away. “Is it possible for you to stop acting like a dick for two seconds?”
“I could try, but I’m not making any promises.” Ryan flashed me a grin.
“Hey, man.” Sawyer joined us.
“Riddles, what’s up?” Ryan lifted his hand and they engaged in a fist bump.
I had to get out of here. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Spinning around, I went after Chloe. She was already at the end of the hallway, but I wove through the students, moving quickly.
“Chloe!” I called after her.
Her body flinched, but she didn’t turn. In fact, she moved faster, disappearing around the corner. Shit. Taking a deep breath, I slowed down.
“Holden?” Bethany’s voice was like a splash of cold water on my face.
A frustrated breath escaped through my lips. She was the last damn person I wanted to see at this moment. Pressing my lips into a tight line, I stared at her. I was hoping my hard expression would scare her, but I should’ve known better. Bethany never did know when to walk away.
“Why do you need the new girl? Did she drop something?” She glanced down at my hands. This was a classic Bethany tactic.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Beth,” I said.
Her cheeks colored. “What would I have to be jealous about? I have a boyfriend, remember?”
My insides twisted. How could I forget? Her boyfriend was the guy she had cheated on me with.
“Besides, I’d never be jealous of a band geek.” Her brows furrowed. “Wait, you’re not like seeing her or something, are you?”
So this was all about getting information from me. That made sense. Bethany always was one for gossip. I shoved past her. “Nice to see you, Beth. Tell Dusty I said hi.”
“His name’s Rusty,” she corrected me.
“Is it?” My lips tugged at the edges as I swaggered away from her. She may not have known when to walk away, but I sure as hell did.
Once I rounded the corner, I glanced around at the last place I’d seen Chloe. The hallway had cleared out. When the bell rang out, I sighed. It seemed I couldn’t catch a break when it came to Chloe.
But I wasn’t giving up.
Not now.
Not ever.
Chloe had no idea who she was up against. Ask any guy on the team. I never backed down. I was relentless. I fought. I won. Every time. And this time would be no different.
Chloe avoided me the remainder of the week. Whenever I tried to approach her she took off. I thought of chasing her, but decided against it. There were a lot of girls who would respond to being chased. Girls who would love it even. Bethany was like that. She got a kick out of the chase. Liked making me humiliate myself for her. Liked knowing that I would run around like a freaking idiot for her. Chloe didn’t strike me as that kind of girl. No, this wasn’t about her wanting to be pursued. This was about me proving I was worthy of her.
About me proving that I wouldn’t treat her the way others had treated her at school. That I wasn’t the kind of guy who judged others based on looks and social status. Since I knew chasing her was out, I had to come up with a different plan. Grand, romantic gestures were something I could do, but I wasn’t sure if that would work either.
I didn’t have much time to mull over options since my week was jam-packed with school work and football practice. Before I knew it, the Friday night game was upon me. As I stood on the field in my football gear, bright lights shining down, I felt at peace for the first time all week. All the turmoil I’d been experiencing dissipated. Even my irritation with Ryan flew out the window. On the football field, he wasn’t my friend. He was my teammate. He was the best damn wide receiver I knew. And we made a great team. The only chink in my armor was when I spotted Mom in the bleachers, sitting alone. My heart pinched at James’ absence. Where the hell was he lately? But I shoved away the thought, vowing to take care of him later. This was what football did for me. It grounded me. It
“I could try, but I’m not making any promises.” Ryan flashed me a grin.
“Hey, man.” Sawyer joined us.
“Riddles, what’s up?” Ryan lifted his hand and they engaged in a fist bump.
I had to get out of here. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Spinning around, I went after Chloe. She was already at the end of the hallway, but I wove through the students, moving quickly.
“Chloe!” I called after her.
Her body flinched, but she didn’t turn. In fact, she moved faster, disappearing around the corner. Shit. Taking a deep breath, I slowed down.
“Holden?” Bethany’s voice was like a splash of cold water on my face.
A frustrated breath escaped through my lips. She was the last damn person I wanted to see at this moment. Pressing my lips into a tight line, I stared at her. I was hoping my hard expression would scare her, but I should’ve known better. Bethany never did know when to walk away.
“Why do you need the new girl? Did she drop something?” She glanced down at my hands. This was a classic Bethany tactic.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Beth,” I said.
Her cheeks colored. “What would I have to be jealous about? I have a boyfriend, remember?”
My insides twisted. How could I forget? Her boyfriend was the guy she had cheated on me with.
“Besides, I’d never be jealous of a band geek.” Her brows furrowed. “Wait, you’re not like seeing her or something, are you?”
So this was all about getting information from me. That made sense. Bethany always was one for gossip. I shoved past her. “Nice to see you, Beth. Tell Dusty I said hi.”
“His name’s Rusty,” she corrected me.
“Is it?” My lips tugged at the edges as I swaggered away from her. She may not have known when to walk away, but I sure as hell did.
Once I rounded the corner, I glanced around at the last place I’d seen Chloe. The hallway had cleared out. When the bell rang out, I sighed. It seemed I couldn’t catch a break when it came to Chloe.
But I wasn’t giving up.
Not now.
Not ever.
Chloe had no idea who she was up against. Ask any guy on the team. I never backed down. I was relentless. I fought. I won. Every time. And this time would be no different.
Chloe avoided me the remainder of the week. Whenever I tried to approach her she took off. I thought of chasing her, but decided against it. There were a lot of girls who would respond to being chased. Girls who would love it even. Bethany was like that. She got a kick out of the chase. Liked making me humiliate myself for her. Liked knowing that I would run around like a freaking idiot for her. Chloe didn’t strike me as that kind of girl. No, this wasn’t about her wanting to be pursued. This was about me proving I was worthy of her.
About me proving that I wouldn’t treat her the way others had treated her at school. That I wasn’t the kind of guy who judged others based on looks and social status. Since I knew chasing her was out, I had to come up with a different plan. Grand, romantic gestures were something I could do, but I wasn’t sure if that would work either.
I didn’t have much time to mull over options since my week was jam-packed with school work and football practice. Before I knew it, the Friday night game was upon me. As I stood on the field in my football gear, bright lights shining down, I felt at peace for the first time all week. All the turmoil I’d been experiencing dissipated. Even my irritation with Ryan flew out the window. On the football field, he wasn’t my friend. He was my teammate. He was the best damn wide receiver I knew. And we made a great team. The only chink in my armor was when I spotted Mom in the bleachers, sitting alone. My heart pinched at James’ absence. Where the hell was he lately? But I shoved away the thought, vowing to take care of him later. This was what football did for me. It grounded me. It
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