She nods and tucks a strand of her freshly colored purple hair behind her ear. “I totally am. It’s all Dad’s fault. He’s a fucking football freakazoid. He didn’t have a son to share his love for the NFL with, so he shared it with me, and now I’m somehow hooked.”
I smile, thinking of all the things my dad shared with me. There really isn’t anything quite like the bond between daddy and daughter. “Hey, no shame. I get it. My dad shared music with me.”
“Am I ever going to hear you play, by the way?” she asks, and I shrug. The thought of playing in front of people still makes me want to be sick.
We wait in comfortable silence until the stands are empty and head toward the back of the fieldhouse. With a loss like this, apparently the coach will be bitching them out for a while, so I prepare myself for Raleigh to cancel on me. I wish that made me more upset, but it doesn’t, which isn’t a great omen. I’m almost sad about not being sad.
“What are your plans for the rest of the night?” I ask her while we wait, and she blushes.
She fidgets a bit as she looks down at her feet. “I’m heading to a party over at ECH with Jackson.”
I grin at her and nudge her with my shoulder. “Look at you go. Are you excited?”
“A little,” she nods. “I’m more nervous than anything, though. He’s a football god, and I’m… well, me.” Her self-deprecation is not okay with me. Not even a little.
I grab her by the shoulders and force her to look at me. “Indi, you are a fucking amazing human, and he’s the lucky one here. Football gods come and go, but you are literally the nicest human I’ve ever met in my life. Your sunshine sparkle mixed with your sassy as fuck snark gives me life. If Jackson can’t appreciate that, then fuck him. You are a goddamn goddess.”
She blushes in response to my words and starts to laugh softly. “Dude, you are so freaking fierce. I know you hate that you had to come back here, but I’m so glad you did.”
I hug her tight. I know she’s deflecting, but I totally understand. Compliments are hard to handle when they’re not something you’re used to. I let her go as the doors behind us open and the team filters out. The unwavering pep from earlier is noticeably absent. I guess the party at ECH is going to end up being a commiseration rather than a celebration. “Be careful tonight. If any shit goes down, call me, and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
“Awh, look! You do warm and fuzzy too,” she teases, and I roll my eyes. “But yeah, I’ll be careful. I know the rivalry is real, but things are usually pretty okay at parties. Everyone just wants to get fucked up.” She looks over my shoulder, and her smile widens. I glance over my shoulder and see Jackson heading toward us.
“Have fun,” I whisper in the moment right before Jackson reaches us and slings his arm over her shoulders.
“You ready?” he asks her, and she nods. “Awesome. We’ll see you later, V.”
I salute him as he leads her toward the parking lot before turning back to the locker room door. Most of the team has already left, but there’s no way in hell I’m heading in there. Especially with the bellowing voice from the football coach filtering under the door. Not on your life.
I sit on the grassy mound behind the fieldhouse and play a game on my phone while I wait, ignoring the world around me.
“Sorry that I took so long.” I look up and find Raleigh standing above me.
I smile and climb to my feet, dusting off my ass as I do. I’m only in denim cutoffs and a tank with a shirt over my shoulders. I wish I felt more excited, but maybe that will come later. “You’re good. Are you ready?”
He nods and takes my hand. It feels a little weird, but I go with it and follow him to his car. “Where are we heading?”
“That’s a surprise,” he says with a wink as he opens the truck door for me. I slide into his pickup, and he closes the door before slipping around and climbing in the driver’s side.
I’m not really a fan of surprises, but I’m not about to tell him that and ruin whatever he has planned. Though if anyone actually jumps out at me and yells surprise, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.
He drives us through town and pulls up outside a Mexican place that I haven’t seen before. “Indi said you were a sucker for tacos, so I figured my family restaurant was the perfect place to eat.”
My eyes go wide, and I get a flutter of panic as my heart starts to race. His family restaurant means his family is in there, and that feels like way too much for a first date. Even if the food is some of my favorite. “Oh, uhm, yeah, I love Mexican food. I didn’t know your family had a restaurant.”
He puts his hand on the handle of the door before winking at me. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
* * *
The night ends, and I'm more than a little underwhelmed. I mean the food was fucking amazing. I’ve never had Mexican food that good, and I’m definitely not mentioning that to Smithy, but I’m never going to be able to eat there again.
His mom and older sister were there, and they fawned over us like he was literally their little golden prince and I his prize. That was turn off number one. I wasn’t even that pampered out on tour with my dad. It was kind of sickening.
Then there was how he totally changed once we were out. He was so controlling, and like, not in a good way. At first, I thought he was being a gentleman. Opening doors, pulling out my chair… until he commented on my clothes and how he thought I should’ve dressed better for him. Then he ordered for me without even handing me a menu, talked down to me about the amount of food on my plate, even about ordering a soda. All massive red flags to me. Some girls like the controlling thing, but I am not one of them. Not like that.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s the nicest guy usually, but as anything more than friends… It’s never going to work with us. Of that much, I’m already pretty sure. He pulls up to the front gates, and turns off the engine.
This doesn’t feel weird for me or anything. No, not at all. Fuck my life. I grasp the door handle quickly, wanting to escape before this gets any more awkward. I’m preparing myself to say goodnight before I close the door, but he gets out of the car too.