The reporters are saying that was a mistake.
We’re going to have to prove them wrong.
“I saw the papers this morning,” Lacey says. She’s wearing her cute little cheerleading outfit, straddling me on my bed. Very quickly, she has her top and bra off. “You’re lucky I’m here—”
The room to my door flies open, and my little brother is standing there, staring at Lacey’s naked chest, his eyes wide but a fat smile taking over his face.
Lacey rolls off me, lying flat on the bed to cover herself.
I get up and ask Ryder what he wants.
“I, uh … I forget.”
He’s in the eighth grade, and although I heard him talking with his friends about some over-the-shirt action with some girl during Seven Minutes in Heaven, I’m pretty sure he’s never seen boobs up close and personal before.
Probably will run off and tell his friends.
“Then, I’m busy,” I say nicely but still fling the door shut in his face and then lock it.
“That was mortifying,” Lacey says.
“Maybe you shouldn’t attack me the second you walk in the room,” I tease. “Or at least lock the door first.”
She gives me a sexy smirk in response and reaches for my belt buckle. She hasn’t said she loves me since last week, and she hasn’t brought up the whole commitment thing either.
“Sadly, you should probably put your clothes back on. My brother is a tattletale, and I expect my mom will be knocking on my door any minute.”
“Oh, we don’t want that. She likes me. At least, I think she likes me.”
“I like you more,” I say.
But I immediately regret it when she goes, “Oh, Chase. I know it’s not an I love you, but”—she tosses her arms around me—“it means a lot.”
“It means a lot that I like you more than my mother does?” Because I’m like, What?
She shakes her head at me. “You’re impossible.”
“I know,” I tell her, pulling her top back over her head and then leaning in to kiss her. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re lucky you’re so damn cute.” She takes my cheeks between her hands and deepens the kiss. “I do have one thing to tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“This year, if you want me to be your date for Homecoming, you’re going to have to ask me. Properly.”
“By properly, I assume you mean, publicly?” I let out a shaky breath as the day Hunter Lansford asked Dani comes rushing back to my brain.
“You bet I do. You don’t want a commitment? That’s cool. Last year, I asked you, but I won’t do it again. And if someone else asks me first, I just might say yes.”
I put my head down, trying to steady my breathing, which she must take as me being upset about what she said.
“Everyone thinks we’re the perfect couple, Chase, but we’re not even a couple.”
“We sort of are,” I offer. “It’s not like I’m with anyone else.”
She rolls her eyes and pulls me back into a hug. “What am I even going to do with you?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “But I need to get going. Coach wants us there early tonight.”
“Actually, I do know what I’m going to do. I’ll be there. Cheering for you. Like always.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, walking her out to her car. “That means a lot to me.”
“Roses,” she says.
“What?”
“Roses always win you a homecoming date,” she says before driving off.
Damon is standing by my truck, waiting for me. But I look past him to a certain car in his driveway.
“Is your sister home?” I ask, but what I want to do is run into their house immediately and tell Dani how much I’ve missed seeing her every day and how I look out my window at night, hoping to catch a glimpse of her and then realize she’s gone. How I wish I could see that golden hair that looks like sunshine. Although what I really want would be for her to see me, throw herself in my arms, and beg me to love her again.
“Yeah. I didn’t know she was coming home this weekend. Is it for your birthday?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked much.”
I don’t tell him that we sort of made up, talking on the phone while she was going through rush, but since she pledged, it’s only been a few random texts. I tell myself that she’s just busy. Getting used to being at a new school, meeting new people, but it bothers me that she hasn’t called once since. It already feels like she’s moved on without me. Again.
“BS,” he says.
I say what I’m thinking, “Exactly.” It is bullshit. But I know he’s referring to Before That Summer.
“It really does suck,” he says, hopping into my truck. “At least we didn’t let it screw up our friendship.”
“No way. Can’t mess up a lifetime of on-the-field chemistry.”
“Lots of scouts are coming to the game tonight. More than usual,” Damon says. “I overheard the coaching staff discussing it.”
“Well, it’s a pretty big game. At least for this early in the season.”
“Reporters, too.”
“Does it sometimes seem kinda crazy to you, how much attention we get?” I ask him.
“We’re Shock and Awe, baby!” he yells out.
Shock and Awe are sort of my and Damon’s nicknames in the press. It started when a skeptical local reporter, who thought we were only getting hype because of Damon’s last name, came to see one of our games. He wrote later that he was shocked at my throwing technique and accuracy and awed by Damon’s agility and ability to catch pretty much anything thrown his way.
“Well, I’m sure the fact that your last name is Diamond doesn’t hurt either,” I tease.
“You nervous?” he asks me.
“About the scouts? Not really.” I start the car and pull out of the driveway.
“About the game?” Damon asks.
I shake my head. “No, not at all.”
“Me neither. We’re just gonna go out and do what we do.”
I turn and give him a high five. “Score.”
“Before and after the game,” Damon says with a grin.
“Who is it tonight?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve got, like, three girls coming over. Figured we’d swim or hot tub or something.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Really? Because if you are done with Lacey, we could have a lot of fun. I know she’s laid off on the commitment thing, but she’s getting a bit possessive, don’t you think?”
“She knows we are not in a committed relationship. I’ve been really honest with her about that.”
“But yet she’s over all the time, usually in your bedroom.”
“Well,” I say with a laugh, “she’s persistent.”
“And hot,” Damon says. “One of the hottest girls at school, if you ask me.”
“You think so?”
“Definitely. Do you not? Is there someone else you’ve got your eye on? I can make it happen tonight.”