Page 84 of All My Kisses for You

Intimidating.

Granted, Rhett is pretty tall and broad, but I’ve never thought of any of the other boys who are on the team as particularly intimidating. Well Brooks is tall as well and even broader than Rhett.

I glance over at Iris who’s wearing this serene expression on her face, like nothing is bothering her and I envy that.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks, frowning.

“You seem perfectly at ease with yourself.”

“I am,” she says with zero hesitation. “I love going to football games.

“They make me anxious.”

Iris laughs. “First one you’ve gone to and now you’re an expert on how they make you feel.”

“I’m sure I sound ridiculous but seriously. Can’t you feel the anticipation in the air?” I glance around, noting how much fuller the stands are now. And there are so many people flooding the walkway down below, all of them wanting to come sit in the stands as well. I don’t know how they’re all going to fit.

“The anticipation is a good thing, Willow. It’s exciting, watching them play! This is what Westscott was talking about on the first day of school. Making the football team that much better brings a sense of school spirit that Lancaster Prep has never had before. It’s so much fun.” Iris circles her arm around mine, tugging me in close, our heads bent together. “I had a great time at the games last season, but I was always missing you.”

I give her arm a squeeze and rest my head on her shoulder. A part of me likes to hear that I was missed and the other part always feels guilty for being gone. It’s like I can’t win. I do wish I was here last year and could’ve experienced what it was like, the campus changing. How exciting it must’ve been with the football team doing well and everyone getting caught up in it.

But I wasn’t here. I don’t regret going to Italy either. It was a great experience and I learned so much.

“I don’t mean to make you feel bad,” Iris admits, as if she can read my thoughts. She probably can, we spend so much time together. “I’m just really glad you’re back and we get to experience our senior year together.”

“Like that was ever not going to happen.” I press my head to hers, making her smile. “You going to talk to Brooks after the game?

She practically leaps away from me, glancing around like she’s afraid someone overheard my question. “Do not bring up his name right now. Anyone could hear you.”

“Oh, please.” I shake my head. “You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m always dramatic. You should know this by now.” She’s smiling, but she’s also serious. I can see it in her eyes. “And I already told you I won’t talk to him. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

“Pretty sure his hopes are completely dashed and burned into the ground after you treated him like this for so long,” I point out. “Not that I’m trying to make you feel bad but—”

“No, I get it. You’re right.” She shrugs, staring off into the distance. “I’m not ready for a relationship.”

I say nothing. She’s admitted this to me countless times before and I never understand why she feels that way. Her parents are still madly in love after all these years and she comes from a loving, thoughtful household, just like me. Her dad can be a jerk sometimes, but it’s mostly out of love for his children—he’s way too overprotective.

Though from what my dad said earlier, I’m thinking he’s been talking to Whit too much lately. Talk about an over-the-top reaction.

What if Rhett and I do become … a couple? I don’t want to jinx myself and think it’ll actually happen.

It’ll probably never happen.

But what if it did? How would my father react? Would he even like Rhett?

These are all concerns I can’t even wrap my head around right now. There’s no point in worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet.

“We should go grab something to eat,” Iris declares, leaping to her feet. She wags her hand at me. “Come on. I want pizza.”

“Isn’t the game starting soon?” I ask, my voice weak. I’m not sure if I want to walk around right now. “And isn’t the line probably crazy long?”

“We still have almost twenty minutes on the clock, and there are two snack bars open. We’ll go to the one at the top of the stands, it’s always got a shorter line and they’re pretty fast.”

“I want a hot dog,” my dad says, reaching for his wallet.

“Grab me a bottle of water, would you, sweetie?” Mom asks me.

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