Page 63 of Playing with Fire

The fact that I hadn't started sweating before means I would sweat right now. My face felt like it had a fever, yet I denied that I was blushing.

The thought of him never made me turn red.

I narrowed my eyes when the waiter returned carrying our meal. The desire to eat had fully disappeared inside me but I needed to pretend otherwise. Easier said than done, Em. Easier said than done.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Oh, c'mon Jaxon, he's wide open!" Lily yells from beside me.

Her support makes me smile as he fails to take advantage of the wide-open slot. The defense chases him, and he throws the ball out of bounds.

He's already done that three times today. Lily points out.

"I know. He's not playing so well, is he?" I mention his poor performance but try to sound less critical than usual.

"No, he's not. He's fortunate the ball reaches its target with these passes. Lily stresses.

"But they're late," I add.

Extremely fucking late.

The longer he delays his throw the greater the risk of him being hit. She makes it clear how much she wants to avoid him getting hit but he appears to take pleasure in it. "Well, that's the game." I let out a sigh while observing my freshly polished nails.

I understand your perspective, but I want him to steer clear of any unnecessary contact. she rephrases.

"I get it." I shrug. Right now, he needs to make it simpler than he is making it. We should be crushing them."

"Let's just hope we can pull through." Lily shot me an optimistic glance then went back to the game.

The field was blanketed by gray skies while a gentle drizzle fell throughout the gloomy day. We were superior to the opposing team, but the scoreboard told a different story.

The main reason is the quarterback. Jaxon's performance has not reached the level of his usual play. The offensive line works as hard as it can, but Jaxon waits so long he throws the ball while being pursued.

His movements are frantic and uncontrolled as if he's a headless chicken sprinting wildly.

His coach shouts at him after he fails to complete the pass to El downfield. The game proved difficult to watch but we managed to finish it.

I rinsed off after picking Kylie up and then I waited for Elijah to complete his shower. We finished packing the car at two thirty.

Kylie decided to come with us therefore Jaxon is also joining us.

I came into that situation prepared. It was a logical decision.

"Do you want me to drive?" I asked Kylie.

"Sure. Let those two rests." she sighed and crossed her arms.

I spun my head to face both individuals. They engaged in a conversation nearby while both showed signs of extreme exhaustion.

"I don't want to come across as mean but..." she stopped herself from speaking her true thoughts. I had a clear understanding of her thoughts. I whispered quietly to Kylie that he played poorly.

He has never played that poorly during any of his previous games. She gave me a weary look.

"Maybe it's just...a bad day." I guess. "I don't know." I disregarded it and invited both of them to join me. Our parents said goodbyes and reminded us to "stay safe" before we entered the car.

I take the front seat with Kylie while the other two take the back seats. Our journey began without any problems until we encountered traffic which progressively got worse as timewent on. A famished Elijah kept whining to me until I spotted a McDonald's off the highway after driving for three hours. I entered the parking lot before we all stepped out of the car. Jaxon had fallen asleep in the car so no one wanted to wake him.

"What does he usually get, El?" I inquire about Jaxon's usual order as the bell rings overhead.

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