“Try again, Giles.”
“Hi,” she said around an uncertain smile.
“Hi.”
Hailee and Mya backed up, giving the two of us space. The whole school seemed to have stopped around us, everyone watching their King fall for his Queen.
“Is it me or is everyone watching us?” Felicity cast a quick glance around.
“They’re waiting to see if the rumor is true.”
“Oh yeah?” Her smile grew. “And what rumor would that be?”
“That QB One is officially off the market.” I inched closer to her.
“And is he?” She matched my step.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say, he’s taken.”
“Damn, just when I’d finally plucked up the courage to tell him how I feel. Ah well, I guess I’ll have to wait until whoever it is dumps his sorry ass.”
“Did I ever tell you, you’re so fucking weird?” I lowered my head to hers.
“Did I ever tell you, I have a serious thing for football players?”
“Players, plural? Because I know a couple of the guys who would love to hook—”
She swatted my chest. Before she could move her hands, I captured her wrists, keeping them pressed there.
“Something you want to tell me, Giles?”
“You first, Ford, I have a reputation to protect.” She winked and I let out a hearty chuckle. This girl...
This fucking girl.
Leaning in, I brushed my lips over her ear and whispered, “I am so fucking gone for you.”
Felicity eased back to look right in my eyes. “Is that your way of telling me you love me?”
Swallowing thickly, I nodded, aware this wasn’t exactly how I planned to tell her.
“Good job, because I am completely and utterly gone for you too.”
I didn’t care we had an audience. I didn’t care people had their cell phones out recording the moment QB One publicly handed over his balls to a girl.
I didn’t care one bit as I pressed Felicity against the lockers and kissed the ever loving shit out of her. People would just have to get used to it because she was mine, and I was hers, and I intended on reminding her of that every second of every day.
“Ford, my office, now!”
All eyes went to me as I stood up and padded across the locker room. A couple of guys clapped me on the back, silently offering their support. But this was my burden to bear, and mine alone. Until I stepped inside his office to find I wasn’t alone.
“Coach,” I said coolly, waiting for the shit to hit the fan, sliding my eyes to the silent figure already seated in front of his desk.
“Sit,” he barked, and I took the other empty chair. “I don’t think I even need to ask my next question to know the answer. You’re a mess, Son. A real damn mess.”
I shifted uncomfortably on the plastic chair, trying to find a position that didn’t make my lungs feel like they were on fire.
“As soon as we’re done here, you head straight to medical. You hear me? If you’ve broken anything so help me God...”
I nodded, knowing this was one of those times Coach wouldn’t appreciate a smart assed reply.
He tore off his ball cap and rubbed his head with sheer frustration. “Four more games, that’s all I asked for. And you couldn’t just listen. You know I’ll have to go to Principal Finnigan with this, right? If he hasn’t already found out since it seems to be the only thing on kids’ lips this morning.”
“Sorry, Sir.” It sounded so lame in comparison to what was at stake, but it was all I had.
“So you’re confirming his story?” he looked to Asher who rubbed the back of his neck.
“I, uh...”
“It’s okay, bro. I already confessed I screwed up by goading Thatcher into that fight and you had to come save my sorry ass.”
What the fuck?
I stared at Ash like he’d lost his goddamn mind. Or maybe I had. Because nothing he was saying was making any sense.
“Well, Jason, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I, hmm, I...”
“It’s okay,” Ash whispered and my eyes slid back to his in question. He nodded, his eyes hammering home everything I didn’t want to believe.
He was taking the fall.
For me.
My teeth ground together behind my lips as I tried to figure out what the fuck to do. If I let him take the fall, chances were his season was over. But if I told Coach the truth, my season was over, and maybe Asher’s too for the fact he tried to save my ass.
Fuck.
“I haven’t got all day, Son.”
“It’s okay, Jase, just tell him.”
I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be that guy. Not after everything.
“Sorry, Coach, but I have to tell you the—”
“The truth is, Coach,” Ash cut me off, “Lewis Thatcher is a sick fuck who has spent the last three months coming after Jason through his friends and family. Jason didn’t want to tell anyone to protect his step-sister and girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” Coach frowned, rubbing his jaw.
“Felicity Giles, you may know her?”
“The name does ring a bell.”
“Thatcher threatened to hurt Felicity over and over, but Jason refused to take the bait. His final threat was more persuasive,” Asher threw me a sympathetic glance. “I knew if Jason found out about the threat he’d go after Thatcher, so I arranged the meet.”
“And what exactly did you expect to achieve, Son?”
Ash shrugged in that easy way of his. “World peace?” I snorted. “Fuck if I know. But I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. Anyway, the whole thing was a set up. They jumped me and I had no choice but to call for back up.”
“Which is when you intervened?” Coach cocked his brow at me.
“I... yes.”
“To save your teammate’s hide?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“But we played straight into Thatcher’s hand because he’d wanted Jase there all along.”
“I see, and the rest of the team? How do they figure in all of this?”
“I took them as back up, but that was it.” I ran a hand over my face.
“You have proof of Thatcher’s threats?”
Asher nodded. “I have screenshots of everything.”
“You do, since when?” I asked.
“Since I knew that one day we might need them.”
“There’s also a video and some photos, Sir. But they’re hmm, quite graphic.”
“You should have come to me with this. You should have come to me the second Thatcher upped the ante.”
“Yes, Sir,” we grumbled in unison.
“Will Miss Raine and Miss Giles attest your story?”
I nodded.
“Right, well, I have no choice but to take this to the Principal. Given your history with him, I wouldn’t expect him to be on your side. You know what that means?”
Another, “Yes, Sir,” filled the room.
Coach let out an exasperated breath. “I’ll do my best, but it could be out of my hands. Now go on, get to class, both of you. And damn well stay there until I say otherwise.”