Chapter 10
T he next morning, I wake up with a groan. Tonight is the homecoming game. I already promised both Crystal and Ethan I’d be there, and unfortunately, I’d feel bad if I pulled out this late.
Ethan knocks on the door of what I now consider my bedroom, making sure I’m awake. I shout that I am, then gather my clothes so I can get ready for school.
When Ethan sees me coming out of the bathroom after my shower, he pulls me to his room. I follow him like a lost puppy. He goes over to his bed, grabs his jersey and tosses it to me. I look at it, then at him.
“You want me to wear this?” I ask him, taken aback.
“Yep. It’s Spirit Day. And it’ll make the boyfriend story more believable.”
“Am I allowed to?” I know I am. It’s a thing, apparently. I’ve seen plenty of girls wear their boyfriends’ jerseys before.
“Yeah. I paid for it. It’s my backup, I have another that I’m wearing tonight. Wear it to the game too, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Smiling, he watches me pull the jersey over my head. He walks over and straightens it out, stepping back to give me the once-over. I roll my eyes at his assessment and he chuckles.
Taking my hand, he leads me out to the car. I wonder if he thinks he has to hold my hand all the time with the whole ‘fake dating’ thing. Whatever. I’m going to roll with it because I like how it feels.
Getting out of the car at school is weird. You’d think people never saw someone other than a player wearing a jersey. I don’t think people really believed we were dating. I mean, we aren’t, but still. If nothing else sold it, this is pretty much a glaring message that he’s my boyfriend.
My face is warm as we walk inside, Ethan’s hand in mine. I see a few people’s eyes drop to our hands, and it takes everything in me not to pull away so I don’t embarrass him.
Ethan doesn’t seem to care about the stares or the whispers. People wave and say hi to him, and he returns their greetings and smiles. Some of the people include me as well.
I see Elle and Crystal walking over to me from different directions, so I tug Ethan’s hand so we can stop and speak to them.
Elle comes over and places her hand on her forehead as if she’s about to faint. “I can’t stand the cuteness.”
She does this little twirl thing and falls back, Crystal catching her effortlessly. Crys fans Elle and says, “Well, I declare, I think you've caught the vapors,” in a high southern accent.
“Did you two plan that?” I ask as Ethan laughs beside me.
Crystal giggles as she helps Elle to her feet. “No, I swear.”
During the time we’ve been sharing lunch with Ethan, Crystal and Elle have started to get to know each other. I think they’re starting to really hit it off.
“He made me wear it,” I say in a mock whisper, and Ethan huffs beside me.
“I did not,” he pouts. “Come on, you’re going to be late.” He pulls me away, and I wave at Crystal and Elle over my shoulder.
He doesn’t say anything else and his face is set, like he’s angry.
“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” I ask quietly.
Ethan looks at me quickly and stops me. “What? No. I just…” He looks around and pulls me into the tech hallway that’s usually empty this early in the school day.
When we’re away from the bustling student body, he looks down at me. “Is this uncomfortable for you? Am I making you do it? If it’s too much, you can change. I’m just trying to help.”
“No, Ethan. I want to,” I say quickly. “I was joking. I’m not very good at it, though. It’s okay. You are helping. No one has said any snide comments about me, and I’m having fun hanging out with you.” My cheeks burn as I say all this, revealing more to him than I intend to. “It’s fine, I promise.”
He looks visibly relieved, like he really thought I was upset about wearing his jersey. I’m the furthest thing from upset. I love it. I love that he’s staking his claim on me like this. Loud, and in everyone’s face, no matter what they might think, even though it’s not real.
“Okay. Good. I like how you look in my jersey. You’re cute.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not sure about cute.”
I try to walk away when the warning bell rings, but he pulls me back to him. “You are cute. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
I give him a weird look. Cute? Is he just saying that because people are around? Playing it up in case someone hears? Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.
“Thanks, Ethan,” I say, and I’m sure he can catch my sarcasm. He smirks at me and we start to walk down the hall again.
The bell rings and he gives me a look. “You’re late, creep.”
“So are you,” I point out. He shrugs and shuffles me off to my homeroom.
“I’ll be here to walk with you to English.” I nod and slide into class. I swear I’ve been late to classes more times in the past three weeks than I have the entire time I’ve been in high school.
Again, eyes are on me, most looking down at the jersey. I hustle to sit down, thankful that homeroom lasts for only twenty minutes.
Like he promised, Ethan is waiting for me when the bell rings. Did he even go to homeroom? I should probably get a copy of his schedule to see how far he has to go to walk me to my classes.
Nevertheless, I smile shyly when I see him. He pushes himself off the wall and takes my hand so we can walk to English.
When we walk into class, I hear audible gasps. You’d think Ethan and I were out here jerking each other off in front of everyone. I’m just wearing his jersey, it’s not that serious.
Ryder, the quarterback and Ethan’s best friend, skips over to our table after we’ve sat down.
He’s a ridiculously good-looking guy. Built large like Ethan, with long blond hair that he pulls back into a ponytail most of the time, white teeth, with one of the front ones overlapping the other.
But that doesn’t take away from his good looks.
It probably enhances them. He has those cute dimples that he flashes whenever he smiles and piercing green-gray eyes that always look happy. He’s fine but has nothing on Ethan.
He leans against the table in front of Ethan and smiles at him. “It’s true, then? Y’all are really a couple?”
Ethan looks at him for a few seconds before he says, “Yeah. That a problem?” He shifts his body into my side, like he thinks Ryder will try to grab me.
Ryder shakes his head and answers him back with a smile. “Nope. I heard rumors and wanted to ask yesterday. Since he’s wearing your jersey, I figured it was a thing.” He grins at Ethan. “You’re my boy. Who you date doesn’t matter to me.”
Before he can say more, the bell rings and Ryder trots back over to his table.
Ethan looks at me and smiles, squeezing my hand.
I’m glad to have the approval of his best friend, but I wonder why Ryder had to ask instead of already knowing.
Crystal knows what Ethan and I have isn’t real, but I talk to Crystal almost every day.
Now that I think about it, Ethan rarely calls or texts anyone when I’m around.
I’ll have to tell him not to ignore his other friends because of me.
I’d feel horrible if our fake relationship got in the way of his real friendships.
Ethan and I go to the library for class. Not because we have to, but because we don’t want to be in class. We’d have more fun talking to each other in the middle of the aisles than sitting at the table listening to people whisper.
We laugh and talk about nothing until there’s only about ten minutes left of class. Then I ask, “Why don’t you hang out with Ryder anymore? I’m over your house all the time, and I don’t see him there or see you on your phone that much.”
He sighs, taking a random book off the shelf, flipping through pages but not really reading. “Can we talk about it some other time? Please?”
“Yeah, sure.”
I wonder what that’s all about, but don’t push.
“Time to go,” he says just as the bell rings. I laugh and let him put his arm around my shoulders to guide me out of the library.
The rest of the day passes by with stares and whispers about the jersey, and I try to look unaffected, but that’s not me. So when Ethan isn’t walking me to class, my head is ducked, trying to get out of the hallways as quickly as possible. People really don’t know how to use their inside voices.
At the end of the day, I wait for Ethan in front of the school. Since the game is tonight, he won’t be giving me a ride home, but I know he likes to see me before he goes to practice. He walks outside and when he sees me, he skips over to me like a little kid. It’s silly and adorable.
Like it’s his favorite thing, he hugs me and kisses me on the forehead. “Ready for tonight?” he asks when he lets me go.
I shrug, stepping back from him. “I don’t understand football, so I’m going to be lost the whole time. Crystal can explain everything to me, I suppose.”
“How about this? When we get home tonight, I’ll give you a rundown. Well, a rundown of what I do, since you’re only supposed to be watching me, creep.”
Rolling my eyes, I jack my backpack up on my shoulders. “Yeah, whatever. What’s so hard about catching a ball?”
He scoffs, looking deeply offended, but I know he’s joking. “I’ll have you know it’s extremely difficult. I’ll give you allll the details.”
“Can’t wait,” I tell him dryly.
Ethan kisses my forehead again, then grumbles, “I gotta get to the field. You promise you’ll be there tonight?”
I nod and give him another hug, loving how his arms feel around me and how he doesn’t seem like he wants to let me go. I’m sure that’s all in my head, but I like the thought.
He jogs away just as Crystal honks her horn at me. Sighing, I head to her car, flopping down in the seat. This will be my first football game in forever. I’m only coming because Ethan asked. That probably makes me pathetic, because I’ll do pretty much anything he asks me.
As we’re driving home, I ask Crystal, “What time are you leaving for the game?”
She glances at me quickly, then says, “Six. Why?”