Page 72 of The Gamma's Second Chance

I step closer to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and gesturing around the grounds as I show her the activities, my chin hooked over her shoulder and my lips near her ear. “There’s archery, guided painting, basket weaving, loads of food stands and food trucks, cornhole—”

“Cornhole?” she asks, wrinkling her nose. “What’s that?”

“You’ve never played cornhole?”

“Never even heard of it. It’s a game?”

“Yes. You play with bean bags—well, corn bags, I guess you would call them.”

“You’re playing a joke on me.” She shakes her head emphatically. “There is no way cornhole is a real game.”

“I swear to Selene!” I exclaim, crossing my heart. “You try to get them on the board or in the hole, and you play against another team.” She stares at me, an unimpressed and unamused look on her face, and I sigh and grab her hand, dragging her over to where the game is set up. “See?” I say, gesturing to the court.

Blake, Dawson, Sebastian, and Maddie all play together. Maddie and Seb form one team, and Dawson and Blake form the other. Cassandra watches them as they toss their bags across the empty space and onto the boards or into the holes, one brow raised the entire time.

“That’s it?” she asks, glancing at me. “You just throw the bags?”

I shrug. “Pretty much.”

She watches them for a bit longer, smiling slightly as Sebastian and Maddie win and celebrate with a high five. “All right. I’m in,” she says, striding forward to where Blake stood during the game.

“Hey, Cass,” Sebastian says, waving at her.

I flip him off behind Cassandra’s back as she returns his wave and says, “Hey Seb! Do you mind if we play?”

I drop my hand to my side as soon as she smiles up at me, and I smile back, acting as innocent as I can.

“You and Nolan against Maddie and me? Or males against females?” Sebastian asks as he gathers up the bags.

Cassandra’s eyes glitter, and she swivels her head to Maddie, the two of them exchanging a look that has me terrified. I glare at Sebastian, and he pauses, watching the two females as they communicate in that silent way only females can.

“Males against females,” Maddie says, her violet-blue eyes sparkling with a mischievous glow that matches Cassandra’s.

I sigh but take my spot next to Cassandra on one side of the cornhole court while Maddie and Sebastian jog over to the other side, leaving the bags with us.

“I’ll help you just for this round,” I say, clenching my fists and shoving them in my pockets as I stand one inch away from her. She gazes up at me, leaning forward as if she expects me to give her a kiss, and I laugh and shake my head at her. “We’re enemies right now. No kisses for you.”

She pouts as I tap her nose and back away, standing on the other side of the wooden cornhole board. She takes the lime green bags, and I grab the white, tossing one and catching it with the same hand before throwing it at the board across from us. It lands on the board and slides just a little, stopping to the right of the hole.

“Ooh, so close,” Maddie says, faking a pout and feigning disappointment for me. “Maybe next throw!”

“Your turn,” I say to Cassandra, ignoring Maddie.

“So I just aim for the hole?”

“Yes.”

She nods, and I cross my arms, watching her as she weighs the bag in her hand and calculates the distance between her and the hole. She pulses her arm a few times, then releases the bag. It soars through the air and lands right in the hole, not even bumping against the sides.

“Nice!” I say as she jumps into the air and claps her hands.

“Beginner’s luck!” Sebastian yells, cupping his hands around his mouth.

She laughs, and we toss the rest of our bags. Each of hers lands in the exact same way—directly in the hole without touching the rim.

I stare at her after her last toss. She glows with excitement as Sebastian and Maddie gather up the bags and calculate her and Cassandra’s points. She beams at me, her hands clasped in front of her chin.

“Sebastian. I think we’re being hustled,” I say, still staring at her.

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