Page 12 of The Golden Boys

“Position?” Dane pauses from his photoshoot to ask.

“Quarterback,” Sterling answers.

“Stats?” I’m curious, but not worried.

“Throws a seventy-yard pass in the air. He’s got a good eye, too. Reads the field like a pro.”

“Big deal.Ithrow a seventy,” I counter.

“Yeah, but … not coming out of freshman year, you didn’t.”

Now I’m intrigued. They can probably tell because I’ve stopped working on the car.

“I hear they’re getting cocky, too,” Sterling adds. “Whole team’s talking shit about how they have district and maybe even regionals on lock.”

No fucking way. If I ended this season without a championship under my belt, it wouldn’t be because some punk-ass sophomore walked away with it.

While winning is our entireteam’sgoal, I need this for other reasons. As a safety net of sorts. A reason for the coach at NCU to consider giving me the spot I deserve despite anything else he might hear about me.

Guess you could say I haven’t exactly been an angel.

“We got somebody to go check him out?” I hide that I’m frustrated, but feel the tension across my shoulders.

“Not yet, but I agree we should get on that sooner rather than later. I’ll check with Trip,” Sterling offers.

I nod and toss the used rag into the trunk before slamming it closed. Then, before I can say more, Dane interrupts with a drawn out, “Damnnn…”

Sterling and I follow his gaze until we spot who he’s gawking at. The one who has him rising from his seat and setting his phone aside, despite the thirsty fans he leaves hanging.

This, alone, is no small miracle.

Not sure who I expect to find has stolen his attention, but I definitely don’t expect it to be Joss. Yet, she’s the only girl bounding toward my car at full speed, screeching with a huge grin, arms already stretched this way despite still being halfway across the lot.

It’s understandable why Dane’s caught up, though. A summer spent visiting both halves of her family—first in Haiti, then Cuba—has certainly done that body good. She was smokin’ hot evenbeforeshe left, but ‘damn’was the perfect reaction.

A short dress that ties around the waist leaves her golden-brown legs exposed underneath it. Sunlight shimmers over her skin with every step she takes. It does the same with the gold highlights twisted into the braids piled on top of her head.

I can practically hear my brother’s heart beating, and it’s pretty damn pathetic. No Shade to Joss. It’s only pathetic because Dane’s loved the girl since we first met her at age twelve and dude still hasn’t grown the balls to do anything about it.

With only seconds to spare before she reaches us, I lean in toward Dane with a huge grin on my face. I can’t let this moment pass without giving him shit, so I do my best Valley Girl impression to further annoy him.

“Like, imagine your best friend, like, being super hot.Thenimagine, like,not …being able to tap that.”

Sterling laughs behind his fist, but Dane isn’t amused. His only reaction is the elbow I take to the ribs. Then, Joss is right in front of us, colliding with Dane so forcefully she practically knocks the wind out of him. His back slams against the broadside of my car and both arms lock tight around her waist. It’s just a hug, yeah, but not the kind you expect between‘best friends’.

They’re both full of shit. They just haven’t realized it yet. One of these days, they’re gonna get tired of beating around the bush, and someone will make a move.

My money’s on Dane, but Sterling swears it’ll be Joss.

We’ll see how it plays out, but for now, both try extra hard to convince themselves and each other they’ll never be a thing.

“When’d you get back?” Dane asks. “Didn’t expect to see you until Monday morning.”

His eyes are all over her when they finally put some space between them. She either doesn’t mind, or she’s so used to him eye-banging her she doesn’t even notice anymore. Probably the latter.

“We got in early so I wouldn’t miss orientation. Plus, I wanted to get back for Casey’s B-Day party tonight.”

As soon as she mentions that name, I see regret in her eyes as they flit toward me. But if she’s expecting me to lose my shit, it won’t happen. There’s so much to unpack with what has now been dubbed‘The Casey Situation’I don’t even have the energy.

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