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The Game You Play 7
“Hailee, come here.” He gave her a reassuring nod, and slowly Hailee rose from the chair. But Thatcher’s hand clamped down on her shoulder.“Not so fast, baby, we’re just getting—"“Get your hands off her.”“Or what, Chase? You’re a lover not a fighter and I don’t see Ford anywhere, do you?”Anticipation crackled in the air, the whole diner watching on with fascination. A few cameras were aimed in the direction of the stand-off between Cameron and Lewis Thatcher and I knew it wouldn’t be long before it was all over social media.“You don’t want to do this, man.” Cameron implored, holding his hands up. “It’s a public place, people are filming.”Hesitation flashed over Thatcher’s face, enough for Cameron to grab Hailee’s hand and yank her toward him. “Go.” He flicked his head toward us, and she hurried to Asher’s side.“Maybe we should call Jason,” she said.“That is the last thing we want to do right now. Your boy can handle it.”“What’s going on here?” Tate appeared looking flustered.
The Game You Play 8
Jason“What the fuck happened?” I demanded the second Cam and Asher arrived at our regular spot in Bell’s, a local bar run by an ex-Raider and one of our biggest fans. My eyes flicked to Hailee who was quiet and a little pale at his side. I barely even acknowledged Felicity. I couldn’t risk her pulling that hypnotic voodoo crap on me, not here.“Well?” I arched my brow, growing impatient.“It was Thatcher. He showed up at The Alley.”“He was bothering you?” Meeting my step-sister’s gaze, my eyes bore into hers, and she gave me a small nod.“Fuck.” I raked a hand through my hair, trying to rein in the anger I felt coursing through my veins. Thatcher was supposed to be my problem. Mine and the team’s. He was never supposed to go after Hailee. But that shit was on me and I’d deal with it.One way or another, Thatcher would get what was coming to him. Even if I had to bide my time until the season was done.My fist curled against my thigh, anger radiating deep inside me. Fucking Lewis Tha
The Game You Play 9
“Is that what you think? That I was talking about you?” I stepped closer. “That was a mistake. You were a mistake. One I don’t plan on making again.”Felicity’s breath hitched, pain flashing in her eyes. “Fuck you,” she seethed.“Baby,” I reached out, pulling a strand of hair. “We already did that.”“I hate you.” Her voice trembled.Good. She needed to hate me. I didn’t need her getting the wrong idea about us.About me.For as much as I hated to admit it, Hailee was right. I needed to stay away from Felicity. She was too naïve, too fucking pure. Until New York, until me, she’d been a virgin for fuck’s sake.I stepped forward again, putting us almost chest to chest. I hadn’t planned on getting this close, but there was no denying she pulled me in. Almost made me want to finish what we started in New York. My eyes dropped to her lips; soft pouty lips I knew the taste of. Her tongue darted out as she watched me watching her.“Jason, what are—”“Shut the fuck up,” I ground out. Her chest
The Game You Play 10
Felicity“Happy game day.” I flashed Hailee a wide smile, but she frowned.“You’re... happy.”“Is that a crime?”“No, of course not, I just thought...”“That I’d spend the week moping after Jason?” Laughter spilled out of me, but it was strained. “Like I already told you yesterday and the day before that, it was a mistake. A blip. Jason, who?”Hailee’s eyes scrutinized me. Sharp and assessing and filled with doubt.“If it makes you feel better,” I went on, filling the awkward silence, “I added another item to my list.”“You did?” Her brows went up as the school came into view.“I did. Number eleven: Do not, under any circumstances, fraternize with the football team.”“Asher’s on the football team.” I felt her heavy gaze on me.“Asher is a friend.”“Is that what we’re calling it. He likes you, you know?”“He doesn’t like me. He likes the idea of me.”“We could double date.” She sounded happy at the prospect; too happy.“Hails,” I glanced at her, “Don’t get any ideas about me and Asher,
The Game You Play 11
True. I did. Lists kept me organized; reminded me of things I needed to do. Lists for the grocery store. Lists of the celebrities I crushed on. Not to mention my senior year bucket list.Lists made me happy.“You’re right. I am an excellent maker of the lists. It’s an undervalued talent for sure.”“Oh come on.” She nudged my shoulder. “You know what I mean. Just because you’re not really good at one thing doesn’t mean you’re not good at lots of little things.”“Yeah, you’re right.” My smile was forced, the knot in my stomach tightening.It wasn’t that I was jealous of Hailee, I wasn’t. She was gifted and I was excited for the Seniors Night unveiling. For her. But it only heightened my self-awareness of how lacking I was. It was senior year. The year of college applications and chasing future dreams. A future my parents had all planned out for me since the womb. They wanted me to follow family tradition; attend UPenn, get my business degree and work some white-collar job in the city.B
The Game You Play 12
“You’re a good friend, Felicity Giles.” Hailee wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight. “And I promise to do everything in my power to make your senior year as awesome as it can possibly be.”“Ride or die,” I said.Hailee pulled away, grinning at me. “RideJason“Yo, QB, check it out.” Grady flipped me his cell phone. I caught it, my eyes narrowing on the tweet.@ThatcherQB1: Raiders better watch out, the Tigers are on the prowl #Tigersgohunting #Raiderscansuckit“Doesn’t Thatcher’s cousin play for the Tigers?” he asked me as I handed back his cell.Shrugging, I grunted. “Fuck if I care. He’s just bitter we put their asses in the ground Rival’s Week.” We’d played them a couple weeks back. It had been a dog fight, both teams refusing to roll over. But, in the end, we got the win, and Thatcher had gone back to Rixon East with his tail between his legs.“Should we be worried?” Cam leaned in, whispering in my ear.“Do I look worried?” Thatcher was clutching at straws. He couldn’t tou
The Game You Play 13
One of their players was glaring over at me. I stood taller, tipping my chin slightly, sending him a silent ‘fuck you’. He narrowed his eyes, pointing his finger at me before dragging it across his throat.“Yo, Coach?” I asked one of our assistant coaches. “Number twenty-three. What position is he playing?”“Linebacker,” he said warily. “Should I be concerned?”“Nah, Coach. Just wondered.”He gave me a pointed look. “No bullshit out there, okay?”“Did I hear someone say bullshit?” Coach Hasson called us in. “Listen up. Millington came here to win. If they don’t, they can kiss a shot at the play-offs goodbye. So that means they’ll be gunning for blood. Your blood. You hear me?” We nodded. “They’re desperate and desperate men will do anything to get the win. Keep your cool and don’t get dragged into their games. That goes for you too, QB.”“Yes, Sir.” My eyes flicked over to Millington. Like us, they were now huddled around their coach, who was no doubt telling them to use every trick i
The Game You Play 14
“Go, GO! The entire stadium seemed to yell, propelling me forward. Giving me the strength I needed to make one final push.Someone reached for me and I leaped to the side, the thud of their body hitting the ground behind me reverberating in my ears.Fifteen yards… ten… five. I was so close. So fucking close I could already hear the echo of ‘touchdown’ ringing in my ears. But a Millington player appeared out of nowhere slamming straight into me, the ball fumbling out of my hands. “Fuck,” I grunted, the ground beneath me breaking my fall.“That one’s for Thatcher.” Twenty-three came down hard on me. His elbow—or was it a fist—clipping my ribs with purpose. Once. Twice… Pain splintered through my side.“Get the fuck off me,” I sneered, pushing him off. He rolled away, clambering to his feet. The second I was upright, I got up in his face, barely aware of the game still going on around us. “What the hell was that?”Dead Man Walking had the balls to smirk.“Oh, you think this is funny. You
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