“Yep, so that means I know him better than you do. I’ll see you later.” He chuckled.
Payton went in to bed, her mind full of wonderful dreams, none of which had anything to do with football.
Payton was surprised to find her dad at home the next morning. Normally he would’ve already been at work.
“Morning, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Going in late this morning?”
“Yeah, I figured one day wouldn’t kill me. Oh, Mrs. Visser called last night to ask if you could stay over after the dance Saturday night to camp out with the guys.”
Payton pretended to be surprised. “Oh?”
“I told her it’d be fine. I’ll have Craig drop you off no later than midnight, and I’ll bring your sleeping bag and clothes over there after work so you’ve got them.”
“Thanks.” She sat and ate breakfast with him, waiting for Bradshaw to get done so he could give her a ride to school.
When Payton got to school, she saw Craig leaning against the wall, waiting for her.
“Hi.” He ambled over and grabbed her bag from her. “So can I con you into eating with me today?”
She cast a sideways glance at him. “At the senior table?”
“Yeah, unless you’d rather eat out in the courtyard?”
“Outside.” She stared up at the blue sky. Even though the air was cool, she wanted to get out as much as she could before colder weather came.
“I’ll meet you by your locker then.” He dropped her off at her locker and headed to class.
Payton spotted Neal standing across the hall and waved for him to come over. “My dad said I can come over on Saturday.”
“I know. My grandma told me last night.” Neal chuckled, but his smile quickly vanished as he glared at something down the hall. It was then that Payton saw the posters urging the freshman class to vote for “Carter” for prince.
“Man, can’t she let it rest for one week?” Payton stalked down to her first hour.
When she got to class she set her stuff on her table. Chance stood at the teacher’s desk, handing in their project.
Once he did that, he joined her. “Here’s your copy.” He plopped down in the seat next to hers and became his usual “I’m not talking” self.
“I appreciate you typing this up.”
He shrugged and opened his textbook, as if to ward off any interactions with her. Great. Things were back to normal then.
She stuffed her copy into her folder. Just then Jake came in, and she went over to greet him. “Are you ready to practice during seventh hour again?”
“Of course. We’ve only got two more chances to practice before Friday’s homecoming game.” He ran a hand through his auburn hair. “So I saw you and Craig hanging out again this morning. Are you two dating now?”
“No. Not yet. We’re just going to the dance.” She peered over her shoulder to find Chance staring at her. “He did ask me to sit with him during lunch though … ”
“And here you thought you’d be the only freshman without a date, and it ends up being me,” he teased.
The bell rang, and Payton dashed into her chair, nearly knocking Chance over in the process. “Oops, sorry,” she murmured.
“I’ll live.”
And so they read Hamlet. They only got through part of the play before it was time to leave for second hour.
Payton actually liked her second-hour astronomy class, partially because Neal was in it and partially because they got to talk about stars, wormholes, planets, and the moon. All of which were lead-ins to any good Star Wars movie.
Neal glanced up from his notebook, where he was doodling something. He quickly covered it up, hiding it from Payton’s view.
“What are you drawing?” She tried peeking.
“Nope, I can’t show you.” He put the notebook in his bag.
“Come on.” She tickled his side until he laughed.
“No—stop.” He caught her hand in his and picked her up around the waist. “I promise when I finish it I’ll let you see, okay?”
He set her down as the teacher hurried in wearing his white lab coat. “I didn’t know you liked to draw,” she said from behind her hand.
“There are lots of things you don’t know about me—but that’s what makes me so mysterious and alluring.” He waggled his eyebrows, causing her to giggle.
“Whatever you say.”
Other than the stupid posters in the hall, the day went pretty well, including Payton’s lunch with Craig. Still no kiss—due to being on school property. That, and the teachers walking by on patrol.
By the time football practice rolled around Payton was in a pretty good mood. She found her groove with the new plays and couldn’t wait for their next game.
“Hey.” Neal ran up beside her as they started their laps.
“What’s up?”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“I wondered if your dad might have any job openings?”
“I’ll ask tonight. I’ve got work until nine, but if your grandma doesn’t mind I’ll give you a call and let you know. Or I can just grab you an application,” she offered.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I want to help Grandma out. And it’ll let me make some extra cash so I don’t have to bug her all the time.”
“Did you need a ride home tonight?” she asked as they crossed the finish line and went over to take a knee by Coach.
“No.” He gestured to the station wagon, waiting for him by the curb.
“I’ll talk to you later.” When Coach dismissed them, she bolted off to find Marino, her ride to work for the night.
“You ready?” her brother called, waving goodbye to a few of his buddies.
“Yeah, I definitely need a shower though.” She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and wrinkled her nose at the grass stains on her arms and jersey.
They stopped back at the house long enough to get cleaned up and changed before driving up to work. When they arrived, the restaurant was busy for a Wednesday night, and Payton immediately relieved Rice and waited tables.
She caught sight of Mr. Montgomery talking on his cell phone in a booth, with his wife seated next to him, and she frowned. Damn. There went her night. She plastered a fake smile on her face and waltzed over to their table. Just be nice. Get their order. Then leave.
“Hi, how are you doing tonight?” She slid her notepad from her pocket.
Mrs. Montgomery appeared happy to see her. “Fine, thanks.”
“Are you ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?”
Mr. Montgomery, who was arguing with someone on the phone, pointed to one of the steak meals, while Mrs. Montgomery ordered soup and salad.
Payton rushed the order over to the kitchen and waited on some of the other customers.
“Can I get some service here?” Craig flashed a grin as he slid into a table in her section.
“That depends, what kind of service were you looking for?” She winked.
“Hmmm … Not sure it’s on the menu.”
Payton giggled. “I’ll check back with you in a minute. Give you time to think about it.” She hurried to deliver the Montgomerys’ food.
“This looks delicious,” Chance’s dad said, finally off the phone. “It’s nice to see you doing something more ladylike.” He pointed at my uniform.
Payton’s jaw tightened. She was half tempted to shove the ketchup bottle up his ass and show him just how ladylike she was. But her dad might get pissed and fire her or something. “Oh, I do plenty of girly things, but football seems to be my specialty.” She smiled then stalked off before she did something she’d regret.
“What’s wrong with you?” Marino glanced up from the cash register.
“You would not believe what that bastard just said to me.” She nodded at the Montgomerys’ table.
Marino raised an eyebrow as their dad walked past. Once he was out of earshot, Payton went on to explain.
“Someone needs to put that guy in his place,” her brother mumbled under his breath. “And I bet if he keeps it up, it’ll end up being one of his sons.”
“I don’t even want to go back over there again.” But she couldn’t let him get the best of her. Instead, she darted over to Craig, who was looking over a menu. Which was ridiculous because he spent half of his life up at the restaurant with them and knew everything on the menu.
“So what would you like?”
“It’s still not on the menu.”
“I hope you’re not hitting on me, because my brothers might go all assassin on you.” She laughed, watching people trekking in and out of the restaurant.
“Let’s see, how about a large cola and an order of nachos?” He handed back the menu.
“I’ll be right back with it.”
Dreading having to go back out to see the Montgomerys, Payton had to force herself to move in their direction. She handed them the bill and wished them a good evening, along with many other trivial pleasantries. Luckily they couldn’t discern the fact that she was being fake and wanted to puke. At least they left her a nice tip.
When nine o’clock hit, she was ready to burst out the door. Her feet hurt, she smelled like fries, and she still had homework to do.
“Can I give Payton a ride home?” Craig asked her dad, who was busy behind the register.
“That’d be great. I don’t think the boys are going to get out of here for another half an hour.” He leaned over to give Payton a quick hug and added to Craig, “Besides, I thought you were hanging out for more than just the food.”
Craig turned slightly pink but grinned. “Maybe.”
Payton started after Craig but stopped. “Hey, Daddy, Neal was wondering if we had any openings?”
“I can always use the help, especially with Marino going away to college next summer. Tell him to fill out an app.” He took one out from under one of the cupboards.
“Thanks.” As she walked with Craig to his car, he laced his fingers through hers. His skin was smooth against hers. And warm.
He opened the door for her, and she slid inside and waited for him to climb in as well.
When they arrived at the house, Craig shut off the engine. The lights were all off except for the porch light. They climbed from the vehicle, and he led her to the stoop.
“Did you want to come in for a second?” she asked, pulling the key out from underneath the mat.
“I don’t think your dad would want me in there alone with you.” He took a step closer to her.
Payton glanced up at him. In one swift motion, he caught the back of her head in his hands, cupping her chin. Craig leaned down, and his soft lips brushed against hers. Shocks of desire flitted through her blood. Her knees wobbled beneath her as she clutched tighter to him.
Her first kiss. She’d finally gotten her first kiss—and from a senior, at that. Her arms circled his neck, and she kissed him back, tasting a hint of the after-dinner mint he’d had earlier. The scent of his cologne was familiar, his fingers warm as they traced her skin. She pressed herself against him, feeling his muscled chest against hers. At last he pulled back, leaving her breathless.
“Sorry. I’ve never—I mean, this was my first kiss.”
“You were perfect.” His forehead rested against hers. “I can’t believe I waited so long to ask you out. But I’ll make it up to you.” He gave her one last peck on the lips before stepping away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Payton’s fingers touched her lips. She watched him pull out of the drive before heading inside. Butterflies still fluttered in her belly. She couldn’t get over the fact that Craig Helton liked her—he really, truly liked her. Unable to quit smiling, she went into the house and called Neal before slipping beneath the cool comforter on her bed. Okay, so maybe freshman year wasn’t going to turn out so bad after all. Or so she hoped.
By Friday, the school was decked out in their team’s colors for the homecoming game against Hamilton. Payton pushed through excited cheerleaders and football players, trying to find Jake so they could go out to the football field before school got out. They needed to do one last run-through before the evening’s festivities. And since neither of them wanted to go to the pep rally, they figured now would be the best time. Okay, so part of that reasoning was to get out of participating in the “school spirit” thing. But even Payton had her limits, and she drew the line at having to watch Kibby jumping around acting all fake.
She had another reason to be in a good mood though, and that had to do with another win the day before. The freshman team remained tied with the Lawson Lions for first place. Next week would determine who won the division.
“Payton,” Jake called from down the hall, flagging her to come with him. “I’ve been searching the crowd for you for like ten minutes, but every time I thought I saw you, a stupid pom-pom would get waved in my face.”
“Tell me about it. It’s mass chaos in there.”
“So it looks like you and I are in the running for freshman-class prince.” Jake walked with her to the football stadium. The back gate had been left unlocked for them, and the sound guy was already sitting in the bleachers waiting.
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m glad my coach said all the players have to wear their jerseys tonight. Otherwise, I bet they’d have me in a tux.” Payton snorted, shielding the sun from her eyes.
They hooked up the microphones and had a couple wooden boxes set up to act as a stage for them, at which point the sound guy, Dan, got the amps and speakers in place and stepped back for them to test it.
Once they were certain everything would be in order, they made their way over near the bathrooms. What do you say we hang out here until the pep rally’s over? I mean, unless you want to go in and show your spirit.” Jake pretended to do a cartwheel and do a fake cheer.
“I think I’ll pass.” She shoved him and found a place to sit on the ground. Her fingers played with pieces of dead grass. “I still can’t believe you’re going to be gone this weekend—you’re missing out on the biggest, and perhaps only, chance to see me in a dress.”
“Trust me, I want to be there … Besides, I felt horrible about having to turn Jessica Nelson down when she asked me to go. Of course you would’ve had first dibs if Craig hadn’t asked.” He nudged her leg with his. “Maybe you can have your dad take some pics and send ’em to me.”
“We’ll see.”
When people started pouring out of the school at the end of the day, Payton and Jake pushed back into the building to get their things. They decided to go grab a bite to eat with her brothers at the restaurant and ride back with them.
“Payton.” Neal jogged down the hall toward her. “I’ll save you a seat in the stands. Oh, and can you give this to your dad for me?” He held out his application.
“Yeah, I’m heading up there right now. See ya,” she called after him.
Payton found Bradshaw in the parking lot, and she and Jake slid into the backseat. The restaurant was packed when they arrived, but lucky for them, they had connections. Okay, so her dad had totally reserved seats for them.
“Hey, kiddo.” Lily came around to take orders. “What time did you want me to come over tomorrow to help you get ready?”
“Probably four would be fine.”
“All right, I’ll see you then. Have fun tonight.”
After everyone ate, the group piled back into the car and rushed over to the school, where Bradshaw left them to go get changed in the locker room.
Payton was nervous for her brothers, but especially Marino. Rumor had it that a couple college scouts were going to be in the crowd tonight. Not just any scouts, but Big Ten scouts. He’d had an excellent season so far. His numbers were off the charts, and he was ranked number one in the state.
As people arrived, the stands quickly filled up. The opposing team was the first out on the field to warm up, while rock music filled the stadium.
Payton twisted her h
ands together. They were already shaking. Okay, she couldn’t freak out now. It’s not like she hadn’t sung in front of people before. “Hey, do you have a comb on you?” She tapped Jake’s arm. She was sure her hair was a tangled mess with the wind whipping it around.
“Yeah, here you go.” Jake handed it over.
“So what am I supposed to do if I get crowned prince tonight?” Payton smirked. At least Jake and Chance were in the running as well, so she’d have her friends to stand with.
“Smile and wave.” He laughed. “If you want, I can trip Kibby since I’m walking behind her.”
As appealing as it sounded, she wasn’t going to stoop to that level. “Nah, eventually karma will catch up with her.”
“There are my stars.” Mr. Fogg clasped his hands together, and Jake tugged on his dark-blue sweater, straightening out the dress shirt hanging out underneath. His jeans had rips in them, and his boots were partially unlaced. His hair was gelled up into messy tufts, making him look hot. Payton, on the other hand, wore her football jersey, with a pair of faded jeans and tennis shoes.
Soon the marching band entered the stadium playing the Tigers’ fight song. The fans sang and clapped along. Payton and Jake went with their choir teacher to wait by the fence, while the varsity team came tearing past. This time everyone went wild, including Payton, who was hollering for her brothers. Brad caught her eye and winked, mouthing the words “good luck.”
Once they introduced the players, the commentator came back on. “I’d like everyone to stand for the singing of our National Anthem. Tonight, it’ll be sung by Aller Falls’s own Jake Baker and Payton Carter.”
Some of the guys from her football team yelled her name. She gave a small wave and then looked for her dad in the stands. She found him and let her gaze focus there to calm herself.
Jake climbed up on the boxes first, followed by Payton, who turned on their microphones and made sure all the equipment was on. Her friend caught her gaze and then started strumming on the guitar.
“Ohhh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,” they sang in harmony.
By the end of their rendition, Payton had been moved to tears. The fans applauded, and Payton and Jake rushed off the field to allow the players to take the field.
French Fries with a Side of Guys Page 17