Page 425 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

Un-fucking-contested.

My yell becomes a roar. I shake off the hands still clinging to me, shove my fists into the air, shake them.

The crowd erupts.

My gaze climbs up the bleachers until I find my family. Pride surges through me when I see my father on his feet, shock and awe painted on his face. Rosie jumping up and down. Diana clapping.

But where’s Harper?

She’s gone.

I deflate. My cry trails off. But then I’m being bombarded with teammates, dragged under a heap of kids yelling my name.

Jude! Jude! Jude!

Feels like I’m going to have a goddamn heart attack. But I let it wash over me, and it takes me under, and I survive.

I’m fuckinguntouchable.

Chapter 39

Harper

A crisp breeze makes me shudder. God, I’m definitely not wearing enough clothes for this weather. I’m betting the cheerleaders bundle up between performances. If they didn’t, they’d all have frostbite before the end of the game, running around in those tiny uniforms.

It’s half time, and I’m standing as near to the locker room entrance as I can without being visible to the jocks coming in from the field.

I catch a glimpse of Jude, but he’s surrounded by a few other players, so I don’t see more than his patented scowl before he disappears inside.

Should have watched the game. Then I wouldn’t be playing peek-a-boo in the dark. I want to know how fucked he is. If I gave him enough of the drugs to have an effect.

Ha. Am Ireallyquestioning the dosage? I took a sip from the bottle after I’d crushed and mixed in the pills to make sure it didn’t taste like something I’d just spiked. Then, when Jude gave it back to me, I had a gulp or two because I didn’t want it to go to waste.

God, how I’m regretting that move.

I’m not completely fucked up, but I definitely don’t feel sober. I’m just a little too aware of everything, my senses heightened, and there’s this urgent need todosomething that’s driving me fucking insane.

I couldn’t just sit on the bleachers anymore. So I came down here to do some recon. But I need more than just a glimpse of Jude to know?—

“Harper?”

I spin around, barely holding back a gasp of surprise. A sandy-haired guy in full football gear frowns quizzically at me as he towels the back of his neck. His brown eyes narrow. “Are you looking for Jude?”

I shake my head. “No, uh, I was just watching.” I wave a hand in the vague direction of the field. “We didn’t have football at my last school, so this is all kinda new to me.”

Why does he look so familiar? Not in the way that a lot of kids do because I’ve seen them in the hallways at school. I get the feeling I know him, like we’ve maybe spoken before and I’ve forgotten. Which is weird, because I don’t think he’s in any of my classes.

Sean’s party. Oh God, was he there?

The guy props his helmet under his arm and extends a hand. “Alex. I’m Jude’s friend.”

“Oh, hi.” I take his hand before I realize what I’m doing, and then I have to shake it or risk looking like an idiot. I’m uncomfortably aware of how warm and strong it is...and what happened the last time a big, warm, hand touched me.

I realize I’m blushing and quickly look away. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“Hey, uh, do you want to get a hotdog after the game?”

I turn reluctantly, my mouth pressed into a panicked line. Alex regards me with an easy smile that looks...well, it looks as safe as he does.

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