Page 15 of The Quarterback Sneak

No one is listening now, but his words and sole focus on me have my feet stuck to the ground, hanging on his every word. “Fake plays and misguided trust won’t get us anywhere if we don’t have team spirit to back it up.”Fake plays?It all sounds a little like he’s speaking to me in code in front of everyone, but I still don’t know if he’s legit. “If we want to win again, we need to show strength and resilience through the tough times as well as the good ones.”

I break eye contact when Mike accidentally hits my elbow when him and Olivia come to stand by me. He offers me a small smile before focusing on the stage.

“So, all I want from you tonight is to take a bet on us.” His eyes are all I see in that moment. Intense and focused on me, saying things he’d never be able to out loud in front of an audience like this.

I jump at Mike’s roar as he encourages the rest of the football team to cheer even though they aren’t listening. Zach hugs the two coaches, then lets the cheerleaders escort him off stage before winking at me as he leaves.

If I wasn’t sure about Zach’s intentions before, that little stunt made things all the more real. He wants me to be his accomplice in a bet I’m still not entirely sure is real. Brett and Kyle may have flirted with me tonight, but that could be some huge coincidence.

My eyes widen when a horrible thought comes to mind. What if they’re all in on it together and my humiliation over thelast couple weeks wasn’t enough of a punishment? What if the football team wants to go full pelt and take me down for good?

My eyes dart around the bonfire, looking for Zach again, but instead of his sharp shoulders and strong gaze, I’m met with a familiar set of brown eyes. Jamie is watching me, but not in the way I’d hoped after everything. There’s no remorse or sorrow, just a sinister grin as if he knows something I don’t.

The bet, maybe?

Encouraged by Jamie’s glances, I turn to Mike and Olivia, ready to get to the truth.

“Honey,” a deep voice calls, stopping me in my step. When I turn to see Connor, he tips his chin in acknowledgment and gives me a lazy smile. Great. Just what I need, another football player to flirt with.

Connor stands a few inches away, towering over me, and I raise my hands, trying to balance myself. “Hey, C. What’s up?”

His hands rest on my elbows, offering me support as he gives me a crooked grin. “You’ve got such pretty hair.” His eyes are a little hazy, and I smell beer on his breath. Perfect. Not only is he flirting with me, but he’s also probably not going to remember this in the morning.

“Uh … thanks.”

He tracks the strands of my hair, stopping where they brush against my shoulders, and stares for a little longer than would be considered normal. “It’s not quite blonde but definitely not brown.” His hand reaches out for me, and I crane my neck back. “It reminds me of honey, which is kind of funny because your name is Honey.” He scoffs.

I tuck my hair behind my ear, feeling slightly prickly after all the advances tonight. “Funny. You’ve never talked to me or mentioned my hair before. Why the sudden interest?”

It takes a few seconds for his eyes to focus, but that goofy smile is still there when he does. “It’s because you were with Jamiebefore. Now that he’s out of the picture, I thought I could get your number.”

I throw my head back on a cackle. “You’ve already got it, Connor. Don’t you remember when we were messaging about Jamie’s birthday party last year?”

He scratches the back of his head. “Oh, uh, yeah. I forgot about that.”

I shrug, watching his reaction when I say, “Not surprised. You’re usually oblivious to any other girl but Ali.” Since the start of high school, they’ve been on and off, and I’m guessing they are on an off period if he’s talking to me and I haven’t had my hair pulled out.

“Oh yeah,” he mutters, dropping his gaze and scuffing his shoes against the ground.

He seems awkward talking to me, so I decide to push him a little. Connor’s the most placid of the football players, so maybe the alcohol has given him loose lips. “You know, you aren’t the first football player to come up to me today.” He raises a brow but doesn’t look surprised. “Brett and Kyle have also asked me out.” There’s the tiniest inkling of a lip twitch from him, but he holds his mouth straight. “It almost feels like you guys are competing over who can sleep with Jamie’s ex first.”

I put it out there more obviously than I would have if Connor was functioning with all his senses, as I figure he’ll forget about this tomorrow anyway.

His eyes widen, and he steps back. “Competition?” His voice is an octave higher, and his gaze sweeps over my head to look at the other students.

Bingo.

“There’s no competition.” The guilt in his voice tells me a different story. He’s fixated on something behind me, and I’m met with Jamie’s sinister smile when I look over my shoulder. The smug smile with a dash of arrogance is hard to ignore, and Ihave an inkling of suspicion it’s because anyone with a brain cell can see Connor will not get in my pants anytime soon.

However, the way Jamie’s looking at me, combined with Connor’s, Brett’s, and Kyle’s behavior tonight, has only led me to one conclusion.

Zach could be right. There is a bet on me, but I don’t know whose side he’s on. Either way, I’m pissed.

Not only did Jamie make a fool out of me in front of the entire school, but now he’s trying to add to that embarrassment. He’s making me the butt of everyone’s joke again, all the while ripping off his friends because he knows I’d never go for one of them. Misplaced loyalty and all that crap.

“I’ll talk to you later, Connor.” Turning, I push my way back to Mike and tug at his arm to get his attention.

“Hey, Hon. What’s up?” he asks with a furrowed brow. He’s still his usually peppy self and isn’t acting any different. “Olivia just went to the bathroom.” He points behind him.

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