“Mrs. Coach introduced us when I got here. She’s the niece Coach has warned us all to stay away from.” There’s a warning in his eyes. “So be nice Gray, but don’t be whipping out that entire home grown Southern charm all at once. She’s not just another freshman you can toy with.” I grin. No girl has ever been able to resist my ‘home grown Southern charm’.
The kitchen door swings open and Huntley heads straight for our table. I watch how her dress flows with the movement of her legs, hitting her just above the knee. The closer she gets the further up my gaze travels, ending on her face when she stops in front of us. “Here you go, two coffees,” she says, placing our coffees on the table. “Your food will be out in a minute.” She smiles at me and Brody clears his throat. I’m gawking like an idiot. When Brody kicks me under the table I snap out of the stupor and gingerly smile back at her. “Thanks” is all I manage to say since my voice has pulled a Houdini on me. How convenient.
“Huntley, this is Grayson,” Brody says, waving his arm in my direction. “He’s our star quarterback and my pain in the ass best friend.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Huntley.” She sticks her hand out and I take it. My hand looks gigantic in comparison and envelopes hers easily. “So you’re the brat Coach has been talking about non-stop,” I tease, glad to have returned to my confident self. The slight blush in her cheeks is barely noticeable but hell it’s so cute. “Promise me you won’t believe everything he tells you,” she whispers. “I’m not half the trouble he makes me out to be.” She’s being playful.
“We’ll have to see about that sweetheart.” I’m doing everything Brody told me not to and laying my Southern charm on thick, even accentuating my drawl a little more. Her cheeks redden a little more and she turns to look at Brody. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your food,” she repeats. Brody smiles at her and we watch her leave.
“Well well, the last time I saw you get all tongue-tied and breathless like that over a girl was when you met Haley.” The mention of my ex girlfriends’ name makes my entire body go rigid. I haven’t spoken about her or seen her again since she cheated on me in our freshman year and skipped town. That was two years ago. That’s not all she did I remind myself.
I scowl at him. “Brody, don’t.”
He shrugs. “Just callin’ it like I see it.”
Before our conversation can continue, Huntley exits the kitchen and starts towards us. Thank God our food is done, I’m starving and hopefully Brody will shut up while we eat. I hate that the mere mention of Haley’s name can put me in such a foul mood so quickly. Obviously I’m not as over it as I thought. Maybe if cheating on me was all she did then I’d be over it. But it wasn’t and what followed was a long string of random hook-ups to try numb the pain. She left me when I needed her the most. It was the hardest time of my life.
I drag myself away from my vehement thoughts and instead of turning to look at Huntley, I finding Rebecca’s angry glare. She’s shooting daggers at Huntley but when she sees me watching her, the expression changes into something more sinister, evil. What the hell is up with that? Brody wasn’t lying when he said Rebecca was the she-devil incarnate. She had a nasty jealous streak and an imperceptible cruelty about her.
I should’ve known what would happen next. I should’ve expected it.
Rebecca sticks her leg out slightly and catches Huntley by the foot. The tray flies into the air and before I can think twice about what I’m doing my feet start moving towards the accident-in-progress. The plates and coffee cups join the tray and come crashing down with a deafening clatter. I grab Huntley by the waist and catch her before she can hit the ground. Her head snaps up and she’s looking at me like a deer caught in headlights. I notice then that her eyes are the most incredible shade of indigo. But it’s their depth and lucidity that surprise me, like they would be able to see right through me if given the chance.
Get a damn grip Grayson.