Page 53 of The Quarterback Sneak

“Shaking in my sneaks, Jamie,” I say with an amused lilt. If he thinks a threat like that will scare me, he hasn’t left South Point in a long time. He seems to forget I’ve already committed to St. Michael’s, and there’s no way Coach will suspend me. I’m worth too much to the team.

“She’ll get bored,” Jamie calls, and that makes me stop, more because the desperation to put me off Honey is intriguing. “She always does. She has the attention span of a gnat, and she’s only using you to make me jealous.”

I spin on my heel. “Using that line again. Nah, she’s using me for my dick, and I’m using her for money, so we’re a perfect pair.” With that, I turn and open the door, leaving Jamie and the rest of the guys behind.

“Z,” Mike calls, coming up behind me. He drops his bag on the wooden bench and tries his best to catch my eye. I choose to focus on my locker combination instead. “What was that all about?” I shake my head because I don’t care about how that looked; I’ve got more important things to worry about than some rich boy’s ego.

“What do you mean?” I ask with a sarcastic edge.

“I know you guys have never liked each other, but now it seems to be getting a little excessive.”

I shrug. “It’s all Jamie. He still wants Honey, and if there’s one thing I can do to help Honey through all this, it’s to get revenge on her ex. Part of that is pointing out just how much he wants her.” That’s a lie, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I only cared about watching Jamie’s face crumble when he found out I had something he still wanted, even if he was trying to deny it. Something about the whole situation gave me a small glimmer of satisfaction. For Honey, of course. Not for me.

“So you’re telling me that whole act in there was for Honey?” Mike’s skepticism is clear, but I ignore it.

“Yup,” I quip.

“Seems a lot for someone who’s apparently only doing this for the money.”

After pulling my bag out of the locker, I slam it shut and smile. “Good. That’s exactly what I want them all to think. For Honey’s sake.” Without another word, I walk out of the locker room and push down the tense feelings gnawing at my stomach. I hated lying to the only friend I have in school, but since there is the added complication that his girlfriend is Honey’s best friend, I need to get my head straight before I drop any bombs on him.

Heading to the parking lot, I try to put all this petty bullshit to the side. The best part of my day is yet to come, and I should focus on that. Seeing Ella’s face when I walk through the door always makes things better.

I slow when I notice Honey leaning against her hot pink mess of a car, watching us with her arms crossed. She looks carefree with a small smile, and suddenly that tense feeling in my stomach subsides.

“Are you going to tell her what happened?” Mike asks.

“No. She doesn’t need to know any of that.” Hearing how Jamie talks about her will only upset her, and I’m tired of seeing girls cry, especially over assholes like him.

Before I’ve made the decision, my feet are already making their way over to her, and I hold back a smile when she skips over.

Chapter Seventeen

Honey

Jumping into Zach’s arms, the wind flips up my skirt a little, but his hands catch the fabric, keeping me covered. “Honey,” he whispers as he nuzzles into my neck, leaving the smallest of kisses against my skin. The act sends a soft tingle through my core.

Giggling, I try to pull back and get a better look at him, but Zach squeezes me a little tighter, seemingly wanting me to stay close. I oblige, letting myself melt into his touch while his muscles relax as he pours everything he has into our hug.

When he finally unclasps his hands and my feet drop to the floor, I look up at him. “What happened.” His eyes meet mine, and he offers me a curious brow. “Don’t give me that look. I know something’s up. You’re easy to read, and I swear if you crack your knuckles one more time, they’ll break off.”

His eyes dart around the parking lot, but it’s early, so it’s just us and Mike out here, who has backed away, giving us some space. Zach’s fingers flex against my hips, and he says, “Nothing we can talk about here. Let’s get in the car.” With a tense jaw, I nodbecause all these thoughts start to run through my head. Does he want to end the deal early? We’ve ticked Jamie off enough for me to be happy, but I find the idea of going back to being a stranger to Zach impossible.

But if that’s what Zach wants, who am I to deny it? He’s a lone wolf and doesn’t want anyone by his side, even though I think he could use someone. Someone like me.

Guiding him to the car, I open the back door so we can put our bags in and make my way to the driver’s side. We start the journey in silence, and it’s so quiet I hear the low hum of the electric engine.

“We need to extend the bet.”

Typical Zach. No context or additional information, just a short statement of fact. He’s so engrossed in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice I miss the turn for the bus stop, heading straight to the highway to take him all the way home.

“We do?” I side glance at him before focusing back on the road, and he’s staring straight out the window, not at me. “Why’s that?”

“Jamie said he’d double the prize pot if I could keep dating you until prom.”

“Prom? As in until April?” I strain out, surprised at just how long Jamie wants this to go on. I won’t deny there’s the tiniest part of me that’s excited to spend more time with Zach, though.

With tight lips, he nods. “Jamie seems to believe that once football season’s over and you’re done sampling my broke ass dick, you’ll go crawling back to him.”

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