Page 21 of Campus Heat

I felt flustered and confused. Ethan was a completely different guy that night, and for a split second, I actually had hope that something could happen between us. Then it looked like he found himself again, and it disappeared faster than it started. It was so insane it nearly gave me whiplash.

“Girl… That man wants you more than he’d ever admit,” Jenna said, giving me a fright.

“Don’t be crazy. He was just trying to be helpful,” I scoffed.

“You can keep telling yourself that, but I bet you $100 that Ethan will ask you out before this season is over.”

I wished she was right, but Ethan constantly proved that he wasn’t the type. So I balked at the idea.

“I’ll counter your bet,” I said, feeling rather confident. “I bet you $200 that Ethan doesn’t think of anything other than football.”

“I accept your counter with a smile, because you’re about to lose $300.”

9

Ethan

The car wash obviously didn’t bring in enough money for us to buy our own bus. However, we did raise enough to rent one. As I stepped inside, it was the smell that hit me first. A mix of old vinyl and the scent of something sweet that was trying to cover it up.

My eyes roamed over the seats. Every single one of them was cracked. Some more than others. Coach turned the key, and things just got worse. The air conditioner rattled louder than the engine, and the one window wouldn’t close all the way. So we’d be serenaded by the howl of the wind for the entire two-hour drive.

We couldn’t afford to put our logo on the side, or to have it painted with our school colors. All that was visible on the outside was a smiling cockroach tipping his tophat—Burt’s Pest Control logo that was so old and faded, it was peeling away from the paint. An embarrassment, to say the least.

Much like our struggling team.

I guess it was a match made in hell.

After an insanely terrifying and annoying two hours, we finally pulled into the WestConn Stadium parking lot. There were two massive charter coaches in front of us. Their cool wrapping was a perfect platform for the Wolves’ logo to taunt us from, while our bus clanked and wheezed to a stop.

I couldn’t explain how relieved I was that the trip was over. There were a few uphills that nearly gave me a coronary. And, of course, the bus often made threatening sounds that had us all holding our breath, but none of us said anything. We just filed out in silence and headed to the locker room.

I hurried to get ready because I was curious. I wanted to know what the stadium looked like, and what we could expect for the day. So I walked through the tunnel and stood at its edge. Their field wasn’t only clean, it was neat too. There were crisp yard lines and bright numbers, but the best sight was that of our opposing team.

They ran drills that looked so well-rehearsed it made me want to cry. They had sharp breaks, synchronized warmups, and staff that moved around like they had an actual clue. It was the dream I’d wanted to be a part of since I was a kid. The reason I’d left Stamford.

But what I wanted, and what I got were two completely different things.

My team walked out and started stretching. The embarrassing part was that they couldn’t even form an organized line. Yet, there was something different about them this time. They were chatting. It wasn’t stupid talk or loud predictions. It was focused and sure.

“Remember about the inside leverage,” Lucas said. “And watch the safety rotation.”

“And keep your feet moving,” Cam added.

I was proud of them. They were taking this very seriously. We had been humiliated once before, and none of us wanted to go through that again. Feeling a little better about the situation, I headed over to the most recent cause of my distractions.

“Are you still up for sharing that good luck of yours?” I asked a little hesitantly. After what happened at the pool bar, I’d decided to play things a lot more closed. I couldn’t read where she was at, and needed time to feel things out.

Elizabeth gave me a smile that nearly brought me to my knees. “Well, hello there, stranger. How are you holding up?”

She held out her granola bar, and I took one big bite. My eyes didn’t leave hers for a second. She looked so beautiful that day that I wanted to swoop her into my arms and kiss her, but somehow I managed to contain my urges.

“I’m good. Just a little nervous,” I admitted.

She glanced at the field and said, “One play at time, Decoy. One play at a time.”

I laughed as I returned to the field, wondering how on earth she’d come up with that nickname.

“It’s time for the lineup,” I said, and we hit first.