Page 68 of The Quarterback Sneak

“Maybe you would be if you’d stop screwing each other in public.”

I chuckle and toss my hair over my shoulder. “We haven’t screwed in public, but I’m glad you think that because that means Zach’s ten grand richer.”

“Honey. You’re my best friend, and I love you forever, but I don’t believe a word that’s coming out of your mouth right now. You may act all confident, but your blotchy face and twitchy eyebrow are giving you away.”

“Okay, fine. Some stuff has happened between us, but it’s not sex.” Not yet, anyway.

“What kind of stuff?”

I bite my lip because it’s the first time I don’t want to tell my best friend everything. She knew all about Jamie’s fat tongue and lackluster hips, but Zach’s too personal. “We just helped each other let off a little steam,” I answer with a shrug. Hopefully, I’ve made it sound nonchalant enough she won’t ask more questions.

“What?!” Olivia’s eyes bug out, lost for words. Closing her eyes, she shakes her head and exhales loudly. “Who are you, and what have you done with Honey Sanderson?”

I smile sheepishly because I know she’s right. This goes completely against the good girl my parents have always encouraged, and now no one knows what to do with me. “Yeah, well, I thought I knew who I was too. But then Jamie had to go and flip my world upside down.”

“You did stuff with Zach to get back at Jamie?” Her voice is thick with unwanted pity for me. I’m having more fun sneaking out to fool around with the quarterback than I ever had with Jamie.

“No, of course not. Jamie has been far from my mind for weeks, but how he treated me caused me to reevaluate things.” I point to Mike scuffing the grass with his cleats. “Do you rememberwhen you and Mike started dating, and all you did was kiss?” She looks at me skeptically, unsure of where I’m going with this. “You remember that, right? You told me that whenever you kissed him, you felt like there was a seismic shift in the world. I thought that was beyond dramatic, but then Zach happened.” I pause, watching him adjust his helmet before squatting down in line. “Kissing Zach has felt extremely different from Jamie.”

That’s an understatement. Kissing Zach makes my whole body prickle with excitement, and I don’t want that feeling to end.

“That’s because Jamie has a mouth the size of a horse. The only saving grace was that you guys weren’t into PDA, because on the rare occasion I did see you making out, it looked like he was eating your face off.” My eyes skitter to the field; for the slightest of seconds, they land on Jamie, who’s sitting on the bench, waiting eagerly to be called up but never getting the opportunity. He pulls the lime-green mouth guard out of his mouth, and spit flies everywhere, making me a little queasy.

Laughing, I whack her gently on the arm. “Please don’t remind me. The biggest mistake of my life was thinking Jamie had my back.”

“Zach’s definitely got your back,” Olivia states. “Guess a little more than that too.” She winks, tilting her head to the field. My heart nearly stops when Zach stops and stares at me. His eye black makes it difficult to see any of his facial expressions, but his body tells me everything. His adrenaline is pumping, and he wants some relief.

“It’s not what you think. Since we started this whole fake dating thing, we’re with each other a lot, and we have to kiss… a lot. Sometimes our hands drift, and one thing leads to another. That’s it.” The reality is that’s all it can ever be.

“Honey?” Olivia says my name with trepidation as she looks straight at Zach. “Do you have a crush on Zach?”

I blow out a breath on a laugh. “No.” It’s a tiny fib, but there’s no point dwelling on unmet feelings. Zach’s made it clear what we are, and I’ve accepted that.

“Could have fooled me.”

“We’re just friends who may have accidentally fallen into the extra benefits territory,” I say lightheartedly, trying to get off topic.

“Friends with benefits…. Because that always works out well in the movies.”

“It’s all it can be, Livi. You and I both know that Zach and I come from different worlds. Even if I had the slightest feelings for him, it’s not like we’d work out in the long-term.” His speech from last night echoes in my mind, the word commitment sticking out and replaying like a broken record. “Our worlds are too different.” I stop short of asking myself if it’s really the world I want to be in anymore anyway. I never thought of myself as a good lawyer or a housewife who spends more time drinking at the club than looking after the kids, and that’s what my world is made of. It’s a strange dichotomy I can’t fit into, and I’m worried I’ll be fighting the rest of my life to try and fit into a mold that wasn’t made for me.

“How tragically sad. You’re like South Point’s answer to Romeo and Juliet.”

“You mean if Romeo and Juliet fake dated and didn’t die in the end.”

“Exactly.”

“So, nothing like Romeo and Juliet.”

The whistle blows, and I stand and walk toward the railing by the field. Zach pulls his helmet off and runs a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. His smile burns bright, and I find my toes curling as he makes his way toward us.

“Honeybee,” Zach drawls, one side of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “Watching me in practice today?” I bite my bottom lipand give him a quick nod. I’m trying not to focus too hard on how beautiful I think his eyes are.

“Thought I’d come and see my man in action.” I sway, feeling a little flirty.

“Wanna see some more action?” He winks.

Jamie strides past Zach, knocking him on the shoulder as he passes, but Zach’s too focused on me to care.

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