48. Bailey
48
Bailey
T he pep talk Coach gave in the locker room did nothing to ease my nerves. This school was just as fancy as the last. It was clear they poured their money into their football facilities. But we’d played a school like this before, right? We played, and we—damn it, we lost.
I didn’t think pep talks were meant to calm the nerves, just redirect energy into something exciting, instead of frightening. It didn’t help me.
I kept to the back, as usual, while the team, getting hyped up and leading the way toward the field, was shouting and jumping.
The game tonight felt surreal. The ride to school on Nolan’s motorcycle had been a nice treat, a distraction from all things Chase, but standing here now just made me miss him more. No one would have my back on the field as well as he always did. I trusted my teammates, but considering how I’d gotten bulldozed during practices this week, this would be a disaster.
Slowly, I started backing up, away from the field and back to safety, until I bumped into someone.
“Don’t tell me the great Bailey McCormick is chickening out now.” Chase’s voice was sugar to my ears. I spun around and threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Ouch, your pads.” He chuckled but wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up and closer all the same.
“Lachlan said he would make sure you came, but I was beginning to think he couldn’t get to you.”
Chase set me down, his hand cupping my cheek. “Yeah, he got to me, all right. I think he’s become a bit pushy over the years.”
I smiled. “He just knows what he wants.”
“He does. I’ll be in the seats, cheering you guys on. You have this. Eth has been telling me how hard you’ve been practicing.”
“Have you guys played this team before?” I asked, worrying my lip.
Chase paused for half a second before nodding. “Yep, totally owned them. They are all show and no game. It was an easy win.” Before I could question him on it, the crowd went wild as our school and team was called. Chase dipped his head down, pressing his lips against mine. The kiss was fast and hard but heart stopping, all the same. It was everything Chase was, full of passion, spunk, and mischief.
I was grinning from ear to ear when he pulled away.
“Go on, I’ll be in the stands.”
I backed away. “So, like, should you be wearing my number?” I joked, referring to how girlfriends always wore their boyfriends’ letterman jackets in the stands.
Chase laughed at me. “Your number is forever branded, right here, Bails,” he said, tapping his chest, just over his heart.
I froze, a stupid smile stuck on my face.
“Go! Give them hell!” He shooed me away.
I turned and ran into the lights, no fear.
We won—barely—but we made it. After the game, my parents bought pizzas, and the guys came home with us. We all sat around the firepit outside, eating and relaxing after a rough but rewarding game.
“I still can’t believe you guys beat them last year. They were seriously far more ripped than what I thought they would be,” I said, taking another bite of the cheesy goodness.
Ethan cocked his head to the side. “Beat them? They buried us alive last year.”
Lachlan laughed. “I remember Bryer asking if they would turn off the scoreboard at any point, they were so far ahead.”
I turned to Chase. “You liar!” I accused.
“But you guys won! I wasn’t going to squash your hope before the game even started.” He laughed.
I stood up, running around the fire and sitting on his lap. “As punishment, you have to endure my bony ass.” I wiggled.
Chase wrapped his arms around me, pulling me farther into his lap. “I assure you, it’s not as much of a punishment as you think.”
“Hey!” Nolan put his hand over his heart, as if he were wounded. “What’s a guy gotta do around here to be punished?”
“Yeah, baby, I need to be punished too. Especially after that one throw to me got intercepted,” Lachlan said.
I rolled my eyes. “That guy came out of nowhere.”
“Eh, I saw him,” Ethan said. “Sam wasn’t paying attention at all.”
I got up off Chase and ran over to Lachlan, sitting on his lap. His arms constricted around me as he buried his face into my hair. “Stuck with me now,” he mumbled.
It went like that for a while longer, each guy saying why they needed the punishment and me floating around. Except Ethan. He watched with amusement in his eyes. Eventually, I called truce and went back to my own chair. We stayed up talking about random stuff. The new store going up downtown and what it would be. How Hadley and her cronies were waiting for me to get dogpiled on the field.
Hadley had attempted to talk to Chase after the game, but he’d dove into the locker room before she could say anything. Apparently, when Lachlan came out to shoo her away, she was disgusted.
The fire was dying and the sun starting to glow on the horizon when we decided to head inside. Mom had already left out a stack of blankets, and we tossed them around until we all found a spot in the living room, on the couch or the floor.
This , I thought to myself, is how high school hangouts should end . I never wanted to fall asleep, because I wanted this peace that had fallen over us to stick around forever.