Page 55 of So This Is War
“Not a problem.” She smirks. “Good luck tonight. I’ll be watching.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.” I swallow hard, feeling Coach Wood staring me down. “Okay. Bye.”
I move away from her and head into the locker room where Coach Wood stands, staring me down. I offer him a nervous smile and scoot past him, clenching my ass the entire time.
Yup, having a great fucking time.
“Heardyou made your new assistant fetch you a smoothie this morning,” Pacey says as he pulls his socks up. “You really going to bethatboss?”
I look over at Halsey, who’s happily in his own little world, texting Blakely, I assume. So now he’s just going to tell everyone my business, then not participate in the discussion?
He’s changed, and I’m not sure I like it.
“It’s called helping your employee fulfill their job responsibilities.”
“It’s called being a douche,” Silas says. “Get your own damn smoothie, man.”
“She wants stuff to do.” I will defend myself here. “There’s nothing wrong with giving her tasks so she feels like she’s aiding in the success of my life.”
“Is that how you’re really going to put it?” Eli says. “The success of your life?”
“I think it has a nice ring,” OC says.
All the boys turn toward OC, who sheepishly picks up his socks and puts them on.
“Dude, just tell us what the hell is going on with Grace so we don’t have to watch you pathetically suck up to Posey all the time,” Silas says. “You’re starting to lose our respect.”
“Don’t listen to them,” I say to OC. “You just write up that synopsis for me, and we’ll figure out what to do. Trust me when I say these morons have no idea how to handle a budding relationship.”
“Not this again,” Eli says with a groan. “If you’re so good, then why the fuck aren’t you with someone?”
“Great point,” Pacey says. “Explain to us why you aren’t the master of your own heart.”
Silas presses his palm to his chest. “That’s a nice way to put it, man.”
Pacey nods. “Thanks, it felt like it had a nice ring to it. Something in one of Halsey’s books.”
Halsey doesn’t even look up from his phone, where he’s smiling largely now.
I can see that the honeymoon phase hasn’t passed yet.
“I don’t even think he’s been with anyone in a while,” Silas adds. “I haven’t seen Posey with a girl in, I don’t know . . . a few months.”
“Unless he’s been hooking up at home,” Eli says.
Pacey shakes his head. “No, you can always tell when Posey is backed up. He gets this tic in his jaw whenever he sees us around our girls.”
My jaw ticks right at that moment, and Eli points it out. “You mean that tic right there, where it pops out like a heartbeat?”
“That exact one,” Pacey says.
“Can you stop looking at my jaw, you perverts,” I say. “Staring at a man’s jaw is like staring at a pair of tits, and I don’t appreciate the ogling.” I press both of my hands to my jaw.
“Not the same thing.” Eli shakes his head.
“Not even a little,” Silas adds.
“Not even close.”
