Where the hell are you? Are you traveling to the stadium with us, or heading there alone?
Shit, it was getting late, and they expected me home for the pre-game festivities. I typed.
Eli
I’ll be home shortly. The helpline was busy this afternoon.
Damn it. I shouldn’t lie to him. But, fuck, I couldn’t tell him my actual location. Only Malik knew my secret, and it would stay that way. I pursed my lips. Did it still make me a coward? Yeah, for now.
With one last glance at the Spirit Squad, I rushed from the facility and carefully shut the door behind me. Hopefully, Wren hadn’t seen my back as I left. But then, maybe he’d completely forgotten about me, now that he had a beautiful new girlfriend to dote on.
After pilinginto vehicles and arriving at the stadium parking lot, we dropped off our luggage with the porters and waited for instructions on which bus to load onto for our trip to the airport. I stood with Casey, Malik and Tex, my gaze scanning the crowd for the Spirit Squad and Wren.
Malik backhanded my shoulder. “Come on, we’re on number two.”
I followed him to the bus with Casey and Tex behind us and climbed the stairs. What were the odds we’d travel on the same bus as the cheerleaders? As I walked through the rows, my gaze snagged on Wren through a bus window, and I mumbled, “Fuck.”Here we go.
Malik slipped into a row and dropped into a window seat.
Casey and Tex walked further down, Casey sitting next to Marks, our new wide receiver.
I chewed my lower lip, watching the others mount the stairs and amble through the bus. As my pulse sped up, I bounced my leg. Would Wren say anything to me? Or would he be too preoccupied with his new girlfriend to notice me?
“Jesus, dude, settle down.” Malik squeezed my shaking thigh. “You’ve got a lot of nervous energy going on.”
“Yeah, well, my ex is about to get on our bus.” With a scoff, I flipped my gaze to the window, focusing on the back rafters of the stadium. It would be a long-ass season if I had to watch Wren with a new love. It would have been bad enough just knowing he was here, but now? Fuck.
Malik leaned in. “Don’t let him distract you during the game.” He lowered his brows. “You need closure in that situation.”
“I know.” I shook the leg opposite Malik and wrung my hands in my lap. This sucked. “I tried. I learned where they practiced this morning, which was the fucking dome, and went there.” Then I’d lost my nerve.
“And? Why didn’t you talk to him? Was he busy?” He knitted his brows.
“Yeah, with another cheerleader. They looked like they were together.” My gut twisted. “I think he switched sides.”
Huffing a laugh, he said, “Are you serious? No fucking way. I thought he was gay?”
I snapped my gaze to him. “You can identify as gay when you're younger and something else later. It happens.” He hadn’t had the education in sexuality I had working at the center.
Shaking his head, he said, “I guess. I just like them all. I don’t care what gender someone is. It’s all fair game.” He gave me a mega-watt smile. “Casey and I are the same way.”
“Used to be the same way.” I glanced behind me, where Casey sat, chatting away with everyone around him. “Now that he’s found Ryker, I don’t think he’ll ever be with another woman.”
“Dude, that doesn’t make him any less bisexual. You know that.” He play-punched my shoulder.
With a sigh, I said, “Yeah?—”
Wren’s glare bored into me as he strolled by, and then with a huff, he snapped his profile to me and lifted his chin.
His blonde girlfriend followed, giving me a thin-lipped smile.
“Shit.” Leaning forward, I hung my head. Did she know about me? Did the entire cheering squad know what I did at this point?
“Uh…” Malik’s gaze chased Wren as he twisted in his seat. “Dude gave you the meanest death glare I’ve ever seen.”
With a slow nod, I stared at the floorboard. “I know. He still hates me.” But he hadn’t forgotten about me.
Jabbing his thumb at the isle, Malik said, “Was the chick behind him the girlfriend?”
