Page 21 of The Quarterback Sneak

“Sounds great, but first, I need to know the full ins and outs of the bet.”

His brows furrow, and he looks more serious than I’ve ever seen him. I guess this is Zach getting into deal mode. “Makes sense. The bet’s you.” Short, sharp, and to the point. I couldn’t fault the guy with his brooding intensity.

“That much I know.”

“Whoever you’re dating at the end of football season is the winner of said bet.”

“Is that it?”

Zach shrugs. “More or less. Jamie seemed to have a high opinion of himself. Believed that you wouldn’t date another football player, which is why he left it so wide open.”

“He’s not wrong,” I mutter. “But it probably extends further than the football team.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that you had pretty controlling parents and thought they wouldn’t approve of anyone else for their daughter.”

Zach waves off that comment like that reality didn’t just shatter my world. Does everyone know how my parents treat me, andwhy does no one care? Zach seems to act as though it’s normal for rich people to treat their daughters like objects, but the comment hurts.

“Under that logic, wouldn’t that mean we don’t have to fake date until the last week of the season and collect the prize money?”

“Sure.” He pops a fry in his mouth, and mine salivates thinking about the greasy goodness that must be bursting against his taste buds right now. Friday night’s kiss had a mixture of mint and Gatorade to it; if we kissed now, would it be meat and grease?

I shake my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts because I bet my mom would somehow smell the burger on my breath. That woman is like a bloodhound, and my mistakes are just her scent.

“But then you’ll have Kyle, Brett, and Connor harassing you for the better part of a semester.” My smile fades, thinking about how persistent they were at the bonfire. “When they saw us kissing, they were pissed because they knew they couldn’t bother you until we were done. Bro code and all that. You could just think of me as your beard.”

Narrowing my eyes, I study his overeager face. Why is he pushing this? It doesn’t sound like we need to date for an extended amount of time, but he wants to.

“I don’t need you, though. I can just say no.”

He raises an eyebrow, his lips falling flat. “Do you really think that’s going to stop those idiots? The bet isn’t about money to them. It’s about the power of dating the richest, hottest girl in school and proving Jamie wrong. They’ll just keep asking until they get what they want.” He pops another fry in his mouth, and my stomach growls. “Like right now. Did you know that we are being watched by about three different groups of people?”

“We are?” My head turns, but Zach’s hand on my chin forces my focus to him.

His emerald eyes glisten as they bore into mine. “Don’t look.” I jump when he places his palm over my hand. “Yeah, we’re going to have to work on that,” he says through a smile. His thumb drags over the top of my hand, and it’s strangely calming. Eyes still on me, he says, “Directly behind you and to your left, we have a couple of jocks from the football and baseball teams watching us. Gossip has already spread. Talk of our kiss has spread through the locker room, so I’m sure they’re curious to see if the poor kid can keep the queen’s attention. Although, Jamie did say that I was a rebound and you’d lose interest, so maybe they’re just waiting me out so they can swoop in.” My stomach drops, and I so badly want to see for myself who is looking, but I hold back.

When he leans in a little closer, I do too. “On your right, we’ve got a group of cheerleaders, McKenna included, pointing at us. No doubt, this little exchange will get back to Jamie later. McKenna’s face is all red and flustered.” He places the gentlest of kisses on my cheek before falling back into his seat with an arrogant smirk. “Bet she’s ticked that I went for you. When I joined as a sophomore, she dropped a few nudes in my locker and asked me to take her out.”

“She did what?!” My head nearly explodes at the admission.

Zach chuckles, taking another bite of his burger, leaving me on tenterhooks while I wait for him to swallow. “Yeah, wasn’t just her,” he answers. “A lot of girls in our class did it. Chrissy, Courtney, and Mallory are just a few that I can remember. Not surprised. Rich girls see a poor boy from the wrong side of town and immediately want to use him to piss off their controlling daddies. What better way to do it than to date me?”

“Did you ever take any of them up on the offer?” There’s a bitter taste in my mouth when I ask the question, and it’s because Iknow how it feels to be stereotyped and used as an object by others. It’s how I got the reputation of a rich, entitled brat who deserves all the shit she gets without having to open my mouth.

Zach scrunches his face, and even though it’s distorted, the sharp lines of his jaw still cut through. “Of course not. I don’t have time to deal with overly privileged rich girls. I have actual problems to deal with.” Grinning, there’s a twinkle in his eye when he says, “Unless it’s for fifty-thousand dollars, of course.”

“I hope you know I don’t look at you like that.”

“I know. You don’t look at me at all.” He laughs.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jutting his chin, he puts his burger down. “Did you know that you were the first person I saw when I walked through the school gates?” I keep my lips closed because I have no idea what he’s talking about. “I remember that day so clearly. You had this wide brilliantly white smile and a perfect little bun on your head, similar to the one you’re sporting today. Combine that with the floatiness of your skirt, and I thought you looked like a ballerina. You were this seamlessly put-together girl who was so perfect, you were almost untouchable.” Zach chuckles to himself, shucking his own chin. “I’d psyched myself up to say hi, but then you walked straight past me, shunting my shoulder along the way. You didn’t apologize or flinch. It was like I was invisible to you.”

“I did?” My mouth parts because not only do I not remember this, but it sounds like I acted the way everyone expects.

“Yeah, I vaguely remember you jumping into Jamie’s arms at some point.” He pauses. “Even then, it was obvious how much you liked him. He was the only guy you’d look at for longer than five seconds.”

I bite back my embarrassment because it’s true. I only ever thought of Jamie because I thought there was no otherpossibility. We were endgame, until we weren’t, and now I feel foolish that I ever thought that was the case.

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