He chuckled. “We’re not all assholes. So long as you don’t come looking for trouble.”
“I can’t make any promises.” If Monroe kept pushing, eventually I’d snap. But I was hoping to avoid that.
“You can do it.” Aaron clapped me on the shoulder before moving around me. “Come on,” he said, and I followed him inside.
It wasn’t like I had much choice.
“WELL, will you take a look at that.” Bryan let out a low whistle. “It’s like a fresh pussy buffet.” “Dude, I’m eating,” I quipped, stuffing another fry into my mouth.
“Yeah, and hopefully I will be later.” He grinned, sticking his fingers up to his mouth in a V and licking.
“Fucking idiot,” Gav said. “But he’s not wrong about the pussy. Case in point.” He pointed over to a group of girls in the lunch line.
I recognized them from this morning in the hall.
“The blonde is hot. Hey, Thatch, isn’t that the girl who called after you this morning?”
“Dunno, is it?” I shrugged. She was a cute thing, sure. In that obvious hot girl kinda way. But it wasn’t her that had caught my eye. It was her dark-haired friend that hid behind her.
“Seriously, do you have eyes? Look at her rack. What I wouldn’t give to see what she’s hiding underneath her clothes.”
I barely contained the growl vibrating in my chest when Jenson Monroe strolled up to her and slapped her ass. She pressed a hand to his chest, laughing at something he said. They looked over at us and she frowned.
“Yeah, Casanova, let me know how that works out for you.” “Fuck,” he hissed, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Anyone give you any shit in second or third period?” I asked them.
“Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“They’ll get used to us,” I said, swallowing my doubts.
I didn’t like it any more than they did, but it was the hand we’d been dealt. The Raiders were the team to beat, one of the most successful high school teams in the state, even the country. If we wanted to impress scouts and showcase ourselves as the best, we had to play with the best.
“Ooh burn.” Bryan hissed and I looked up to find Blondie giving Monroe a piece of her mind. “Maybe my luck is changing.” He stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, Blondie, there’s room at our table.”
“Sit down, asshole.” I grabbed his t-shirt and yanked. He plopped down in his chair, laughter rumbling in his chest. Bryan was a defensive tackle, and a good one at that. But he was also a fucking idiot, too interested in getting his dick wet than the future.
She smirked in our direction, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Fuck, I think I just came in my pants.”
“Jesus, you need to get laid,” Gav chuckled.
She blew him a kiss before grabbing her friend’s hand and tugging her along the lunch line. There was something about her, the dark-haired one. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it though. She looked like a fish out of water standing there while her friend chatted to everyone who came and went. Another girl joined them, and the guys started taking bets on who could bed the blonde first.
“If you worked this hard on the field, maybe we would have gotten to the championship last year,” I mumbled.
I loved my team, I did, but they were too easily distracted. Girls, parties, the attention and fan worship. They wanted it, sure… they just didn’t want it enough. Not the way I did.
Football was everything to me. Every-fucking-thing. It was my ticket out of Rixon. Away from my family. The pressure. The constant shadow of my father.
It was my shot at freedom.
“Hey, you must be Thatcher.” A pretty thing perched her ass on the edge of our table. “I’m Lindsey, the cheer captain.”
“What’s up?”
“Party at my house Friday. You should totally come.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, hot stuff. We don’t party with Raiders,” Bryan said.
“But aren’t you… Raiders, I mean?” Her perfectly plucked brow arched. “Come. It’ll go a long way to breaking the ice with the team. They’re not all assholes like Jenson.”
I wasn’t sure about that, but she had a point. If we wanted to assimilate with the team, we had to at least try to make the effort.
“We’ll think about it,” I said.
“Good.” She made a show of licking her lips, her eyes fixed right on mine. “I’ll see you around, Thatcher. Guys.” Hopping down off the table, she spun on her heel and sauntered away, her itty-bitty cheer skirt riding up the backs of her thighs and giving us a peek of her ass.
“Fuck, I’m in heaven.” Bryan slammed his hand down on the table. “Tell me we’re going to the party?”
“Maybe. She has a point. We might need to be the ones to try to break the ice.”
“I don’t like it, Thatch,” Gav said. “It has setup written all over it.” His eyes went to where Monroe was sitting with the rest of the football team. They weren’t paying us any attention, laughing at some joke one of them was telling.
“He won’t want us there,” he added.
“Yeah…” I nodded, my lips curving a fraction, “but maybe that’s all the more reason to go.”
Lily “SO?” Mom asked the second I sat at the counter watching her tend to an abandoned kitten. It was a scrawny little thing with matted fur and cloudy eyes, but it was still one of the cutest things I’d ever seen. “How was it?”
“It was fine, Mom.”
“You’re sure?” Concern glittered in her eyes.
“Yep.”
It had been fine. No one bothered me or tried to talk to me. Except for Ashleigh and Peyton, it was almost like I wasn’t there.
Usually, I took comfort in feeling so invisible. Being invisible meant being off people’s radars.
But something felt different about it today.
It was senior year. My last year of high school. Did I want to spend it hiding in the shadows? “He’s so small,” I said, watching her bathe the kitten.“Someone found him behind a dumpster.”“I don’t know how people can do that, just abandon them.” My heart ached for the small, helpless animal.Mom’s passion was the rescue center she managed. I’d grown up in A Brand New Tail, sitting right at this counter, watching her work her magic. The kitten purred as she scrubbed his fur.“We’ll have him as good as new soon enough.” She smiled over at me. “Still thinking about following in your mom’s footsteps?”“Maybe,” I said around a small shrug.“You’ll need to make a decision eventually, Lil.”“I know.” But the prospect of college terrified me. Everyone said it was a chance to find yourself, to learn who you really were. But for someone like me, it was an unknown quantity that made my stomach drop just thinking about it.“You can stay local, sweetheart,” Mom said, as if she could hear my thou
“Sorry, I forgot my cell.” She noticed the tension between me and Ashleigh and added, “What’s up?”“Nothing.” I smiled. “Leigh is worried about Peyton. Aren’t you?”“Uh, yeah. I’m worried—”“Worried about what?” Peyton ducked into the car beside Poppy. “Sorry, I overslept.” “Let’s roll.” Ashleigh pulled into the steady stream of morning traffic.“So I heard Lindsey is having a party Friday and I was thinking we should go.” “Hell yes,” my sister said.“Lindsey, really?” I balked.“It’s senior year, Lily,” Peyton added. “I know she’s a bitch, but everyone will be there.”“I don’t think so. You can go, but I’m not—”“Lily, don’t do this. Don’t let what happened back then ruin your senior year. You’re stronger than that.”“Peyton has a point, Lil,” Ashleigh glanced over at me. “It’s one party. What’s the worst that can happen?”“Come on, Lilster, please,” Poppy implored. “You know Mom and Dad won’t let me go unless you go.”“She won’t want me there.” Any more than I wanted to be there.“S
“Sweetheart, can I come in?”“Sure, Mom,” I said, and she slipped into my room.“Still not dressed?”“I don’t know what to wear.”“Well, I think anything will be an improvement on that.” She glanced at the fluffy robe wrapped around my body and chuckled. “Jeans and a t-shirt will be fine, baby. You don’t want to give your dad a heart attack.”“Yeah.” He’d been in a mood ever since Poppy announced we were going to the party tonight. Of course, he’d tried to say no, but Mom quickly intervened and reminded him we weren’t kids anymore.“I’m proud of you, you know? This is a big step, Lily.” Mom gave me a reassuring smile and left me to get dressed.I pulled on a cropped, black t-shirt emblazoned with metallic stars and some cropped jeans. Pulling my hair into a loose ponytail over one shoulder, I braided the ends, and added a touch of lip gloss.“Here goes nothing,” I said, grabbing my purse and making my way downstairs.Peyton and Poppy were already waiting. “You look hot, Lil.” My best
If it wasn’t for Mom and Coach Forrester, I’d be attending Millington or Fenn Hill, playing for one of their mediocre teams.Thank God for small mercies because although I didn’t relish playing with the Raiders, it was a damn sight better than playing for a team with no direction or hunger for the win.Everyone stopped to watch us follow Aaron and Cole down to the lake, but I let their stares roll off my back. I wasn’t looking for their approval or even their acceptance. I was here to play football and land a full ride to Alabama.“Fuck yes, jet skis,” Bryan said, nudging my arm.“No way you’ll get me on one of those things. It’s too dangerous.”“Seriously, Thatch, don’t be such a pussy.”“I’d rather be a pussy than benched for the season with a broken arm.”“He has a point,” Aaron said, and I tipped my chin in appreciation. “So how does Rixon High compare with East?” he asked.“It’s… different. But practice is similar. Coach Forrester isn’t such a hard ass as Coach Ford.” “Don’t let
“Now everyone’s here,” she announced, “I thought we could play seven minutes in heaven.” A chorus of cheers and some boos rang out around us.“That’s a kids game,” one of the guys protested.“Not the way we play it.” She winked at him, grabbing a bottle and moving beside the firepit. “The two people chosen have to go into the boat shed.” Lindsey motioned to the small building at the edge of the water. “Then you have seven minutes to… get to know each other. If you choose not to do it, you have to drink this.” She held out a cup and people started pouring a small bit of their drink into it until it was full.“That’s disgusting,” one of the girls said.“Consider it motivation.” Lindsey winked. “Ready?”It was lame, but it was probably her attempt at getting me in the shed. I hadn’t missed the way she positioned herself dead opposite me.She placed the bottle on the ground and spun it. “Okay, here we go.” It passed me once, twice, three times, finally landing on Bryan and one of Lindsey’
LilyMY HEART RACED in my chest, my palms growing slick with sweat. I was in the boat shed withKaiden Thatcher.Kaiden freaking Thatcher.How had this happened?Lindsey Filmer that’s how.She’d been pushing me, taunting me, shining the spotlight right on me, and something just snapped. I didn’t want to be the weird girl who never partied or never played their stupid games. For one night, for one small moment in time, I just wanted to be a normal teenager enjoying a party with her friends.Why was that so difficult?“Lily?” Kaiden asked, his brows furrowed. “Are you okay?”“I—” The words lodged in my throat as the room began to close in around me. “I’ll be fine,” I said, closing my eyes and inhaling a ragged breath.Leaning back against the wall, I pushed my hands behind me, trying to focus on something —anything—but the need building inside me.“Hey, if you’re uncomfortable, we can go.”“N-no, I just…” My eyes fluttered open, colliding with his. “I’m scared of small spaces.” It wasn’
She glanced between us and then zeroed in on me. “Are you okay? You look funny.”“I’m fine,” I said. “We should probably—” I motioned to the door and slipped around them both, inhaling a deep breath the second I got outside.I didn’t wait for them. I was too embarrassed, too confused about what had just happened. Kaiden had kissed me. But it felt like more… it felt like we’d shared a moment.Don’t do that, Lily. Don’t make it into something it isn’t. He was distracting you. That’s all. “Hey, are you okay?” Ashleigh asked as I sat down and burrowed into her side.“Yep, why wouldn’t I be?”She studied me for the longest second, but then Kaiden and Lindsey reached us. “So, dude,” his friend said, “how was she?” I stiffened.“Like I’m going to tell you.” Kaiden dropped down in his chair and stretched out his long legs. His eyes flickered to mine, but I quickly averted my gaze.“You were down there longer than seven minutes,” his friend added. “Did she get on her knees and—”“Bryan, I said
MONDAY MORNING AT SCHOOL, butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach as I climbed out ofAshleigh’s car. The second I spotted Kaiden across the parking lot, I knew why.I’d tried to forget the kiss, but how did you forget your first kiss?The answer was, you didn’t.I could still remember the shape of his lips against mine, their firm yet soft touch. Still taste the bitterness of beer on his breath. Feel the wetness of his tongue against mine.So much so, that when his eyes found mine across the sea of cars, heat exploded into my cheeks.“Lil, what’s wrong?” Ashleigh asked and my head snapped around to hers.“Nothing.” I forced a smile, gently tugging on the frayed ends of my scarf. Her eyes dropped to my fingers tangled in the threads.“Lil?”“I’m good.” My smile was strained as I peeked back over at Kaiden.I couldn’t imagine him like the boy Poppy described. He’d been so patient with me Friday night, so kind.After we’d returned to the firepit, we hadn’t spoken again, but I’d caugh