Tatum's POV The electricity in the air is electrifying as my dad and I drive into the staff and athletes' parking lot behind the stadium. Game days have quickly become my favorite day of the week because I get to hang out with my dad and watch my man do his thing out on the field. Whenever the Cats play in L.A., I always look forward to going to the game and being able to watch them kick a*s like they usually do. And it's a bonus that I get to see Nico in his uniform. This reminds me, I need to ask him to keep it on one night when I'm over because seeing him in those pants with the jersey and ball cap is my new obsession with him. He just looks so hot when he wears it. There's no other explanation than that. Dad and I go through our usual routine of heading inside the stadium and straight to the locker room so he can have one last get-together with the team before the game starts. I take up my usual spot on the bench where the coaches and medical staff keep their equipmen

Tatum's POV My heart is pounding nervously in my chest as I shakily try to slip the gold-hooped earring through the small hole in my earlobe. My mom bought these earrings for me on my sixteenth birthday because she said it'd be a piece of jewelry that I can keep for the rest of my life. She was right because I keep these stored away in a safe place out of fear that I might lose them. I vowed to myself all those years ago that I'd only ever wear them for special occasions, and I stuck by that promise. I pulled them out tonight to pair with the black dress I bought earlier in the day because there was no way I wouldn't wear them for my first date with Nico. It doesn't get more special than this. Satisfied with how I look, I flip my curled hair over my shoulder and collect my handbag before heading downstairs. Sammie left about thirty minutes ago to go have dinner with her parents but made sure only to leave once she was happy with how my make-up turned out. "Once again, you

Tatum's POV I don't know how long I sit in my car crying when I get home, but I know it is long enough for my eyes to start to sting, my chest to feel tight and sore, and for my head to pound with a deep headache. But now, it feels like I don't have any more tears left to cry. After I left Nico's office, I managed to drive home through blurry tears and park down the street. My dad was still at practice when I arrived, but I didn't want him to see me crying in the car, so I parked a few houses down to avoid detection. He returned home about thirty minutes ago and has called me at least ten times. Either he wants to know where I am because I'm normally home at this time or he found out about the video. God, I hope it's the f*cking first option. I feel so defeated and exhausted that I don't think I have the mental or physical strength to argue with him about the sh*t show that is my life right now. After everything that has happened today, I don't need to be reminded of it, esp

Tatum's POV "This movie kind of gives me the ick." I turn to look at Sammie from my spot on the couch to see that she is watching the TV with a grimace on her face. I can't help but laugh at the sight. "What do you mean it gives you the ick? You're the one who wanted to put this on." "I know," she whines, bringing her knees to her chest, unable to tear her eyes away from the horror movie she begged me to put on. "But I didn't think it would be this… icky, you know?" I roll my eyes, biting back a laugh as I turn my attention to the TV just in time to see the masked man jump out to scare the main characters. "All horror movies are icky, Sam. We can change it though if you want. I don't mind putting something a little more PG friendly on if it'll make you feel better." Sammie nods eagerly, pulling a pillow to rest on top of her knees so she can hide her face behind it as a particularly gruesome scene plays out. I laugh, reaching for the remote to change the channel

Tatum's POV Sitting around waiting for the clock to strike 11 p.m. is killing me. For the first time, I'm the first one to the picnic table in the small park, listening to the rustle of leaves as the wind swoops by, chilling my skin slightly. I figured that with the Cats celebrating the win of the championship, it might take Nico a little while to get away from the team and the interviewers. Instead, I decided to be the first one here, but now I'm realizing that it's only making me more nervous for when he eventually arrives. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, it's 10:55 p.m. It's almost time. Being the best friend that she is, Sammie covered for me with my dad. I didn't want him to know that I had left the stadium to go meet up with Nico, so we decided to tell him that we were planning to have a sleepover at Sammie's house. He seemed distracted and excited about the events of the evening, so all he did was kiss me goodbye and tell us to drive safely. On her way home, Sa