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It only took Poppy a minute to realize what I was saying and then she sank back onto the bed next to me. “You'll miss prom.”
“Yep.”
“Does Bastian know?”
“I haven't told him, yet.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“He asked me to join him and his parents for his birthday dinner in two weeks.”
“That's awesome.”
“I'm not so sure it is. His parents are pushing Kira on him because they like the connections her family has to offer. When they find out about me and my background, I'm guessing they will do all they can to get him away from me.”
“It doesn't seem to me that Bastian puts a whole hell of a lot of stock in what his parents want.”
“He doesn't, but I don't want to become another source of tension between him and his family.”
“Stop.”
“Think about it. I have no idea who my dad is. My mother died in her twenties from being too much of a party girl, and my aunt would rather me somewhere else. To people like the Rosses, I'm the nightmare.”
Poppy looked positively outraged. “You're thinking there’ll be no point after the dinner, that's why you haven't told him about the scholarship.”
“Yes.”
“That's not fair to Bastian. You’re not giving him enough credit, and that's not like you.”
I stood then, because I knew she was right, but I couldn't help it. “You're right, but I can't forget where he comes from. As much as he may try to deny it, he cares what his parents think.”
“Probably, but so what?”
“I won't measure up for the Ross family, and that will cause problems between Bastian and his parents. And my fear is he'll choose them and I won't recover from it.”
“I don't think he will choose them over you.”
“A part of me hopes that too, but a bigger part of me still lives in reality.”
***
The game started at seven so Bastian would be coming for me a little after six. I didn't let Poppy dress me. In front of a stadium full of people, I needed to wear my own clothes: my own personal armor. The black cargo pants, cropped black sweater and combat boots felt very comfortable and comforting. I reached for Bastian's jacket before calling to Poppy, “See you at the game.”
“See you there, Victory.”
Shaking my head at Poppy's silliness, I stepped outside to wait for Bastian. He was right on time. In the short period of time since we'd known each other, he also had come to be both comfortable and comforting to me. Not to mention that he was just so freaking nice to look at. To my horror, I actually spoke that last part out loud. I knew he heard me because his eyes turned all hot, but it was the light color on his cheeks that had me taking a step closer. “If I didn't know any better, I would say you were blushing.”
“I don't blush.” He pulled me up against him, but his voice was a bit off. His mouth found mine and his hands moved under my sweater to burn a trail over the naked skin of my back. His eyes darkened like sapphires when he reached for the helmet to place on my head.
“Later, I'm going to make you blush.”
And right on cue, my knees went weak.
***
I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the stadium, but I didn't have time to ponder that because as Victory, I was spotted almost instantly, and a crowd formed around Bastian and me. We made our way through the stadium to where the football team waited. I felt like a turkey on Thanksgiving; all trussed up moments before being devoured.
Bastian's hand clenched mine the entire time even though the handcuffs had been removed at the end of the school day. It seemed he really liked holding my hand. When it came time for me to lead the team out onto the field, he reluctantly released his hold on me.
