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"Wait, how…" I started.
"I know things," he interrupted, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. I didn't believe at all that he knew things. However, how he found out it was Parker so quickly and why he cared was still unknown. I would table it for a conversation another day. "Now, you can come watch my practice."
"Um," I said. I didn't have a good excuse not to anymore. "Okay." I'd never admit it to him, but I loved watching him on the field. The field was where he shined. It was his first love, and there was no hiding that when his feet hit that field. His dream was to go pro, but he had his eyes set on college right now. During scout week, he would be the top pick, and everyone knew it.
"Do you tutor all the athletes at this school," Maddox asked, leading me straight to the field.
"Not all of them," I said, shrugging. "But I have tutored most of the athletes at one point or another. "Why?"
He shrugged and dropped the subject.
"Sit here." He smiled proudly, grabbing my shoulders and leading me to the bench before easing me down. "Front row seats to watch me play."
As he ran off to meet his team, I could feel the eyes behind me burning through the back of my head. Maddy and her gang of mean girls, aka the cheerleading squad, were behind me in the bleachers.
I tried to focus on Maddox and his team, but it was harder, with the girls behind me making nasty comments about everything from my hair to my clothes. I'd learned over the years not to let them get to me, but it was easier when I kept myself hidden from them. I avoided the lunchroom and common areas where students gather. But now, right here on display in front of them, it hit differently.
The sun beating down was suffocating under my sweatshirt, but I would rather die from heat exhaustion than remove it. I wasn't giving them any new ammo to terrorize me.My sweatshirt was my security blanket that hid all my insecurities. I knew I wasn't as pretty or as skinny as Maddy and her cheerleader friends. I knew because they'd told me every day since the first grade.
Shoving my AirPods in my ears to drown out the bullies, I focused my attention on the field that Maddox dominated. They ran a few organized, structured plays before stripping out of their gear and running drills.
Maddox was designed personally by the gods. He ran shirtless across the field, every inch of his perfectly tanned and toned body flexing with his movements. Sweat glistening on his chiseled abs was nothing short of a masterpiece. I drew in a deep breath as I watched the muscles flex in his arms when he stretched to catch the ball. Holy fuck!
Watching him in his atmosphere, half-naked and covered in sweat and dirt, did something to me, and I was having difficulty hiding it.
Thankfully, practice ended early when black clouds rolled in, and the wind picked up.
"I'm going to go change, and I'll meet you at my truck," Maddox said, running up to me and pulling off his helmet. Sweat streamed down the side of his face. "We can study at my place since the library is closed."
"Actually, it's open," I said, trying to keep my tone normal. The library hosted a meeting on Monday evenings, so it stayed open longer.
"Okay." He smiled, walking backward. "I'll meet you in the library then." He ran off, following the rest of the guys into the locker room.
* * *
By the timeMaddox made it to the library, I had everything set up and ready to go. We made a schedule for the rest of the week and then got to work.
Before we knew it, we had been studying for three hours, and the Monday meetings were getting ready to start.
"We should call it a day," I said, closing the textbook. "The meeting will start soon, and it can get crowded and loud."
"We can go to my place." He smiled. "We can grab a pizza on the way."
"I should probably head home," I lied. I didn't want to go home.
"Please," he pleaded, pushing out from the table and tossing his bag over his shoulder. "I only have a few days left."
My shoulders dropped as I blew out a sigh. "Okay, but only for an hour," I said.
Twenty minutes later, we headed up the driveway to his house with a pizza and drinks in tow, but we didn't turn towards the house. He veered right toward a detached two-story garage. He hit a button on his key ring, and the garage door slid open.
"You live here?" I asked, following behind him with the drinks in my hands.
"I live upstairs," he said, flipping on a light to the garage with his elbow. "We'll go upstairs and eat and then find a place to study." Following him up the narrow staircase, nerves bubbled in my stomach. I was walking into Maddox's apartment with him alone.
Who am I kidding?
Maddox would never think of me in a way that would cause me to be nervous. I was his tutor. No more, no less.
