“This year will be brutal, but we’re going to state,” the tallest one is saying as he points to a digital TV in front of him.
Crap, this is a football meeting.
Back out of the room, Maddy, before anyone sees you?—
My boot squeaks against the floor, and suddenly, all eyes are on me.
“Can I help you?” the coach asks me, sounding annoyed.
Finn is sitting at the table, and a confused smile breaks across his face. Then his lips part—who knows what the guy plans to say, but thankfully, he’s interrupted.
“Sorry, Coach Prescot.” River appears beside me and snags a hold of the sleeve of my leather jacket. “She’s new here, and I’m supposed to be showing her around, but I got distracted for a second.”
“It’s okay, River,” the coach says while eyeing me over in annoyance. “Just make sure she understands this room is off-limits to everyone except for members of the football team, just like the sign outside there says.”
Whoops. There was a sign?
River nods then tows me with him as he exits the room. The instant we get outside the room, I jerk my arm away from him.
“I didn’t need you to do that,” I snap, noting the sign to my right that reads, “DO NOT ENTER UNLESS PERMITTED.” “I can take care of myself. And besides, who the heck cares if I walk into the wrong room?”
“People here do,” he assures me. “And if you want to survive being here, you’ll have to learn that.”
“Thanks for the tips,” I reply dryly. “I’ll make sure not to dress like trash, I won’t walk into any rooms without permission first, I’ll make sure to bow down to everyone, and I’ll never be myself ever again.” Rolling my eyes, I start to walk away, wondering where Lily and Wren went. Why didn’t they come after me? Did I misread the potential friendship vibe from them?
When River snags a hold of the sleeve of my jacket again, I’m beyond annoyed.
“What?” I twist back around to face him with a groan. “Did I miss another rule? Did I step with the wrong foot? Did I breathe incorrectly?”
He releases my sleeve and massages the back of his neck as nervousness consumes his expression. But that dissipates as he arches a brow at me. “Are you always so defensive about everything?”
“No, I just get defensive when people insult me. Even rich guys who I’m sure are used to getting their way all the time.”
“I don’t get my way all the time—I never get my way,” he mumbles, but I don’t think he meant to say that aloud since he quickly clears his throat. “I was going to say that Lily and Wren went into the orientation room because I told them I’d get you out of there.” He points to the football room. “But I also assured them that once I did, I’d walk you to orientation.”
Okay, I don’t have an argument for that. Still, I’m not a fan of him, considering everything else he said about me.
“And I don’t think your outfits are trash,” he adds, scratching his arm. “It’s just that it’s important to be presentable at orientation. It’s why I checked to make sure Lily dressed appropriately. You can wear whatever you want to classes, but for events like orientation, there’s a dress code. And you might get kicked out if you don’t meet it.”
“Is that a rule?”
“An unspoken one.”
“Oh.” I frown. “So, that’s why I had to dress like a preppy girl student? Because of some unspoken rule? Personally, I don’t think this is much nicer than what I was wearing before. The only difference is it’s a dress.”
His gaze scrolls up and down me, lingering on my legs for too long. “You look fine. I promise.”
Wait … Was he just checking me out?
I misread what he was doing the first time he looked at me like that, but this is like the second time in ten minutes.
“Okay.” I tug on the hem of my dress. “Well, thanks for the heads-up, I guess.”
He studies me for a beat. “You didn’t even say that without being defensive.”
“Hey, you don’t know me, dude,” I reply. “I’m not always defensive. But it does come with the territory of being from northside—it’s a survival technique.”
He continues to study me. The guy is intense. “That could come in useful here, too. I mean, not all the time, but …” He wavers.
