Novak.Just hearing his name takes me back to that kiss. I can still feel his lips. His hands cupping my face. His body pressed against mine.
“Rumor!” Braden barks, startling me.
“What?”
“Meet Wyatt.”
“Hey,” I say, lacking enthusiasm.
He glances back at me. “Hey.”
Braden gives me a look in the rearview mirror. A look that says I need to be nice to his friends. Normally, I’d tell him to fuck off but doing that would ruin the plan. I need to remember I’m playing a role here. The new student who wants to fit in, and not just with anyone, but with Braden’s crowd. The most popular kids at school.
Leaning up toward Wyatt, I smile and say, “So what position do you play?”
“Defensive end.” He turns back. “You know about football?”
“Not really, but I’m sure I’ll learn going to Braden’s games.”
“You’re going to my games?” Braden asks.
“Of course. Gotta support my school. And I want to see you play.”
A smug smile fills his face. “You mean win. We don’t just play. We win.” He looks over at Wyatt. “OrIdo. The rest of you fuckers are just along for the ride.”
“You’re full of shit,” Wyatt says. “We all work our asses off.”
“How many hours a day do you guys work out?” I ask.
“Three,” Braden says.
“But with classes starting it’ll be more like two,” Wyatt adds.
“We’re not changing it,” Braden tells him. “We’re staying at three.”
“We don’t have time. We’re in school half the day.”
Braden stops at a light and glares at Wyatt. “We’llmaketime. We’re not cutting back on our workouts.”
“What about practice?” I ask. “How long does that take?”
“Usually two hours in the morning and two at night,” Braden says.
“That’s a lot,” I say. “Doesn’t leave time for anything else.”
“What else is there?”
“Parties. Friends. A social life. Don’t you want time for that too?”
“We have all that,” Wyatt says. “People do it for us. We just show up.”
“What do you mean?”
“He means we rule the school,” Braden says. “Everyone wants to be us but since they can’t, they want to be around us. They plan the parties. Buy the booze. Whatever we want, they do it for us so we can focus on the game.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I ask Wyatt.
He smiles at Braden. “Do I?”
