Page 29 of XO

We both stand to join the others in time to see the Giants run onto the field, a sea of green bursting from the crowd in support. Once they’ve lined up, the announcer introduces the Panthers, and the entire stadium erupts. Jacob is heading his team, and the moment I see him, something flutters in my stomach. With his helmet under his arm, he looks confident as he jogs onto the field. This may not be the love of his life, but he sure is made for the game. Everyone remains standing for the ‘Star-Spangled Banner,’ and while I’m quietly singing along, I’m mesmerized by Jacob’s lips as they move for every word, and I’m transfixed by his perfectly angular jaw that could rival any god.When did he become so damn sexy?

“What the fuck is happening to me?” I ask myself, horrified at my indecent thoughts.

“Huh?” Nessie asks side-glancing me. When I face her, her brows knit together at my horrified expression. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t know, but it needs to stop.”

“Okay…”

How dare Jacob Lynch make me feel this way.And how long exactly has this been going on?Longer than I realize or is it only a recent development?Has he single-handedly managed to unearth feelings I never knew I had?

“I don’t know,” I whisper desperately to myself, wracking my brain for answers.Damn himeither way.

“Who are you talking to?” Nessie stares wide-eyed like there’s a possession taking place.

“Myself!” I grip Jacob’s Panthers’ jacket tighter to my chest and feel heat blush my cheeks.

Why am I suddenly feeling irrational?Could it be the drugs the doctor prescribed, or is my brain now catching up with my heart? “Don’t be stupid,” I chide myself with a laugh. “It’s the drugs.”

“Okay…” Nessie says, perturbed. She unlocks her cell and starts typing. “I’m just going to message your dad and then maybe mine to see if he’s ever performed an exorcism—”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re starting to freak me the fuck out.” Since my religious Nessie just saidfuck, she must genuinely think I’ve completely lost all sense. And, maybe she’s right?

“You’re just going to worry him… them. I’m fine, honest. I just had an unwanted revelation, and you happened to play witness to it.”

“Does this revelation have anything to do with the jacket you’re holding?”

We take our seats as the players put on their helmets and move into position.

“Possibly.”

“You still haven’t told me why you have Jacob Lynch’s Panthers jacket.”

I feel a surge of hope. “You mean to tell me you haven’t heard what happened?”

“If I knew what happened, I wouldn’t be asking.”

“No one at school was gossiping about it?”

“If they are, I’m not privy to it.”

My shoulders relax at hearing that news. I’d been so nervous about attending the game because almost all the students would be here, and I felt for certain I would be the joke of the town. Turns out, Jacob ensured that never happened.

“It’s a story for another time,” I say, not wanting to delve into what could easily be the most embarrassing moment of my life. It was also the moment in my life when Jacob Lynch became my hero.

~

We all stand to applaud what turned out to be an easy victory for the Panthers. It was predicted to be the hardest game of the season, yet somehow the Giants were simply no match for the skill Jacob and his team possessed, the scoreboard rolling a new number every few minutes, Jacob himself being responsible for half of the touchdowns. We watch on as the team gathers around Jacob and lifts him on their shoulders. The crowd goes wild knowing they have a very real chance of taking out this year’s cup in the finals, and with Jacob at the helm, it’s almost a guarantee.

The coach calls all the boys over to the sideline, and they have a group huddle before calling it a night. Jacob and Kevin are laughing and jostling each other when they both look up and catch my attention. They unwittingly move in unison, smiling and raising a hand to wave. I’m caught up in the awkward exchange which becomes even more so when Jacob realizes Kevin is fighting for my attention. I swallow hard and feel my cheeks flush as I wave back. Kevin, none the wiser, gestures for me to wait for him. Jacob, on the other hand, seems perturbed by the interest, and I witness his annoyance. That’s interrupted when Chelsea bounds over to him like a graceful gazelle and throws herself into his arms. He catches her, hands on her ass as she wraps her perfectly tanned legs around his waist. She kisses him intimately to the point where I have to look away. Unlike how I felt earlier, I’m now feeling quite the opposite. It doesn’t matter how my feelings have changed toward Jacob, he will never feel the same.

Jacob Lynch, you’ve ruined me, and it’s all your fault.

~

The crowd dissipates as Nessie and I wait at the stadium entrance. Only fifteen minutes pass before the boys make their exit and come over to where we’re seated around the fountain. I’m wracked with nerves because this is such a foreign situation for me to suddenly find myself in—interested in one boy and infatuated with the other.

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