Page 79 of The Quarterback Sneak

The girl is easy to spot in the crowd. Her energy is all-consuming, and everyone around is watching her. She’s the only one standing, proudly clapping as she looks on. His sister has come to watch the game. It’s the first time any of his family have ventured to our school, and I am urged to introduce myself, considering she’s seen me dropping him off before.

“I’ll be right back,” I say to Olivia, making my way up the bleachers while everyone else enjoys the game. She hasn’t noticed I’m making my way to her, but it’s not like she’s expecting me.

I stop just as I get a few steps away from her row.

No? That can’t be what Zach was hiding all this time.

She lifts a little girl out of the stroller next to her. Stupidly, I thought it belonged to the couple beside her. She places the tiny girl on her lap, and she’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Her bright-blonde hair is pulled into pigtails, and her large smile reminds me so much of Zach.

Is she thecommitmenthe’s always referring to? Does he have a niece he feels he needs to care for? Is that why he didn’t want me to meet his family? Did he think I’d judge him for that?

The final whistle blows, and the crowd erupts in raucous cheering. I take a few more steps, making my way to his sister, but she’s gone when I get past a few overexcited fans. How the hell did she get away so fast with a baby?

My eyes dart around the stadium, but I can’t find her. I head back down the bleachers, assuming she wanted a better view of Zach. Celebrations on the field are in full swing, and despite not playing, Jamie is in the thick of the group, making it all about him.

Idiot.

The closer I get to the field, the faster my heart beats. Zach’s not there, and something feels wrong. Something’s off about this whole thing, but I’m not entirely sure what. I walk out to the concrete floor under the bleachers, where the sound of the crowd is muffled. Hardly anyone is down here because they’re too busy celebrating our win.

I stop walking when I hear a couple arguing, and just as I’m about to turn back to give them privacy, his distinct voice makes my heart stop.

“I’m sorry, Zach. We wanted to see you play.” She sobs through an apology while her baby gargles.

“I’ve told you not to come here.” His voice is sharper than I’ve ever heard it. “You don’t know what these people are capable of or what they’d do if they found out about you.”

“I know, but I saw—”

“It doesn’t matter what you saw. Showing up here gives people that don’t deserve it leverage against me.”

Stepping backward, I stop listening and just process the snippet of the conversation I heard. Why would Zach having a niece give anyone leverage? It makes no sense. My ankles buckle the faster I walk. I need to get away from all this. I can’t go back into the crowd, so I stride through the expansive bleachers, hoping it will clear my head.

“I told you.” Jamie’s confident, cocky voice echoes through the quiet hallway.

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw you running from the bleachers, wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” Was I running? It didn’t feel like it, then again, I don’t feel like myself right now.

“There is no fuss.”

“You sure about that?” He studies me with narrowed eyes. We’re far enough apart that he can’t touch me, but I feel his consuming presence, and I don’t like it. “Because Brett mentioned that a hot girl was wearing Zach’s jersey tonight in the bleachers.” He drops his gaze to my number 2 jersey and cocks a grin. “He also said that it wasn’t you.”

“Don’t you and Brett have anything better to do than watch the crowd?”

“Not when it involves you. You should have seen how upset she looked when she saw you kissing Zach.”

“She wasn’t upset.”

“Why do you think she left so abruptly? Do you know who else left the celebrations early? Zach.” Words fail me because so much is going through my mind. I know what Jamie is trying to imply, but there’s no way that can be true. That’s something you tell someone you’re close to. “Don’t suppose you’ve seen him.”

Dread consumes me as all these little pieces come together in my mind, and I don’t like the picture they’re creating.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes. I must admit, I never expected you to be a homewrecker, Honey.”

“Homewrecker? What are you talking about? That’s his sister?”

Jamie snorts and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Is that what he told you? That she was hissister?”

I purse my lips, hating how small he’s making me feel. He walks closer and pulls me to a dark corner at the back of the bleachers. “Evans doesn’t have a sister. He told me as much when I had to orientate him when we were sophomores, don’t you remember?” I shake my head, not wanting to believe the words spilling out of his mouth. “That was before any animosity had built between us, so he had no reason to lie.”

---