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I wanted to argue, but Janice had said we needed to practice this. His face was close to mine; I could smell the gum on his breath as he wiped away the potatoes. “The Badgers are a professional football team in Brentwood. Just twenty minutes from here. Haven’t you heard of them?”
“Your game was the first football game I’ve ever watched,” I admitted. “And don’t be too proud of yourself. I was there for the sake of the class.”
“For the class,” he repeated, a smirk on his lips. “Would you like a drink?”
I nodded, letting him lift the cup to my lips, angling the straw to my mouth. I felt his eyes on me as I sucked.
My cheeks heated beyond measure.
Diego cleared his throat. “So we can’t talk about football. What about the Academy? Are you liking it?”
I bit my lip as he filled the spoon half full with potatoes. “You mean besides the obnoxious guy in first hour?”
His eyes practically gleamed. “Besides him.” He pressed the food to my mouth and I ate it, slowly feeling my defenses melting away.
“It’s not so bad.”
Now he smiled. “Good.”
Janice yelled out that it was time to switch, and I made sure to get on even footing, dabbing mashed potatoes on his nose.
He laughed like a good sport, and then I brushed the food away from his flawless tan skin.
We talked about school, and he told me a little bit more about football until it was time for us to clean up.
After class, we made plans to meet for our assignment and began walking different directions. But before he reached his car, I said, “Diego?”
He turned, facing me again, the light catching his eyes just right to make them a pretty amber color. “Yeah?”
I was so distracted by his eyes I almost forgot what I was going to say. “Um, good luck at the game tonight.” According to the announcement over the PA system, it would be at a town about an hour away and a fairly even matchup.
His eyes crinkled slightly with his smile. “Thanks, April. Don’t know how I’ll play without you glaring at me from the stands.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you’ll deal just fine.”
His smile twisted to the side, and he nodded, turning back toward his car.
Twenty-Two
April
The next morning,Mom brought coffee to my room, waking me up.
I rubbed at my eyes as I sat up. “What are you doing awake?” I glanced at my clock, showing the time was just a little past seven. “Aren’t Saturdays for sleeping in?”
Her eyes glimmered way too much for it to be this early. “I have other plans.”
“What do you mean?”
She took a sip of her coffee, smiling all the while. “Since we’re living in California, I thought it was important for you to start taking part in the culture.”
“You mean by sayingbruhand walking around in my swimsuit?” I teased. Maybe I was being a little salty, since the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.
Her laugh filled the room. “No, I signed you up for surf lessons.”
I stared at her face, looking for a hint of a joke in her pale blue eyes. Unfortunately, I didn’t find one. “Mom. I do not do sports.”
“You only hit that instructor with your racket one time,” Mom argued.
