by Tay Marley
“He’s not scraps. He’s a nice guy. He’s attractive and quite a romantic. I just thought that you might be interested. But if you’re not, I’ll tell hi—”
“Hang on,” she snipped. “I might be interested.”
“Okay, good. How ab—”
“But didn’t you guys get together? How far did it go?”
“We kissed for a bit while a movie was on. It was polite. There was no touching under or on top of clothing. And then he fell asleep. I promise, nothing more went on. He’s really not my type.”
“All right.” She sounded unfazed. “I can live with that.”
“Come over then. And bring a cute outfit. You’re going out with him for lunch.”
“What?!”
“See you soon.”
When she arrived, twenty-eight minutes later, she was frazzled. She hauled an enormous duffel into my bedroom, and I sat up, still in bed. Gabby lived on the next street over, so I wasn’t shocked at how soon she got here, but I was still amused because it seemed that she’d brought her entire wardrobe. Drayton had sent me a message about two minutes earlier to let me know that he was good to go on his end, and he’d arrive with Josh at one o’clock.
Gabby had a shower and we spent a couple of hours choosing an outfit and taming her hair. It was a process that required patience, the right products, and a backup plan.
She fudged attempt number one—controlled natural curls—as it was just too hot. So I did a double French braid for her instead. Gabby sat in front of the closet-door mirror, her phone propped against it while she watched a tutorial on how to achieve a flawless face with drugstore products—of course, Gabby’s products were a few shades darker—and began her makeup. On the screen, YouTube beauty guru Shaaanxo brushed on her foundation.
I lay on the bed, stomach down, and swiped through Tinder. “I love her accent. There’s something about a New Zealand accent. I just want to listen to it.”
“Right,” Gabby agreed. She copied what she was watching. “And her dogs. Zeus and Lewie. I love them so much.”
“So cute.”
“I can’t wait to see what she does for Halloween this year. Remember when I tried to do her deer tutorial a couple of years back? What a fail.”
“True,” I mumbled. I was on a roll; I’d swiped left more times than I could count. But I paused, thumb hovering when I came across a profile that I knew all too well.
Drayton Lahey.
I almost snorted at the photo. He was beside his pool, cap backward, no shirt on, and a football in hand. He was stupid hot, but it was obvious that he knew it. His location was set as Cripple Creek, and it was so on-the-nose that I smiled. But when I tapped on the info button and read his bio, it set me off.
Just putting myself on the radar of one blonde cheerleader who may need her itch scratched. She loves it when I ride the hell out of my motorcycle. I’m hoping she’d love to ride the hell out of me.
I laughed so hard that Gabby peered over her shoulder midcontour. “Just th-this video.” I continued to giggle through the lie and pointed at my phone screen. “That one of the girl and um—”
“Oh, I know the one.” Gabby nodded and returned to her face.
I was glad that she knew what I was talking about even if I didn’t. I swiped right on the profile and we matched. I tapped out a quick message.
You’ve joined tinder?!
I thought I’d see what all the fuss is about. I’ve already had like 106 matches.
Of course you have. Any potential candidates?
Gabby looked beautiful. Her makeup was understated—soft, but enhancing her natural beauty. She stood up and smoothed her button-up sundress. It was the color of mustard and had sunflowers all over it. Her white canvas lace-ups were the perfect match. “Are you sure this is all right?”
“You look perfect.” I gazed at her long legs. I was envious as usual. “He’s going to be head over heels in no time.”
“I might wear contacts.”
“You’ll look stunning either way,” I told her, picking up my phone when it dinged with a notification. It was him again.
No candidates just yet. Besides I don’t really trust girls that use this app. They’re probably all weird looking and have cat fetishes.
I use tinder! Am I weird looking with a cat fetish?
You definitely aren’t weird looking as for the cat fetish. I dunno. I wouldn’t be surprised.
Shut up. Is Josh excited about the date?
Yeah, we were just braiding each other’s hair and talking about how special it’s going to be.
Are you always such a sarcastic asshole?
Relatively often.
“Dallas!” Nathan’s voice barreled down the corridor a half-hour later from the living room. “Guests.”
Gabby froze for ten seconds and then she imploded. She shifted on the spot, bit her nails, and asked me over and over again in a hushed whisper if she should change. I stood up from the bed, gripped her shoulders, and stared into her manic dark-brown eyes.
“You will be fine,” I assured her. “He is such a nice guy. Even if there’s no spark, it won’t be a bad first date. He’s just that sweet.”
Out in the living room, we found Nathan standing beside Drayton and Josh. Even though Nathan was short like me, the three of them together made the room look small. Nathan had his back to us so the other two saw us first, and as much as I wanted to admire Drayton in joggers and a fitted long-sleeved shirt, instead, I appreciated how Josh’s gaze widened. He couldn’t take his eyes off Gabby.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Nathan smiled and excused himself.
We stopped in front of the boys and it was quiet. I waited for Gabby to introduce herself, but it became obvious that she was unable to. Before I could do the honors, Josh leaned in and extended his hand.
“You must be Gabby? I’m Josh.”
“Hi.” She giggled nervously.
When I looked at Drayton, I noticed that he was on his phone, one hand in his pocket. “Sorry.” He locked it and smiled at us. “Just had to check if this girl had replied to me on Tinder.”
I snorted, loudly and unattractively.
“Cute pj’s.” Drayton gestured at the cami and little shorts that I’d been in all morning. There had been no time to change when I’d been focused on ensuring that Gabby was content with her appearance.
It was awkward. Josh and Gabby shared a mutual attraction. There were stolen glances but there was also nervous shuffling and a distinct lack of talking. I was hopeful that things would pick up once they were alone.
“For the sake of breaking the damn tension in here,”—Drayton’s voice was loud and intrusive, but it was better than the awkward silence—“Josh and Dallas made out last night, and now he’s going out with Gabby less than twenty-four hours later. It’s weird. For sure. Who cares? Go and have lunch.”
Gabby looked horrified. Josh looked mildly frustrated but not surprised. I was impressed that Drayton managed to put it in such simple terms. It worked, though. The tension was lifted and the four of us laughed. Josh finally acknowledged that I was there, too, and his smile was polite and understanding. He went with Gabby in her car, leaving the Jeep behind. Drayton and I watched from the front step, like proud parents. I hoped that it would go well. The last thing that I wanted was to be responsible for Gabby’s sadness if it was a total disaster.
“So.” Drayton slipped both of his hands into his front pockets and peered down at me. Linda from two doors down walked past with her dog and stared at us with little subtlety. “Have you eaten?”
“I’ve had a coffee.”
He wrapped his hand around my biceps and squeezed. It surprised me. Not because it was sudden, but because of how electric it felt.
“That can’t be a regular thing,” he stated, letting go again. “I mean, just having coff
ee. You’ve got too much muscle to skip meals.”
“I like to eat,” I confirmed with amusement, feeling flattered.
He peered over his shoulder into the house. “Well damn, Cheer. You sure are forward. I’m down, though.”
I gave him a light slap in the chest. Gabby and Josh were long gone but we remained at the top of the front steps. The weather was warm.
“Do you want me to make you a sandwich?” I offered, wondering how he’d twist that into an innuendo. I was sure that he’d find a way.
He smiled and turned to walk inside. “Sure.”
Chapter 9
Two weeks had passed since Gabby and Josh’s lunch. It was mid-September—the weather was cooling down but their romance was heating up. They’d been talking or texting nonstop and had gone out twice since that Saturday afternoon. She was enamored of her newfound romance, and I couldn’t have been happier for her.
We were sitting beside each other in the school parking lot. Cheerleaders and football players hung around, loaded their bags, and snapped selfies in front of the bus. It wasn’t common for the cheerleaders to join the away games. Emily’s mother oversaw the booster club that raised the funds to purchase the bus. Being involved wasn’t her specialty but having connections sure was, and she’d managed to raise a ridiculous sum by simply reaching out to her elite circle and having them purchase Archwood Wolves’ merchandise.
Coach Raeken made an appearance that afternoon. Her plati-
num hair was hidden beneath a sun hat and she wore a pair of designer shades that hid half of her face. When she arrived, I thought that she was going to be joining us. Instead, she gathered the squad, gave us a pep talk, told us she had a previous engagement that meant she wouldn’t be joining us, and then left her spawn in charge. Such a cruel twist of fate.
“Fort Collins is an hour and a half from here,” Gabby mentioned, pushing some loose gravel with her shoe. We were on the sidewalk a few feet away from the thick of the excitement, and there I would remain until we left. “I don’t get why it’s an overnight thing.”
“Because,”—I retied the lace on my shoe—“one of the parents complained about us traveling so late at night. The parent council agreed that it’s better for us to have a decent rest and avoid being on the road when it’s dark just in case there’s an accident or something.”
She shrugged. “I guess there’s logic in there somewhere.”
I nodded and spotted Drayton sauntering out of the school gates. He was with his friends, but when he saw me he smiled and nodded as a form of greeting. It was respectful and unashamed, a vast difference from where we were three weeks ago. We’d spent a bit more time together since that evening at Rock Park—we talked on the field and he’d eaten at the diner more than once. He sort of seemed to be around even when he had no reason to be.
“Someone’s thinking about sharing a room with a certain quarterback tonight.” Gabby nudged me, her grin devious.
I shook my head with exasperation. “Nope.”
“You so ar—”
“We should do something tomorrow when I get back?” I interrupted her accusation and hoped to distract her from her current train of thought. “Movie or bowling. Unless you have plans with Josh?”
“We have plans tonight.” She smiled and pulled a curl straight, letting it go so that it sprang back into place. “So, that sounds good. Not bowling though. You’re so good at it that it’s not fair.”
I scoffed with amusement as Coach Finn stood beside the bus doors and shouted, “We’re loading up. Tick your name off the roll and choose a seat. Now!”
Gabby and I stood up. She smoothed out her skirt and I tugged on the bottom of my shorts. She pulled me into a hug and told me that she’d miss me. I was going to be gone for one night. She was adorable. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“What wouldn’t you do, Gabby?” I laughed as she let me go.
Her cunning smile told me all that I needed to know.
I was wandering toward the bus when Drayton appeared beside me. He threw an arm around my shoulders and his fragrance enveloped me. It was sweet, a softly spiced scent with an undertone of fruit. It was masculine but delectable, and it lingered.
“Sit with me on the bus?”
“Sure.”
“How are our little lovebirds?” He gestured in the direction where Gabby had been. “Is she just as smitten as Josh?”
“I hope so. I haven’t seen her so happy in a long time. It’s cute.”
He seemed surprised. “I thought you’d find it sickening.” It hadn’t evaded me that his firm, inked arm was still keeping me tucked beside him.
“Of course not,” I defended myself. “It’s sweet. I want them to fall in love and get married and have babies.”
When we reached the front of the line, he dropped his hold so I could tick the box beside my name. But before Drayton could follow me onto the bus, his name was called, and we both turned around to find the principal waving him forward.
“Save me a seat,” he sighed with boredom. “I have to go and receive another ‘bring it home’ pep talk.”
He slipped past the last few students who were waiting to board. I left him to it and headed down the middle of the air-conditioned bus. It was nice, with wide plush seats and a bathroom at the back. There was a free set of seats in the middle. I sat at the window one and had about three seconds of comfort before I was joined by Emily, and I deflated. She was pouting, and her pin-straight auburn hair was high on her head, tied with a silver ribbon.
“As your captain, I think that it’s important that we talk. Girl to girl.” Pause. “It’s embarrassing, your attempts to get close to Drayton. He’s so nice, so he’d never say it, but you’re not in the right circle. I mean, people like us come from elite families, and that comes with expectations. You come from nothing.”
“Emily.” I attempted not to laugh. “This is embarrassing—for you—not for me.”
“Excuse me?”
“I couldn’t care less about who’s rich and who’s not. It means nothing to me.”
“That’s just what a broke bitch would say,” Emily said.
“I can afford school, cheerleading, food, and a car. I have a job and I have what I need. I’m just fine. Having more money than I know what to do with isn’t something that I strive for. Your goals are yours. But that doesn’t mean that I share the same ones. I’m good. Are we done?”
Steam practically came out of her ears. “Fall into line or lose your position on the squad. No CalArts. It’s your choice.”
She stood up and stormed toward the back of the bus. I hated that she could make that sort of call. She wasn’t even bluffing—she’d used her mother to have cheerleaders removed before. I had a feeling that the one reason she hadn’t done it already was because if she kicked me off the team, I’d have nothing to lose.
Instead of heeding her warning, I let Drayton sit beside me when he appeared in the middle of the aisle a few moments later. There were a few masculine shouts of protest from the back of the bus, but he pretended not to hear them and settled into his seat. His persistence in spending time with me was starting to mess me up a little.
The bus moved and we spent the next hour and a half sharing headphones and discussing our favorite music, new and old. We had a mutual love for Lauv. I introduced him to Drax Project and he introduced me Blackbear, and we loved our new discoveries. We also had a good laugh going into our Spotify Time Capsules and listening to all of the songs that had seen us through our youth.
When we arrived in Fort Collins, our bus stopped in front of a small, two-floor motel with a balcony that stretched from one end to the other. The rail was rusted steel and the doors could have used a paint, but it wasn’t the worst. It was what our small accommodation budget would allow. Coach Finn gathered us in the parking lot while our assistant coach, Lincoln, headed t
oward reception to collect keys.
“Listen up,” Coach Finn shouted. Drayton was still standing beside me. “The rules have not changed. No leaving your rooms after eleven. No mixing. No drinking. No drugs. No sex.”
There were a number of sniggers from around the group. The rules hadn’t changed, but neither had the students. Sex and alcohol were inevitable. So was mixing in the rooms at night. Half of the kids here would have plans arranged already.
“We leave for Sheridan High School at six. Do not be late. Or you will be left behind,” Coach Finn continued, reading from a clipboard and scratching his mess of black hair. He always looked as though he’d received a mild electric shock. He quietly tutted for a minute as his gaze moved over the paper. “Oh. An announcement was being made this afternoon at school that would have been missed. Homecoming has been postponed.”
There was a collective outcry from the girls. Some of the guys were disappointed too.
“Relax,” Coach Finn scoffed. “It’s being moved from the twenty-ninth of September to the twenty-sixth of October.”
“But that’s Halloween weekend!” Aria called out.
Maxon added, “And the same weekend as the last game of the season.”
“If you make it.” Coach Finn shrugged. “Some of your priorities are sounding a bit off.”
“Why has it been postponed?” Becca asked, wrapping her raven hair around her fist.
“Repairs on the gymnasium,” he stated. “The funding for this month is gone. Hence the date change. Now, I’ve had enough of discussing it. Lincoln will hand out the room cards. Find yours and go and get organized. Remember, back here at six.”
It was clear that he wasn’t going to talk about the homecoming dance, but that didn’t stop the rest of the girls from complaining. It meant rescheduling their makeup and hair appointments. Rebooking limousines. It might even mean that some of them had lost deposits. I felt for them.
My room was on the second floor. I’d swiped the card, pushed the door open, and stepped inside when Melissa marched in behind me and headed straight toward the single bed beside the window.