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The most I could hope for tonight was the Raiders taking a comfortable lead and Coach giving some of the second-string players a chance to switch on in the second half.
“Kick ass out there,” Gav said to Bryan who was quiet beside us, psyching himself up. He was the only Eagle to be in the starting lineup. But the Raiders had a couple of holes to fill in their defense after losing some of their more experienced players last season.
“Okay, this is it. Let’s go.”
The rumble of the crowd above us reverberated through me, feeding the adrenaline already pumping through my bloodstream. But it was tainted with frustration, a silent storm swelling in the pit of my stomach.
I wasn’t used to taking a back seat. I was used to leading, to calling the shots. It went against every natural instinct to fall in line behind Monroe and the rest of the team to then follow them out onto the field.
But this wasn’t my kingdom, it was his. I was just a bystander along for the ride.
The noise of the crowd was ferocious as we emerged onto the field, Monroe cutting through the game night banner like a knife. I headed straight for the bench, sinking down with athud. Gav joined me just as Coach glanced over at us, hesitating for a second. But then he went back to his team, issuing final words of advice.
“This sucks balls.” Gav grumbled.
“Yep.”
“Are we really doing the party after?”
“If it’s a choice between getting fucked up at Lindsey’s or going home to my dad… I know where I’m headed.”
“You sure you’re just not going in hopes of seeing a certain girl?”
“She said she isn’t going.”
I hadn’t asked Lily again. We’d written each other a few notes back and forth in class, but Mr. Jenkins had paired us up with the person next to us, so there hadn’t been a lot of opportunity.
Another thing that had pissed me off.
“Peyton told Bryan she’ll be there. Ashleigh too.”
“You into her?” I asked. They’d seemed to hit it off at the arcade last weekend.
“She’s cool, but something tells me she’s already hung up on someone and I’m not looking for any drama.”
Neither was I… and yet, I found myself searching the crowd for Lily.
“Jesus,” Gav said, noticing. “You’ve got it bad.”
I didn’t answer. Because he was right. And I wasn’t sure being around Lily in my current frame of mind would be a good thing.
“Hey, Thatcher?” Monroe hollered over the rumbling noise of the crowd. “Be a good little lapdog and grab me some water.” He smirked before joining his teammates.
“I fucking hate that guy.”
“You and me both,” Gav said.
The referee called Monroe and the Marshall captain in for the coin toss. Lindsey and the cheerleaders were whipping the crowd into a frenzy, shaking their asses almost as much as their pom-poms. When their cheer ended, she sauntered over to us.
“You’ll be at the party tonight?”
I shrugged, staring right past her.
She leaned down and slid her finger under my jaw, tipping my face up and demanding my attention. “You should come. I’ll make it worth your while.” She licked her lips, before spinning on her heel, giving us an eyeful of her ass.
“Jesus, she doesn’t quit, does she? Maybe the party isn’t such a good idea.”
But Monroe would be there, acting all high and mighty. If I didn’t show, it would look like I was conceding. Like I was letting him win. My fist clenched against my thigh as a blast of anger rushed through me.
