38. The Homecoming Game Pt 2
Harper
Nico grabs my arm before I step through the door. I fall back in front of him as he leans against the wall.
“If you scream, I’ll be there, sunshine.” His lips are pressed into a thin line.
I step into him and wrap my arms around his waist, drawing in his fresh rain scent. My ear presses against his heart. “I love you, Nico.”
His hand smooths down my spine and then up around my neck, pulling me back so he can kiss me. I settle into him and the taste of his lips. It’s familiar and safe.
“If it isn’t the extra one.” Zach’s voice makes me stiffen.
Nico lifts his head and we both turn to look at Zach outside the men’s locker room. He wears jeans and a t-shirt but has a garment bag hanging over his shoulder.
“Do you get to play with her like the others? Or are you more of an afterthought, Nico?” Zach smirks as his gaze roams over me like he has every right.
Nico’s muscles tense beneath my hands, but I don’t move. I don’t need him to get reinjured because of me.
“Fuck off, Zach,” I say.
Zach smiles like he caught me and tsks me.
“Such language. I don’t know if that’s befitting a princess of the court.
We all know you only have so many ways to please a guy, darling.
Someone’s going to get left out sometimes.
Do you even qualify as a horseman now that you don’t play football anymore? ”
He’s doing this to egg on Nico and being so fucking obvious about it.
Nico rubs his thumb down the side of my throat. “Go on, Harper. Nothing’s going to happen here. Not with the security cameras in the hallway.”
I nod but don’t leave Nico’s arms. He’s right. Fighting on school property has strict punishments.
“Tick tock, darling.” Zach’s laughter curdles my stomach as he disappears into the other locker room.
“I love you, sunshine.” Nico kisses my temple and releases me.
Holding his gaze, I walk into the locker room.
Kenz takes my arm as I enter. “Okay, let’s show these guys how good you clean up.”
Dragging in a breath, I release it and all the tension from the hallway. Kenz leads me over to where Penny sits with my stuff. We pass by the Cheermonsters. Sidney sneers. Ashley gives me a little nod.
Emma smiles. “Good luck tonight, Harper.”
“What the fuck, Emma?” Sidney says with a glare.
“Good luck, Emma,” I say with a smile, just to stir the pot.
When we round the corner, Penny smiles.
“I just traded with Nat. I wanted to be here when you changed.” Penny unzips the dress bag and I inhale, remembering how it looked on me and how I felt in it.
“What’s wrong with you, Emma? You’re supposed to be my friend.” Sidney’s voice is low and harsh, like she thinks we won’t hear her.
“She has as much chance as any of us to win tonight.” Emma’s tone is light. “So what if I say good luck to another girl? She’s my friend’s girlfriend.”
Sidney makes a frustrated noise, and I smile at Kenz and Penny, who smile back. I love that Sidney’s hold on them is unraveling. Her reign of terror is almost over.
I focus on my dress. It looks like something a fairy princess would wear. Even with all the threats and the worry, I can’t wait for the guys to see me in this dress. For just a moment, to be a girl standing in front of her boyfriends, all dressed up for them.
I hope they like it.
Luke
We break from the huddle and fall into line. I look to my left and to my right to make sure everyone is set. I can’t afford to worry about Harper right now. This game is close.
The Spoede High Wild Cats are always a challenge. This year they’ve really upped their defense, shutting us down on more than one play in the first half. I want another touchdown as we go into halftime to help cement our victory.
Eli shakes his hands loose as he bounces at the end of the line, ready to make a break for it. We were built to work as a team. Years of practice and a connection not everyone has. It will be hard leaving high school behind.
While most of us want to play college ball, not all of us will. Even if we all make the team. I’m not sure Eli will have time with his studies to balance everything.
Add Harper to our college experience and all of us are going to want to make time for each other. It will be a challenge but we’ll make it work, because I’m not doing anything without them.
“Blue, twenty-two!” I call down the line. “Blue, twenty-two! Hut!”
Rivera hikes me the ball, and it’s on. The crunch of bodies slamming against each other fills the air as Caden protects me from the incoming tackles.
I fall back and feel the air shift. This is my chance.
I have line of sight to the other receiver, but Eli breaks free from the cornerback covering him at the last minute.
I throw a spiral right to where he’ll be. It slips into his fingers, and he cradles it as he runs into the end zone. The crowd goes fucking wild. My heart goes through the roof.
Jack runs over, grabs my facemask, and bumps his helmet against mine. “Yeah, man!”
For a moment, everything is right.
We’re winning solidly going into the second half.
The crowd is chanting along with the cheerleaders. They’re cheering for us. The undefeated Mustangs. It’s a high unlike any other.
Screams erupt in the distance.
I turn toward them in confusion. The glow of colored light from the fairground is gone. It’s all black. The rides are just ghostly silhouettes against the darkness. My gaze jerks to the school as the lights go out like a fucking omen.
My heart stops.
Fuck. I’m moving before I even realize it. It feels like I’m losing her.
A hush falls over the crowd, and the lights in the stadium go out, leaving us in darkness. Footsteps join me, but I can’t go fast enough.
My only thought is Harper.
Harper
Before I touch the dress, the lights flicker. That’s weird.
Then they shut off.
“What the fuck?” Ashley’s voice fills the silence. “Quit fucking around, assholes.”
“I’m sure they’ll come back on,” Emma says.
“It’s probably a fucking prank.” Ashley stops when the emergency backup lights come on. It’s still not enough to see much.
I draw in a breath. Thankfully I didn’t get undressed yet. Pulling out my phone, I turn on the flashlight. More lights turn on. Kenz and Penny.
And we can see the glow from the other side of the lockers.
“Everyone okay?” Penny asks.
“It’s just the dark.” Sidney laughs. “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”
My first thought is Nico in the hallway, but then there’s a loud crash in the direction of the door. Emma and Penny scream, but I go still inside.
Boots hit the tile floors. More than one set. Fuck.
We’re so fucked.
“Run,” I whisper. I grab and tug Kenz and Penny’s hands, pulling them towards the laundry room. We can barricade ourselves in there. If we can get there.
Penny and Kenz slip from my hands as we all run toward the door. Too focused on running. They’re following my light, at least I hope they are. I hear a muffled cry. Another one. Fuck.
A hand grabs me. My phone falls to the ground as they drag me to a door. I plant my feet and claw at the hand holding me.
“For fuck’s sake. I’m not the enemy.” Ashley’s voice is barely above a whisper.
She tugs me into an office and locks the door.
“Get down.” She slides to the ground against the door, and I settle in next to her. Both of us are breathing hard.
“What about the others?” I whisper. My heart pounds.
“It’s a fucking mess out there. Emma throat punched some fucker in black and got your girls, but another guy was after them. They ran the other way.”
I drag in a breath. Loud footsteps and hoots fill the locker room. A light shines into the office above our heads from a flashlight. I hold my breath.
I dropped my phone, so I can’t call for help. Not that it would do any good. The guys don’t have their phones. Ashley doesn’t have her phone either. She only has on her blue bra and her cheer skirt.
Nico! Fuck. I start to rise and Ashley grabs my arm.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she hisses.
“Nico.”
She shakes her head. “Think about it, Harper. He was at the door. If they got in that way, he’s not coming.”
I let out a shuddering breath as I collapse against the door. What if they hurt him?
“This is like a fucking panty raid. They shouldn’t hurt anyone.” Ashley doesn’t sound like she believes that.
I let out a disbelieving sound. “If Zach is behind it, then I wouldn’t count on that.”
Ashley rests her head against the door and closes her eyes. “The horsemen protect what’s theirs.”
I know that. In my heart, I know that. But they can’t be everywhere. They’re human. And what about the other girls?
“You said Emma got the others. What about Sidney?”
Ashley lets out a huff of disbelief. “Are you honestly worried about that bitch after everything she did to you?”
I draw in a breath and consider that. Sidney’s been a bitch since day one. She’s okay with Zach’s plan. But if we’re all under attack, she could be too. I don’t know if she would attack her friends like this.
But I’m still my mother’s daughter. “She’s a person. She could need our help.”
“You need to get it into your head that she’s not.
” Ashley opens her dark eyes and meets mine.
“Sidney only looks out for one person. Sidney. She hates you and will do anything to take you down. I’ve watched her take girl after girl out if Luke even glanced their way more than once.
She’s territorial and worse than a fucking wild dog.
She would rather put you down than have to deal with the fact that Luke Foster has a heart and it’s yours. ”
Sidney needs to go, but I would never sick a sociopath on her or wish for any girl to get raped or murdered.
I don’t want to carry that weight. I’d rather do what’s right than stand by and do nothing. I spent too many years hiding.
“If it was within my power to stop her from being hurt physically, I would do it.”
“We’re not in power here.”
“I know.” I breathe out. If she’s not part of this, she’s on her own out there, which is probably for the best. She wouldn’t hesitate to use one of us to get herself out of trouble. “I’m not naive. Zach is likely the reason behind this attack. And if Zach’s involved, that means Sidney’s involved.”
“Now you’re getting it.” Ashley smiles. “Sorry to burst your bubble, pet. This world is out to tear you limb from limb.”
“Just like a zombie.” I rest my head back against the door. I almost wish it were zombies. Less gray areas.
The shuffle of boots still reaches us as they search the locker room. I hope all the other girls are okay. For a few seconds, we just listen. Shoulder to shoulder with our backs to the door.
“If I had to guess, we have a few minutes before your boyfriends break in here and save us.” Ashley chuckles. “I honestly never thought you’d have the balls to fuck all of them. Let alone claim them. That’s fucking bad ass.”
“Thanks?” I don’t know if that’s an insult or a compliment.
Shoes scuff next to the door and the light shines in again.
“Has anyone tried this office?” a guy yells out.
“No, but I’ve got three of them trapped in this room,” another voice yells.
The knob turns and we both hold our breath as we watch it.
“It’s locked.”
“Wait, I’ve got the keys.” Sidney. Guess I don’t have to worry about the bitch.
“See? That’s what I like about you, babe.”
My insides chill at Zach’s voice.
She laughs. “If those disloyal bitches are in there, I want to fucking destroy them.”
We hold our breaths, and neither of us makes a sound as she shakes the keys.