Page 11 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
“So why would you want to take a slut to your senior prom?”
“Why do you think?” He pulled a fifty-dollar bill out of his pocket and waved it in front of my face. “How much will that buy me? I hear you charge by the hour.”
I gritted my teeth as the final bell rang. I was tempted to walk away, but I needed the books in my locker. Besides, I didn’t want an asshole like Dalton Smith getting the best of me. I opened my mouth to speak when someone stepped up next to me and slung an arm around my shoulder. I looked up at Ridge.
What the hell was he doing?
For the past few months, I’d gone out of my way to avoid him. After that humiliating incident at HEB, shame burned through me every time I looked at him. And now that I knew he was also a football player, I had added incentive to steer clear.
“You messing with my girl, Smith?”
My girl? My jaw unhinged and nearly hit the floor.
“Well, if it isn’t the new wide receiver,” Dalton said. “You have big shoes to fill. And from where I’m standing, I doubt you have what it takes.”
Ridge laughed. “Big shoes, huh?” Ridge’s gaze lowered to the Air Jordans on Dalton’s feet. “My big toe would feel cramped in your tiny shoes. And from what I’ve heard, you couldn’t hang on to a ball if it was covered in Velcro. Just kept slipping right through your butterfingers. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re the reason we didn’t win the state championship last year. You dropped the ball. My bad. You didn’t evencatchthe ball.”
Dalton rolled out his shoulders. “That wasn’t my fault. Wilkinson’s a pussy. Can’t throw a decent pass to save his life.”
“You hear that?” Ridge cupped his ear. “That’s the sound of a loser. Where I come from, you don’t blame your quarterback for your shortcomings. Now get the fuck out of our way. My girl hates to be late for class. Isn’t that right, babe?” He squeezed my shoulder.
I glared at him. He threw me a wink.
“You deserve each other,” Dalton said. “You’re both white trash. And I guess it makes sense that a girl like Evie doesn’t care that you’re fucking half the girls—”
He never got to finish his sentence. Ridge grabbed him by the shoulders, hurled him across the hallway and shoved him against the lockers across from mine.
More words were exchanged, but I tuned them out, grabbed the books I needed, and strode right past the two assholes fighting in the hallway.
By the look of things, Ridge had the upper hand. That didn’t surprise me. He always looked like he’d just come out of a street fight, whereas Dalton Smith was a pretty boy who wore more hair products than I did.
I should have kneed him in the balls. Dammit.
Since when do I need a guy coming to my rescue? Ridge McCallister of all people.
As I turned the corner, Principal Bradley’s booming voice echoed off the walls.
“Mr. McCallister. My office. Now.”
CHAPTERFOUR
Ridge
The sun was barely up,and I was already sweating my balls off as I sprinted up the stairs of Maverick Stadium. This state-of-the-art facility must have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.
Football was serious business in Texas. They threw a shit ton of money at their football program, but that didn’t mean their players were any better than at my old school. They didn’t have a quarterback like Elijah Reid.
On my way to the top, I blew past Jackson Carter, and passed him again on the way down. He was wheezing like a two-pack-a-day smoker and looked like he was about to keel over and call uncle with his last dying breath. The guy was built like a tank, so it stood to reason that he was slow as fuck. But he could bulldoze through the defense like nobody’s business. Or so I’d been told.
It was spring training, and I wasn’t officially on the team. Yet.
“Move your ass, Carter,” Coach yelled. “Give me four laps, McCallister. Five for my favorite nephew,” he said when we reached the bottom step.
The football coach—Austin Armacost—was Walker’s uncle and my brother’s best friend.
“I’m your only nephew,” Walker said with a scowl.
“Exactly. That’s why you earned the number one spot. Keep it moving!” he shouted at the slackers still doing the stairs.
