I told myself I wasn’t looking for anyone in particular. I didn’t care about the game, and yet my eyes scanned each player in blue and black, listening intently for a name. They were the last on the field, and they strutted in one after the other as if they owned the place. And perhaps they did.
The crowd went nuts, but when Brock’s name was announced, I swore the earth shook as the onlookers went wild, stomping on the bleachers as they chanted his name.
“That’s your boy,” Mads whispered into my ear.
I rolled my eyes. “He is not mine.” Not by a long shot, but I couldn’t deny the little patter I felt in my heart when I heard his name. Seeing him run onto the field turned the patter into a sprint.
The whistle blew, and the ball was kicked. I tried my best to follow along, but my attention repeatedly was drawn to number four. TAYLOR scrolled across the back of his jersey.
Micah scored the first touchdown, and I jumped out of my seat with everyone else, a stupid grin on my lips as I screamed. Micah glanced to the stands, spinning the ball in a victory celebration. The crowd ate him up.
Even Mads smirked, shaking her head at him. “Showoff,” she muttered.
I spent the rest of the game laughing and smiling with my friends. Though Carter played, his name was rarely called over the speaker. It was the Elite that dominated the field, just like they dominated the school.
No surprise.
People loved them, and I had yet to figure out why. The obvious was because they were beyond good-looking, they had money, and buckets of confidence. But was there more to it?
The game ended with a final touchdown by Public, but it wasn’t enough to pull a win. Academy had blown them away, crushing Public once again.
Mads looped an arm around my shoulder as we climbed down the bleachers. “You had fun, didn’t you? Admit it, Josie, you liked seeing them in their tight little uniforms?”
“She’d have to be dead not to,” Ainsley added.
“Whatever. It wasn’t half as bad as I imagined, but there is no way in hell I am becoming one of those Elite groupies,” I informed them. Apparently, Brock, Micah, Grayson, and Fynn had their own personal cheerleading section made up entirely of some of the Academy’s most popular girls. They cheered, chanted their names and numbers, giggled, and bounced in the stands until their boobs nearly fell out. I wanted to shove their scrunchies down their throats.
“Aw, yes,” Mads nodded. “Each one dying for the chance to be a standby girl.”
I snorted.
“At least we won,” Mads noted, and then turned to Ainsley apologetically. “Sorry, I know you were rooting for Public, but we are pretty hard to beat.”
“They’re fucking gods,” Ainsley said, tucking her rainbow-streaked hair behind her ears. The wind had picked up and blew recklessly as we strolled into the parking lot.
Mads groaned. “Don’t ever say that to their faces. It’s bad enough they think they’re invincible.”
We had hung around in our seats, waiting for most of the crowd to leave so we wouldn’t get caught in the bulk of traffic leaving. Plenty of cars still lined the parking lot, most of them probably players and coaches.
Since we had gotten to the game late, Mads’s car was on the far side of the lot. I was weaving between a pair of SUVs, following Mads and Ainsley, when a pair of arms came out of nowhere, wrapping around my stomach and lifting me off my feet. I started to shriek until I heard a voice near my ear.
“Hey, sis. Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” Carter asked. His chuckle washed over the side of my face, causing my blood to freeze.
“Put me down, you prick.” I struggled in his arms, but Carter’s hold remained steadfast. You would think after a game like that he would be tired.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as two of Carter’s friends stepped to either side of my friends. They had spun around to see what the commotion was about, and before either one of them could rush forward, Shawn and Porter grabbed them around the waist, locking them into a bear hug. My friends squealed, fighting against the football players, but they didn’t stand a chance.
“Let me go, you asshole,” Mads swore, kicking and scratching.
“Just chill, Clarke. We won’t hurt you. We just want to have a little fun,” Porter told her. “The celebration party has already begun.”
Mads wasn’t convinced. “I swear to God, if you don’t put me down, I will sue the shit out of you.”
Ainsley had stopped fighting, her smoky eyes locked onto Carter, who finally set me down, only to spin me around to face him. “What is the fucking point of this?” I asked Carter in disgust.
His hands were locked onto my wrists, keeping me from scratching his eyeballs out. He lowered his head until our noses were almost touching. I tried to turn my face away, but he yanked me forward. “You and I have unfinished business,” he grunted. He reeked of beer and sweat, making me gag. “That stunt you pulled today, well, this is payback.”
Fuck.