Page 76 of Matched By My Rival
I followed his gaze to the patch of green in the center of a courtyard. A little park where a small group of students sat clustered near some trees. In the center, a handful of guys were horsing around with a Frisbee.
No, not guys. Football players.
I swallowed, a surge of nerves tightening my throat. “Okay,” I said, sounding calm. “No big deal. We’re just hanging out.”
“Right,” Parker said, his voice a shade fainter than usual. “We just bumped into one another at the ice cream stand, and… Yeah. It’ll be fine.”
That was all the time we had to discuss it. Hinkel spotted us and jogged over.
“Hey, Prentiss! Long time, no see. What are you guys up to?”
Ten thousand dollar question. “Watching you assholes embarrass yourselves apparently,” I said.
“Hey!” Cruz objected from behind him. “Like you could do any better.”
“I guarantee I can,” I said with a smirk. “What do you say, Reed? Should we show these jackasses how to catch something?”
Parker snorted. “They’re pretty hopeless. Not much of a challenge.”
I felt the old competitive spark ignite inside me. I grinned slowly. “Fine, you and me then. Let’s see who’s better.”
Parker eyed me warily. “Who’s better at Frisbee?”
“Yup.” I was still grinning like a loon. Or maybe like a shark, judging by how Parker looked at me. I didn’t care that it was a silly game of Frisbee and not football. I felt my adrenaline kick in at the idea of a challenge, and I relished the feeling.
“Okay, sure. You’re on. But what do I win?”
I snorted. “You don’t win. I do.”
Hinkel watched us both. “Uh, it’s just Frisbee, guys. We’re not even really playing.”
“I win, you have to help me with a project for my sports leadership class,” I said.
“Okay. If I win, you have to help me rearrange my dorm room.” His eyebrow arched. “I want to move all the furniture.”
A flash of heat went through me. I knew what he was up to. I almost wanted him to win, but my pride wouldn’t allow it.
I strode past him. “Stop fucking around and let’s play, guys!”
* * *
PARKER
I was pretty sure Simon was possessed with a need to prove himself, which made me uneasy. I didn’t want to show him up, but I was an athlete. Like hell I was gonna lose intentionally. Simon would never buy it, even if I did.
So I found myself running full out across the green. Johnston had thrown it long—and it turned out he was a lot better at tossing the Frisbee than the football.
Simon was at my heels. We were pretty evenly matched, but he’d been out of the game for a while. I was going to beat him.
I jumped. My fingers brushed the Frisbee, which Johnston had thrown high.
“Got—”
A weight hit my waist, taking me to the ground. Hard. My shoulder hit first, then my arm and hip.Fuck!
“You dirty cheat,” I groaned.
“Prentiss, what the fuck!” Cruz yelled. “We need Reed functional, man.”
