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by Ashley Jade
“Okay, so that explains why you have the costume.” I raise a brow. “What it doesn’t explain is why you need my help.”
“Morgan’s brother is only a few inches taller than you.” He gestures to himself. “I’m over six feet, so his costume won’t fit me.” He blows out a thick cloud of smoke. “Plus, Cole says I’m still banned from watching his games…especially after what happened last year.”
Good Lord. Cole and his stupid superstition regarding Oakley is ridiculous.
“Cole’s concussion wasn’t your fault,” I remind him. “It was Tommy’s.”
“I know that, and he knows that, but he still thinks I’m bad luck. And since the Knights are undefeated again, I don’t want to do anything to throw them off kilter.”
“Well, if that’s the case, why didn’t you tell Morgan you couldn’t do it? I’m sure she could have found someone else.”
He gives me a dopey grin. “Let’s just say she asked me in the middle of performing a very special service with her mouth…if you catch my drift.”
I’m pretty sure a deaf person could catch his drift.
He clips his joint. “Anyway, you’re gonna have to do your new boyfriend and his team a solid and be Izzy at tonight’s game.”
Bless him. The poor boy has smoked himself stupid.
“Yeah…no. Hard pass.”
“You have to, Sawyer. The Knights need Izzy.”
“Not my problem.” I place the big head on top of his car. “It’s yours.”
“Come on. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” His frown deepens. “Besides, we both know you care about Cole, which means you know what a big deal football is to him. Right now, he’s competing against that dipshit Todd for the open quarterback position at Duke’s Heart and he doesn’t think he’ll get it if the Knights don’t win the championship.”
Damn. I had no idea.
“Look, I would help if I could, but I can’t. I have to be at work in—” I check my watch. “Twenty-five minutes. The game doesn’t even start for another two hours.”
“Call in.”
I shake my head. “No. My boss has been on my case for being late, and if I call in, I’m positive he’ll fire me.”
“Only if you don’t have a good excuse.” He motions for my phone. “Hand it over. I’ll do it.”
“Do what?”
“Call in sick for you.”
I hold my phone protectively out of his reach. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Trust me, I’m a professional slacker, short stack. I got this.”
“No.”
Rolling his eyes, he takes out his own phone. “Cluck You, right? I have that place on speed dial for when I have the munchies.”
Of course he does.
He brings his cell to his ear. “Does your dad talk funny too?”
“I don’t talk funny, asshole.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He clears his throat. “Hey, y’all, this here is Mr. Church calling on behalf of my offspring Sawyer. There’s been an emergency and I need to speak to the person in charge right away.”
My mouth drops open. Not only is his attempt at a southern accent terrible, he sounds like a dumbass.
“What’s that?” he questions. “Yes, I’ll hold. But make it snappy, dang it. The cow’s getting out of the barn again.”
Oh. My. God.
“We don’t have a cow,” I hiss.
He cups the phone. “You do now—Hello there, Mr. G. This is Sawyer’s daddy. I’m calling to tell you she won’t be able to make it into work tonight. There’s been an emergency over yonder on our farm.”
It’s safe to assume if one doesn’t own a cow, one probably doesn’t own a farm, either, but not in Oakley’s imaginary little world.
“What kind of emergency?” Oakley repeats, looking at me. “Bessie…she’s been…shot.” There’s a long pause, and then.
“Bessie…our cow.”
Oh, for the love of God.
I’m seriously regretting not doing this myself.
“Yup. We had to put the ol’ girl down after she attacked Sawyer this afternoon.” Oakley smiles at me, looking mighty pleased with himself. “The doctor said she’s a little banged up, but he’s hopeful she’ll make a full recovery by tomorrow.” His voice takes on a somber tone. “Too bad the same can’t be said for our poor Bessie.”
No way in hell will Mr. Gonzales buy any of this.
Oakley nods solemnly. “I appreciate your condolences. I’ll let Sawyer know. Take care, sir.” He presses the red button on his cell and shrugs. “Easy peasy lemon squeezy.”
“A cow?” I grit through my teeth.
He holds up his hands. “What? You said you didn’t have one, so I got rid of it. Plus, that dead cow got you not one, but two nights off. He was very sympathetic about ol’ Bessie’s tragic passing.”
Glaring at him, I gesture to Izzy. “Where’s the rest of him?”
“In the trunk.”
Exasperation climbs up my chest as I dig around my purse for my bottle of Adderall. “Do you have anything to drink?”
Oakley fetches a water bottle from his car. “You okay?”
“I’m fine, but we have two hours before the game starts.” I take the water bottle from him and pop a pill in my mouth. “Which means there’s still plenty of time for us to study and do homework.”
Chapter 28
Sawyer
Nerves gnaw at my stomach as I—make that, Izzy—walks down the hallway.
I’m supposed to go out onto the field with the cheerleaders, but since they’re in the locker room, and expect me to be a ninth grade boy under this getup, it’s off limits.
I crane my neck as I round the corner, hoping I don’t bump into anyone. Oakley’s measurements were definitely off, because I’m about five inches too short to see out of this stupid thing. Fortunately, the toothy grin plastered on Izzy’s face is made out of mesh material, so I’ve been peering through that.
Scott told Oakley he wasn’t supposed to speak or do anything to give away his identity while in uniform—which is fine by me because everyone at this school already makes fun of me enough.
I’m about to walk into the library to kill some time before the game when a deep voice shouts my name.
Well, not my name. Izzy’s.
Squinting, I try my best to see who the voice belongs to, but to my horror, I spot a group of guys in Knights jerseys.
Crap.
I back up, but it’s too late. The football players start cheering Izzy’s name in unison.
“Izzy, Izzy, Izzy!!”
Right before they start running.
Fuck. My. Life.
I hold on to my fake head for dear life as two thick arms wrap around my waist and I’m hoisted off the ground.
“Damn, boy,” someone who sounds a lot like Dwight says. “You been hitting the gym?”
Clearly.
“Yeah, buddy,” someone else calls out as they stand next to Dwight and I’m set up on their shoulders. “He’s been working on those gains.”
“You ready to watch us crush the Bears tonight, Iz?” another person shouts as they proceed to march down the hallway.
I’m pretty sure it’s Lennox.
Since I’m supposed to be full of school spirit, I reach down and give him a high-five.
That only riles the group up more and the two idiots holding me bounce me up and down on their shoulders.
“Izzy! Izzy!”
Dear God, make it stop.
A groan of irritation lodges in my throat as we crash through the doors of the boys’ locker room.
It’s the last place I want to be. Bad shit happens here.
Like Cole…
My brain temporarily checks out when I spot him by his locker.
He’s wearing silver skintight pants that showcase his round, muscular ass, and the top half of him is completely bare.
I’m suddenly grateful for the fake head I’m wearing because my jaw f
alls open as I take in his lean, cut frame complete with six-pack abs.
And his sharp V.
Dear God in Heaven that V of his is what the angels sing about.
He’s so gorgeous it almost physically aches to look at him.
“You okay, Izzy?” someone asks.
Izzy is fine…Sawyer, on the other hand.
She’s screwed.
“Put Izzy down,” Cole barks as he puts on a shirt and maneuvers into some plastic shell looking thing. “It’s time to get ready and focus.”
I’m grateful when they all do what he says…until some of them begin stripping.
My cheeks heat as I get an eye-full of penis.
Different sizes, different colors, different shapes.
For a girl who’s only seen one in real life…it’s overwhelming.
And underwhelming depending which way I look.
On the bright side, I can officially answer Bianca’s question regarding Lennox.
Dude is hung like a fucking horse.
Well, compared to everyone else who’s currently naked. Especially Cortland.
No wonder he’s so miserable. Cole was right about him having a pencil dick.
Having seen more than my fill, I slowly tiptoe out of the locker room.
I take a cleansing breath to ease my anxiety as I trudge down the hallway.
It works…until I spot pom-poms.
“Hey, Izzy!!” a few cheerleaders call out.
I say a silent prayer that they don’t try to lift me on their shoulders too, because it won’t end well.
Channeling my inner mascot, I give the group an animated wave.
Which of course, makes them walk over to me.
“You okay, little man?” someone—I think Caitlyn—asks with a pout. “Morgan told us you weren’t feeling well.”
I give her a nod because it’s all I can do.
“Aw, well, you just let us know if you need anything, okay?”
Another nod.
She and another girl scamper down the hall. “Don’t forget. Casey wants everyone out there in five.”
Casey. Just the person I want to take orders from.
I’m pretty sure the night can’t get any worse.
“Don’t worry,” Morgan whispers. “I haven’t forgotten about the thank you sex I owe you after the game.”
What the hell?
I stifle a yelp when she pinches my ass.
Disgust rolls through me…until I remember she thinks I’m Oakley.
Evidently, she’s terrible with measurements too.
She goes to pinch me again, but I wag my finger at her, indicating I’m off limits.
Giggling, she comes closer. “You know I love it when you play hard to get, baby.”
Oh, hell.
“Gross,” Bianca snarls. “Isn’t that your brother?”
Morgan jumps back like she’s been burned. “Mind your business, bitch.” Flipping her hair, she struts past her. “Your days are numbered, loser.”
When she’s out of eyesight, Bianca whispers, “Sorry to break it to you, Izzy, but your sister’s a mega cunt.”
I give her a thumbs up.
Just like the first three-quarters of the game, I can’t see squat.
Apparently, the mascot hangs with the cheerleaders on the sidelines during all the fun stuff.
Along with a lot of other people.
People blocking me from seeing Cole.
I can hear everyone cheering for him though, and I know the Knights are ahead of the Bears by sixteen points. Which is awesome considering there are only two more minutes in the game.
I just wish I could have seen him throw a touchdown.
Because when he does? It’s a thing of beauty.
He throws with such precision it takes my breath away.
Reel it in, Sawyer. Your fangirl is starting to show.
I can’t help it though, Cole off the field is a ruthless asshole.
But the Cole on the field is such a skilled and smart player it’s impossible not to notice him.
He was born for this.
The crowd cheers and people in the stands begin stomping their feet.
“Lucky Seven!!”
I can’t help but smile. Cole threw another touchdown.
People start jumping up and down and I’m able to make out bits and pieces of him through the sea of bodies in front of me.
He steals my breath. He illuminates, he…
“Let’s go, Izzy,” Casey barks.
Fuck a duck.
I’m pretty sure Cole just threw the last touchdown of the game, which means we’re on deck.
The only problem?
Izzy usually dances after we win…and I don’t dance…ever.
I’m going to kill Oakley.
The cheerleaders take their positions and proceed to shake and shimmy their little hearts out.
Casey does her big flip—which even I’ll admit is impressive—and then motions for me to join them.
Here goes nothing.
Placing my hand behind my head and extending my arm out in front of me, I proceed to do the only dance move I’m good at.
The sprinkler.
I’m expecting everyone to boo and throw things but to my surprise, they all cheer. Some people even start mimicking me.
Turns out being Izzy isn’t half as bad as I thought it would be, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t in a hurry to get off the field and be Sawyer again.
The sound of the buzzer is music to my ears and when I look up, I see Lucky Seven being rushed by his teammates.
I can’t see his face since his helmet is still on, but I can feel the energy radiating off him.
It’s addicting.
I must be staring at him for too long though, because Bianca sidles up to me and whispers, “Ogle my brother any longer and Casey’s gonna test your armor out, Knight.”
Shit.
Turning, I promptly follow the cheerleaders off the field.
“You were amazing, Casey,” Morgan coos.
Kiss ass.
“I know.” Casey fluffs her hair and pouts. “But I really need to lose five pounds.”
Seriously? The girl is a size two on a bad day.
Behind them, I see Bianca exchange an eye roll with Caitlyn and another girl.
“Oh, please, girl,” Morgan tells her. “You’re perfect.”
“I know, but the head cheerleader of the Bears is skinnier and goes higher than me when she flips.” She whips a compact out of her bag. “I really want to be a cheerleader at Duke’s Heart, and they’re picky with who they accept on the team. Losing five pounds would give me an advantage.”
“You could always try low-carb.”
Casey looks at her friend like she’s a bug in her soup. “I already do no carb, Morgan.”
Bianca clears her throat. “You know, my dad’s pharmaceutical company recently developed this new protein bar that’s supposed to help athletes lose weight in a short amount of time. I can try to get you some if you want, but I should warn you, it’s really powerful and it’s still in the beginning stages, so it hasn’t been approved by the Food and Drug Administration yet.”
Casey stops in her tracks. “Does it work?”
Bianca nods. “I dropped three pounds this week. It gives you the shits like crazy though.”
Morgan crinkles her nose. “Gross.”
Bianca shrugs. “Like I said, this stuff is no joke. Plus, it’s how you lose all the weight. It has to go somewhere, you know?”
Casey thinks about this for a moment. “I suppose there’s no harm in trying it out.”
Morgan makes a face. “Don’t be dumb, Casey. I wouldn’t take anything from this little bit—”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not taking it then, huh?” Casey counters. “Although truth be told, you probably should. Your ass is getting huge.”
There are a lot of things wrong with Morgan, but the size of her ass isn’t one of them.
�
�Oakley told me my ass looked great today.”
Casey makes a noise of disgust. “You mean the stoner who’s repeating his senior year of high school?” She tosses her head back and laughs. “Please. That moron can barely string two decent sentences together, let alone form a cohesive thought or opinion that anyone important actually cares about.”
I open my mouth to defend my friend…but remember I can’t.
Bianca gives Casey a syrupy sweet smile. “I have to go catch a ride home with my brother, but I can bring you some of the bars tomorrow if you want.”
Casey nods. “Yeah, thanks.”
The moment Bianca turns away, her smile changes to a menacing smirk.
That girl is definitely brewing something in her cauldron.
Chapter 29
Sawyer
“I have to give it back,” Dylan says, clenching the steering wheel of the new car Jace got her for her birthday.
I place my hand on her forehead. Poor girl must have a fever and be suffering from delirium.
“You must not be feeling okay. Because this car is awesome.”
“It is awesome. It’s too awesome.” Panic swirls in her eyes when she turns her head to look at me. “It’s too much. I can’t accept it.”
I want to point out that she hasn’t had a car since I met her, and Jace went through a lot of trouble to get her the perfect birthday present, so it would hurt his feelings if she made him take it back—but like any good best friend, I decide to tackle the root of the problem first.
“Why?” A horrible thought hits me. “Do you want to break up with him?”
She looks at me like I’m crazy. “No. Of course not. I love him.” She closes her eyes. “So damn much.”
In that case, fixing this temporary freak out of hers will be easy.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know…I guess there’s a small part of me that keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.” She groans. “Ugh, that sounds so stupid.”
“Well, at least you realize it.”
“I’m just scared that maybe things are too perfect between us now.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Yeah, but now that I have it, I’m petrified something bad is going to happen and fuck it all up.”