Page 126 of Withered

“Woah. He’s better this time,” Ava speaks.

She and Emily have been babbling, telling us everything, as we have no clue what’s happening.

“Who is that? Why haven’t I seen him around?” Kristy asks her.

“He’s a junior,” Emily cuts in.

Just twenty minutes remain in the game, and no one has scored. Some opposing team supporters have already left the arena.

One of our players manages to get hold of the ball, and he runs with it, passing it to Jake midway. Jake sprints, but is blocked by the defender. He passes the ball to Tyler, who runs and throws the ball into the nets.

The score is 2 to 0. The second period ends with a clean win. The boys celebrate their win on the field, and we girls hug each other.

Leaving the arena is far more difficult than getting there. In a single word, chaos! We make our way past the crowds and into the parking lot. We see Tyler’s and Jake’s cars and wait for them to arrive.

When the squad comes, we notice Tyler and Jake chatting in the far back. Tyler is the first to notice us and runs toward us. While sprinting, he drops his backpack and hugs a surprised Kristy. She recovers and returns his hug.

Jake approaches us and stands by my side.

“Are you hurt? I saw you fall,” I ask, checking if he has any injuries.

Jake chuckles. “You look great in this.” I give him a blank stare, and he replies, “I am fine.”

Tyler and Kristy break apart, and he holds her at arm’s length. “I swear it wasn’t me; I wouldn’t do that to you ever.”

Kristy smiles. “Congratulations on your win tonight.”

Tyler smiles back. “Let’s go celebrate.” He takes her to his car, and I follow Jake in his car.

Jake opens the door for me and I get in. He drops his bag on the back seat, then gets in.

Halfway through the ride, Jake asks, “So, are you ready for the weekend at Tyler’s?”

“What are you planning, Henderson?” I ask him.

He smirks. “Just imagining.”

“Uh-huh. And what is that?” I look at him.

Jake looks at me for a mere second and says, “Oh, nothing fancy, just you, me, and a bed.”

His eyes turn back to the road, and I still look at his side profile.

He glances again. “You are not going to say anything?”

“I just want to kiss you so badly, but you’re driving,” I say, and the car swerves to the side of the road, stopping abruptly.

“I’m not driving anymore,” Jake mumbles as he unbuckles his seat belt.

As I unbuckle my seat belt, confidence takes over. I cross the center console and sit on his lap, my hands getting lost in his hair. I take my time to admire his features and his forest-green eyes, which are hooded.

“So, were you saying something?” Jake puts his hands on my waist.

“Was I? I don’t remember.” I play with him.

“Oh, fuck it. I was going to do it anyway,” he says this and crashes his lips against mine in a hungry kiss.

I smile at his eagerness, and he smiles at mine. He breaks the kiss and glides past my face to my ear.

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