I offer the table a little wave and notice Ty has diverted his attention back to us, to Ryan specifically. Now Ty frowns, his gaze slipping to mine before falling back to that napkin.
Ryan doesn’t speak to me as we move toward theempty table, and just before we sit, someone snags the spot. He mumbles something under his breath, grabbing my hand and dragging me through the crowd in the direction of the DJ. We scan the space together, but there are no free seats. Standing up on the makeshift platform next to the DJ as my date ignores me in favor of talking to him instead is awkward, and I wish I’d stayed home. Seconds later Ryan is abandoning me altogether, heading back over to the players’ table. He bends down to talk to Ramiel, smiling and nodding before coming back to me.
“Come on, we’re joining them.” His excitement is as thick as a layer of engine sludge on Ol’ Harriet.
My stomach plummets into my toes as I freeze up. “Who?”
His brow creases like it’s obvious, and it is. “The Kings.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
TY
“Here, pull up some seats,”Rami tells Avery and the guy she’s with.
I watch as they each grab a chair and head to the open space right across from me. This dude’s really going to let her carry her own seat? The guy sits first, and then Avery wrangles her chair into place and plops down. She tries to keep her back to the room. Watching her now, her unease almost makes me uncomfortable.
She never looks up, just smiles her typical cheery smile and sips on her drink. I pick up mine and chug some down, not quite sure what to do. Should I leave? Do the guys really not know she’s a cheerleader? It’s likely that they have no idea. I wouldn’t know a single Kings cheerleader if I hadn’t run into her in the parking lot that day. Given the whole “no fraternizing” thing, it’s not uncommon for players to never meet any of their cheerleaders, save for the limited contact theymighthave at a Kings sponsored event. Still, if I go and she stays, she’s the one who facesirreparable damage. If she’s suddenly not bothered being seen with players, then why should I be the one to bow out first?
Avery, what are you doing?
She hasn’t just raised the stakes for her and me, but everyone here. Ramiel, Foster, the other guys too—none of us should be seen together with her. It’s irresponsible. Despite Avery’s flaws, that’s not typically a word I’d use to describe her. She can be absent-minded, and maybe sometimes that could be mistaken as irresponsible, but she’s not. Not from what I’ve witnessed over the past couple months at least.
“What’s your name?” Foster asks, nudging Avery with his elbow.
Her panicked eyes drag up from her cup to meet mine, but before she can utter anything the DJ is blaring some wild alarm that silences the noisy bar. I jump. Avery snickers, and I have to pinch my lips into a tight line to keep it together. I admit it. He got me good.
Everyone at our cobbled-together table turns to watch the DJ rattle off the rules and themes of the night from behind the booth. Which happens to be, and I quote, “Anything and Everything.” Why doesn’t he just say there’s no theme? Then he raises his phone over his head and directs everyone to put theirs away. No phones allowed or you’ll be disqualified, maybe even kicked out. These people take their trivia seriously, but I’m okay with no phones. No phones means no pictures, no chance of Avery and me getting caught together in public. Even if it’s unplanned, we’re traversing thin ice here.
Avery watches as I take another long pull from my glass. I raise my eyebrows at her, and she smirks.
“What?” I mouth her way.
She peeks out of the corner of her eye and checks either side of her. Neither Foster nor her boy bats an eye.
“Hi,” she mouths back.
Because our table is still locked in on the DJ—who is now directing everyone’s attention to the screen over his head—I make a bold choice. As subtly as possible, I lift a finger off my glass, motioning to her date. Her gaze slides to him, then back to me, and I frown, morphing the point into a thumbs down. Now she frowns, tilting her head. I hold my thumb in place. She rolls her eyes, takes a drink, then shakes her head. Which, for some reason, catches her date’s attention. He motions to her half-empty glass.
“No, I’m just going to have one tonight,” she answers.
It’s barely audible over everyone mumbling at the table, getting everyone’s roles in order. Ramiel will be writing the answers, it’s finally decided.
Avery watches as her date knocks back his glass, finishing it. He stands and shuffles toward a waitress standing along the wall with a notepad in her hand.
“Ryan! Could you get me a water?” Avery calls after him, butRyanhas already skulked away. Her eyes drop, her cheeks turning a faint red. “He works here,” she says by way of explanation.
Foster nods, and so do I.
“I’m Foster, by the way,” our kicker starts. “Thought you should know that if we’re gonna be on the same team.”
“Avery,” she says quietly.
A few other guys chime in. Ramiel pipes up, then Cole. Avery stares at me expectantly.
“Oh, I’m. Uh. Ty.”
Cole snorts next to me, and I shoot him a dirty look.
