Page 62 of I Blame the Rival

I shudder, wishing we weren’t talking about my brother. Trip catches my reaction and laughs, “Maybe not from a sibling perspective, but it was cute.”

“I’m glad it was a good experience.”

“Me too. I hope you get the chance to have a good experience as well.” Trip pulls a face, “Not with your brother, though. That would be sad for me and gross for you.”

Smothering a gag, I shake my head, “I think it’s time to change the topic.”

“Agreed.” Trip starts to giggle and it doesn’t take long for me to join in.

“Did I miss something?”

I turn and see Skylar watching us with bright eyes. A wide smile breaks free as I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him close.

It seems silly to miss someone when you talk to them every night, but somehow my heart manages.

Skylar wraps his arms around my waist and presses a soft kiss against my neck. I close my eyes, finally feeling a little bit more complete.

Trip clears her throat, “You must be Skylar.”

Gently pulling away from his embrace, I shoot her an apologetic smile, “Skylar, this is Trip, my brother’s girlfriend. We were just talking about their sex life.”

He glances at her, “That’s unfortunate.”

Trip laughs, “It really was. Nice to meet you, Skylar.”

“Likewise.”

He brushes white hair from his eyes and my gaze drops to the plain black t-shirt he’s wearing. The material hangs loose off his slim frame, but my attention snags on the piece of paper pinned to the middle of it.

A delighted gasp escapes me, “Did you draw that?”

“I didn’t want to show up without some show of support.”

“I love it.”

I lean in closer, admiring the fine lines of the tiger crawling along the paper. It’s an exact replica of Taber’s mascot, the predator’s mouth open in a fierce roar that our lacrosse team is known for making before each game.

He shrugs, “You’re welcome to have it after the game.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

A ping sounds and Trip quickly pulls out her phone, “It looks like my roommate has secured our seats. We should probably head over there before she scares away more students.”

Skylar tilts his head, “Is your roommate scary?”

“Only when she wants to be.” Trip blows out a breath, “Game day tends to bring out her competitive side. Andthatis terrifying.”

I laugh, reaching over to take Skylar’s hand as we start the trek to the stadium. He observes the mass of students cutting through the manicured lawns without a word, his grip on my hand tightening the closer we get to the stadium.

“Have you ever been to Taber before?” I ask the question as the massive bleachers rise up above us, the stream of students merging together to slip past the entrance.

“It’s been a while.”

We flash our student IDs and follow the sea of orange and black up the stairs to the bleachers. Trip leads us past the main stretch of wooden benches to the row closest to the field. Skylar’s hand slips from mine as we walk towards the platinum blonde wearing tiger striped face paint.

Stella lets out a shriek when she sees Trip. I laugh, watching the tiny ball of energy bounce from side-to-side. Cody leans forward in his seat to throw me a wave and I return it with a smile.

“Skylar, meet Stella and her boyfriend… Skylar?”

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