LEOI finished the last lap, not breaking stride as I jogged onto the field. Matt met me on the thirty-yard line, punching me in the shoulder. "Heard you had to rescue the gimp, dude. What happened?" I glanced over his shoulder. Tim stood about ten feet away, frowning in my direction. I narrowed my eyes, giving him a steely glare, and then turned back to Matt. "Tell you later, man. Hey, Coach says you warmed up with Simmons. What the fuck, dude, you cheating on me now?"Down the line, Dylan Simmons cracked up, shaking his head. "No worries on my part, Taylor. You and Lampert have something special. Something magical. It's a love for the ages, man. I'm not getting in the way of that.""Damn straight!" Lampert wrapped his arms around my middle and tried to haul me up. "We're like Romeo and fucking Juliet." Without pausing for breath, he added, "Dibs on being Romeo.""No problem, Houdini. You keep delivering your balls right into my waiting hands, and I'll be your Juliet every tim

QUINNMy eyes rested on Leo's back as he stood in the huddle just before they broke and lined up for the next play. I focused on him and him alone, sending him vibes of support. As though that made a difference, Matt managed to get free long enough to fire off a spiral. We all held our breath as it soared, arcing down into Leo's waiting arms as though there'd never been any doubt that he was going to catch it. Unfortunately, even though the completed pass gave the Eagles at first down, they couldn't push forward into the end zone. We all had to settle for the unsatisfactory second-best of field goal, which Beau made with beautiful precision. The half ended just after the ball went through the uprights, and the Eagles ran into the locker room leading three to zip."Do you want anything from the concession?" Jake stood up, stretching. I watched him, trying to look at him through eyes that didn't only see Leo. Yeah, Jake was cute, in a geeky, hipster sort of way. His reddish-brown ha

NATEBy mid-morning on Sunday, the pain in my head had subsided enough that it could be controlled with regular over-the-counter meds, and the doctors agreed that I could be released. I'd just gotten dressed and was sitting on the edge of the bed when I heard a noise at the door. "Knock, knock." Dr. Randall stepped into the room. "I hear my favorite patient of all time needed a little staycation at his number one resort this weekend."I snorted. Dr. Randall had been monitoring me and coordinating all of my care since I was four years old. At this point, he was almost like family.Leaning against the door jamb, he skimmed my file on his ever-present tablet. "So the bad news is, that new protocol we introduced last summer? Apparently it doesn't give you the ability to fly." I rolled my eyes. "It also doesn't make your jokes any funnier, either."He clutched his chest as though wounded. "Now that one hurts." He lowered the computer to his side. "Looks like you're going to be okay.

QUINNLeo's voice was husky and sent a thrill down my spine. When I glanced up, his eyes were on my face again, boring into me until I couldn't breathe. I shivered and then without thinking about it, I licked my lips. Instantly Leo's stare was fastened on my mouth. His own lips parted, and his chest seemed to rise and fall a little faster. I was dizzy with wanting him, and at the same time, I felt like an idiot. Here I was with another guy-while he was sitting with another girl. And yet the pull between us was undeniable. I was dying to crawl over to him, slither up his body, press my boobs into his chest and kiss him until we forgot our own names. I'd never known want that way-real, tangible need-and I fought back tears, because Leo had made it abundantly clear that he didn't want me the same way. "I didn't know Quinn wasn't your first name." Jake smiled at me. "You don't seem like an Amelia. Whoever decided to call you Quinn was smart, Q. It suits you.""Thanks." I studied Jake

LEO"Lion! Matt Lampert pounded up behind me in the locker room and gave me a friendly punch in the side. "Dude, you rocked today. We're gonna crush them on Friday night.""Yeah." I pulled my practice jersey off over my head. "I guess.""What's the matter?" Matt opened his own locker and began to undress. "You should be flying high. Coach even said something good about you. That almost never happens.""That's true." I sat down on the bench. "I'm just tired. It's been a long week." It had actually been more like a long month since our game against Franklin Township. We'd ended up playing some of the toughest teams in our conference over the past four weeks, and all those stressful, important games were beginning to take their toll on me. My grades had taken an unusual dip, I'd lost weight, and I wasn't sleeping well."We got a couple of days before the game. Let's chill tonight. Come on over, and we'll eat pizza, slay some zombies and knock back some brews."I rubbed my hand ove