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This was coming from the girl who had sworn off men to focus on her running.
I threw her an amused smile. “I told you, I’m only interested in being friends with Mason. Nothing else.”
“Right...” Audrey’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Because why would you want anything more with a guy who looks like Chris Hemsworth?”
“Looks have nothing to do with it.”
“And I happen to know for a fact that he’s single,” she said, bumping me with her shoulder. “He was dating one of the cheerleaders for a while, but they broke up before winter break.”
Mandy nodded. “Sounds like perfect timing, if you ask me...”
They didn’t understand and I didn’t expect them to. Instead, I focused on the game, making sure to cheer when we scored, especially when it was Mason. And he was good. Ridiculously good. The guy moved down the court like he’d been born with a basketball in his hands. Sometimes, he dribbled so fast, the ball was nothing but a blur.
And his jump shots were beautiful. They reminded me of the way ballet dancers leapt into the air. My fingers itched to capture it in acrylic on a fresh canvas. Now, I could understand why the Greek artists were so obsessed with athletes. The human body was never more impressive than during a sporting event.
But Mason was still an enigma to me. I would’ve thought that his passion for basketball would’ve made him ridiculously happy, but as the game went on, he only seemed to grow more serious. Our team was winning by a landslide, but Mason looked like a grizzly bear on the court who’d just had his nap interrupted.
I leaned over to elbow Mandy softly. “Guys, is it always like this?”
“Like what?” she asked in between giant handfuls of popcorn stuffed into her mouth, her eyes glued to the court.
“Like a Roman gladiator battle?” I winced as a guy on the opposite team slammed into Mason’s shoulder and made him fall to the ground. “I’m not so sure I like this basketball thing.”
“This is kid’s play,” Audrey said from my other side. “Remember when Collin got knocked out in that football game? That’s rough. This is just...aggressive fun.”
I wasn’t sure if we were watching the same thing. Just as Mason attempted to make a layup, he was jumped by the same kid as before and nearly plastered into the wall beyond the hoop. My breath left my body and didn’t return until Mason picked himself back up off the floor, signaling to his coach that he was fine.
“This isn’t good,” I muttered to myself as I began to chew on my thumbnail. “Not good at all.”
If the way that Mason felt seen was by battling someone across a gym floor for a rubber ball, I couldn’t understand it. Not for one instant. It was no wonder the guy was so grumpy. I would be too, if I had to do this every day.
The game soon ended with a score of 46-18 and the tension began to leave my shoulders. Finally, I could breathe again. My heart rate return to normal. As the crowd thinned around me, I watched Mason walk wearily back to the bench and wipe a Gatorade towel over his sweaty forehead. He didn’t seem any happier that the game was over. In fact, his expression was as unreadable now as it had been during those fouls.
“Aren’t you gonna go over and say hi to your boyfriend?” Mandy asked as she stuffed the last handful of popcorn in her mouth. “Or are you just going to stare at him all night?”
I sighed. “Not a boyfriend, remember? Just a friend who happens to be a boy.”
“Right,” Audrey and Mandy said in unison. They exchanged expressions with devious grins on their face.
“But yes, I’m going to say hi.” I slid off the bleachers and looked up at them with my hands planted on my hips. It was about as sassy as I could muster. “That’s what friends do.”
They giggled at me as I walked away and I shook my head. My besties were constantly trying to set me up, as if there was nothing more important in life than for me to have a date on a Friday night. But I had other goals. More important goals. And figuring out Mason Finnick was one of them.
“Trina Frye!”
I was halfway across the court when I heard my name being called. Instantly, I winced. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get over my dread of hearing my name come out of Savannah Keys’ mouth. She was class president, captain of the cheerleaders, and Audrey’s cousin.
They used to fight like cast members of The Real Housewives. It was brutal. But recently things seemed to be better between the two of them. They’d patched up some old wounds. Still, Savannah was Savannah, and she got what she wanted — no matter who stood in her way.
“Trina, we have to talk.”
I turned to see Savannah marching toward me in her cheerleading uniform, her long red nails digging into her hips as they swayed dangerously. She matched me for height and had the most beautiful brunette hair that always looked like she’d just left the salon chair. Her makeup was flawless, leaving only the tiniest hint of the freckles that kissed her cheeks and nose. From her high maintenance look, no one would’ve guessed that she and my laid-back friend, Audrey, were cousins. I hardly believed it myself sometimes.
Behind her were her usual escorts — members of the varsity cheerleading squad. Sarah Henry, Polly Thompson, and Marina Edwards. They had almost identical Brazilian blow outs and long, fake nails. All were juniors and seemed intent on getting the position of squad captain for next year.
“Hi, Savannah!” I blinked at her innocently, hoping to get out of this conversation as safely as possible. “Love the new hair color.”
Savannah had a way of striking for the throat when I least expected it. Her words were venomous and her smiles dripped with cruelty. I wished I could understand why she felt the need to be so offensive. Deep down, I was sure that she was just as unsure as the rest of us girls. Maybe even sweet. Someone just needed to strip away that shellac and fake tanner.
