Page 184 of Only With You

51

JULIANNA

“Yes!”Polly claps, the other loud voices in the arena drowning hers when Jagger shoots the ball into the basket, earning them two points.

“Three more minutes and the championship is ours,” Gabby anxiously but enthusiastically says, her hands clasped at her chin.

I stay silent because my anxiety levels are higher than my excitement. Only three minutes left, but that’s a long time in basketball, something I didn’t realize until I first watched it.

The guys are winning by two points, but Baylor could easily come back up. They were ahead the first half of the game until the second half where NCU managed to make a comeback, but it’s not been a big one because Baylor’s been on their heels.

I don’t mean that figuratively. I literally mean it. Landon’s stepbrother, Ashton, has been riding Landon’s ass, and I don’t have to be down there to know he’s been talking shit.

Then there’s a guy named Xavier. Apparently, he and Saint have issues and they must be deep-rooted because I’ve never seen Saint on the verge of losing his shit. I’ve seen him play a few times, and usually he looks mellow and happy.

“Xavier and Saint went to the same private school. Apparently, he planted drugs in Saint’s stuff. I found that out in a Reddit forum,” Polly says, eyes trained on the court. “I’ve no idea if it’s true because it came from Reddit, but apparently, the person who posted it said they witnessed Saint getting expelled and then coming back as if nothing happened. They said it wasn’t the first time Saint got expelled, but they couldn’t say more because of an NDA everyone has to sign at this private school.”

I went to a private school, but we didn’t have to sign an NDA, even though there were students whose parents are famous.

“You read this all on Reddit?”

She nods matter-of-factly. “You wouldn’t believe the other stuff I found out about Saint and his dad. They’re not just rich, but they’re rich-rich. Old money rich. It’s crazy. Saint doesn’t even need to be in college. He’s set for life.”

I’m momentarily stunned, but it quickly washes away because I came to Portland in a private jet thanks to Saint. That’s not something that just anyone can get and in such a short notice close to a holiday.

“Can you imagine having that kind of money? I would—yes!” Polly throws her hands in the air along with the rest of the crowd.

The guy on Baylor’s team threw the ball from halfway across the court to Ashton, but Landon’s right in front of him. He jumps high and intercepts the pass, taking possession of the ball. He passes it to Jayden, who catches, dribbles it, and passes it to Saint. He gets double-teamed, something that’s been happening all night. He’s had two defense players on him anytime he receives a pass.

I didn’t understand why, but then Gabby explained it to me. She said Saint is one of the best shooters in the country, and he’sfierce and immensely talented in the offense. His six-foot-seven height and stats are testimony of that.

I still don’t understand stats, but all I know is that he’s one of the best.

The guys on defense try to pressure him into giving up the ball and it seems he’s going to do that, but he fakes the pass to Malik, steps back, jumps, and shoots the ball. It circles around the rim, and I swear half of the arena holds their breaths because it almost looks like it’s going to bounce back out, but it finally sinks in, earning us three points.

“Talk about edging.” Polly blows out a breath of relief, interlocking her fingers and bringing them behind her head.

I laugh at that, but she’s not wrong. The next two and a half minutes, it’s a back and forth battle, NCU pushes, but Baylor pushes back harder and vice versa. It’s nerve-wracking to watch and I almost want to close my eyes because they’re tied. There are only thirty seconds left on the clock. We could go into overtime or one team will get lucky and win.

“You’re so adorable,” Polly gushes, her phone up and that’s when I register she’s taking a picture of me. “I’m sending this to Landon. He’ll really appreciate it since you guys aredatingnow.”

A huge smile stretches across her face, as does Gabby’s.

They didn’t know about us until I arrived at their hotel room. I obviously couldn’t stay with Landon, but he asked the girls if I could stay with them and they didn’t hesitate to say yes. So when he dropped me off and kissed me, they lost their minds.

Once he left, I was interrogated with thousands of questions and I hesitated to answer because of Sienna, but I reminded myself they’re nothing like her. So I told them almost everything, except the sex for tutoring. I was kind of vague about it. It’s not because I don’t trust them, but I like the idea of itbeing a secret even though El knows. I just don’t plan to tell anyone else.

“I seriously can’t believe you guys went from wanting to kill each other to loving each other.”

My stomach floods with butterflies. We didn’t say we love each other, but would it be too soon to know that I do?

I say nothing, but Polly’s grin makes it hard to conceal the giddy smile on my face.

My gaze lands on Landon as he dribbles the ball and passes it to Jagger. He drives past the defense, quickly and effortlessly, and when he jumps to dunk the ball, one of Baylor’s players, number three, forcefully uses his chest to push him away from the basket. He succeeds to do just that, but Jagger falls backward and slams against the hardwood floor.

Horrified gasps echo around. The cheers fade, replaced with shushed words, then silence takes over.

He rolls on the ground, feet flailing against the floor, and face pinched in agony as he covers his mouth to muffle the pain.

---