Page 83 of Play It Off

“Why are we here again?” Gavin asks me as I unlock my front door.

“I wanted to pick up a few things before I go to your place,” I tell him as I open the door, coming to a stop when I see who’s sitting on the couch.

It’s Destiny. And her girlfriend, Lizzie. They’re all cuddled up together, their gazes locked on the open laptop sitting on the coffee table. Destiny pulls away from Lizzie to hit the space bar and stop whatever they’re watching.

“Oh. Hey.” I walk farther into the apartment, and Gavin follows behind me, shutting the door. “I didn’t expect you to be home.”

“Lizzie’s electricity is out, so we came over here to finish the movie we started at her place.” Destiny’s gaze shifts to Gavin. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Um ...” I didn’t expect so much hostility coming from Destiny, but she is a bit of a Gavin hater, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. And didn’t she see what happened on her social media? I would’ve thought she’d already heard about us.

“We’re together.” Gavin slips his arm around my shoulders.

“For real?” The skepticism in her voice is obvious.

“Definitely. And hey, I’m Gavin.” He drops his arm from around me and takes a step toward the couch, offering his hand to Destinyto shake. She takes it, reluctantly. “Sorry for sneaking into your dorm room that one time.”

Destiny’s mouth drops open, and her girlfriend’s expression immediately turns suspicious.

“What exactly is he talking about?” Lizzie asks.

“I was feeling up Sienna, not your girlfriend.” Gavin smiles and offers his hand to Lizzie. “I’m Gavin.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lizzie.” She shakes his hand limply, staring at his face, and I don’t blame her for having that dazed expression. Gavin is charmingly handsome, and he’s just pulled poor Lizzie into his orbit.

“Stop working your magic on my girl,” Destiny grumbles, making everyone laugh. Even Lizzie, whose cheeks are bright pink.

I go to my bedroom while Gavin makes small talk with Destiny and Lizzie. After grabbing a duffel bag, I fill it with a few things, then move on to the bathroom, where I shove my toiletry bag inside it. I’m spending the next few days with my man. I even take my backpack with me, my laptop nestled inside. I don’t have school until Tuesday, but I work tomorrow afternoon while he’s at practice, so that won’t be so bad. I’m going to spend the next two nights with him, and I can’t wait.

“Ready?” I ask when I return to the living room.

“Yeah.” Gavin grabs both bags from me. Such a gentleman. He even opens the door for me. “Nice meeting you both.”

“Treat her right, Gavin Maddox!” Destiny shouts as he pulls the door shut.

“Don’t worry, I will!” he yells back, making me smile.

Making me melt in a puddle.

How did I get so lucky?

EpilogueSienna

They made it. The Dolphins are playing in the national-championship game, and while I’m thrilled for them, I’m also a nervous wreck. All of us are, and by all of us I’m talking about me, my parents, Everleigh, and Nico’s mom, Claudia. We’ve been on the edge of our seats since we got here. No snacks are being eaten, no drinks beyond water. It’s freezing outside, and we’re all bundled up—and we’re a collective bundle of nervous energy. It’s awful.

But also exhilarating. I want this win so badly for both my brother and Gavin. This game is important to them. Feels like the most important game of their careers, and everything is riding on this win. If they lose?

I can barely stomach the thought, but that won’t ruin their potential. Quite a few of them are predicted to make it into the NFL draft. Gavin is currently a top pick. So is Coop. Nico and Jonesie too. I want it for all of them, even though I realize they might not all get drafted.

That’s a worry for another day. Right now, I need to focus on this game and hope that all the positive vibes we’ve been casting out into the universe have worked. I have manifested the shit out of this. Ivisualized them winning. Constantly talk about them winning, though after a while Gavin made me stop. Too worried that my saying they’ll win could jinx them.

Athletes are incredibly superstitious.

“I can’t take it.” Everleigh covers her eyes with her gloved hands, though two fingers are spread so one eye is still visible. She reminds me of that one emoji.

“Drop your hands. It’s not that big of a deal.” Don’t I sound easy breezy? It’s a facade because I definitely don’t feel that way. My stomach is twisted into knots, and I worry I might throw up.

Ever removes her hands, wringing them constantly, and I avert my head, unable to look at her or the field. Instead, I scan the sea of faces filling the stadium. Sense the excitement filling the air. We’re leading on the scoreboard, and there are only five minutes left on the clock. We’re in the fourth quarter, but I can’t relax. Things can and usually do change at a moment’s notice. There will be no reason to celebrate early. I’m waiting until that clock hits zero before I can finally relax.

---