Page 42 of The Wrong Quarterback

Me: Notice how I didn’t type that out, Cole.

Cole: Notice how I didn’t get the full intent, Parker.

Before I could answer, I heard a pounding at my front door. Glancing at the clock, I frowned when I saw it was after midnight.

Maybe it was weird that I’d chosen to rent a house by myself, right next to the one that Jace and Matty shared, but I liked my sleep…and I liked my privacy. And having someone knock on my door when I was supposed to be sleeping violated both of those things.

I walked to the front door and glanced out the window, not seeing anyone on the porch.

Fuckers.

That was happening more and more often. People finding out where I lived and thinking it would be fun to “prank” the school’s quarterback.

I threw open the door. “Really funny, assholes,” I called out to the quiet-sounding street. I was about to close the door when I noticed a red envelope on the ground, sealed with a very familiar emblem.

Fuck. It was from the Sphinx.

I grabbed the letter and went back inside, ripping it open as soon as the door closed and reading through the contents, my disbelief growing.

Great, looks like I’d be missing out another night of dreaming about Casey.

Tonight was Initiation Trial Number One.

“Remind me why we’re here?” Jace complained as we parked my truck a few blocks away from the cemetery we’d be invading tonight.

I slapped him on the shoulder as I jumped out and opened the back, pulling out the shovels I’d brought for the occasion.

“I just mean, what part offootball playermeansgrave robberto these people?” Jace continued after he’d finally gotten out of the truck and walked over to where I was waiting.

We both stared at Matty still sitting in the truck, staring straight ahead as if he could pretend that we weren’t there if he didn’t look.

“You have to get him out. This isn’t evenourtrial. I’m only doing this because we both know you’ll be insufferable if we’re Sphinx cool people and you’re not,” Jace said, crossing his arms and leaning against the truck as he began to whistle.

I needed new best friends.

I walked to the other side of the truck and threw open the door. “Are you coming?” I asked, trying to be nice. It was two o’clock in the morning, and of the three of us, Matty needed the most beauty sleep.

“I can’t do it,” he said, sounding a bit…panicked.

“Sorry?”

“I can’t go into that graveyard. Everyone knows that one is haunted.”

I blinked at him, trying to figure out if he was kidding or not.

“Alright, well I’ll be sure to protect you from any—ghosts—that we see,” I said soothingly.

Jace popped his head over my shoulder. “I think he’s being serious,” he commented unhelpfully.

“Now is not the time to inform us that you’re terrified of cemeteries,” I snapped, putting all of my team captain’s energy behind my voice.

It didn’t work. Not even in the slightest.

I waved a hand in front of his face. Nothing.

“Maybe offer him a cookie or something. His blood sugar could be low,” said Jace…beginning to munch on his own cookie that he’d pulled from who the hell knew where.

“Could you be any louder?” I hissed. I didn’t know it was possible to eat a cookie like you were working a chainsaw, but Jace was showing me how it was done.

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