Page 84 of The Quarterback Sneak

Again, no denial. Nothing. A hopeless look in his eyes because he knows the answer without me saying a word. “Unbelievable.” He shakes his head, stepping closer. Instinctively, I step back. “The guy cheated on you and treats you like garbage. Actually, no. He treats his garbage with more respect than I’ve ever seen him give you, and you believe him before talking to me.”

I take another step back, wishing I hadn’t come into school today and this wasn’t my life. I want some time alone with Zach, but that ship sailed a long time ago. “I’ve got to go and sort out this mess,” Zach grits.

“Jamie posted a video of you arguing with Tiff.” Lowering my head in shame, I can’t look at him. Someone had to tell him; he needed to know. I didn’t want him turning on his new phone and finding out that way.

Zach blows out a breath before he sweeps past me. My pulse beats through my ear drums as he walks to Jamie. I don’t know what to do, so I just stand there, watching the car crash I know is about to happen. Jamie puffs out his chest, standing taller as he waits for Zach.

“Who’s better in bed? Baby mama or Homewrecker Honey?” Jamie tips his chin, acting as arrogant as usual.

This isn’t going to end well.

“You. Are. An. Asshole.”

Zach’s hands clench and unclench to the same rhythm as his breathing until he closes his fist and raises it. He punches Jamie square across the cheek, making him fall backward. Blood splatters across the floor, and students gasp at the sight.

Jamie pulls himself up, his nose and mouth are covered in blood, but he smiles through it like the psychopath I’ve started to see him as.

“You fell into that trap too easily, Evans.”

I haven’t taken a breath since I saw the blow. Zach says nothing, just pushes past a bloodied Jamie and walks straight to the exit. No looking back.

I can’t let him leave like this. Forcing my way through the crowd of students, I follow him. “Zach. Wait,” I call, but he keeps walking as though he doesn’t hear me.

“Honey, don’t.” Olivia holds me back; her sympathetic voice is the only thing soothing me right now. “Give him some time. He’ll come back.”

Slumping, I watch as he storms out, taking my heart with him as he goes.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Zach

“Zach, wait.” It’s bittersweet hearing her perfect voice call for me. Once it went down to my stomach, smooth like honey, but now it stings. Because now, it’s a reminder that I’m not part of her world. I never was. I was a willing participant, offering myself up to be used. I just never realized how bad it would hurt me.

I was stupid to think that hanging out with Honey and Mike would change anything. I will always be the scholarship kid to these people.

Students laugh as I push through them, not giving Honey a second glance. What’s the point? She believed Jamie before even asking me. She knows all about Tiff and Ella, and instead of taking me aside, she expected me to explain that mess in front of the whole school.

Classmates shoved phones in my face of the video of our epic meltdown. I should have handled this better. I’m usually a lot more restrained than this, but when Honey’s eyes dripped withdisappointment, I knew I was losing her and myself in the process.

The whole school knows about Tiff and Ella now, so maybe I should come clean and accept it. I should own it since I like to believe I don’t give a shit about what other people think. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Honey. I care too much about what she thinks, and that’s what hurts the most. She didn’t offer me the benefit of the doubt. She readily believed her cheating ex before hearing me out.

Pulling out my new phone, I throw a quick text to Tiff, telling her I’ll be home in a few hours and will look after Ella. If I’m skipping school for the day, I might as well make myself useful and give Tiff the day off. She will freak the hell out once she finds out my whole school knows about her.

This is all my fault. I ticked off the richest dude in school because I pretended I was screwing his guaranteed lay and then punched him in the face for all the shit he’s pulled. I gave him exactly what he wanted, and I will have to do some serious groveling with Coach to ensure I only get a suspension. That, I can handle. An expulsion would mean a loss of my scholarship and ruin all my plans for next year.

Fuck.

What the hell was I thinking? I’ve put my entire future in jeopardy for Honey. He knew she’d become my kryptonite over the past couple of weeks. He threatened to tell the whole school about Ella, and I ignored him like a lovestruck idiot.

“Dude, hold up.” Ignoring Mike, I press forward, pissed that Jamie fulfilled his promise of ruining my life.

Mike clamps down on my shoulder when he gets close enough. “Zach. Stop.” Shaking his hand loose, I stare at him with misplaced contempt. “What the fuck happened back there?”

I’ll never know why Mike puts up with my shit. I seem to only ever cause him trouble, yet he’s always there for me. He glaresexpectantly, and I take a deep breath, still too angry to talk. He knows me well enough to know that’s the case. “You just punched Jamie in the hallway.”

“Thanks for that, Captain Obvious.” I smile. It’s the first smile I’ve cracked since the end of our football game on Friday.

I groan internally because fuck my life. The end of that game was a disaster and the start of this shitshow. When we only had a few seconds on the clock, I left because I wanted to find Honey and kiss the crap out of her. Unfortunately, I found TiffandElla at my game before I had that opportunity. I’ve told her before that she can’t come to my games. It’s not safe for her to be near South Point Prep, especially to bring Ella. It was risky and irresponsible, but when those big, fat tears dropped from Tiff’s eyes, I knew something bigger was going on. Something that would not be fixed by the time we got home.

---