Page 57 of Don't Let Go

She shrugged. “Because you had to pee too.”

Chloe squished her lips to the side. “Right.”

We all laughed as we headed for the door. I checked my phone.No missed messages. That’s a relief.Paolo being at practice gave him something to focus on besides bothering me.

The time reminded me I needed to get to the gym soon to set up with everyone else.

“Are you staying for the whole game?” I asked my friends, hoping they were. I wanted to catch a ride home with them since Carmen had to pick up Lizzy today.

Chloe looked at her nails as if in deep thought. “We’ll probably leave at halftime, to be honest. Why?”

I hung my head. “Just curious.”

The kindness gene in me didn’t want to force them to stay. It’s frustrating being so damn nice.

They dropped me off at the gym and moved on to the library to wait until the doors opened for the public. I entered through the back and ran into Tyler. He wore black shorts and his jersey was tight against his abs. I looked away to avoid staring at his chest, but water droplets trailed down his forehead as if he had poured water over himself to cool off. Without thinking, I reached out and wiped them away.

“Funny running into you here,” he joked, not mentioning the awkward touching thing.

My hand ran across my jeans until the motion burned my fingertips. “You know me. Always up for bumping into guys.” I resaid the words in my head and mentally kicked myself. I sounded like a fool.

“You need to be careful. There are crazies around here.” He hit his chest like Tarzan. “I’ll protect you, though.”

I bit my lower lip to keep from smiling too much. “Thanks, hero.” I playfully hit his arm. “You ready for your first game as a Mustang?”

His cocky mood slipped a little, showing the fear he kept inside. “It’s weird to have a uniform that’s not blue, but at least I’m playin’ ball, right?” he asked, tugging on his black jersey.

The way he looked at me to answer broke my heart. He needed someone to tell him he was doing the right thing.

“Yes. It doesn’t matter what high school team you’re on as long as they’re good and the college scouts are watching.”

He cracked his knuckles. “Thanks for that. Now I’m thinking of the scouts out there watching me with a team I’ve only practiced with a few times.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not the girl to come to for pep talks.” I had a sinking feeling I made him feel worse.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s the thought that counts.” He took a step back and motioned for the locker room. “I should get back, and you need to do….” He looked at me and was clueless. “You need to do whatever you need to for band.”

“Right.” I moved closer to the wall to let him pass.

I smacked myself on the forehead with an open palm while walking to the bathroom to change into my uniform.

Could I be any more awkward?

I tugged on the collar of my shirt and slipped into the band room where the stands were. Before lunch, I snuck my instrument in there so I didn’t have to drag it around with meall day. My fellow bandmates came in as a herd, talking and laughing as one.

We set up our stands and warmed up as the rival team used the court for last-minute exercises. After about five minutes, they switched, and the home team got to work out for a handful of minutes. Tyler had the ball and was showing off his serious skills.

Alice elbowed me and hissed, “Stop playing out of tune.”

Crap. I didn’t notice I wasn’t blowing into my mouthpiece correctly. My focus was lost on Tyler shooting hoops. He never missed.

Paolo was on the floor, too. He spotted me and waved as if we were okay, and he didn’t diss me earlier. That boy was hot and cold more than a woman going through menopause.

The floor cleared, and the doors opened. My friends sat in the bleachers on the left of the band so they could wave at me.

All was quiet as we played the national anthem. The crowd cheered as the home team ran onto the court, and they turned their backs and booed as the competition ran out next.

A whistle blew, and the game was on. Despite attending every game, I didn’t know all the moves of the sport. The other team was good and was already up by nine points in a few minutes.

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