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“Something wrong, princess?” Dane asked me as he took his seat. He and Xander chose to sit in the empty space on the row behind me so I could sit next to Leah, since the rest of our row was already crowded with excited football fans. Dane idly picked up the ends of my hair, playing with it, while Xander encouraged me to lean back against his knees.
“All good,” I lied, though I was worried as hell that this whole event would be awkward. It wasn’t easy to integrate two newly-reformed bullies into the general school populace after they’d tormented most of them for years.
When Aiden came back, though, Xander and Dane greeted him like they were already good friends. Though Leah and Aiden both seemed a little surprised by the warm welcome at first, by the time the game started, we’d all settled into a friendly camaraderie.
“Maybe this is why people like sports,” I mumbled to Leah as we watched our guys in an animated conversation about the upcoming game. She laughed and agreed, and soon, the game began.
Amid the electric buzz as the game began, I found myself spellbound by the sheer force and grace of Bryce Fisher. He was always impressive, with his bold personality and sheer sexual magnetism, but on the football field, he was a star. His movements were a dance of controlled power, an intricate choreography that left me in awe. I found myself cheering twice as loudly as the rest of the crowd at all the right moments, not caring that Dane and Xander made fun of me about how little I understood.
“I know what a touchdown is!” I yelled at them after a particularly good one, and we all laughed. My knowledge of the actual rules of the game was limited, but Bryce's talent transcended it. There was an artistry to it, a symphony of strength and strategy that left me breathless.
As the cheers of the crowd enveloped us, I marveled not only at Bryce’s physical prowess but at the way he seamlessly melded with his teammates. You could tell he had a strong bond with the other players and that they all adored him in turn. In a moment between plays that seemed to defy the fierce air of competition, Bryce removed his helmet, searching for us in the crowd. When he found us, he caught my eye and, with a mischievous grin, blew a playful kiss my way. It was a gesture both sweet and daring, a tiny romantic spark that ignited a warmth in my chest. In that fleeting moment, amid the roar of the crowd and the rhythmic thud of cleats against the field, I couldn't help but feel the stirrings of something deeper. A growing affection that was only magnified by my feelings for the two guys in the stands with me, too. Somehow, we werealla team at that moment.
The game finished with the ultimate triumph. When the final score showed our team demolished the other, Xander, Dane, and I all hugged, jumping up and down on the metal bleachers in a way that couldn’t have been terribly safe, but we didn’t care. When we broke apart, I joined Leah, Aiden, and my guys in a chorus of cheers and applause. The night was alive with energy, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging with these guys by my side. Now we just had to get Bryce to complete it.
We made our way down the bleachers slowly, weaving through the jubilant crowd as best we could without falling on our asses. I stumbled once, but Xander caught me, sneaking a quick kiss while I was in his arms since no one was looking. When we were on flat ground again, I walked between Xander and Dane, each of them holding one of my hands, and I couldn’teven bring myself to worry about what people might think of us. Together, the three of us laughed and bantered about Bryce's standout plays and my inability to follow any of it, celebrating the victory together.
“At least he looks damn cute in his uniform,” I told the guys after they’d spoken a string of near-nonsense sports words for nearly two whole minutes. They both rolled their eyes at me, but they were smiling, too.
As we approached the field to meet Bryce, who was still being showered in praise from his teammates and about a dozen other students, the air felt light and carefree. I could feel the warmth radiating from Xander and Dane, and I reveled in our playful touches and exchanged glances.
"Bryce, you killed it out there!" I exclaimed, running up and wrapping my arms around him. He was still sweaty, but I didn’t care the second his strong arms went around me, squeezing me tight.
Bryce laughed, deep and loud like Santa Claus, spinning us around and lifting my feet off the ground. “Hey, Jadie! It's all because of you! You’re my good luck charm!”
“Wow,theBryce Fisher giving someone else credit for his big win? Did we accidentally walk into some kind of alternate universe where he’s humble?” Dane joked, and Bryce flipped him off, which just made the rest of us laugh.
“You ready to go, champ?” Xander asked Bryce, who immediately started to complain about how he wasstarvingandneeded to replenish all those calories,so it was a good thing the plan was to go to a diner with Leah and Aiden.
“You guys are buying, right?” I said as we all walked together. This time, I was holding Bryce’s arm and Xander’s hand. “Wait, scratch that. Xander is buying, obviously. Isn’t that right, Daddy?” I joked.
From behind me, I felt a sting on my backside. I looked back to see that Dane had smacked my ass playfully, and I gave him a look of feigned outrage. "Hey! Watch it, bad boy."
“You can’t go calling someone else Daddy, princess,” he said by way of explanation, and I immediately felt my cheeks warm at his scolding. He was remembering our first date too, clearly, because his eyes were dark flames when he said, “You’ll hurt my feelings.”
The mood shifted when a familiar voice cut through the cheers, a voice I hadn't expected to hear tonight, or ideally, ever again.
“What the fuck?” came the slurred voice of none other than Owen Prescott. Sure enough, when I turned toward the sound, Owen stumbled toward us, a sneer on his face and his prep school buddies trailing behind like obedient lackeys.
"What's going on here, Hannah?" Owen slurred, his gaze landing on my and Xander’s intertwined fingers, then moving quickly to the arm I had linked with Bryce’s. Dane came forward, squaring his shoulders like he was ready to fight, and Owen’s eyes went wide, even as his brows stayed in an angry squiggle on his forehead.
“It’s Jade now,” Bryce corrected him, and I looked up at him with a loving gaze, mouthing a silent,Thank you.
“Oh,nowI see what’s going on here,” Owen said slowly.
“Somehow, I doubt it,” Xander quipped, but Owen was staring right at me, paying his traitorous friends no mind.
“Those pictures of you and Dane on social media, Jade?Really? And now you're hanging all over all three of my best friends?”
Dane, ever the defiant one, corrected him with a smirk. "You and I were never friends, asshole.”
“And we’re not anymore,” Bryce piped up, his usually sunny face contorted in anger. “Not since you treated Jade like shit.”
“What they said,” Xander deadpanned.
Owen’s jaw clenched and his already-booze-flushed cheeks got even redder, but I intervened.
"Owen, you and I aren’t together anymore, and you were screwing all of my friends when we were. So frankly, this is none of your business."
