Page 65 of I Blame the Rival

“Nothing.” She smiles at me with flushed cheeks, “But the game is going to start any minute now.”

I blink, struggling to process the information when I can still feel Lacey’s soft body pressing against me.

She lifts her hand and strokes my face gently, “Do you remember what you promised me last night, Skylar Vin?”

My last name flows out of her mouth like nothing I’ve ever heard before. There’s no contempt, no fear, no hatred. There’s just three letters and one syllable.

The lustful thoughts slip away as my body starts to ache for an entirely different reason.

“Yeah.”

“What did you promise me?” Her fingers grip my chin, forcing me to look at her, “What you were going to start believing?”

The edges of Lacey’s face begin to blur as tears burn my eyes.

“That I’m something special.”

A tear slips down my cheek but Lacey catches it before it can fall. Swiping her thumb under my eye, she wipes away the evidence without so much as a blink.

“Say it again.”

“I’m something special.”

Lacey shakes her head with a sad smile, “Now you just have to believe it.”

I stare at her, feeling my chest collapse with the unconceivable notion that she would want anything to do with someone like me.

“If I’m not allowed to thank you then you’re not allowed to look at me like that.” She taps me on the nose, “Now, I’ve got to go watch the Tigers play but you don’t have to join me if you don’t want to.”

I hesitate, thinking about the demons waiting for me in the stands. Cody Ellsworth represents everything I’ve tried to escape this past year. Everything I’ve tried to forget through art and an endless number of therapy sessions.

But I promised my flower I would be there.

“I’ll come.” I blow out a breath and loosen my grip on her waist. Too many promises have been broken in my household to throw away another one.

A bright smile flashes my way, officially sealing my fate. Taking my hand, Lacey leads us back to the bleachers that nearly destroyed me the last time.

We fall in step beside each other, our fingers intertwined as I re-enter the rival’s spectator arena. The sight of the painted lacrosse field has one last secret bubbling up inside me, but I shove it back down before it can leak out.

I need to tell her the truth, but not today.

I want today to be a good day.

Chapter 14

Lacey

My brother scores a goal and the crowd goes wild.

The players wearing orange and black jerseys go running for a celebratory huddle, jostling Wesley for tying up the game with a seventh goal in the last quarter. Nico pushes up his helmet and lets out a cheer from his position in the crease, the excitement on his face easy to see from our front row seats.

Even Mighty Mo, Taber’s graduated lacrosse legend and Nico’s partner, looks pleased from his assistant coach position on the sidelines.

The energy of the crowd washes over me, the excitement in the air palpable from every Taber supporter in the bleachers. Stella is jumping up and down beside Skylar, her enthusiasm rubbing off on nearby spectators. Cody is grinning beside her, shaking his head as the players break off and run back into their positions.

“I swear to God, half the shots Wes makes are pure luck.”

Stella snorts, “It’s not luck, it’s strategy. That man studies lacrosse videos in his spare time.”

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