Which meant I needed to see himstat. No more pity-party. I had to talk to him and if cornering him after his football game was the only option, so be it.
I love you, girlsI can’t thank you enough for hearing me out. —Gabby
We love you, tooYou never have to thank us for listening to you! —Anna
Or offering advice! What else are sisters for?—Layla
Now…What are the odds that we can go watch the Panthers’ game today? —Gabby
I knew there was one in less than three hours. I hoped to make it.
Leave it to me! I’ll get us tickets :) —Layla
It was decided. We were going. I rushed back to my room to get ready, where I spent an hour overthinking my outfit before settling on a short leopard print dress, red pumps, and my fauxfur red coat since the temperature had dropped now that fall was upon Montardor.
Layla arrived to pick me up an hour prior to the start of the game.
“Hey, Gabby.” She smiled when I slid into her car. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I did this morning. You?” I leaned forward to give her a hug. “By the way, you look gorgeous.”
She wore an elegant white coat—with Josh’s football jersey underneath, no doubt—and matching white gloves embellished with pearls, her dark hair falling around her shoulders in loose waves.
“Thank you. So do you.” Layla hugged me back. “And I’m doing okay.” She started driving, heading towards the school’s stadium. Anna wasn’t carpooling with us since she was in the west, choosing to drive herself so Layla didn’t have to do a detour. “Except for the fact that my dad is suspicious and thinks I’m sneaking around with a boy behind his back.”
Well, shit.
After her mom’s passing, Layla was all Marco Antonelli had left. As a result, he’d turned even more overprotective and overbearing. He would never accept her relationship with Josh, whose family was tied to the underworld. It wasn’t that Layla couldn’t date—she just couldn’t be with a mob prince whose values and etiquette her dad deemed beneath him. According to his strict rules and moral compass, the daughter of a strait-laced Italian businessman would never mix with the son of a notorious Irish kingpin.
Layla had managed to keep her dad in the dark regarding her one-year-long relationship with Josh. Last year, Josh bought a brownstone so Layla could occasionally spend the night with him. But she’d always lie to her dad, saying that she was sleeping over at mine since I was close to campus.
When the time came, I truly hoped her dad was accepting of their relationship.
If he subjected them to his wrath, Anna and I promised to help them elope if it came down to it. They loved each other in that rare, genuine,you’re-it-for-metype of way and people like that deserved to have their happily ever after.
“What did you tell him?” I inquired.
“I told my dad that I wasn’t. But after tonight, I won’t stay at the house for a while. I can’t risk him finding out about Josh. I’m going to remain with him in the west side to ease his suspicions.”
Josh was going to be devastated that Layla wouldn’t be spending time in their shared home, but ultimately he’d understand.
“Everything will work itself out,” I promised. “Don’t worry, Lay.”
The Panthers were on the cusp of another win.
We were down to the fourth quarter and the scoreboard showed that Vesta University was in the lead with six points. The entirety of the fast-paced game, a lump felt lodged in my throat. The Panthers were playing ruthlessly and strategically, but the rival university was desperately trying to catch up to them. There were a few close calls where the opposing team almost hurt Hunter. My heartbeat galloped and I might have cursed loudly at the players, much to Anna’s and Layla’s chagrins when I drew unnecessary attention towards us in the bleachers.
I couldn’t help myself. This game was extremely important for him and the team. A win before the upcoming finals would be a huge confidence booster and I hated seeing anyone try to injure Hunter before the championship.
I thought that our last exchange may jeopardize Hunter’s performance, considering how wounded he’d been when heclosed the door on me. But thankfully, he was killing it tonight, a complete beast on the field.
Though I’d heard Hunter was a gifted quarterback, it was another thing to actually witness him work his magic as he expertly created plays throughout the quarters that put his team ahead of the opponents.
His latest one put the ball in Sam’s hands, who crossed into the endzone for a touchdown. The crowd cheered loudly. His teammates jumped on him in celebration, and there was a brief instant where his head swivelled in our direction, scanning through the bleachers for a specific someone.
Anna.
Sam lifted the football in his hand and shot her an air kiss with the other as if telling her he scored that one for her. He had his helmet on, but I could just picture his usual mischievous smirk.
