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“I’m surprised to see you here.” Madison walked up to me with her letterman jacket slung over her shoulders, cell phone in her hands. Her makeup had smudged through the night, the pawprints smearing along her skin, now resembling polka dots. Though she seemed polite enough at the moment, my guard went up. Our previous conversation hadn’t exactly been friendly. “No offense, but you’re the last person I’d expected to see in the stands.”
“My friends have been wanting me to come to one for the longest time.”
“Ava and Rachel, right?”
Was she keeping tabs on me or something? “Uh, yeah.”
“It’s Ava who runs Babble, yeah?”
Yeah, my guard was up, and maybe my sword, too. “Yes.”
But Madison just nodded, like the question had been a random one to fill space. Her discomfort was obvious as she took a step forward, planning her escape. “Well, it was nice seeing you.”
“Can I ask you something?” I glanced around, but everyone had cleared out by then. Everyone but Madison, it seemed. The question that bubbled up was one I couldn’t let go any longer. I’d tried to shove it down, pretend that it didn’t really bother me, but it was like a little splinter wedged into the heel of my foot. Small but excruciating. “Why did you name me for the Most Likely Tos?”
“I didn’t put you on the list,” Madison said, staring me in the eye. Weirdly enough, that used to be the way I could tell she was being truthful. Whenever she was lying, she looked away from me. Like for her next line, she focused on my shoulder as she said, “I don’t even know who does the list.”
“Liar.”
Her features pinched, pissed I wouldn’t buy the BS she was selling. “Believe what you want.”
“Who putyouon the list?”
In that instant, she was no longer Madison Oliphant of the Bobcat Babes, one of the top performing cheer squads in the county. She wasn’t even Madison Oliphant of the Top Tier. For a split second, she was a girl with insecurity plain on her face, as easy to read as a basic math equation.
She straightened her spine, nearly causing her jacket to slip off her shoulders. “My ride’s here,” she said suddenly, voice thick. “Have a nice night.” She gave me a tight-lipped expression before walking on, ponytail swishing with her step.
I dragged the toe of my shoe through the dirt. I couldn’t help that if, like Connor, Madison had more going on than anyone else realized. Maybe shewasn’tliving the happy-go-lucky life in the Top Tier like she’d always wanted. She’d been hanging out with Brentwood’s rival, and the quarterback, at that. She’d been put on the same list her gaggle of friends created, basically stabbed in the back.
I did you a favor and we both know it.
“You know, I almost didn’t recognize you with a Bobcat sweatshirt on,” a voice said, startling me enough that I nearly dropped my phone. “Oozing school spirit isn’t exactly your thing, but you look the part.”
Connor walked toward me in the same direction Madison had come from, grinning. He held his shoulder pads in one hand and helmet in the other, with his duffle bag strap banging against his hip with each step. “I was told it was against the law for me to attend a game without showing someschool spirit.”
“It’s actually a felony, I hear.” The stadium lights behind him cast his face into shadow, and he stopped a few feet from me. Enough space that someone could’ve assumed we weren’t together. “I don’t want to get too close,” he told me, lifting his helmet to gesture at the tight black athletic shirt he wore. “I’m waiting until I get home to shower.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said, slipping my hands into the hoodie pocket.
His eyes lingered on me for a moment. “Your sparkles.”
I touched my fingertips to my cheek, immediately picturing the little sparkles the girls had drawn on earlier. No doubt, like Madison’s pawprints, mine were smudged. “They’re silly.”
“I like them.”
My cheeks warmed, and there wasn’t the summer heat to blame it on. For some reason, talking to him like this had my heart pounding, the fear of anyone spotting us at any second keeping me on edge. “You guys did great tonight.”
Connor turned, casting a glance at the scoreboard. “Did we?”
“I don’t know. I thought that’s what people say.”
A short laugh burst from him, and he shook his head. “So, what are you doing out here by yourself? I know you might be new to school sports, but everyone usually goes home once the game is over.”
Connor wasteasingme. I wasn’t sure whether it irked me or made me want to laugh. “I’m waiting for Alex.”
“Ah, right. Date night.” Connor readjusted his grip on his own set of shoulder pads in one hand, helmet around his other fingers. The fidget was accompanied by him casting a glance once more over his shoulder, inspecting to make sure we were still alone. “You should come to the homecoming game next week. It should be a good one.”
“How can you be so sure?”
