Page 162 of Saving the Halfback

“Wait, what?” My heart sank.

“It was in the forms your parents signed. All games are live, since it gives universities looking to recruit a chance to tune in as well.”

“I didn’t read that part. I never noticed any cameras.”

“Hey”—Chase bumped his leg with mine—“don’t think about cameras. Just focus on the game and the play. Like the pitts.”

I nodded. Like the pitts. No one else but the team, having fun, at the pitts. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how many…how many games had Ed tuned in to?

Our rooms didn’t end up side by side—we weren’t even on the same floor—but they were directly below the cheerleaders and me. We had a few hours to decompress before we had to get ready to warm up.

Beth, Jules, Trish, and I shared a room. I hung out with the other two girls now and then, since they were Beth’s closest friends. Even though they listened to Hadley as their cheer captain, they didn’t agree with how she acted or treated me, which put them in the guys’ good books.

After claiming our beds, Beth and I shared the one closest to the window. I sat on the bed, staring at my phone while completely zoned out, my mind blank.

“We’re doing our nails,” Beth announced.

I smiled.

“Come on, girl. Stop looking at your phone. You’ve had enough boy time. Now it’s girl time.”

With a sigh, I walked over to where they all sat on the other bed, towels splayed out in front of them. “Okay, but seriously, how hard are Nolan’s abs?” Trish asked with a giggle.

“Nooo, no boy talk,” Jules whined. “I have to hear about the football team every day from Greg.” Her eyes turned to me. “I’m sure you want a break from it as well.”

“I’m not sure how to get a break from it,” I admitted.

“Oh my god, that’s right. Ethan and Chase live with you, right?”

“Trish!” Beth slapped at her playfully. “Gossip is usually based off rumors. They just ride to school together. Here, babe, pick a color.” Beth turned the case filled with a variety of colors of nail polish. I chose our team colors.

Then I looked sheepishly up at Trish. “They do live with me,” I said. “And Nolan’s abs are made of steel. But he seriously works out more than he sleeps.”

Trish squealed, and I laughed.

“So, you’re dating him?” she asked.

“Yes.” Because that was the truth. I just left out the part about being with all four of them. Jules whined again about boy talk, and Beth began talking about a cute teacher in the school. I’d never had him before, but by the way they swooned over him, I decided maybe that was for the best. It felt good, having friends, normal friends, that talked in tangents. One mundane topic leading into another. No heaviness in the conversations, no danger or pain, just normal stuff.

I was waiting for my nails to dry and watching Jules do Beth’s, since I had warned her she didn’t want me doing them. Even after the weeks I’d spent in art class, I still had trouble coloring in the lines. There was a knock at the door, but it wasn’t our room door. It was the balcony door.

I gasped as Lachlan grinned in at us. Wes and Nolan were pulling Ethan up over the rail. I ran over and opened the door.“What the hell are you doing?” I rushed to the edge, looking down where Chase, Greg, Hersey, and Levi stood on the rail of their balcony below.

“You didn’t answer your phone, so we were just checking in.” Lachlan shrugged, like it was obvious.

Once everyone was in the room safely, we turned on the TV, finding a movie to put on while the girls and I got to work painting the guys’ nails.

I was sitting on Nolan’s lap while he kept his hand on my knee, so I could paint his fingernails. “Ready for the game?” he asked in a whisper.

“Nope.” I was absolutely petrified.

He nuzzled my neck. “You’re going to do great.”

I smiled.

We were losing.

I came off the field, sweat pouring down my face. I’d been playing quarterback—badly. Nolan had been sitting on the sidelines. He limped up to me, meeting me as soon as I got off the field. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said as soon as he saw my face.

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