“So?”
“I’m surprised we didn’t get in trouble.”
“Mrs. Meyer doesn’t care. Besides, we can tell her we’re getting into our parts.” I reach for her hand again, but she snatches it away. “You’re going to deprive me?”
“Stop.” She sends me a look. “You aren’t going to let me read it?”
“I’ll let you read when I have something to read from you,” I remind her. “Sounds like a fair deal, right?”
“I guess.”
“Hey.” I slip my fingers beneath her chin and tilt her face up. I could kiss her right now. We are in perfect position. But I’m not going to let it happen in the middle of Honors English. “You’ll sit with me on the bus?”
She frowns. “Tonight? To the game?”
I nod, releasing my hold on her chin. “I want to sit with you.”
“What about your friends?”
None of those guys are my friends. Not really. Ryan is the closest thing to it, and I cultivate that friendship out of needing his trust on the field. “They can live without me.”
“Jordan.” She rests her hand on my forearm. “You’re their quarterback. Their leader. You can’t ditch them. You need to spend time with them and get them pumped up, so you’ll get pumped up.”
Amanda has a valid point. “I’ll sit with you on the ride back home then.”
She nods. “Okay.”
No other girl would’ve suggested what she just did. They all want a piece of me. And don’t want to share with anyone else. I’m willing to give my all to this girl, yet she wants to make sure I’m taking care of everyone else in my life.
She’s unreal.
And soon she’s going to be all mine.
I’ve been on the football field plenty of times in my life, but always as a band member. Always as one of the girls in her scratchy polyester blend uniform, trying her best to run as fast as possible while playing the clarinet. Working hard to keep up with the coordinated moves and praying my too large hat doesn’t fall off my head and trip the person running behind me.
But tonight, I’m on the sidelines, keeping my boys hydrated. Running around with the other water girl as we try to keep up with the boys as they come off the field. We help tape them up too, Coach Halsey barking at us when a player needs help. Most of the boys try to refuse us but Kyla, the other water girl, is a force to be reckoned with. She won’t take no for an answer.
“Don’t let those boys boss you around,” she told me as we sat on the bench in between the JV and varsity game, trying to rest up. “If Coach says they need to be taped up, do it. If we need to spray their knuckles with Neosporin or whatever, do that too. Don’t let them whine at you and tell you they’re fine.” The look she sent me made me laugh a little. “They’re usually not.”
Our little conversation was interrupted by the reappearance of Coach Halsey, who clapped his hands together and demanded we get ready for the boys to come out onto the field. I watched in awe as they jogged out, the visitor section filled with parents and fans from our school cheering loudly. It was exciting. Exhilarating. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.
I wish I could’ve discovered this water girl job a lot sooner.
Livvy came to the game. She got a ride with one of the other football player’s girlfriend and they’re both up in the visitor stands, their boyfriends’ jersey numbers written on their cheeks in blue and white face paint. They yell and scream and Livvy goes especially crazy when Ryan scores a touchdown, and it’s super hard for me to keep my crap together.
I’m envious of their jumping around. I want to be able to jump around for my favorite player too. But I can barely talk to him, let alone act like a crazed fan. Jordan is kept busy the entire game, going over plays, in the huddle with his team, playing out on the field, sitting on the bench, or taking one of the many water bottles I hand him. He always gives me a nod of acknowledgement, but I know he’s so incredibly focused on the game, he’s barely registering it’s me. Just a few minutes ago he was shaking off Coach Halsey when he suggested they put in the backup guy for a little bit, just to give Jordan a rest.
“Fuck that, Halsey,” I heard Tuttle mutter, and I know he meant business. So did the coach, considering he didn’t reprimand him for foul language. Jordan is so edgy, so freaking intense while playing football. It’s kind of scary.
It’s also really sexy.