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But satisfied that I played a good game—which I did.
All to impress Blair.
ELEVEN
BLAIR
The game wasgreat and the weather was perfect. I made two new friends and Cam played so well. He got a total of four touchdowns, and I was so proud of him I wanted to tackle him out on the field after the game was over, but I restrained myself. Not like I could talk to him. He was too busy chatting with various reporters and a group of fangirls who all literally screamed when he agreed to pose for photos with them.
I watched with barely-restrained jealousy, ignoring the conversation going on around me. Joanna—the girl from the bookstore that my brother invited to the game, hmm—and her roommate Natalie are chatting it up with Derek, who is a sweetheart, but also a not-so-secret manwhore. He’s watching Natalie with keen interest, flirting with her while Joanna shares knowing looks with me, rolling her eyes at one point, like we’re in on the secret together.
I can’t deny that it's nice—I really like Joanna a lot, and if she can put up with my brother? She’s a freaking saint. Natalie would probably love my roommates, since she’s kind of loud like they are, but Joanna is more my type. When they invite me to go to dinner with them, I can’t resist, and we have a great time talking. Learning about each other. Cracking jokes.
They act so normal, not full of drama like my roommates.
When we eventually end up at Logan’s after dinner, I’m on high alert, my gaze scanning the room in search of Cam the moment we enter the bar.
“Can you go first?” Natalie shouts at me when I turn to look back at them. “One of the boys will spot you before us.”
True. I know most of them—well, I’ve heard about them from Knox—and they all know who I am.
I push my way through the crowd, Natalie holding on to me from behind, and Joanna holding on to Nat, forming a chain. The backup quarterback Ace spots me first, waving me down, and I make my way over to the group of guys from the team, who have already taken over a corner of the bar.
Derek approaches us like he’s the host, a welcoming smile on his face that is aimed directly at Natalie. He stops directly in front of her, reaching out to touch her arm. “You made it! Want something to drink? Beer?”
Natalie wrinkles her nose. “You have something a little harder?”
“Come on, let’s go to the bar.” Derek hesitates, his hand still on Natalie’s arm, his question now directed at all three of us. As if he was just made aware that we came with Natalie. “You ladies want anything?”
“I’ll have whatever Nat’s having,” Joanna says with a faint smile, her expression nervous.
Hanging out with football players isn’t something she normally does. She so much as admitted that to me earlier at Taco Bell. She also told me how she’s Knox’s English tutor, which I think is cool. My brother doesn’t enjoy reading much, and he has dyslexia, which makes reading difficult for him.
My gaze drifts over the three booths the guys are sitting in, noting the pitcher of beer and the empty mugs sitting on one of the tables. “I’ll take a beer.”
What in the world am I doing? I hate beer. The stuff tastes awful most of the time, but I stand there pouring myself a cup, slowly becoming aware of someone watching me. I set the pitcher onto the table with an unsteady hand, glancing over my shoulder to find Cam sitting at the same table my brother is, watching me with a broody expression on his face, an untouched mug of beer sitting in front of him.
I look away quickly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of trying to join them at the table. He’ll think I’m chasing after him yet again, and I’m tired of chasing.
He needs to chase after me this time.
Besides, Knox is at that table too and he’ll be a total pain in my ass, constantly questioning me and demanding that none of the guys even look in my direction. Lame.
I sit at the next table over instead, sliding onto the booth seat and finding myself sitting right next to Ace, who’s all smiles the moment I sit down.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” Okay, this guy is super cute. Golden brown hair and light blue eyes. A boyish face with a wholesome smile. He doesn’t look old enough to attend college, yet alone be able to drink.
“You’re Maguire’s sister, right?”
I nod, taking a sip of my beer. It’s awful. Too foamy.
His smile brightens. “Your dad is Owen Maguire, and your uncle is Drew Callahan. That’s so fucking cool.”
“Yeah,” I say weakly. “Really cool.”
Guys are always dazzled by my family lineup, especially guys who love football.
