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Or was he on the other side wanting me as I wanted him. I just wanted to give myself to him without the fear that I’d been dealing with. I remained quiet as he walked away, closing his own door as I sighed in my empty room.
In the morning, I woke up early and got a text from Bella about our plans. I had agreed to meet up with her without really being aware of what I had agreed to do. I sat up with a gasp as I looked at the Trojans web page and read that they were hiring a new cannon girl for the team to add to the three that they already had. The cannon girls were the ones who shot the shirts into the air throughout the games while the cheerleaders did their thing. Those auditions were today. My mouth dropped open as I realized what I was doing and just how much I was not meant for that kind of job.
CHAPTER 8
JACKSON
I woke up late, unable to take my usual run. I’d been out drinking the night before with Nick at a small pub talking about Emma. With a ball cap pulled over my head, I could go unrecognized and just be a normal guy.
I knew I should have had a few less beers than I did, but it was too late. I’d make it through practice later, but I didn’t have my car because we both got an Uber home. I walked out of my room to grab a water before taking a shower, checking to see if Emma around. She’d been asleep when I got in and I stopped by her door for a second, wanting to tell her everything that I’d confessed to Nick.
I knew that it was useless as I thought again about Greg and kept walking.
The apartment was quiet and I wondered where she’d gone.
I was looking forward to seeing her today. I wanted to spend a little time with her, with no intention of telling her about my growing feelings. I needed to find a way to make this between us work sooner rather than later. I supposed as I got into the shower that it wasn’t going to happen today. I closed my eyes as the nausea passed. I needed to make something for breakfast to even myself out.
It was times like this I wondered what it would be like to just be a normal twenty-three-year-old guy. I could be finishing school and just hanging with friends. I went right from my second year in college to the pro league and barely lived a life without a football schedule. I wondered what it would be like to date a girl without her knowing about my salary or that I could get her in anywhere in Nashville with just my name.
I shook my head as I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I dressed in some black shorts and a practice T-shirt before I ran my hand through my hair.
I got another Uber to the bar to pick up my truck and headed to practice. The parking lot seemed to have more cars than usual. There were a few people in the hallway as I headed to the locker room.
One of them was Emma, pacing back and forth with a bottle of water in her hand.
“Em? What are you doing here?”
She glanced up at me with wide eyes.
“I unknowingly agreed to try out for the new cannon girl position yesterday.”
I frowned and she shrugged.
“I met a girl, Bella, at school and we got to talking. Before I knew it, I agreed to come to this, not aware of what this was. I was so caught up… in school stuff.” She looked around and sighed. “I’m nervous.”
“We’ll both be playing b-string,” I joked. She just stared at me. I heard they were increasing the number of people on that team but never expected to see Emma here.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m so nervous. The stands are so full of people!” Her eyes were as big as saucers again. I grinned and took her arm, leading her to a quieter area of the stadium just outside.
“You don’t strike me as the cheerleader type,” I said.
“Thank God, I’m not going to be a cheerleader. This sounds hard enough,” Emma murmured. “I just liked Bella a lot and once I thought about it, I felt like it might be fun. I can have a job and meet some people this way. It should be fun, right?”
“I think I know Bella. She dated one of the guys for a bit,” I said, not mentioning that it was more than one of them. Bella was a huge flirt, though I never touched her. “I think it will be good for you. You’ll be safe with all the security around and the fans get into the games.”
