“I’m fine.” I spit, ripping myself from Carter’s grasp. “Kinsley, get back to practice! Or would you rather give your uniform to someone that’ll actually add something to this team?”
She rolls her eyes but backs away from Grayson. I notice the smirk on the asshole’s face, as if he knows his actions are getting to me, but how could they not be? This is the same boy I was sure I was going to marry one day. We promised we’d always end up together, and now here is he, hating my guts and flirting with Kinsley right in front of me.
As she goes to walk by, I step directly in her way. “Roll your eyes at me again, and I’ll ruin you.” She swallows hard as I back up. “Now go work on your form. Spreading your legs for every guy who looks at you doesn’t count as stretching.”
PRACTICE FINISHES A COUPLE hours later, without a single word from Kinsley. She may have had a sour look on her face the whole time, but she kept her mouth shut and that’s all that matters. Grayson, however, has been staring me down almost constantly — glaring at me like I’m the worst person in existence.
“Savannah.” Emma gets my attention then nods to look behind me.
I turn around and light up when I see Brady leaning against the bleachers. “Hey, you.”
He smiles and comes toward me, then wraps me tightly in his arms. The hug is everything I needed after the day I had. Suddenly though, Brady tenses.
“Uh, should I be concerned by the football player murdering me with his eyes right now?”
I don’t need to look to know that it’s Grayson. “Do me a favor? Play it up.”
He chuckles. “Let’s do this.”
Pulling away from the hug, he keeps one hand on my back. His lips meet mine as he dips me. To anyone else, we probably look like a loved-up couple. Even some of the guys whistle playfully. Then he breaks the kiss and wraps his arm around my shoulder. With one last wink at Grayson, Brady leads me off the field and toward his car.
“Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?” I ask when we’re safely inside the vehicle.
He grins widely as he puts it in reverse to back out of the space. “I’m glad, because that’s the first time I’ve kissed a girl since playing spin the bottle freshman year.”
“Think Jake will be mad?”
“Eh. Special circumstances, and it’s you. I don’t think he’ll mind.”
I laugh softly and fix my ponytail. “Well, I appreciate it.”
Glancing between me and the road, he narrows his eyes. “Are you going to tell me what the deal is with that guy, or am I just a pretty pawn to you?”
Even if I wanted to, how could I even begin to explain Grayson Hayworth? Since he showed up the other day — looking every bit like the boy I had a crush on from when I was eight years old, yet acting like someone who would run me over without even tapping the breaks—it’s almost like my brain has been turned to mush. I don’t understand what changed in him, or why he’s treating me the way he has. The whole thing is just one big mind-fuck, and I’m tired of the headache.
“I’d say you’re more of a pretty knight than a pawn,” I quip.
Thankfully, he takes the hint and drops the subject—for now.
THE SOUND OF SHAWN Mendes and Camilla Cabello blasts through the speakers as Brady and I move rhythmically to the beat. It’s not a complete reenactment from the music video, but the routine is sexual enough to look like one. The concept, paired with tune of Señorita, is perfect for a showcased duet in the winter recital.
I spin four times before he catches me and practically uses my body as a human prop, flinging me around him and making it so I end up on his shoulder. If I wasn’t as petite as I am, the move would be impossible, but our size difference makes it work.
Still, no matter how much I’m into this dance, there is no denying my head isn’t in the game today. I’ve messed up more steps than normal and even managed to step on Brady’s foot. By the third time I fall out of my turns, he stops me.
“What the hell is up with you today?” he asks as soon as he hits pause on the music.
“What do you mean?”
The knowing look on his face tells me I’m busted. “You’re all over the place. Wrong steps, sloppy moves, off beat—it’s not like you.”
I groan, grabbing my bottle of water and taking a longer sip than necessary. “I’m just having an off day, that’s all.”
“Mm-hm, right.” He sits on the floor and leans on his elbows. “Now, let’s try that again, but this time, actually try to sound believable.”
Smirking, I can’t help but laugh. That’s the thing about Brady. He’s known me long enough to gauge when he can push on a topic and when to just let it go. And right now, with this, me being unfocused could mean not performing my best at the recital. If I don’t get the scholarship to Juilliard, I’ll be stuck here for God knows how long. That would be my worst nightmare come to life.
I sigh and sit down next to him, trying to figure out how to explain the last couple days. “The football player is Grayson.”
“Grayson? Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” He looks confused before it all becomes clear. Then he reaches forward and plucks at the pendant hanging against my chest. “Necklace Grayson?”
“That’s the one.”
Letting out a long breath, he uses a towel to wipe the sweat away from his forehead. “Well, that’s probably the last thing I expected. When’s the last time you saw him? You were a kid when he moved away, right?”
I nod. “I was ten. I went to visit my grandmother for a weekend, and when I came back he was just gone. His house was empty, and he was nowhere to be found. He didn’t even say goodbye.”
“Yeah, I remember. You came to dance looking like someone broke your favorite toy for weeks.”
“There are a few things in life that break you. Change who you are as a person. Him leaving was one of those for me. I feel like that was the start of everything falling apart.”
After Grayson’s family moved away, my dad started drinking more. He ended up getting fired from his job for showing up intoxicated one too many times. Instead of using his savings to pay the bills and finding another job, he ended up going further downhill. Then, the drugs started. Within a year, he sold our beautiful house and moved us into the shack I have the misfortune of calling home.
If it wasn’t for Mrs. Laurence allowing me to keep taking dance here free of charge, I don’t know where I would’ve ended up. Her generosity, along with her tendency to be a role model for me and taking me under her wing, kept me motivated to strive for a better life than what mine had become. So, when she offered to pay my tuition at Haven Grace Prep, I thanked her profusely and promised to make her proud. Brady’s older sister taught me how to do my makeup and even gave me some designer clothes she grew out of. By the time freshman year started, I showed up determined to be something more than the poor girl from the wrong side of town.
One of the downfalls to my newfound popularity, however, was having to see Delaney and Tessa in the hallways and act like they were nothing to me. It was a necessary evil, because if anyone could expose me for the fraud I am, it would be Delaney. Still, that didn’t make it any easier to see her look at me the same way she always has—no matter how cruel I am for ignoring her existence. Tessa never seemed to care. From what I’ve heard, she’s become quite the rebel lately. But Delaney? She’s exactly the way I remember.