Under the Lights (13 page)

He chuckled. “You're an interesting one.”

I had no response for that.

“Did you get all those notes? I saw you writing like your life depended on it.”

I nodded, then shrugged. “Well most of them. I tried.”

He cocked an eyebrow and leaned toward me. “Can I borrow them? I was too busy watching you to get them all. Or any.”

I started to nod when Mr. Hawks cleared his throat loudly, and we both turned our attention to the front of the class. He was glaring at us over his glasses with a bit of honey-bun sugar on his top lip. “Do I need to assign more work? Was that not enough?”

“No, sir, I think this will be just enough,” Asa drawled,
sounding a little amused. I focused on my work in front of me and didn't look back his way again.

Asa laughed, but I didn't even smile.

•  •  •

When the bell rang, a guy sitting behind Asa started talking about the homecoming game, and I quickly snuck out. Surprisingly, there were a lot of oddly dressed kids in the halls completely on board with the nineties dress up. I thought a seventies day made more sense. They dressed cooler back then. This nineties thing just looked like a bad episode of
Friends
. It was my mother's favorite TV show of all time, so even thinking about the show brought up a slew of bad memories.

Brady was at the door when I stepped into the hall. His attention was on me, so he'd come simply to talk to me. I felt awkward around him, and I hated that. The kiss had changed everything, and I wished so badly he hadn't done it. It was easier with him before. I felt like I was hiding something from the world, and I didn't have the energy to have to hide anything more. I was hiding enough.

“Hey,” he said, looking a little nervous. Great, he felt weird too. Even after our brief but uncomfortable talk yesterday.

“Hello,” I replied, trying to think of something normal to say. A girl wearing a pair of overalls walked by with one
strap undone and a crop top on underneath. That was a terrible look from the nineties, but she was spot on. Rachel from
Friends
had sported overalls more than once. Yuck.

“You not dressing up in nineties either? Y'all got the easy out with the jersey thing.”

Brady was the quarterback. The school seemed to worship him, especially on game day. I didn't get that. Didn't it take a whole team to win a game?

He smirked and glanced around before looking back at me. “Yeah. You didn't dress up either. No school spirit.”

“I'm not feeling the school spirit. Especially if that means dressing up in ridiculous costumes daily. I'll pass.”

Brady's grin grew, then he leaned closer to me and whispered, “I don't blame you.”

“You're the quarterback of this oh-so-special team. You should care,” I shot back.

He didn't appear insulted. “I just care about winning. The silly shit I ignore.”

That wasn't very Brady-like. Mr. Football Star. Just as I was thinking that, some random guy walked by and slapped him on the back. “Big week,” he said, smiling at Brady like he could do it all. Throw the ball, catch the ball, and run it in for a touchdown. Terribly cliché.

BRADY

Willa had loosened up a bit toward me in the hall earlier. I was now unable to wipe the grin off my face. Maybe I hadn't messed things up. I wanted a chance at this. At us. It was obvious she was trying to not feel uncomfortable around me after our kiss, and I was glad. Because I wanted more kissing. I wanted more Willa. I was currently ignoring the teacher's lecture while thinking of ways to get out of the homecoming dance with Ivy so I could take Willa. I was safe from Gunner taking her because he had already lined up Serena. I knew he wasn't willing to give up both a blow job and sex the night of homecoming to take Willa.

My only obstacle was Ivy, and I didn't want to be cruel.
I just wanted to be free of her. I had just let her be for so long I hadn't thought about what would happen if a Willa walked into my life. Hurting Ivy wasn't appealing, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't think of any other way. My mind went through several scenarios. It kept going back to me paying off Nash, who still hadn't asked anyone, to ask her to the dance. She'd tell him no, but then he'd tell her I was flirting with Willa, and to get me back she'd more than likely go with him. Making it her choice not mine, and she wouldn't be hurt.

That was just a lot of manipulating, and I wasn't completely okay with that, either. Dammit. Why had I asked Ivy? Though, honestly, I knew why. It had just been easy.

The bell finally rang, and that meant it was lunchtime. I was starving, but I was always starving. It was homecoming week, so the football players would get special meals brought in by the cheerleaders and booster club members. Today was pizza, and I was more than ready for it. Most of the cheer moms would bring in baked goods. I was hoping for some of those brownies with fudge icing that Ivy's mom always made. I mentioned them to her last week when she asked me my favorite dessert item for homecoming week. I'd been sure to request them.

Guilt gnawed at me again over the Ivy thing. I changed my train of thought and sought out Willa in the crowd.
My gaze fell on her and Gunner walking to the cafeteria together. I won't lie. A small bite of jealousy snapped at me. Gunner was laughing at something she was saying. The more I saw them together the harder it was for me to be around Gunner. I stayed irritated at him. He was leading her on. He wasn't a one-woman guy. Never had been. Willa was different. And so was my friendship with Gunner. It was slowly falling apart. Over her. And although that wasn't what I wanted, it was happening.

Willa was worth it. Watching her made me feel better. I liked the way she wore her Chuck Taylors with her skirts. It was cute. Almost as if she woke up deciding to dress girly, then saying screw it and throwing on her shoes before leaving.

“Mom brought your brownies,” Ivy said as her arm slipped under mine and she wrapped herself around it. As if she was holding on to me for fear of falling. I felt a sick knot in my stomach because I wanted to be free of her, but I wasn't sure how to do it.

“Thanks,” I replied, and I meant it. Knowing Ivy, she'd have me brownies every day this week. Once again proving what a dick I was for trying to get free from taking her to the homecoming dance.

“I also made sure that they got you cheesy bread with that sauce you like. I know you love it with your pizza.”

Again there she was making me feel terrible. If she could just be the annoying clingy girl, it would be easier. But then she does nice stuff like this, and I feel bad.

“Great. Thank you,” I said again.

We walked into the cafeteria with her still holding on to my arm in her very blatant sign that I was taken. Or so she wanted me to be. Not that the girls around here really cared. They would flirt with me just to piss her off. Ivy wanted a meaningful relationship. And I just didn't feel the same way about Ivy.

Turning my attention back to Gunner and Willa, I saw her sit down at our table with him. Interesting. Everyone on the football team got to invite one person to the table homecoming week to eat with them, and Gunner had chosen Willa. I had to choose Ivy. She'd made sure I had cheesy bread and brownies, dammit. Best I could do was go sit beside her. Which I hurried over there to do before someone else could. Ivy would have to deal with it.

“I swear to God! Not lost a homecoming since our freshman year and not about to start,” Gunner was bragging to Willa. She glanced up at me as I sat down on the other side of her. Gunner was at the end of the table, and Willa was sitting to his right, on the side facing the door. I guess she wanted to keep her escape in sight if she needed to get away from all of us.

“Smack talk. I like it,” I said.

Willa smiled at me. “This will be my first game. I hope y'all are right about all this football-god stuff. I hate to cheer for losers.” The teasing tone of her voice made me break into a grin. That and the fact she was coming to our game. I hadn't expected that. My pleased smile began to fade as I considered who she might be coming with. I thought it was just Gunner I had to worry about. Was there someone else, too?

“Who are you coming with?” I asked, wondering if she had a date for homecoming and I missed it.

She shrugged. “Myself.” Most girls I knew wouldn't be so cool with admitting they had no friends to go to a game with. The only two Willa had would be on the field. I hadn't seen any of the girls actually speak to her except Maggie. As if she had read my mind from across the table as she and West took their seats, Maggie spoke up. “You can go with me. I always need someone to sit with while West plays.”

I wanted to high-five my cousin for being so awesome. A month ago she didn't even speak. At least not to anyone but West. To the rest of the world she was a mute. She'd come a long way.

“After the game you can ride with me and West to the dance, too,” she added.

I liked that idea. Especially if I was able to end things with Ivy. Still trying to figure out how to do that without hurting her. She didn't deserve that.

“Oh, okay. But I wasn't planning on going to the dance.”

Maggie didn't press that. She just nodded.

“You not have a date?” Nash asked, waggling his eyebrows like he was about to ask.

“No, but I don't do dances,” Willa replied.

“I'm just glad you're coming to the game,” I said, hoping to change the subject before it went in a direction I didn't want.

“What color is your dress, Maggie?” Ivy spoke up as her hold on my arm tightened.

Maggie shifted her gaze to Ivy, then glanced back at me. Maggie wasn't one for fashion talk. “Um, I don't know yet.”

Mom was going to take Maggie shopping for a dress this week. Maggie hadn't pressed, and, to be honest, my mother was more excited than Maggie about getting her a dress. She'd have been fine wearing something she already had.

“Seriously? I've had mine bought since August. It's gorgeous with gold shimmer fabric that clings in all the right places.”

I didn't respond and wiggled my arm free of Ivy's hold.
When she tried to hold on to it, I got annoyed. “I gotta eat,” I told her, and then jerked it free. Sometimes it was hard to be nice to her. The hurt look in her eyes made me feel sick to my stomach though. Dammit.

WILLA

Ivy verged on annoying. No. I was being nice. She annoyed me. Earplugs so I wouldn't have to hear her high-pitched voice constantly demanding the entire table's attention would be nice. I missed my picnic table outside, where I had been sitting alone with my brown-paper-bag lunch that Nonna packed me and my book. It was quieter out there.

Gunner had come after me and asked me to come eat with him, so I said yes without thinking that through. I'd been passing their table on my way outside for days now, and I knew it was full of people like Ivy who I didn't particularly care for.

Poppy would have started mimicking her by this point
while whispering in my ear. I'd be giggling and unable to control my laughs from escaping. My heart squeezed at the thought. I missed her.

“The dance is fun. You should go,” Brady leaned down and whispered, then reached out to get a plate with cheese pizza and put it down in front of me. I only ate cheese pizza. There were three other choices being placed at the center of the table by what looked like overdressed mothers. I wasn't sure what that was all about. I didn't much care. What I did care about was that Brady had gotten me the correct one.

“Was that a lucky guess?” I asked him.

He flashed me a pleased grin. “No. I picked more than one pepperoni off your pizza back in the day Miss I-Only-Eat-Cheese-on-My-Pizza.”

He remembered. The silly feeling in my stomach should have gone away, but it got sillier and I hated that I was smiling now. My gaze fell to his lips, and I remembered how they had tasted. How much I had enjoyed it. How much I shouldn't have enjoyed it.

“Didn't think I'd remember that? I don't forget much when it comes to you.” His voice was still low so that only I could hear him.

“You gonna feed her next?” Gunner asked loudly, and we both jumped.

I turned my gaze over to Gunner, who had a smile on
his face as if he was joking, but it didn't meet his eyes. He was glaring with that grin, and his glare was centered on the guy beside me. Tension grew thick, and I no longer looked forward to that piece of pizza on my plate.

“Just being polite,” Brady replied with a tightness in his tone that meant he knew Gunner was angry.

Gunner didn't answer that. He rolled his eyes and reached for a plate, then looked down the table before nodding his head to someone. I didn't understand him at all.

Seconds later I understood. Gunner had hailed him a female to entertain him with the nod of his head. A blonde with really long hair and boobs much larger than the average high school girl's sashayed up to him, and he pulled his seat back so she could sit on his lap. Disgusting.

“That should cause a riot with Kimmie,” Brady muttered, and I turned my attention from Gunner and the girl to him.

“When he wants to cause a scene, he pits Serena and Kimmie against each other. It's his immature way of inflating his ego.” Brady was whispering this so Gunner couldn't hear him. The Gunner I knew from the tree house wasn't this guy acting like a jock right now.

“Oh,” I replied, unwilling to bad-mouth him. He was still my friend, and I obviously trusted him enough to hold my biggest secret.

Serena giggled loudly, and I heard Gunner's deep voice rumble as he said something to her in a low whisper. Jealousy slowly crept over me, and I hated it. I had nothing to be jealous of. Gunner was my friend. Keeping quiet and smiling at Brady or Maggie as they spoke to me was the best I could do. My emotions felt raw, and that was silly.