His words should be encouraging, I get it’s his job to light the fire under us all but I feel defeated. I play my heart out every single game. But the realization hits that if he can see something in me not being the best we all know I can be, then that likely means everyone else sees it too. But why can’t I see it?
"But good win, everyone. Bring it in." Coach waves Bray over. "Take us out."
I join the huddle with everyone else and we all throw our hands in, Brayden wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he begins to chant. "Timber Wolves on three. One. Two, Three." And then the whole team joins in as we shout the team name. Everyone cheers and celebrates as we head back to our lockers and while the guys all join in on weekend chatter, something pulls my attention. I see that my phone has six unread texts and they’re all from the same person.
Cadence.
I check my surroundings to make sure no one is paying attention to me, and that Brayden is nowhere near, before I lower the brightness of my screen and open the texts.
“Holy shit,” I say out loud, but no one can hear me.
Cadence sent me the photos. The photos of her in the dresses. I’m speechless as I sift through them, not sure where to look. I mean, the girl has always been pretty. Hell, the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid my eye on, but I’ve never seen her in anything like this. It almost makes me feel jealous thinking about the fact that she’s going to be wearing one of these out in public.
This was a very bad idea,I think to myself as I rush to get my ass out of the locker room. Something tells me that this is the start to the part where I might actually get us in trouble if I keep this up, but something else is telling me that I don’t give a fuck.
But I know one thing is for sure and there’s no more denying it. I am definitely crushing hard on my best friend’s sister.
9
Cadence
Ikeep reading the messages over and over; the texts that Zach and I shared back and forth from last night after the game. I decided to actually take him up on his offer even though I had already picked a dress, and I sent him the photos before we showed up at the school. I guess I just wanted to see what he would say. That and Ryen told me to just do it, so I did. It was somewhat excruciating watching him on the field knowing what I had done and thinking about what his reaction would be once he got to his phone and saw the photos.
Every time my eyes fell on him, it's like he knew and he'd turn to look up at me. They were fleeting moments; just briefglances most of the time. But they felt forbidden and consuming, lighting my skin on fire and giving me butterflies that seemed to quiet my surroundings even though everyone was loud and cheerful while watching that game. Every time he looked at me I felt like I was the only one in the stands. Zach has never intentionally looked up at me like that. He's never purposefully stared at me for longer than needed but for the past few weeks now, I've caught him a few times doing just that and I get nervous when I think about what it is that captures his glance or what's going on in his head when he looks at me. It's when I start to overthink things, like maybe his stolen looks aren't for any special reason but rather because he's simply confused as to why I keep watching him. But I'm starting to think that maybe, he's just as interested in me as I've been in him.
Usually after the home games, my family and I will head down to the field to greet Brayden and give the boys hugs and words of celebration, but this time I left with Ryen, leaving my parents to join Brayden alone. I was too anxious to face Zach. I didn't want him to know that he makes me nervous—he always has—and I just know that I likely would have given that away due to the fact that I had just sent him several photos of me; something I have never thought about doing before. Ry told me to be brave and just head down there like I didn't just send him those pictures of me, essentially dressing up for him—the photos would have never been taken otherwise. But I just couldn't find it in me to pretend like I wasn't freaking out inside. So after we decided to leave, Ryen drove me home and it wasn't long before I started getting notification after notification of Zachheartingevery single one of the photos and then proceeded to tell me which one was his favorite. Seems simple enough, right? Maybe there wasn't any reason to be nervous.
Wrong.
The conversation was actually a lot more complicated than that and honestly left me feeling pretty confused. And as I sit at the table, slowly making a dent in my bowl of Lucky Charms, I re-read the messages feeling just as flustered now as I did last night.
Damn Cadence… this was not a good idea.
The first message that threw me off.
Wait what? It was literally your idea, what do you mean?
I know, I know. But I’m not always the smartest.
I’m confused.
Forget about it. Sorry I sent the photos.
Stop.
That’s not what I meant.
Okay then??
I just mean… you're a very pretty girl Cadence. But I have never seen you in anything like what’s in thesepictures. I just, I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting all this.
The second message that caught me off guard.
Is that a problem?
Yeah, kind of.
Zach, I’m so lost.
