“That’s pathetic,” I say.
His smirk grows as he shrugs. “Is it? Do you know how much a first draft athlete makes?”
“If a girl is only trying to sleep with you because she’s hoping to date a famous athlete, then she deserves to shed a few tears,” Poppy says before I can consider girls looking at my brother in the light he’s painting.
I look at my best friend, and she’s cool and calm, her shoulders pulled back, likely because this news isn’t sending her reeling, realizing that even without the obvious ten rules for me not to date Lincoln, there’s an entire campus vying for his attention.
“Trust me, you guys don’t want to get mixed up in all that drama,” Paxton says again.
Poppy smiles widely. “We already know to avoid the football team. Our attention is set on rugby. We also have the swimming team. Water polo. Wrestling.” She ticks them off on her fingers. “Lacrosse…”
“Lacrosse,” Arlo scoffs. “How is that even a sport?”
“Okay, I’m really going this time.” I take two steps back, offering a half-hearted wave before turning around.
“Yes,” Paxton says. “Focus on school and important shit.”
“Like you do?” Poppy asks, sarcasm has her lowering her chin and raising her eyebrows.
“Do what I say not what I do, or however that shit goes.” He jogs the few feet to catch up to me and drapes an arm over my shoulders, matching my pace.
“Hey, Lawson!”
Paxton and I both turn at the sound of our last name. Lincoln stands beside Arlo, grinning.
“What?” Pax yells.
“Nothing.” Lincoln shakes his head, and then a girl walks past him, saying something to him that I can’t hear from where we’re stopped some hundred feet away.
He’s too far away, and my brother is standing too close to confirm it, but I swear Lincoln’s looking directly at me.
I swallow, staring back.
“See,” Pax whispers. “Trust me. You don’t want to deal with dating an athlete.” His arm around my shoulders tightens, and he begins to turn, leaving me to follow him, my head on a swivel as I try to watch Lincoln’s reaction.
The last thing I see before I turn toward the math building is Lincoln flashing a smile to the stranger.
Continue Reading Bending the Rules