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Everyone’sonanevenbigger high than usual after the win tonight, because this one means we’re in the state finals. It’s practically a full-fledged party in the locker room. I’m pretty quick about showering and getting changed, though, since I want to get out of here as fast as possible. I’m pumped to meet up with Caroline. Hopefully, she liked the game tonight. I sort of promised her she would, but I’m realizing now maybe that was a little cocky of me. The girl doesn’t like crowds. So, it’s totally possible a high school football game wasn’t her jam.
Man… I’ve never been so aware of a girl coming to one of my games before. Her opinion really matters for some reason. Like, I really want her to have had fun tonight. And I’m gonna feel hella bad if she didn’t. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her smile if she hated it. Even skip the party tonight and take her somewhere quiet, if that’s what she wants.
There’s a pretty big crowd waiting outside. Parents, girlfriends, friends. Everyone cheers when I walk out. Not gonna let myself think about how they’d react if we hadn’t won tonight. At this point, it’s sort of assumed I’m going to lead this team straight to the championship. Full stop. No pressure.
My folks come right over, huge smiles on their faces, always first to congratulate me after a game. My grandfather’s here, too, and excited as hell we made it to state finals. He shakes my hand, does the pat on the back thing. My folks are both huggers, though. Something they passed down to me. Although right now, I’m looking over their shoulders the whole time, just trying to spot Caroline.
I see her, standing off to the side with her friend Maggs from the board game place.
Dale notices where my attention is focused and pulls back, studying me close. “Something going on there, son?”
“Huh?” I look back at him. “Oh, uh. No.” Then I look over at Caro again.
I have no idea how I didn’t notice how gorgeous she is the first time I saw her. Maybe because she’s not the kind of beautiful that smacks you straight between the eyes, like, super model kind of hot. She’s the kind of beautiful that creeps up on you and blindsides you when you least expect it. As Graham likes to say: the sort of beauty that lasts.
“I don’t know… Maybe?” I tell him, after watching her for a second.
Dale gets this serious look. “Pretty sure she’s not the sort of girl who jumps in the backseat of a guy’s truck for a post-game quickie.”
Seriously? This again?
“Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I say. Because even though I get why he feels the need to say it, the comment still stings. And pisses me off.
He just lifts both eyebrows at me, so I add, “And yeah, I know that.”
“Alright. Just saying. That’s all, Seb.”
“It wasn’t what it looked like. The other night when your friends were over,” I tell him. And it feels weird talking about it here, surrounded by people and my teammates and the girl I’ve had on my brain since the game ended. Even at some points during the game, if I’m being honest. But I want him to know. I want them both to know I’m trying to change.
Dale nods. “Alright. Well, just… Take things slow. If you really like this girl, no point rushing.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say, already done with this conversation, especially since Graham and my grandfather are listening now, too.
Dale must pick up on my vibes. He’s good at reading people.
“We’ll see you later, then,” he says. “Good game, kid.”
“Yeah, great playing out there,” Graham agrees. And then, just before I start off toward Caroline, he gives my arm a squeeze. “Remember,” he says. “Be a gentleman.”
I meet his eyes and I can tell he’s not being a dick. Values are a big freakin’ deal for him. Both of them. And I’d be an asshole if I didn’t respect that about them.
Caroline flings her arms around me when I reach her and Maggie, and heat rushes to all the wrong places at the contact of her body against mine. Because hell, I was not expectingthatfrom reserved, awkward Caroline Heinz.
She squeezes her arms around my back. “You were so good!” she squeals.
I hug her back, lifting her off the ground a little. “Thanks, NG.” I’m still grinning when I set her down, and I notice she is, too. “So, you liked the game?”
“It was awesome,” she beams. Then her eyes dip. “I mean, it was kind of crazy—the crowds and noise and stuff. But yeah… it was really fun. You were amazing out there.”
Shit. Her words mean even more to me than I thought they would. I feel like the king of the freakin’ world right now, and it has nothing to do with making it to the finals.
Maggie and Jax hug me, too, and the four of us talk for a bit. Then more players come out and the crowd grows even bigger.
I circle my arm around Caroline and lead her a little way down the field. “Uh, so… there’s this party. At Xave’s house. It’s kind of tradition after a game.” I watch her eyes dilate at the word ‘party.’ “I was kind of hoping maybe you’d come with me?”
“A party?”
I grin. “Yeah, it’s this thing where a bunch of people get together and there’s usually music and booze and stuff?”
