“They took one of his rear tires,” Blake laughs as a familiar Dodge RAM comes barreling up the street. “You should have seen it. It was fucking hilarious, but whoever did it better watch out. I don’t think Damian is the kind to sit back and let that shit slide.”
“No,” I laugh, watching the truck drive past to find a winking driver who makes everything deep inside of me clench with desire. “I’m counting on it.”
Chapter 5
I walk up the stairs of the near crowded bleachers on Thursday afternoon with excitement pulsing through my veins. Being here for sweet, sweet revenge and being here as Slade’s girlfriend are two very different things.
The whole school has shown up to support our team and while I’ve never been one of those preppy girls filled with school spirit, I feel that today I could be. Just give me some of those pompoms and I’ll be down there shaking my ass for their captain.
I don’t know what it is about basketball but there’s something so damn sexy about it. Don’t get me wrong, when I watch Blake screwing around with the ball, it just looks like some kid trying to show off and succeeding, but watching Slade move his body along the court and take control of that ball as though he could physically command it is something I’ll never tire of. Even just walking up and down the school corridors, if he has a ball in his hand, it’s bouncing and he looks damn fine doing it. Jesus, and don’t get me started on the way he so effortlessly bounces it through his legs. I’ve attempted it once and ended up getting a basketball to my pussy and to be completely honest, it wasn’t a great feeling.
I get myself comfortable in a near-empty row, knowing that by the time the game starts in twenty minutes, it will be completely packed.
Aston Creek has a soft spot for their athletes. They’ve always been put up on a pedestal and considering the way Slade plays and how he keeps his team undefeated, it’s pretty clear why. But it’s not just the basketball team. It’s the football team, the swim team, the wrestlers and the girls’ volleyball. So, no matter what, there’s always some sort of event or game going on and the school loves it. It’s even better for me as it means that the cheerleaders are always kept busy, but a busy cheer team means extra hours of practice, and extra practice means that they’re damn good and being damn good means that they’re egotistical bitches. Though, egotistical bitches who don’t have time to get to me.
Despite how the cheer team somehow manages to suck the life out of me, I find myself watching them. They really are good and the preppy Rachel in front knows it. Their school spirit seems to impossibly triple as the opposing team makes their way through the door and I find myself watching them, purely out of having nothing else to do.
These guys seem alright. They’re not strutting, there are no cocky grins on their faces, and there’s no over-the-top show of force filing in with them. They’re simply here to do their job. These are the kinds of teams I like. Tonight won’t be a shit show between Slade and the opposing captain, it’ll just be a bunch of boys working their asses off and trying their damn best to win it for their team.
These are the games I like. Despite how thrilling it is to watch bullshit go down on the court, it’s nice to have a game where it’s simply about playing the sport they love, and when they love it, it shows.
The opposing team makes their way to their seats and starts stripping off their sweats and jackets and jumps straight into warm-ups. I watch them move but with no real action happening, boredom starts to claim me.
I’m about ready to pull out my phone to keep occupied when a shadow falls to my side. I look over to find Nessa squeezing her way down the row with her eyes on me. She gives me a tight, awkward smile that puts me on edge.
What the hell does she want? The last time we spoke, she was apologizing for making horrendous comments. She showed she was being the bigger person by coming to me and I respect her for it, but apart from that, there’s no reason for her to be coming my way.
My eyes narrow and she laughs. “Chill out,” she says, dropping down into the seat beside me. She leans back and props her foot upon the empty seat in front. “I just came to talk.”
“Talk?” I grumble. “About what?”
“About how there are no hard feelings where it comes to Slade.” I raise my brow in disbelief and she laughs. “No seriously. During that whole catfight bullshit, you pointed out just how much he doesn’t care and that kind of hit hard. I didn’t want to believe it at the time, but you were right. He really didn’t care. I must have looked like such a fucking loser fawning over him for so long.”