Chapter 6 Kingston
Kingston
“Kennedy, you gotta go. You’re going to get me in trouble.”
“Oh please . . .” She peers up at me with wicked playfulness in those pretty eyes, her hands working on the button of my jeans. “If you win, you can attribute it to before-the-game activities.”
She lowers the zipper, but I’m not feeling it.
I don’t know if it’s because we never actually made up after our stupid argument, pregame jitters, or the fact that my teammates will be bursting through the doors of the locker-room any moment.
“Kenn, I’m serious. Get up. You’re going to get your uniform dirty. ”
Her bottom lip pokes out, and her eyes darken, but she doesn’t stop kneeling before me. “Kingston, are you fucking kidding me right now? You don’t want me to blow you? What kind of guy are you?”
“One who doesn’t feel like sitting on the damn bench if Coach catches us. Get. Up.” I’m dead serious because he’ll kick my ass. Not only for fooling around in the locker-room before the game, but also because Kennedy is his daughter, LeAnn’s, best friend. And he’s protective of her.
It’s too late though. The locker-room door flies open, and Bates and Dixon walk in, eyeing Kennedy still perched on her knees before me with my jeans open. Fucking great.
She finally starts to climb up off the floor as they wolf whistle and more members of the team walk inside—including Camden, who doesn’t look too pleased. Probably also worried about the coach seeing.
Thankfully, before Coach makes his appearance, I manage to put some distance between Kennedy and me, and she’s standing tall. Coach looks at her suspiciously as some of the guys around the locker-room sport wide grins. “Kennedy, what are you doing in here?”
“She grabbed my cellphone for me,” Camden’s deep voice answers instantly, and Kennedy eyes him curiously. Please just go with it, Kenn.
“Is that right?” Coach looks at Kennedy, who nods, and I let out a silent breath of relief that she’s not going to be a pain in the ass.
“Sure is, Coach. You know Cam, always thinking about the game and totally forgot his phone.” She tosses Cam a flirty wink, but his face looks like it was forged in stone. Still, I know he has a soft spot for my girlfriend, having known her almost as long as we’ve known each other.
That’s the thing about this town. We’ve all grown up together.
Sure, there have been a couple of kids who’ve moved away and a couple who’ve joined us, but for the most part, we’re all lifers.
Everyone knows everyone. Everyone’s parents went to school together.
Some of our grandparents even. It’s pretty great.
Coach grunts something inaudible and then shoos her away before instructing us to get our asses moving. I bump my shoulder into Camden playfully. “Thanks, man.”
He tugs his t-shirt over his head and still looks annoyed with me. “You keep doing shit like that and Coach will bench you to prove a point. Why are you always being so damn reckless?”
That has my hackles rising because I didn’t do it this time.
And sure, I get myself into trouble—like streaking through downtown on a dare and okay, maybe having a little bit too much whiskey and jumping into the deep part of the lake.
Both times, Camden was there. Forced me to put my clothes on just before the cops arrived the first time, and the second time, he jumped into the cool March water and fished my ass out of the lake.
But still . . . I’m not always reckless.
“Hey, I didn’t ask her to come in here. She just did,” I say defensively before peeling off my own shirt and jeans.
“She just got down on her knees for you in the locker-room right before a game? Moments before we all came in here? What if Coach had walked in first?” He still sounds really fucking annoyed.
I don’t know what his problem is. As far as I know, he likes Kennedy.
Hell, some days I think he likes her more than I do.
“Hell yeah, she did. That’s a good girlfriend,” Dixon quips, but it only annoys me because Camden is irritated. I hate when he’s irritated with me.
“I didn’t ask her to. I told her to get up before Coach came in. I know I could have gotten into trouble, but what would you have me do?”
I’m annoyed with him right back and see that damn wrinkle in his forehead when he scowls at me. “Just be careful.”
“I was trying.” I yank on my uniform pants, irrationally pissed off at Kennedy for getting me in trouble with Camden.
He pulls on his uniform and then turns to face me, scowl firmly in place, but maybe a little less irritated than a moment ago. “Okay. Head in the game.”
“We’re going to kick ass. There’s no doubt. That other team sucks.”
“We go into every game as if there’s a possibility of losing. Because there always is. I don’t want a loss on our record. Do you?”
Dixon comes over, slapping my ass and answering for me. “Hell no! We don’t even know the meaning of the word.”
I can’t keep the smile from my face because Dixon is a year younger, and boy, is he hungry to play. Every single game. This is his heaven. “Hell no,” I repeat his words right at Camden.
He still doesn’t look pleased, but honestly, that’s also kind of his resting face. And he’s in full game-mode now, which can be kind of intense. It’s what makes him such a great quarterback—hell, it’s what makes him so good at everything—his intense focus on every detail. “Good.”
“Party after?” I ask, hopeful. I mean, I like hanging out with Lucy, but I really feel like partying tonight, teenage-style.
He nods. “Yeah. Mom’s home with Luce.”
“Hell yeah,” I say, excitement lighting me up.
“Game. First,” he says, pulling me back down from the high, but it’s a good thing he does.
Camden always keeps me grounded.