Page 102 of A Quarterback for Christmas

Chapter 29

Drew

“Yo, McCallister,” my new teammate Dylan calls. In the middle of strapping my hand for training, I keep my focus on my palm instead of him. The guy is in my offensive line but smaller than me, which is only the first of my problems with this team.

We’ll win, though.

I need to if I have any hopes of making an impact on the draft this year.

Once everything is taped in place, I look up to Dylan, who’s pointing his thumb over his shoulder with a dumbstruck look on his face.

“There’s some hot chick outside asking for you.”

I sigh and reach for my shirt. Here we go again. This isn’t the first time a girl has tried to speak to me before practice, and I know it won’t be the last. Whether I’m in the library, trying to keep my grades up or eating my dinner in the cafeteria, cleat chasers are all over me. I’m fresh meat at this college. A new player that they haven’t managed to get their hands on, and I swear there’s a competition going over who can get my attention first.

Unfortunately, none of them realize what a lost cause I am. After being burned by Bella, I promised myself that I would stayaway from girls until I get drafted.IfI get drafted. And that’s looking like a bigger and biggerifevery time I train.

“Thanks, man.” I high-five him as I walk to the front doors, rehearsing the gentle speech I use when turning these girls down.Thanks so much for your interest. Unfortunately, there’s a girl back home. We like to keep things private. I can introduce you to my friend if you want.Always the same lines because it kills the conversation instantly. I could ignore the fact that there’s a girl out there, but then I run the risk of having to deal with her after practice.

My feet slow when I see the obnoxiously patterned kilt and long, white socks covering thickly toned thighs. Only one girl I know can get away with an outfit like that and look hot.

“Bella?” I breathe out, my eyes taking in her familiar shoes, tracking up to her French braid.

I must be dreaming, or someone gave me a hallucinogenic drug, so I’d fail my test tomorrow because there’s no other reason she’d be here. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve imagined her. She haunts my dreams regularly.

She turns, making the skirt flip in its wake, and flashes me a small, unconfident smile. She looks hot as hell in her white sweater and tight shirt underneath, and I bite my cheek to stop myself from showing any reaction.

She drinks me in before her eyes connect with mine. “Hey, Drew,” She swallows, edging ever-so-slightly closer to me. “Long time no see.”

“What are you doing here?” Speaking to my hallucination is a first, but since Dylan saw her, and I can smell her perfume, I’m guessing that maybe it’s not a dream.

“I, uh, needed to speak to you.” Her voice is hesitant, and she hikes her bag farther up her shoulder. Speak to me? After four months?

“What about?” I still haven’t moved from my spot, and I can feel the automatic door aggressively attempting to shut, only to have my bulky body blocking it.

She takes a step back, so I take one forward, the door releasing with the movement.

“Would you believe me if I said I left my hairbrush in your room?” She blushes, her collarbone flushing, and she laughs awkwardly when I don’t respond. “Why would you want to talk to me, right? I ruined your life. Here you are, stuck in California because of me, and you made it clear that you needed to move on without me, but I’m kind of moving, and I wanted to talk to you about what happened between us before I left.”

“How did you find me?” I changed my number when I changed schools, thinking it would be better to start fresh. The only person who got my new number was Jacob, and I know he didn’t share it with Bella.

It wasn’t that I wanted to get rid of her; it was that I knew if I didn’t take affirmative action, we’d be stuck doing the same thing over and over again.

“Do you really think you’d be that hard to find? All I had to do was get to Southern Collegiate and then ask where the gym was,” she smirks, holding back an even snarkier response. God, did I miss her attitude.

“So, you came all the way from Indiana to tell me that you’re my ultimate stalker?”

“No. I came because there are things we need to talk about. Do you have any time to meet tonight?” This time when she takes a few steps forward, I don’t back away. The pull of our bodies is just too great to ignore.

“I’ve got practice for the next couple of hours, but I can meet up with you after?”

“Great. Are you practicing on the field?” She tilts her head toward the door to the stadium, and I nod. “Okay, I’ll just watch until then.”

Watch me? Great. As if I don’t have enough to think about with this team of misfits, I now have her scrutinizing me too.

“You don’t have to do that. I know how much you hate football.”

“It’s never been about hating football. It’s about having a hard time watching a certain player on the field.” She smirks, her eyes taking in my chest as she bites down on her bottom lip. She looks hungry, feral even. Is she flirting? After everything that happened?

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