I leaned down and lifted her into my arms, twirling her around as she laughed. She wrapped her legs around my waist. “He did it!” she yelled. “Go, Henry!” She clasped her hands behind my neck, laughing.
“You did it,” I said in awe. “How the hell did you get through to him?” The chants of Jefferson’s name seemed to fade away as I stared at her.
“It’s all about the angles,” Kennedy said. “We figured out what angle he needed to hit it at. He’s really good at geometry.”
“You’re incredible.”
She laughed. “I just used his strengths…”
I kissed her. Not caring that the whole team could see. Not caring that I was standing in the middle of the Empire High football stadium. Not caring that she was supposed to be my friend and only my friend. Kennedy Alcaraz was a rock star. And she deserved to be told that every day. Brooklyn would always be my first love. But that didn’t mean she had to be my last. It didn’t mean I had to be miserable every day. I laughed as Kennedy pulled away to cheer for Jefferson again.
I wanted to be happy with her.
I put her back down on the ground and she grabbed my hand so we could run into the middle of the field to celebrate with the team.
“You okay, Coach?” Smith asked. “Looks like you’re about to cry.”
“Shut it, Smith.” I wasn’t about to cry. I was just…happy. Well, not entirely happy. I didn’t love the way some of the players were ogling Kennedy.
Smith laughed. “There’s no way we won’t go undefeated now. Hell, I’m about to cry too. Go, Jefferson!”
I pulled Smith into a hug. Because for once in his life, it seemed like he’d stopped being an ass. Today was a good day.
“Your girlfriend’s hot,” he said.
Nope, moment over. I blew my whistle. “Great practice everyone!” And this time, I actually meant it. For the first time, every single player was an all-star. “Now get out of here before I change my mind and make you do sprints!” I watched as the players left, Jefferson actually running in the pack for once.
Kennedy started helping me pick up the practice balls.
“You don’t have to help,” I said.
“It’s fine.” She grabbed another ball balancing a pile of them in her arms. “I’m basically a coach now too, don’t you think?”
I laughed as I picked up the last one. “Coach Alcaraz has a nice ring to it, huh?”
“Absolutely.”
We dumped the balls in my equipment bag and I hoisted it over my shoulder. “You know…I don’t actually have an assistant coach.”
“Are you asking me to be your number two?”
I smiled at her as we made our way to the parking lot. “Yes.” I stared at her. Maybe in more ways than one. “I am.”
“It was really fun seeing Henry smile so hard.”
“You know everyone calls him Jefferson, right?”
She shrugged. “I like first names. It’s more personal. Maybe you should give it a try. I might implement first names only as assistant coach.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Watch me. We’ll go undefeated under me.”
“We’re already undefeated.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Don’t let this go to your head, Alcaraz. I’m still the head coach. And you have to respect my authority.”
She laughed as we stopped by my car. “I will never respect your authority. And Alcaraz? Seriously? Don’t call me that.”
“What do you want me to call you?” I stepped forward and she backed up until her ass hit the passenger’s side door.
She didn’t say a word, she just stared at me. But I could tell her mind was racing.
“How about baby?” I suggested. “Or babe? Sugar muffin?”
She’d started smiling halfway through the options.
“No? Sex rocket?”
Now she was full on laughing. “Sex rocket? Who the hell would want to be called that?” She started laughing harder.
“Okay. How about I call you my girlfriend?” It was a cheesy thing to say. I felt like an idiot as soon as her laughter died in her throat. What the hell was I thinking? It was too fast. She’d barely agreed to kiss me this morning. But when you spent 16 years being miserable, it was easy to latch on to happiness. And standing here with her? It didn’t feel like I’d wasted half my life away. I felt like I was 16 years old again. I felt young and alive and happy. Didn’t she?
“Girlfriend? I can’t be your girlfriend,” she whispered.
I dropped the equipment bag and put my hands on either side of the car, caging her in. “Why not?”
“You know why not. Matt, what are we doing?”
“Dating.”
“We’re not dating. I didn’t say yes.”
I leaned forward and kissed her. Despite her words, she kissed me back. Her throat making that adorable moaning noise I was starting to crave at all hours of the day. I pulled away just as she started to pull me closer. “Then what do you call this?”
“Kissing.”
I raised my eyebrow. “That’s it?”
“Really good kissing?”
“Don’t overthink this.” I dropped my forehead to hers.
“How can I not overthink this? You and I can’t be together. It breaks all the rules of friendship. I…I can’t. I shouldn’t have even kissed you. I’ve been twisted up inside all day.”
She didn’t think I’d been thinking of that? About how wrong this was? But I was fucking sick of living like this. Kennedy made me happy. And I just wanted to be happy. “Fine, I’ll call you Alcaraz.”
She groaned. “I don’t want you to call me that.”
“No? Well, it’s either that or girlfriend. Your choice.”
“You’re impossible.” She leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. “Fine. Whatever. Call me your girlfriend.”
I smiled.
“Stop smiling so hard. You’re not supposed to be happy about this. It’s weird.”
“It’s not that weird. But is this better?” I gave her an exaggerated frown.
She reached out, touching the corners of my mouth. “No. I changed my mind. Keep the smile.”
I smiled and her hands slid to my neck.
“Okay, we made it exclusive,” I said.
She rolled her eyes.
“How is your ankle doing?”
“What? Oh.” Her cheeks turned rosy. “It’s doing a lot better today.”
“Really? Wasn’t it still hurting pretty bad last night?” I’d been wondering about this all day. She’d run away from me this morning without a single grimace. I was starting to think she was a dirty liar. A very sexy dirty liar.
“Yes,” she said. “It hurt a lot last night.”
“Are you sure about that? You didn’t just want me to come over?”
“You texted me.”
I stared at her.
“It did hurt last night still. But fine, I may have overexaggerated slightly. Because I like hanging out with you. Is that a crime?” She lightly shoved my shoulder.
I was smiling so hard it hurt.