Riley didn’t reply at first. I was thankful because I needed a moment to figure out why my chest hurt. Rock had never been mine. It made no sense that I cared he was with Noah.
“Yeah . . . I was just hoping for a moment that he wasn’t like the others,” Riley finally said.
“Me too,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
Riley gently squeezed my arm. “You’re so much prettier than her. And you have class. He missed out.”
My eyes burned and I hated that. But Riley was a good friend, and she was trying to make me feel better. It was sad that any devotion or encouragement I got from someone made me emotional. But it was rare. So when it came at me, I always felt weepy.
“You’re coming tonight,” Davey Marks said as he broke in line to wrap his arm around Riley’s shoulders and grinned at me. “Both of you. I’m not going to this testosterone-filled barbarian thing by myself.”
Davey was one of the only other real friend I had at school. He was short. I’d guess he was five nine, maybe. He wore thick glasses and had freckles all over his body and face. But he was always smiling and happy. He was also brilliant. He’d be the valedictorian our senior year. I had no doubt. The guy was a genius.
“I thought you’d be in the library solving world hunger,” Riley teased him.
He rarely came to the cafeteria for lunch. He really did spend it in the library or doing extra-credit work for one of his advanced classes. Last year we saw each other more, but this past week Davey had been scarce.
“I did that during break. I’m good to go for lunch today. Mrs. Barnaby said I needed to attend more school functions, like football games, and socialize with other students more. I need to be more well rounded.”
Mrs. Barnaby was the counselor. She had to bring Davey off the ledge of being the ultimate overachiever every year . . . several times.
“Trisha can’t go,” Riley said in a pouty voice.
Davey’s eyes went wide. “What? You gotta be kidding me! It’s what this town worships. It is our god, Trisha. Do you not know this? Rock Taylor is a demigod. We should all bow to him in worship.”
This time I laughed. He was joking. When Davey got carried away poking fun at the world around him, it was hilarious.
“Sorry. I hate to not come worship at his altar, but I have to hang out with Krit tonight.”
Davey waved his hands wide like this was no big deal. “The Kritmeister! Bring him too! And that friend of his. Turquoise, is it?”
“His name is Green,” I replied with a laugh.
“Yes, young Mr. Green with the weirdest name in the world except for Krit’s. Bring them both! We will watch the demigod trash the other team and yell like we all give a shit.”
Taking Krit out might be good. Fandora would be thrilled we were out of her hair. She’d probably be happy with me for taking Krit somewhere. Might get me on her good side long enough for my ribs to heal up.
“They’d like that. If you’re sure. We would need a ride,” I told him.
“YES!” Davey punched the air. “My dad is letting me take the minivan. So we will party like rock stars. Might even get some burgers afterward.”
This would be good for Krit and me. Even if it was Rock I’d have to be watching on the field all night. I could deal with it.
That little whatever it was had ended. I could go back to being invisible to Rock Taylor.
Chapter Thirteen
Rock
She didn’t look at me again. Fuck!
I’d had her attention and I’d blown it off. Whispering to Noah had screwed that shit up. Trisha didn’t glance my way one more time. Not even a peek. She had taken a seat with her friends. Instead she kept laughing and talking to Riley and the nerdy guy who had shown up in line and made her smile. I hated him. Didn’t know him, but I hated that she smiled so easily for him.
Noah kept slipping her hand up my thigh, and I had to grab her hand and squeeze to get her to stop trying to cup me right here in the damn lunchroom.
“Why are you stopping me?” she whispered in my ear.
Because I wanted to watch Trisha and see if she looked at me again. I wasn’t fucking it up this time. Playing games with someone like her was stupid. I knew better than that. I’d just been so pissed about her blowing me off and pushing me away.
“Not here,” I replied, watching Trisha cover her ribs and laugh. The laughing was hurting her. Dammit. Her eyes danced as she looked at the nerdy guy. Did she like him?
“Let’s go somewhere, then,” she said, trying to wiggle her hand free of my hold.
“Not now.”
Damn, she was getting on my nerves already.
Trisha distracted me by standing up. Several guys turned to look at her. She was oblivious, though. She continued talking to Riley, and then walked with her over to the trash cans. I moved Noah off me and headed over to her. I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to say, but I had to get her to look at me again.
Riley she stopped talking midsentence when she saw me over Trisha’s shoulder.
I had to say something to Trisha or she’d leave. “Trisha.”
Her body tensed and I hated that. I didn’t want to be the one who she tensed up around. I wanted to be the one to make her smile.
Slowly she turned around to look up at me. Those bright blue eyes I dreamed about looked guarded. “Yes?”
What now? It wouldn’t make sense for me to apologize about Noah. I had nothing to apologize for. Not really.
Hell.
“I’m going to go,” Riley said, and Trisha glanced at her.
“Wait on me.” The pleading in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.
Riley nodded and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“How are you?” I asked, needing to say something.
“Fine, thank you” was the only response I got.
I needed to get her to talk to me. But how?
“You coming to the game tonight?” Shit. Had I seriously just asked her that? As if she didn’t have bigger issues than coming to the football game.
She glanced over at Riley. “Yeah, Krit and I are going with some friends.”
So she was coming. Okay. I had to change my plans.
“Rock, you ready to go find a closet to finish what we started?” Noah wrapped her arms around mine and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear her.
And just like that, Trisha’s eyes went wide and she forced a smile that wasn’t real. This was not going well at all. Why couldn’t I stop being a guy for a fucking minute and not screw shit up?
“You better, uh . . . get back to that,” Trisha said, then turned and hurried off. Riley glared back at me, then rolled her eyes before closing in fast behind Trisha.
“Why were you talking to her? Who is she, even? Those clothes sure have seen better days. Someone needs to tell her they don’t fit anymore.” Noah’s catty tone didn’t win her any points with me.
The nerdy guys stopped in front of us, his disgusted gaze on Noah. “She’s class. Something you couldn’t possibly comprehend,” he said. Then he looked at me. “And something you’re not good enough for.”
Then he walked off.
Noah let out a high laugh. “Seriously? That dork just said that to us? About her? Puh-lease. She wishes.”
No, I wished. Fucking hard.
Shaking Noah loose, I stepped away from her. “I’ve changed my mind, Noah. Tonight’s not good for me,” I told her, then left her standing there. She’d recover soon enough. I just didn’t have time to care.
Dewayne walked up beside me and slapped me on the back. “And he’s off the horse again, folks. Trisha Corbin has got him all kinds of fucked up.”
I didn’t respond to him. Dewayne was typically a smart-ass. He liked to say shit to fire you up. And unlike Preston and Marcus, he could take me on. I glared at him and headed for my next class.
“For what it’s worth, she didn’t take it well when she first saw you with Noah. Girl’s face went pale, and I think it hu
rt her. So maybe you’re onto something. Just don’t try to make her jealous. That’s not her style.”
I hated it when Dewayne was right.
Trisha
The crowd was already loud, and the game hadn’t even started. There were big paper banners that the cheerleaders had made lining the fence. The stupidest one I saw was rock will rock you! I mean, seriously? It takes the whole team. I’ve watched football before. Rock couldn’t win the entire game for them.
Krit and Green had taken off with some other friends once we got here. I told him to check in with me every thirty minutes. He’d rolled his eyes and muttered, “Whatever.”
This wasn’t something he had ever gotten to do. I knew it was a big deal to come and hang out with friends. It was a normal thing that most kids did, but we were limited. Seeing as our mother was crazy.
I searched the crowd until I saw his blond head in a group of guys I’d never seen before. They seemed older. “Who are they?” I asked Riley, concerned.
“Calm down, mama bear. They’re in his grade. That tallest one with the oddly impressive gun show for a thirteen-year-old is Dewayne Falco’s little brother, Dustin. He’s the big shit in his grade. Apparently, when Krit picks friends he goes big.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of Krit hanging out with Dewayne Falco’s brother. “Maybe I should go get him,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip.
“And make him hate you? I don’t suggest it. And Dustin Falco never gets in trouble. The Falcos are good people. Their dad owns Falco Construction. I’ve met his mom. Really sweet. She came in the office last year to drop off some pain medicine for Dewayne when I was working in there third period.”
Okay, fine. Just because Rock and Preston slept with every woman on earth didn’t mean Dewayne did. I was being judgmental again. Ugh. I wish I didn’t do that.
“Okay. You’re right. I can see him, anyway. He’s fine.”
A pretty redhead walked up to them, and Dustin Falco slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. Not sure I liked that, either. That seemed way too familiar for eighth graders.
“You sure he’s Krit’s age?” I asked as he kissed the girl’s head.
“Yeah, I’m sure. That’s Sienna Roy. She’s Dustin’s best friend,” Riley explained.
How did she know this? And they so didn’t look like friends. “How do you know all these people?”
She shrugged. “Small town. I’ve gone to church with Sienna Roy most of my life.”
Davey walked up the steps toward us, drawing my attention off my brother. Davey had gone to get “rations,” he had said. I had to hold my side because I couldn’t not laugh. He was carrying three nachos and cheese, three hot dogs, three bags of cotton candy, and what looked like an assortment of candy piled on top. There were bottles of soda sticking out of both his front pockets. I assumed he had one more in a back pocket.
“You buy out the refreshments?” Riley asked, standing up and taking things from his hands.
“Not exactly. But I tried,” he replied.
I took the items she handed me, and we managed to fit them around us. There was no way we were going to eat all this, but I knew Krit and Green probably would. I was going to save Krit a nachos and cheese and a cotton candy. He’d be up to check in soon enough.
“Whatever we don’t eat we can give to the bottomless pits Trisha brought with her,” Davey explained.
“Thank you, Davey. You didn’t have to buy us all this food,” I told him. I knew his parents were generous with him and gave him spending money so that he didn’t have to work a job and could focus on getting into Yale. Still didn’t mean I expected him to do something like this.
He winked at me. “I got two hot dates tonight. I must feed them well so they’ll come back with me again.”
Smiling, I reached for a hot dog and took a bite. It had been a long time since lunch and I was hungry. I wasn’t going to turn this down.
Before I could finish the hot dog, people jumped to their feet and cheered. I heard hoots and hollers. Different players’ names were shouted from the stands. I watched in fascination as they shook little pom-poms on sticks. Riley reached down and pulled me up.
“They’re running out onto the field. Show some school spirit,” she yelled over the noise. I chewed up the last bite and let her pull me to my feet. She was going to have me yelling for another reason if she tugged any harder.
I saw above the heads in front of me and through the shakers as a football player ran through a large paper banner that said we are #1 in the middle of it and had players’ names all over it. I couldn’t tell who was who from here. They all looked alike to me.
Riley cupped her hands over her mouth and called out something I couldn’t hear. Stomping started, and the players looked up at the crowd and did fist pumps.
“Number ten,” Riley called out to me.
“What?”
“He’s number ten,” she repeated.
I knew who she meant, but I still asked. “Who?”
She rolled her eyes at me and laughed, then looked back out at the field.
After the other team came out, Mr. Presley, the music teacher, sang the national anthem. Then the crowd screamed again before we could all sit back down.
Once everyone was settled again, I searched for Krit’s blond head. He had moved to the fence, closer to the players. He was okay.
Then I gave in to the urge and looked for number ten.
Covered in pads, he looked even more solid and massive. His helmet was in his hands as he sat on the bench. When the guys took the field and Rock was left behind, the crowd started booing. Rock didn’t look back at the sound. He didn’t encourage it. Just kept his attention on the field.
“PUT IN TAYLOR!” and “LET THE ROCK PLAY!” were just some of the things being shouted from the stands.
“Coach is going to make everyone angry. Wonder if he survives five minutes of playing time before he puts Rock in.”
“LET MY BOY PLAY!” a voice called out, and I turned to see a balding man with a beer belly scowling at the field. He looked nothing like his son. He was shorter than Rock, and he looked like he didn’t take care of himself. His hair needed washing, and his shirt was faded and stained.
Turning back around, I looked out at the field. That man reminded me of the kind of men Fandora brought home. Did Rock have a bad home life? Was this man a good dad?
“They say he missed practice Wednesday. Wonder why?” Riley said, stuffing her face with nachos.
“Krit missed the bus. He brought him home,” I told her before I could stop myself. I just didn’t want her to think he’d missed practice because he didn’t care.
Riley stopped with a chip at her mouth and turned to look at me. “No way,” she whispered.
I just nodded.
Her eyes were wide with amazement. “Ohmygod,” she responded, before shoving the cheese-covered tortilla chip into her mouth.
Rock
We won. By two touchdowns. One of those had been mine.
But none of that seemed to matter at the moment.
Since halftime, when we had run to the locker room and I’d looked up into the stands and seen Trisha’s blond hair, I had been going on adrenaline. She was here. And I was taking her home. I’d beg Marcus or Dewayne for their car. I just couldn’t let tonight end without seeing her.
My touchdown had been simply because I wanted to show off for her. Get her attention. She’d made me play better. I had come alive once I knew where to look when I turned around to see the crowd. Every time, she’d been there. In the same spot. And I had fucking loved it.
The guys were all heading to the field house, and that’s where I was supposed to be headed too. But she’d be gone before I got out of there. I couldn’t chance this. Tonight was my night. I was on fire. No more playing games.
“Take this,” I yelled at Preston, and tossed him my helmet.
“Go get her, tiger,” he called after me with an amused tone.
His obnoxious comment only made me grin. I was riding on my high. She couldn’t tell me no. This time I wouldn’t let her.
Shoving through the crowd and nodding thanks to people telling me I had played a good game, I kept my eyes on Trisha. She didn’t see me headed toward her. Good. I didn’t want her to have time to run.
I got to the bottom of the bleachers just as Trisha’s nerdy guy friend led the trio down the steps. His eyes locked on me and he frowned. I knew he wasn’t a fan of me, but I could fix that. If he was Trisha’s friend, I’d make sure he liked me.
“Trisha.” When I called out her name, she stopped studying the steps. Her head jerked up and her baby blues showed her shock. Then her confusion. God, she was gorgeous. The crazy kind of gorgeous. “Let me take you home. Buy you dinner. Whatever, just don’t leave. Stay. Wait for