Page 98 of The Wrong Play

Casey leaned against my desk, examining the poster that Emma had hung over her wall, her dark hair spilling over one shoulder. “These No Drama Llamas tend to be pushy,” she said with a grin. “But they mean well.Mostly.” Her eyes flickered to mine, and I got the distinct impression she was thinking of a specific situation I knew nothing about.

“I think we should change the group name to that Inner Sanctum one. It sounds much cooler,” Natalie mused as she went through my closet like she was trying to see if I had anything she wanted to borrow—spoiler alert, I didn’t.

“Group name?” I asked as I grabbed my school ID and some lip gloss off my dresser.

Natalie’s eye roll was so epic I decided I needed to learn it. “Jace seems to think we need a group name. No one else agrees, but it’s Jace, so we go along with it. What doyouthink our group name should be?”

“Oh, I—don’t know. I mean, that’s up to you guys,” I said shyly.

Casey slid her arm through mine suddenly. “Youarein the group, Riley,” she said gently. “Welcome to the No Drama Llamas.”

Natalie whooped and linked her arm through my other one. “We think you got a lot of potential Riley St. James, don’t let anybody tell you any different.”

I grinned. “Pretty Woman.”

“See!Inner Sanctummaterial right there for knowing my favorite movie.”

The girls dragged me out the door, and the walk to the stadium was a blur of girl talk, the late afternoon air crisp and sharp with fall. Natalie led the charge, her voice bouncing off the trees lining the path. “So, Ri, spill—how’s it going with Jace? Like, are we talking full-on boyfriend vibes yet, or is he still in the ‘I’m gonna charm her ’til she caves’ phase?” She wiggled her brows, her orange nail polish glinting as she waved her hands.

I laughed, soft and shy, my cheeks heating. “I don’t know,” I admitted, tugging my cap lower. “He’s calling me his girlfriend. But he’s…a lot. It’s nice, though.He’snice.” My voice dipped, almost a whisper.

“And hot,” Natalie responded helpfully.

I had an image of how he’d woken me up when I’d spent the night this week, his head in between my thighs.

Yes,very hot.

Natalie smirked as if she could read my mind.

“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?” Casey murmured. “All that attention. Parker’s the same way with me.” Her eyes met mine, steady and kind.

“All thatattention.” Natalie rolled her eyes again, bumping Casey’s shoulder. “You mean absolutely unhinged. Because Parker and Jace definitely have that going on.” Natalie’s grin was infectious. “Seriously, though, he’s, like, asmitten kitten,Ri. I love this for you.” She sighed. “I need to talk to my fairy godmother about the fact that the only football player I found was a cheating cockface.” She muttered something that sounded a little bit like,that’s all I deserve, and I cocked my head, noting an edge of sadness in her gaze, a faint cloud I couldn’t quite read.

“At least you had a chance to show off what a badass you are. You’re practically famous now,” offered Casey.

Natalie’s face regained its smug, confident grin. “We believe in retribution in the No Drama Llamas.Hunter’s just lucky I punched him in the face and not the dick.”

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was still smiling as I listened to them, loving this feeling of…belonging.

Jace’s group was really good at that.

Jacewas really good at that.

By the time we made it to the stadium, the energy in the air was a living thing, buzzing and crackling with excitement. The towering stands were already packed with fans decked out in orange and white, their voices a dull roar beneath the fight song blaring through the speakers.

Casey led the way, weaving effortlessly through the crowd as Nat clutched my wrist, dragging me behind her like an eager golden retriever. We maneuvered past the student section, heading lower, closer—so much closer—to the field than I expected.

A prickle of familiarity crawled up my spine.

My feet slowed as we reached the seats, my stomach twisting when I realized where we were.The same seats Tasha had taken me to the last game.Right up front.

“Wait.” I glanced between them, suspicion creeping in. “How did you guys get these seats?”

Casey shrugged like it was no big deal. “Parker usually hooks us up. But these ones?” She grinned. “Jace.”

Nat nudged me with a smirk, her eyes gleaming. “Jace wanted to make sure you had thebestview of him. Again, his words, not mine. He’s nothing if not considerate.”

I blinked, my brain struggling to catch up.

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