He’s getting under my skin. It’s been a few days since the bathroom incident and one of the Devils is always at my side. I know they’re doing it to protect me, but it’s getting annoying. I can’t even go to the bathroom without having one of them try and tag along. The first time I went to go pee I had to forcefully shove Emilio out of the bathroom and that was only after he’d stormed in and kicked everyone else out making sure it was clear.
It’s a good thing I wasn’t worried about my reputation here at this school before, because a guy forcefully clearing a bathroom usually only ever meant one thing.
Even Aaron has been extra attentive and sticks around until he spots one of the Devils, and then it’s like a handoff. I don’t know if they somehow hashed out my babysitting details or if this is some unspoken guy thing, but I’m ready for it to be over. The one positive in all this is that I’ve somehow managed to make a female friend. Roman likes me sticking around at their practices until he can take me home himself and since it’s not like I have anything better to do, I agreed.
Somehow, Kasey Henderson wound up keeping me company the first day and we sort of just hit it off. I’ve managed to convince her to stick around two other times and realized it’s nice having a girlfriend. It makes me miss Adriana even more, but that’s not a friendship with any chance of recovery.
The big game is today and it’s all the guys are talking about. “You’re still coming to support, right?” Emilio asks, tossing a french fry at me.
I nod and take my seat beside Roman at the lunch table. He pulls me close and I lean my head on his shoulder, feeling more tired than usual. I poke at my food, not making any real effort to eat before pushing my tray toward Dominique who’s already finished his. “Here, you need fuel for the big game.”
He grins and picks up my burger, eating the whole thing in four bites. I don’t bother hiding my laugh. Dom is practically a garbage disposal when it comes to food. They all are.
I know I should probably try and eat some of my lunch but the very idea of it makes bile rise in my throat. I’ve lost more weight and my clothes are starting to hang loose on my body. Between the lack of appetite and the running I’ve taken up, I’m getting leaner. I still have curves but I’ve lost some of the softness around my stomach and thighs, not that I’m complaining.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Roman asks, surprising me.
Saving me from having to respond, Kasey picks that moment to plop down beside me, setting her tray down on the table with a loud smack. “Urgh, can you believe her,” she practically snarls.
I lift my head, giving her a questioning look.
She rolls her eyes. “Sarah. She’s all over Aaron and it’s disgusting. I can’t stand her.”
I look across the cafeteria and spot Sarah standing behind Aaron who’s sitting at a table. Her arms are wrapped around his neck, her breasts pressed against his back. “I take it you’re not her biggest fan?”
Her lip curls in disgust. “Definitely not. She’s a bitch and she’s only all over Aaron because she thinks it’ll make him jealous.” She points a finger toward Emilio before shoving a fry in her mouth, still glaring in her brother’s direction.
“Me?” Emilio’s balks, eyes wide and a horrified expression on his face. “I don’t want none of that.”
I lift my water bottle to take a sip just as Kasey snorts. “You slept with her last weekend. She’s my neighbor. I totally saw your walk of shame the next morning.” I choke on the water and Roman slaps my back a few times before the coughing subsides.
“You slept with that piranha?” I ask.
Emilio glares at Kasey, stabbing a finger at her in return. “Not cool, baby Henderson.”
“Gross. Don’t call me that.”
“Hold on. You slept with Sarah Draven?” I ask again.
Emilio sighs and Roman fights a grin. “What baby Henderson left out is, there was a party. I was drunk. That basket of crazy over there took advantage of me.”
I snort. “Riiiight.”
“Hey, at least I learn from my mistakes. You’re still sleeping with this asshole.”
Roman shoots him a glare and Kasey snickers. I give Roman a quick kiss on the cheek and his glower instantly softens. “I happen to like this asshole,” I tell him and everyone else at the table makes gagging sounds.
I roll my eyes and steal a fry off Kasey’s tray only to throw it at Emilio who somehow manages to catch it in his mouth.
“So, the game…?” Emilio says, trying to shift the focus off himself. “Who are you going with, because you can’t show up alone.”
I roll my eyes but notice Roman scowling. I guess he hadn’t considered that. “I’ll be fine. Nothing has happened since the whole bathroom incident and nothing is going to happen. You three went all psycho on Silvia and she’s been avoiding me ever since.” Every head turns to look where she’s currently seated, alone and in a far corner picking at her lunch with a look of complete misery on her face.
All three give me smug smiles. As soon as Roman learned Silvia was behind the attack he went all caveman and pulled in every guy on the football team to make sure that her status as an outcast stuck. She’s a social pariah now. I almost feel bad. Her own friends have abandoned her and the school pretends she doesn’t exist. People will walk into her without batting an eyelash. I noticed in second period even our teacher ignores her. I have no idea how the Devils managed that but they did.
“No way.” Roman shakes his head. “You can’t show up alone. All three of us will be on the field. We won’t be able to protect you.”
“I don’t need protection—”
“I can go with you,” Kasey says. All eyes swing toward her.
“Are you sure?” I ask. “You hate football.” I know because she’s whined on at least four separate occasions about how boring it is and how stupid it is that the school treats the players like gods. Kasey isn’t fond of athletes in general, which has made her little addition to our group pretty interesting, to say the least.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I like hanging out with you. Besides”—the corner of her mouth lifts into a smirk as she turns her attention toward Dominique—“then I can watch him throw an interception and give him shit for it.”
Dom glowers and our entire table erupts into a fit of laughter.
“Not fucking likely,” he deadpans.
I don’t know what’s going on with those two. Likely nothing because Dom will be eighteen in a few short months and Kasey’s only a freshman, but she seems intent on getting under his skin any chance she gets, despite the fact that he usually ignores her.
The bell rings signaling the end of lunch and we make our way out of the cafeteria. Roman stops me just outside my third-period class and plants a lingering kiss on my lips that leaves me breathless.
“Don’t be late tonight,” he tells me, nipping my lower lip.
“Are you suddenly worried I won’t show up?” I ask, fingering my bracelet.
He smirks. “Nah, I know you’ll be there, but it never hurts to have some reassurances.”
I tug my bracelet off and take his hand in mine, trying it around his wrist. “Consider yourself reassured. This is important to me. You can give it back to me after the game.”
He kisses me deep and slow, leaving me breathless before walking backward toward his own class. “Later, baby.”
