AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Connor stopped in front of the student section, beside where a small gaggle of cheerleaders crouched. He stood back enough so that he could see past the railings, tilting his head to look at me, and drawing in a deep, shaky breath. “Maisie.”
“What are you doing?” I whispered, as if the entire student section wasn’t already rapt.
He hauled himself up onto the edge of the bleacher railings, clutching the bar with one hand, and now I was the one tilting my head to look up at him. He leaned down, picking up a bouquet of flowers one of the girls passed to him.
“Maisie Matthews,” He spoke my name clearly, as if he wanted to leave no room for confusion. “Will you go to homecoming with me?”
I blinked once. Twice. I would’ve thought I’d be more mortified in this situation, but all I felt was a thick and dumb amount of shock.
Utterly, truly speechless.
I turned to Ava, finding her with her cell phone propped up. My wild-eyed expression was reflected in the camera lens.
After my brain kickstarted back into gear, I realized the bouquet he held wasn’t filled with white flowers—they werepaper, folded together to create a bouquet. Something I’d always done during our tutoring sessions, something that, though I hadn’t taught him, he’d learned how to do on his own.
“You can say no,” Connor went on, those hazel eyes focused solely on me. His hair was damp, curling at his temples, and his fingers trembled where they gripped the metal bar, hinting at his nervousness. But he didn’t back down. “I’d understand if you said no. I’ve made mistake after mistake with you, but you’re the only one I want to go with.”
“Connor.” I let my gaze drift past him, but I couldn’t see Jade on the field anymore. “She’s going to—”
“I don’t care,” he cut me off, eyes wide and earnest. “She can post all she wants about my family, who I live with, how I failed Algebra II—I don’t care about any of it. I never should’ve cared about it. And I realize now why I don’t anymore.”
God, there were so many eyes on me, and a distant part of my brain knew it, but I was wholly and totally swept up inhiseyes. “Why not?”
“Because, Maisie Matthews, none of it matters if I lose you in the process.”
It was like the entire student section behind me gave a collective gasp, one that echoed like a rush of wind in my ears.
Connor’s lips tugged into a boyish smile, but I knew it wasn’t due to their reaction—it was because of mine. My jaw was practically on the ground. “I was the one supposed to be giving you love advice, but it wasyouwho made me realize I wanted more. I wanted to be with someone who makes me laugh when I don’t feel like laughing. Someone who lets me write them notes so they can make paper flowers out of them.” He laughed a little. “Someone to teach how to parallel park. You’re the only person in the world who’s ever made me feel like it’s okay to beme. And I don’t want to keep it a secret anymore.”
With her free hand, Rachel pushed at my shoulders, practically shoving me to my feet. My knees wobbled, uncertain if they wanted to support my weight as they carried me to the edge of the bleachers. Connor offered the flowers to me. The six origami roses glued in place were sloppy and crinkled but wholly perfect, causing my heart to expand in my chest.
Connor’s gaze roamed my features, and his now free hand came up to smooth a hair back from my cheek, careful not to nudge my glasses. It was a tender touch I’d found myself longing for over the course of these past few weeks. “Whatever happens, I want to face those consequences with you. Only ever you.”
“That was really romantic,” I told him, and though my voice sounded deadpan, my insides felt like a giant exclamation point.
“Can—can I kiss you?” he murmured, a searing warmth in his expression that I wanted to lose myself in. Before I could respond, he added, “I kind of stink.”
I gave a short, nearly strangled laugh. “I’m a fan of that sweaty football player smell.”
His lips split into a grin at that, one that made caused my lips to do the same. And then, for the whole bleachers to see, Connor wrapped a hand around the side of my head and pressed that smiling mouth against mine.
Immediately, my free hand came up to rest against the collar of his shoulder pads, fingers pressing against his hot skin. Just as they’d cheered when someone scored a touchdown, the student section erupted behind us. Not only the student section—theentirebleachers.
I broke away from him to duck my head, feeling my cheeks flame. Connor laughed quietly, the musical sound stealing some of my tension. “Meet me by the concession stand.”
“Right now?”
He glanced back at the scoreboard, checking the time, and gave a nod. “Right now.” And then, with one last quick kiss, he jumped back onto the ground.
When I turned around, Ava’s cell wasn’t the one trained on me. I couldn’t even count the amount of people who pointed their cameras at me, people who I didn’t even recognize. It was kind of like that dream where I stood before a giant crowd in my underwear—I feltthatexposed.
Ava lowered her cell phone first. “Wow,” she said and nodded once, letting out a soft, contented sigh. “I’ve never felt more single in my life.”
“Congratulations, Maisie.”
“Yeah, congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”
“Were you the girl from the closet?”
