Page 18 of Caught Stealing

All I know is there’s gotta be some reason for the animosity he holds for me. A reason not at all related to Kason—who was no help in figuring out what it might be. But when the whistle blows, signaling the change of possession, I realize right now is certainly not the time to dwell on it.

Our offensive line begins rushing out to the field, and a mixture of anticipation and adrenaline churns in my gut.

“Show time,” Kason says, and I catch him bouncing out of my peripheral, clearly trying to hype himself up to take the field.

Phoenix’s gaze still bores into me, even after I break away to give Kason my full attention. I’m not one for words of encouragement—giving or receiving them—so I just give him a grin. “Damn straight, man. Let’s do this shit.”

And then, because I can still feel Phoenix’s attention burning me like a blow torch, I give him a nice little smack on the ass. For extra luck.

Kason doesn’t even notice as he takes the field, but when I glance back over to his bestie in the stands, I know he saw. At least, if the steam billowing from his ears like in those cartoons is any indication.

A smirk curls the corner of my mouth before I blow Phoenix a kiss, knowing it’s all that’s needed to get under his skin before I head out on the field for our first drive of the day.

Six

Phoenix

“There you are,” I grumble as I drop my tray on the table where Kason is all but devouring his lunch in the middle of the crowded dining hall. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

A mild exaggeration. Then again, the dining hall reserved for any of the college’s athletes is packed at noon, so we normally eat later. Not sure what made him decide to change things up, but since lunch is pretty much the only time I see him until the end of the day, I’m not gonna complain.

“Yeah,” he says back absently, eyes glued to his phone screen while he stuffs another fork full of vegetables into his mouth. “Not used to this many people here.”

I slide into place across from him and start digging into my food. The time change means I only have thirty minutes to eat and book it over to the main lecture hall for history—the wonderful class I share with Holden.

God, I’m annoyed just thinking about having to see him.

I do my best to brush away the thoughts, opting for any sort of distraction.

“Am I still helping you study for your poli sci exam tonight?” I ask Kason between bites of chicken. “I think I’ve still got the flashcards I made last semester.”

He chose the elective class thinking it’d be easy, but the course is quickly proving to be more than he can handle—at least without a little help. I’m happy to provide it, seeing as I already passed the class; the only issue is finding nights we’re both home at a decent hour. They’ve become less and less frequent—thank you, football season—so the time we have to go over the material is dwindling before his next test.

Two green eyes flick up to meet mine from across the table, and I can tell from the lines etched between his brow that something’s wrong.

“Shit,” he curses, dropping his fork to his plate with a loudclink.

It’s all the answer I need.

“You forgot.” It’s not a question, since we’ve been friends for a decade. And while I love him, he’s one of the most absent-minded people I’ve ever met. To the point where both my parents would poke fun at him, saying he’d forget his head if it wasn’t already attached to his shoulders.

There’s a plea of forgiveness in his eyes as he continues to stare at me. One that gets my forgiveness every fucking time he’s bailed in the past—albeit on accident—and I’m certain this time is no different.

Kason might be forgetful, but Mom always did say I’m loyal to a fault.

“I’m sorry, Phoe,” he says, his tone matching his expression. “Holden asked if I wanted to grab dinner and catch a movie tonight. I must’ve spaced on our study session when I said yes.”

The mention of Holden causes ice to trickle down my spine, and I bristle. A raincheck of any other kind, I can handle. But to do it so he can go on a date withHolden?

“You’re the one who asked me to help you with this shit, Kase,” I grind out through clenched teeth. “Something I can’t do if you cancel on me to get laid.”

“Don’t be like that.”

Pettiness isn’t in my nature—I’m normally a lot more easygoing than this. I should be happy that Kason is branching out, meeting new people. Dating a guy, or at least finally exploring his sexuality after being closeted for so long. He was for me when I first started seeing Nico last year, though he’s since admitted he wasn’t a fan of the guy.

It should be easy for me to put my own feelings aside here and support him.

But I just can’t. Not when—

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