Chapter 51
CHAPTER
FIFTY-ONE
EMERSON
“So, are we going to talk about last night?” I asked. Holden gritted his jaw and let out a deep breath. We were standing on the float the football team and Wolfettes had decorated. The parade had started ten minutes ago, and we were the only ones on the giant football platform. I’d waited until now, knowing he wouldn’t be able to ignore me or distract me with sex like he had last night and this morning.
Not that I’d minded the orgasms, but he couldn’t use that as a tactic for everything.
“One of my teammates from high school plays for the Royals now. There wasn’t anything officially stated about the stuff my dad did, but a few people had raised concerns. Parents, disgruntled players. But since there wasn’t any viable evidence considering manipulating my emotions doesn’t leave a trail, they could never prove I was cheating.” Holden’s face was stern, and I hated that someone was bringing up things from his past.
“Cody was right, then? He’s trying to stir up shit?”
“Smack talk isn’t anything new. ”
“Was there anything else?”
He side-eyed me. “There were comments about you, me, and Colter. But I don’t care.”
“Ah.” I gulped. I wouldn’t give either of them up, but it didn’t lessen the fear of what people would say online, and the impact it could have on Holden’s career.
“It just means I’ll have to score even more on the Royals.”
I nodded, chewing my lip. I knew there was still something else, but I hadn’t chosen whether I wanted to know or not yet. In the end, I decided it was better to be prepared.
“And the other thing?”
Holden’s shoulder dropped. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.”
“I almost didn’t.”
He squeezed my hand and stared down at me. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Wildcat.”
“Wh-what did it say? There was a note, wasn’t there?”
“Yeah. Some bullshit about you dancing today and dreams coming true. I can’t remember it word for word.”
“Is Detective Jennings worried?”
“It would take a lot to make her worried,” Holden scoffed. “But she said she’d have police at the game.”
“Is that a possibility?” My eyes went wide.
“Who the fuck knows? He’s mostly targeted our cars. I can’t tell if he is obsessed with them or is too scared to face us head-on.”
“I just want this all to be over. I don’t want his attention.” My gut swirled with apprehension. I scanned the crowd, but no one stood out. Everyone was decked out in Hayward colors—a sea of teal, magenta, and black surrounded us.
We were third in line of the floats. The float in front of us was a wolf, and the one behind us was a castle. I didn’t understand why, but it was beautiful. Our float was a mess of green and brown. The football looked more like a giant turd, but I wasn’t going to be the one to say that to a bunch of jocks. The fact our float had been completed was a miracle in and of itself.
“There’s Colter and Taylor,” Holden said, pointing them out to me. I waved and smiled, happy to finally see a familiar face. Taylor blew me kisses and winked. She’d regaled me with her night with Eric and Dillion while helping me prep for the parade. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to have a second night with them or find a new bed partner before she left tomorrow.
“There’s my dad and your mom.”
“I don’t see Hope,” Holden mumbled. We both waved to our parents. Rose snapped pictures, and I blushed. It had been so long since I had a parent be active in my life. My father had tried, but it wasn’t his strong suit, and I didn’t fault him for that. Having Rose include me was a gift I hadn’t known I needed.
“Is that Hope?” I asked, pointing ahead to the corner. Her back was to us, but I’d spent years harnessing my ability to spot her in a crowd. Her hands were moving wide as she argued with someone. They were too far back for me to make out who they were. Holden squinted, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene.
“Fuck.”
He jumped off the float before I could stop him. The dais wobbled at the force, and I held onto the bar so I wouldn’t topple off. Holden marched a straight path to Hope, wrapping his arm around her and lifting her up. He pointed aggressively at the person, his face murderous. I couldn’t make out what he said before our float turned the corner, taking them out of view. Worry seeped in, and I tried to focus on the parade.
“Mer! Mer! Mer!” the crowd shouted, gaining my attention. I lifted my hand and waved. A minute later, the flatbed trailer dipped, voices carrying up to me .
“Put me down, Holden. I’m fine!” Hope protested.
Holden ignored her, setting her at the front where the truck pulling us would cover her.
“Stay, Hope. I mean it. Don’t think I won’t run after you if you jump off.”
She huffed, crossed her arms, and turned her head away from him. Holden waited a beat before jumping up on the platform where I stood.
“Who—”
“Later,” Holden said, cutting me off.
I nodded; my face was red with embarrassment. Logically, I knew he wasn’t angry with me. It was clearly about the person who’d been talking to Hope, but the hurt girl who kept waiting for this all to be a joke took his harsh tone to heart. Tears pricked my eyes, so I turned to the crowd and prayed they couldn’t see them from afar.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Wildcat. It’s not you.” Holden turned my face back to him. His eyes were soft and remorseful. I sucked in a breath, and my lip trembled despite my desire to act unaffected.
“Sorry. Old wounds.”
“No, you have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He balled his fists at his side, his jaw ticking as he ground his teeth. “I wasn’t expecting to see him. He makes me so angry.”
My mind raced to make the connection. If it wasn’t Owen, then who… Oh.
“Your dad?”
He nodded, his gaze lost out into the crowd. “I haven’t seen him in years, and then he shows up here, attempting to con Hope. He’s nothing but a cancerous leech.”
I took his hand, threading our fingers, and squeezed. Holden squeezed back, his shoulders relaxing the further we moved from his father. His breaths evened out, and the tension left his body as our trailer came to a stop. Holden jumped off and then grabbed me around the waist and lifted me to the ground. Hope was already up and hobbling away on her brace.
Holden stared after her but didn’t chase. As long as she wasn’t near their father, he wouldn’t police her.
Mandy, the girl with the clipboard, and who I’d learned was the president of student activities, motioned us toward the stage. The other court nominees were gathered, and even the students, alumni, and townspeople had moved from the parade route to the front of the stage. Once we were all in line, the emcee picked up his mic.
“It’s been a wild ride this week as we’ve navigated through the ups and downs of Homecoming. The parade of floats was our last event before the crowning during halftime at tonight’s game against the Royals!”
“Awoo! Go, Wolves!” the crowd chanted.
“All votes were cast last night, and they will be added to the total points each contestant earned this week. I want to thank our court nominees for their good sportsmanship and school spirit. Being a Hayward Wolf is an honor and more than just winning games. Though, that is important.” The crowd laughed. “But we’re a community and want to give back to those who support us. This week, we raised forty thousand dollars from the date auction, food drive, and bowling for shoes. Every single one of you has shown up and supported our school and fellow Darlingtons. So, thank you! Now, get out of here! We’ve got a game to win!”
“Wolves! Wolves! Wolves!”
We descended the stage, the other court nominees waving as they parted to head to their sorority or fraternity groups scattered on the lawn. Taylor ran up to me, throwing her arms around me like she hadn’t seen me in forever.
“Mer! You’re such a babe. This school loves you!”
“Um, thanks?” I patted her back while she clung to me like a baby koala .
Colter laughed. “She might’ve had a little of the party juice floating around.”
“Ah.” She patted my hair, rocking me back and forth.
“I like it here, Mer. I should transfer, too. Then we could be roommates again. Brighton isn’t the same without you,” she mumbled into my hair.
“I miss you too, Tay, but I don’t want you to do anything impulsive.”
“You don’t want me here?” she asked, sniffling.
Ah, so we’re at the weepy-drunk stage. “I’d love for you to be here, babe, if that’s what you want.”
“Yay!” She let go and tried to do some dance moves, but the alcohol inhibited her. She fell over, but Colter and I caught her. She giggled the entire time.
“Shit. She’s gonna need to sleep this off. You guys have to get to warmups, and I have to dance.”
“I can watch her,” Hope said, stepping closer. I hadn’t seen her since the float stopped. She peered around at her former peers, her gaze anxious, like she expected them to flog her at any moment.
“Thanks. I’m not sure where you can go.”
“I have keys to Mom’s office. We can hang out there. I could do with some time away from everyone.” I handed Taylor off to her and she patted Hope’s hair.
“Your hair smells good. If you weren’t a bitch, I’d think you were hot,” she mumbled.
“Tay! Be nice. She’s helping.”
Hope laughed. “It’s fine. I was a bitch. I like that she doesn’t mince her words.”
“Mince. Mince. Pence. Are you British? Oi!” she said, the last bit in a bad English accent.
“Mercy,” I rubbed my forehead. “Are you sure you know what you’re in for?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s no worse than a house full of drunk sorority sisters. One will be a piece of cake. Come on, handsy.”
“Ah, we already got nicknames? You love me.”
Colter and Holden laughed into their hands, trying to hide it. I didn’t get a chance to scold them before Cody and Jenny invaded our circle and gave me hugs. Holden pushed Cody off me, rearranging his arm around me instead. Cody chuckled, shaking his head.
“You know I’m gay, right? I love Mer, but she’s not my type, Cap.”
I loved how Cody just put it out there. It was quiet for a second as Holden and Colter digested his words. Jenny and I held our breath as we waited. Holden scrutinized Cody, his brows relaxing as he turned to me.
“You knew?”
I nodded. “Since the first day.”
His shoulders dropped, and he turned to Cody. “I’m sorry we didn’t create a safe environment on the team for you to feel like you could tell us. Are you out publicly?”
“Yes, and no. The people in my life know. I’m still trying to navigate my way in football.”
“We’ll support you with whatever you decide,” Colter said, clapping Cody on the shoulder.
“Thank you. I’m not ready to tell the team yet, but when I am, I’d appreciate your support.”
“Of course,” Holden said. He held out his hand to Cody. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a shit role model. I let my jealousy get in the way of being there for a teammate.”
God, I loved these two. Could you get pregnant from watching your boyfriends be good humans?
Cody took his hand, and Holden pulled him into a bro-hug. Jenny and I shared a look, smiling at the moment. I knew Holden and Colter wouldn’t have an issue with Cody being gay and had been encouraging him to tell someone on the team. I was glad he finally felt he could. It sucked that he had to share that part of himself, to begin with, that the default was assumed to be straight. But until that changed, Cody got to decide how he shared his truth. He didn’t owe it to anyone.
“Your girl’s special, and I love her like a sister.”
“Love you, too, Cody bear,” I teased. “All right, we all need to head to the stadium. We have some ass to beat!”
“You’re cute when you get all team-spirited,” Colter said, kissing my cheek.
The five of us took off in the direction of the stadium. We were stopped every few feet by people wanting to talk about the game or their support for me to win. Surprisingly, it was about even who got stopped for once. We were almost to the parking lot when three guys in blue football jerseys entered our path. Holden, Colter, and Cody all tensed, and when I scanned their jerseys, I realized why.
Royals .
“Kincaid, I’m surprised you found your way here, considering you haven’t been able to find the end-zone all season.”
The one in the middle stepped forward, his face red at Holden’s comment. His teammate on the left held him back.
“Funny, Adler. Your daddy seems to think differently,” Kincaid spat.
Holden’s nostrils flared. I squeezed his hand, reminding him I was there. I didn’t know if it worked, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Good luck with that. He always did bet on the wrong hand. Though, I suppose you’re used to that since your daddy had to buy your spot on a team.” Kincaid jerked forward, his teammate holding him back.
“Anything else to say, Kincaid?” Colter asked, stepping in front of me and Holden.
“Ah, is someone feeling left out? Seems even your girl prefers your best friend over you.”
I stepped up and took Colter’s hand. “Two’s greater than one, or have you not gotten to that lesson in math yet?” I shot back.
Cody snorted, covering his mouth, and Colter grinned. Kincaid’s face became redder, and his eyes lowered to roam over my body.
“You let your bitch talk?” the Royal on the left asked, chuckling like a hyena.
“Watch your fucking mouth,” Holden seethed, stepping forward.
“Oh, we found his soft spot! Adler’s a simp. Fucking pussy whipped.”
“You want to say that again, Kincaid?” a voice behind us asked. I looked over my shoulder to see most of the seniors and juniors on the team standing behind their quarterback.
“Nah, man. We were wishing Adler a good game. No harm, no foul.” Kincaid held up his hands, stepping back. He smirked like he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. I didn’t like it. I hated that they knew about me and worried they’d use it on the field. But I couldn’t stop it, so it was pointless to fret over it.
Once they were gone, the team clapped Holden and Colter on the shoulders as they headed into the stadium. Our group followed, more solemn than we’d been. Jenny and Cody headed into the locker rooms, leaving us alone.
“Meet us after the game. Don’t run off anywhere,” Holden said.
“I won’t.”
He searched my face, something flashing in his eyes, but it was gone before I could ask about it. He kissed me hard, stealing my breath and curling my toes before handing me to Colter. He brushed my hair back, smiling sweetly at me. He rocked his hard-on into me, reminding me how much he enjoyed watching.
“I can’t wait to see you in your dress. Love you, Merbear. ”
“Love you, Colter.”
His kiss was soft but just as passionate, leaving me panting and wishing we had time to steal away for more. With a slap to my butt, he followed Holden into the locker room, leaving me with wet panties and no relief.