Page 11 of The Quarterback Sneak

“No, I didn’t.” My, my, she’s as prickly as I thought she’d be. I kind of like it.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. “There’s a bet.” When I’m met with nothing but silence, I open my eyes with a satisfied smile, happy that I finally got that off my chest. I may not know the girl well, but she deserves respect.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Everything.” I pause, letting that sink in. “It’s actually about you.”

Huffing out a breath, she tilts her head, waiting for me to continue. Her amber eyes burn into mine, and I scratch the back of my head, figuring out the best way to phrase this. Like football, I practiced everything I would say, but now that I’m here and everything rides on Honey agreeing to my suggestion, I’ve become a little tongue-tied.

“The guys were talking about you in the locker room yesterday.” Her eyebrow twitches, but her lips remain pursed and tight. She’s probably used to the chat. She’s been the talk of the school for the last week. “They were joking about how they all wanted a piece of the Sanderson cash now that Jamie rocked the boat and cheated on you.” She swallows and crosses her arms over her chest, leaning back onto her car. Her body is stiff, but she stares at me, waiting for me to say my piece. “So they decided to make a bet on it. Each of them has a ten-thousand-dollar stake, and whoever wins gets the full fifty grand pot. I believe the winner is whoever you’re dating at the end of the football season.”

There’s another moment of silence, then she pushes her large lips out, moving them from side to side in what I hope is contemplation.

Maybe I’ve got her hooked.

Flicking her honey-colored hair over her shoulder, she shuts the passenger door, spinning on her high heels as she walks to the other side. I follow her like a hapless puppy.

“Wait, don’t you care?”

Her eyes pierce into mine over her shoulder, and she shrugs. “Let them play their stupid games and waste their money. I’m not stupid enough to go near a football player ever again.”

She stretches one of her long, toned legs to get in her car. The girl seemed ballsier than she was the other day when she bawled her eyes out to Olivia. Still, that backbone doesn’t help me get what I need. She sits, pulling the door that I’m clutching. I’m losing her fast, and if it wasn’t for my big body blocking her, she’d be gone already.

“See, that’s the thing. Jamie wins the bet if you don’t go near a football player.” Her fingers twitch on the handle.

Gotcha.

“He knows that none of them have a chance with you because your parents won’t approve and you always do as daddy says. Thinks he can treat you like shit and you’ll be back groveling at his door soon enough.”

Her knuckles go white as she grips the handle harder.There we go.I need to keep milking the Jamie angle because no matter what kind of front she puts up, he hurt her more than she’d ever admit.

“Imagine that. He’s already humiliated you in front of the entire school—potentially the entire state, and now he’s going to make money off that humiliation until you’re forced to date him again. Do you really want that to happen?”

Without warning, she gets out of the car, pushing into my personal space, so I can smell her flowery perfume. Smells like the expensive shit Tiffany tries from those samples she gets in magazines. Usually, I hate the heavy scent, but it suits Honey. It makes her smell decadent and untouchable.

“What’s in it for you?” She’s right to question me with her narrowed eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m the scholarship kid. Fifty grand will do a lot for me. But I’d be willing to split it with you. I know you’ve got more money than sense, but rumor has it that your dad is more than a little controlling.” She snorts out, leaning closer before pushing back to rest against her car’s side. “May not be much, but imagine having twenty-five K that your dad doesn’t know about?” I don’t even know if that’s a lot of money for a girl like her. Maybe it’s the equivalent of ten bucks in her world, but I’ve got to try something; I need to make mine and my family’s lives easier.

Pointing to where her unnecessarily large bag sits, I say, “You could probably get yourself one more of those fancy purses.”

“Why even tell me about it? You could have asked me out on a date and kept the money all to yourself.”

A slow smirk forms on my face, and her eyes flicker to my lips. “Come on, Honey. Are you trying to tell me that you’d say yes to the scholarship kid if he asked you out on a date?” Her gaze darts back to mine, and her eyes widen ever so slightly. “Exactly. So, there’s that.” The tiniest hint of pink taints her cheeks, and I feel bad because I didn’t want to embarrass her; I just wanted to get my point across. “But also… I need a loan.”

“A loan?”

“Yeah, for the initial stake of ten thousand dollars. It’s the only way to join the bet and tick off those rich bastards.”

Her jaw tenses ever so slightly. “This all sounds ridiculous. Are you sure you’re not trying to con me out of ten thousand dollars?”

“What? Why would I do that?”

“You just said you needed the money.” She raises a brow, looking at me as though she’s caught me in a lie.

“Please, I can think of much better ways to con a rich girl out of cash.” I wiggle my brows with a heavy innuendo. She lowers her chin, leading me to look at the slightly reddish tone of her collarbone. Is she embarrassed? “Besides, I’d rather con a bunch of rich pricks out of theirs instead.”

“But they’re your teammates.”

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