I glanced up at her, fighting a smirk. “Steady there, you’re starting to sound like a true fan.”
She blushed. “I guess he’s rubbing off on me.”
“Admit it, you love it.” Pre-Cameron, I’d had to drag Hailee to her first game and she’d spent the whole time complaining. But now, my girl was on the way to becoming the Raiders number one fan. And I couldn’t blame her. If I got to watch Cameron play, knowing he was mine, I’d be converted too.
“So can I see another?” I asked, eyeing the other canvasses, the paintings they contained all hidden with sheets.
“You really think it’s good enough?”
“Babe, it’s amazing. You’re so talented. I wish I had your kind of natural ability... at anything.”
“Flick, come on, you’re good at stuff.”
I snorted. “Hardly. Name one thing I’m good at?” Hailee tapped her lips, pondering it for too long. “See,” I added, “Nothing.”
“You like reading.”
“So does half the population.” I rolled my eyes.
“And you’ve been really good at stepping out of your comfort zone lately.”
“I don’t think they have a society for that at college, Hails.”
“You like lists.”
True. I did. Lists kept me organized; reminded me of things I needed to do. Lists for the grocery store. Lists of the celebrities I crushed on. Not to mention my senior year bucket list.
Lists made me happy.
“You’re right. I am an excellent maker of the lists. It’s an undervalued talent for sure.”
“Oh come on.” She nudged my shoulder. “You know what I mean. Just because you’re not really good at one thing doesn’t mean you’re not good at lots of little things.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” My smile was forced, the knot in my stomach tightening.
It wasn’t that I was jealous of Hailee, I wasn’t. She was gifted and I was excited for the Seniors Night unveiling. For her. But it only heightened my self-awareness of how lacking I was. It was senior year. The year of college applications and chasing future dreams. A future my parents had all planned out for me since the womb. They wanted me to follow family tradition; attend UPenn, get my business degree and work some white-collar job in the city.
Before senior year, I would have happily gone along with their plans. Because it was better than the alternative—no plan. But I was restless. A little voice whispering in my ear that if I went to UPenn and studied business and graduated ready to enter the big old world of white-collar employment, I’d regret it. It had been quiet before, easy to ignore, but now it was growing louder, a constant noise making itself heard.
That’s how my senior year bucket list had first spawned. If I was going to pursue my parents’ dream for me; instead of riding the bumpy road of uncertainty, I wanted to go out with a bang. Make senior year the best it could be.
1. Take up a new hobby
2. Cut class
3. Attend a pep rally
4. Skinny dip down at the lake
5. Fall asleep under the stars
6. Go to a party at Asher Bennet’s house
7. Drink (actual liquor) at Bell’s
8. Go to Winter Formal… with a date (not a girlfriend)
9. Hook up with a random guy
10. Fall in crazy messy love
I mentally recalled each item, checking the ones off I’d already completed. I’d joined book club, attended a pep rally, and partied at Asher’s house. Thanks to Asher, I’d also got mildly drunk at Bell’s. Number nine was a given, but I was considering giving myself a do over where that was concerned, because Jason was neither a random guy nor could our moment of madness be described as a ‘hook up’.
“Hey,” Hailee’s voice perforated my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Huh, what?” I blinked at my best friend.
“You zoned out for a minute there.”
“I’m fine.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings—”
“You didn’t.” My lips pressed into a thin smile. “Now what’s a girl got to do to see the rest of them?” I inclined my head over to the other concealed portraits.
“Flick,” Hailee groaned.
“Hails, come on... this is me.” I turned on the puppy dog eyes and pout again, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist. But nothing could have prepared me for the next portrait, as Hailee pulled off the cover.
“Holy crap.” The words fell off my lips in a whoosh of breath. It was Jason, staring right at me, his dark intense eyes fixed on my face, arm hiked ready to release the ball. I moved closer, awed by the detail. The muscles in his arm bulging, strong and powerful.
“I think it’s my favorite so far,” Hailee said. “Which is weird considering I still can’t stand him. But he embodies the game. I think it’s his eyes, the sheer determination in them. Like he is the game. I never really understood his obsession, but watching him train, seeing him out there on the field, I get it. He doesn’t just like football, he—”
“Needs it.” I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I’d seen Jason play a few times now and it was always a sight to behold. But that was from the bleachers. This was intimate. As if I was right there on the field with him, watching him command the play, his team. A shiver ran up my spine and I sucked in a shaky breath.
“It’s great, Hails. Really good.” I tried to school my expression, but Hailee narrowed her eyes. Trying to deflect, I asked, “Who do you have left?”
“Jones, Merrick, and Killian. I’m almost done with the rest.”
“I can’t wait to see them all together. Coach Hasson is going to be blown away.” My eyes flicked back to Jason’s portrait, but I forced myself to look at Hailee. I needed to push him to the recesses of my mind; a memory I would only allow myself to recall when I was alone with a gallon of ice-cream in reach.
“I just hope the guys like them,” she said quietly.
“They will,” I reassured her. They couldn’t not. But as she covered Jason back up, I saw the way her eyes lingered on her step-brother. The wariness in her gaze. Things had always been strained between them and although Hailee would never admit it, I knew she wanted things to be easier. For Jason to respect her. Especially now that she was with Cameron.
“He’ll love it, Hails.”
“I don’t know—”
“Yes you do.” My lips curved in a small smile. “It’s okay to want his approval. He’s your brother.”
“Step-brother.”
“Does it really matter? It’s senior year. Soon we’ll all be going off in separate directions. But you and Jason will always find your way back to one another, because like it or not, you’re family. So yeah, it’s okay to want him to like it, and it’s okay if you want to try to smooth things over with him.”
“You’re a good friend, Felicity Giles.” Hailee wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight. “And I promise to do everything in my power to make your senior year as awesome as it can possibly be.”
“Ride or die,” I said.
Hailee pulled away, grinning at me. “Ride or die.”