he must have seen how urgent my messages were and he decided to go somewhere quiet so we could talk. I shoot him a message letting him know I’m on my way, deciding to go there first. Maybe he can give me a ride to Sienna’s after.
Hopefully, we can skip the party altogether and just spend the rest of the night alone.
I’m buzzing as I walk, equal parts excited to see Asher again and worried about this new mess we’ve found ourselves in. I’m probably just over analyzing things, making them seem worse than they are. Asher’s no doubt gonna laugh this whole thing off, give me a kiss and call me an ass for panicking over nothing.
Except, when I make it to the junkyard, there’s nobody here. No car, no Asher, no nothing.
“Asher?” I call out. There’s no response. “Ash? Are you here?” Still nothing.
I spin around in circles, squinting my eyes to try and spot him in the dim light. It’s useless, though. There’s nobody here. What the hell? Why did he bring me out here?
I pull my phone out of my pocket, hitting dial on his number. Right away, I hear his familiar ringtone coming from behind me. I start to turn around, relief making my shoulders slump, but I’m not fast enough.
Footsteps move quickly over gravel.
Something hits me in the head, sending searing pain shooting through my skull.
And then… everything goes black.