First and Goal (Moving the Chains #1) (22 page)

She shivers a little and snuggles closer to us. This feels a little too much like a threesome to me. I am very much awake now.

“Rach,
Eva
,” he emphasizes as an introduction, not using my nickname.

Surely, he does this to give me the hint to get lost. Obviously, the captain of the football team would rather be snuggled up with the head cheerleader.

“You two certainly look cozy,” she giggles.

And that’s it for me. As soon as I find Christina, I’m outta here.

“Yeah, she’s being my damsel in shining armor and keeping the riff-raff away.” Rob laughs at his own stupid joke, giving me a quick squeeze.

As soon as he releases, I disentangle myself and shift to sit next to him, still trying to spot Tini in the thinning crowd. Besides, I don’t want to make it too obvious that I’m feeling…what? Jealous? Disappointed? No, that can’t be right.

“Well, I think Rach can handle it from here. I need to find my sister and see if she’s ready to go because it’s certainly past my bedtime.” It’s only a little after midnight, but I don’t want to make it obvious that my skin crawls with discomfort.

I don’t belong with this crowd. People are getting increasingly stupid from all the beer, the groping couples are moving closer to the fire as the breeze picks up, and suddenly I feel like I’m in a sea of jocks and cheerleaders with no bandies in sight. In short, I’m way out of my element.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her mouth “sorry” to him. He only shrugs and mouths back, “it’s okay.” Of course it’s okay, because his arm is still around her shoulders. I have no claims on him. She’s certainly better suited to be in the stupid, stupid, stupid position I’d just been in.

“I was just going to get the senior games started, Eva. Don’t go yet,” she rushes. Her tone seems almost apologetic. I don’t get why she would possibly apologize to me. She just got a very willing Rob all to herself, but whatever…what senior games?

I thought we only played those at the pep rallies?

I must slip off my mask and give her a questioning look because she hurries to explain.

“It’s a little secret passed down from each captain of the squad to the next. At our post-game bonfires, we do our own little version of senior games. It’s a way to bring our class closer until we all part ways after graduation. You’re drum major this year, so you totally have to stay and join in!”

No, thank you. I’m not interested in joining in whatever freak show is about to get started. With all the drunken groping going on and her ease at sliding in beside us, I’m seriously wondering if bonfire senior games isn’t code for group orgy.

“Thanks, but we have our own bandie bonding traditions. I really do need to find my sister.” I get up and brush the dust off my jeans.

“I can tell you some really funny, embarrassing stories about Rob,” Rachel offers.

If her statement is meant to entice me to stay, it falls embarrassingly flat. It’s obvious that this supermodel cheerleader knows nothing about me. I have zero interest in getting to know my bio partner any further, especially if I’m going to get burned.

I finally spot Tini on the outskirts of the crowd, making out with a boy I recognize that she’s dated before. I look down to say goodbye, only to find them sitting separately from one another. Rachel wears a hopeful expression, probably assuming that she’s conned me into sticking around. Rob looks disappointed. Probably because his hot cheerleader isn’t warming herself against his body any longer.

Oh, well. Not my problem.

“Have a great time you two.” I offer them a lascivious wink before walking away.

After confirming that Tini is catching a ride home with her on-again fling, I locate my car in the field and make my way over. I’m only a few feet away, already unlocking the doors with my remote when Rob jogs up to me.

He breathes a quick “hey” in an obvious effort not to startle me again. “You’re really going?”

“Yeah. Christina’s getting a ride home with a friend.”

“You should stay since you’re the band queen. Rachel is getting our class together. Everyone’s asking where you went.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets, disappointment written all over his face.

I guess Rob and Rachel’s little make-out session was interrupted by our classmates.

“I’m good, thanks. Besides, looks like you finally found a girl that didn’t wanna jump straight on your famous dick. You should go for it. You two would make a great couple.” I cross my arms tightly over my chest to ward away the chill in the air. When did it get so damn cold?

“Rach and I aren’t like that. We’re neighbors. I’ve known her since we were kids.”

“Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me.” I shrug. “The girl next door trope always works out with a happy ending, so maybe you’ll have a girlfriend for your senior year after all.”

“Evie…” he trails off.

“It’s Eva.” I allowed things to get far too comfortable tonight. That was my own fault. Time to back off. “I’ll see you Monday. We don’t need to finish the bio questions. And I think I did pretty well on the calc quiz today, so hopefully you’ll be off the hook for the tutoring soon. Then you can spend your afternoons making a play for Rach. Have fun tonight.”

I climb in and close the door, sending him the message to go back to his popular crowd. God knows I don’t fit in there. Never have, never will.

I
show up at her house Saturday to finish the last question packet. She’s not home. I leave the dozen cupcakes with her YiaYia, who assures me she’ll give them to Evie. I text her repeatedly for the rest of the weekend, with no response.

Lesson learned. My pathetic attempt at trying to put the moves on her at the bonfire is officially a loss. That’s all right. I think I’m getting better at reading her defense. With Evie, the ticket is to steadily gain ground. Hail Mary passes won’t work with her. She’s too skittish now, thanks to Eddie. And who the hell knew my size increase that helped me with my game would also be a negative in Evie’s book? Certainly not me. Especially not after what I overheard at her house. I don’t know what to make of any of it.

I only know that after touching my lips to her perfect skin on Friday night, I’ll do anything to get more.

Bio is relatively quiet. She doesn’t throw up her walls, and I don’t push. I do make her show me her hand which still sports a nice burn mark. She jokes that I branded her. I joke that I’m all for that. Only, I’m not joking.

She doesn’t even catch my little slip into more-than-friends territory.

I’ve been waiting in the study room for about twenty minutes. I’m seriously thinking she just played casual in front of our classmates, but has zero intention of being anywhere near me again.

I only took five minutes to shower the stink off of me since she absolutely hates the way I smell when I’m sweaty, but I still shouldn’t have beat her here. I’m getting ready to text her and see if she’s planning on showing up when she walks in the door, clutching her phone in her hands.

The mask she always tries so hard to keep firmly in place is gone, replaced with unbridled sadness.

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” she whispers, taking her usual seat. She drops her bag to the floor with a thud. “I was talking to my sister, and I…” Her voice breaks.

“Evie, what’s wrong?”

My concern for her overrides my rational brain, and I realize too late that I’ve slipped and called her Evie instead of Eva. She doesn’t even call me on it. This is bad. I’m also aware that I’ve draped my arm over the back of her chair and am leaning into her a little too closely. She doesn’t even react. This must be really bad, considering how fast she shut me down at the bonfire.

Just as I prepare to go beat someone’s ass for hurting her, she looks up at me, the first tear sliding down her cheek.

“My cat died.” She sets the phone on the desktop with measured force, facing ahead dumbly.

“I’m sorry.”

I don’t even remember seeing a cat at her house the times I was there. My muscles relax, knowing there’s no asshole I need to go find and pummel for making her cry.

I’m lucky that I haven’t faced any consequences for getting in a few punches on Joey, as it is.

Unable to hold it back any longer, the dam breaks, though she’s been trying her best to stop it.

“Tini found him out on the road when she got off the bus. He’d been hit by a car and was already gone when she got to him.” Her whimpers come harder.

I don’t understand the whole concept that guys supposedly can’t deal with a crying female. If someone is genuinely upset, what’s wrong with wanting to comfort them? The instinct to hold her to me grows with each tear that escapes her eyes.

“Someone just hit him and drove away! He might have been suffering for hours before he died, and I wasn’t even there to hold him!” Her last words are hard to make out over what has built to outright sobbing.

I have no choice. Consequences be damned.

I scoot my chair towards her until it’s as close as I can get and pull her into my embrace, wrapping my arms around her securely. She buries her face into my chest as sobs rack her delicate body.

All I can do is hold her and alternate between pressing kisses onto the top of her head and shushing her as I nuzzle her silky hair with my face.

After what seems like an eternity, her crying subsides. She grows heavier in my arms. I loosen my grip slightly, but keep my cheek resting atop her head.

“What was her name?”

“
His
name was Gatoula,” she sniffles.

“Oh, sorry. Is that a Greek name?”

“Well, it’s a Greek word…”

“What does it mean?”

“Kitty.”

We both laugh quietly. Her voice thrums through my body and her muscles dance in my arms.

“How long did you have him?”

“Five years. He was just a little kitten when my grandparents gave him to me.”

I wonder what twelve-year-old Evie was like. I’m always jealous about how long Mike’s been a part of her life. He probably knows all about her damn cat.

“I just don’t understand why someone wouldn’t stop and try to help. I’ve never hit an animal before, but I would at least stop.” Her crying starts again, so I hug her tighter into my chest.

“Maybe they didn’t know.”

I genuinely have no idea what to say to make her feel better. I’ve never had a pet before. Dad wouldn’t allow it. Too much of a distraction from sports.

“How could you not know that you hit something?” she grits out, the anger clear in her voice in spite of the tears.

Ah, there’s the fiery Evie I’m more familiar with.

“I’m so sorry, Evie,” I mumble into her hair and kiss her once more. I don’t know what else to say or do.

She stiffens and pulls out of my embrace. I wince when it dawns on me that I’ve been kissing her for the last ten or so minutes. It had just come…naturally. I’ve never comforted a crying female other than my mom before. Is there a playbook for that? Did I screw up? Is this why my friends are always so freaked out by tears?

She swipes angrily at her face as she straightens herself up. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t usually cry like this.”

She looks at me out of the corner of her eye as a few more tears escape. “I got your shirt all wet. Sorry.”