Page 36 of Catch
It was like they’d never coached in the NFL before, but everyone here had. “We’ll tell them he missed practice for personal and private reasons and he’s excited to play Chicago this weekend. We don’t owe them anything.” I snarled just thinking about Duane Spitzer.
Joe, who had been quiet most of the day, wrapped his beefy knuckles on the table. “Then let’s get back to coaching.”
The pressure in my chest lifted, knowing Grayson was still in as a starter. We could build back up after our loss and get a few more wins under our belt until our bye week when we had the weekend off. I got out of there at seven, desperate for sleep. Today felt like a week. Even Crowbar was yawning as I locked my office. My phone dinged and when I saw the message, my heart almost stopped. It was from Parker.
Thank you for your help today. We know that’s not in your job description. We’d like to have you over to dinner one night as a thank you. The last thing we need is a scandal.
Shit. I couldn’t be rude. Not to her.
That sounds nice. We have a bye week coming up. Maybe that weekend.
Bubbles instantly appeared.That would be amazing. Feel free to bring a date. Lexi, right?
I didn’t want to get into why I was no longer with Lexi. I simply said okay and put my phone away. I couldn’t wait to tell Hayley on my drive home.
Chapter Fifteen—Neutral Zone
Past
“Okay, everyone scooch closer. I can’t get you all in the frame,” Parker’s mom said. She was trying to snap a few photos of the ten of us before we headed out to junior prom. We squeezed as close together as we possibly could without wrinkling our dresses. “Nobody move and everyone smile. Wait. Sutton, honey, why don’t you switch places with the young man next to you.” She meant Joey. “There. Now you all look proportionate.” She looked through her camera a million times before taking about fifty photos.
“Okay, Mom. That’s enough,” Parker said. She stepped out of the line and motioned for us to leave.
“I feel like I’m in a really bad episode ofThe O.C.with rich, snooty parents,” Hayley whispered on our way out to the limos.
“Yeah, her mom is fake and mean.” I scowled.
“It’s like she knew you wanted to be near her daughter and she put a stop to it. Clam jam.” Hayley made a screeching sound and threw her hands up as though something blew up.
I shushed her. “It’s not like that.” But it made me laugh. We were going as a group, but she was hoping to hook up with Zay, the only guy in our group who wasn’t into sports. He was in a garage band and was terrible, but Hayley went to all their concerts anyway. Whenever I wasn’t at practice, she dragged me too. I was fine with that because I just wanted to make sure she was safe.
“I want to be famous and have limos cart me everywhere.” Hayley opened every compartment and bounced from bench to bench. It was obviously her first time in a limo.
“Me, too. I’m going to play in the NFL,” Joey said.
“Same.” Max high-fived him.
“Me, too,” I said. Everyone looked at me. I was expecting them to fall into fits of laughter, but every single person supported me. Even Zay.
“If anybody can do it, it’s you, Sutton,” Zay said.
Hayley squeezed my knee. “You’re totally going to make it. I just know it.”
“Even if I have to cheer,” I said. That’s when everyone laughed. Tonight, wasn’t about serious stuff like our futures. It was about having fun and letting loose. One of the seniors was having a party that we were for sure going to. When we pulled up to the hotel, we had the limo drivers take photos of us and as I hoped, Parker worked her way over to me.
“You look amazing tonight, Sutton. And really tall,” Parker said.
I didn’t know how to react to her compliment. I was so nervous around her. “Thank you. I love your dress. It fits you perfectly.”
She wore a red dress that hit at her knees and flared out a bit at her waist. I thought she looked amazing, but I figured her parents probably flipped out.
“Thank you. It’s a rather bold dress, but how many times will we go to prom?” she asked. She wasn’t wrong. She leaned closer to me. I wasn’t prepared to see a hint of cleavage, but there it was. The dress clung to her like silk. Parker looked like an adult, not like a seventeen-year-old.
“Maybe one more time,” I said. I was hopeful that next year I would be with somebody special—like her.
“Let’s head inside before people start leaving. I want the world to know we were here,” Joey said, interrupting our moment. He linked arms with us and escorted the group into the foyer. The line to get photos was long and I didn’t feel like standing in it. I ditched the group and slipped into the ballroom. The decorations and twinklinglights made me smile. It seemed like a fairy tale. My dad gave me a head nod and turned the other way to give me privacy.
“Sutton, over here.” Two cheerleaders dressed in floor-length, tight sequined dresses waved me over.
