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I nod. I can see Jaron’s muscles flex beneath his shirt. Ethan is running out in front of the stands. He’s lugging three gallons of milk in his arms. Two of his friends are right behind him, obviously streaming or recording whatever stunt he’s about to pull. When Ethan is in the right spot, he sets the milk down in the dirt and picks up a microphone he had tucked under one arm.
“How’s everybody doing tonight?” He asks.
The crowd stomps and cheers loudly.
“I know most of you know my girl, Emma Carpenter,” he says, pointing at me up in the stands.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. What is he doing? The crowd cheers again.
“Well Emma, being nominated for prom queen and all, needs our help finding the right date.”
I can feel the heat creeping into my cheeks. I cover my mouth and shake my head.
“Did you know about this?” Jaron asks. He does not sound amused.
I close my eyes and shake my head, wishing for Ethan and the stands of cheering students to disappear.
“Emma got asked to the dance by myself, as well as Jaron and Austin. Am I right?”
Everyone turns to look at us. I stare at Austin. My stomach is in knots as I wait for his reply. He slowly nods his head and I feel a rush of relief. Then I look at Jaron. “Of course, I am,” he yells. Ethan’s grin spreads across his face.
“Well then,” he says. “Since I can’t seem to win her over with charm,” he flashes a bright smile and the crowd cheers. They’re eating this up. Ethan is such a performer.
“And since this isn’t the 16th century and I can’t challenge them each to a duel, I’m going to extend an invitation to them. Let’s have a contest to determine the winner. What do you say, boys? Will you accept my challenge?”
I turn quickly to Jaron and grab his arm. “You don’t have to do this,” I say to him. “I didn’t sign up for this. Ethan is just showing off for his followers.”
Jaron’s eyes are blazing as he looks from Ethan to the cameras. If he backs down in front of everyone, who knows what they’ll start calling him. Ethan is much more conniving than I realized.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” Jaron calls. He takes several long strides down the metal stairs and jumps from the last step, landing in front of Ethan.
The crowd goes crazy. Ethan extends a closed fist and Jaron bumps it. Then Austin appears by their sides. His shoulders are slumped forward. His eyes look determined. “Let’s do this,” he says into the mic.
“They’re fighting over you,” Stephanie says. I can hear the amusement in her voice.
My stomach is churning. I’m afraid I’m going to be sick. And I just got rid of the last nickname.
Chapter Thirteen
Everyone is on their feet, waiting and watching for Ethan to announce what the challenge will be. He picks up one of the gallons of milk.
“Have you ever heard of the gallon challenge?” he asks.
“Oh no,” I say. I sit back down and bury my face in my hands.
“What?” Stephanie asks, sitting with me.
“Dylan and his friends did the gallon challenge last year to make a TikTok. It was disgusting!”
“Do you accept my challenge?” he asks Jaron and Austin.
They both agree. I’m not sure if they actually want to, or if they’re just going along because of the cheering crowd, as well as who knows how many of Ethan’s viewers.
“Alright,” Ethan says. “Anyone who would like to watch our challenge, stay in your seats after the game. Jaron and Austin, I’ll see both of you back here on the field. Now play ball!”
The guys all return to their seats, amid cheers, and the players resume their positions on the field. The lights come on in the stadium, as the sky gradually darkens.
Jaron climbs up the bleachers and sits back beside me.
