At the beginning of the fourth quarter, I’m a wreck. Oswald has scored points, but he’s also been clobbered a bunch of times. How the heck does he keep getting back up?
“You know him?” the guy next to me asks when they flash a photo of Oswald up on the big monitors.
“He’s in my English class,” I answer.
“He’s good. You’re wearing his jersey.”
“I know,” I reply, addressing both statements.
When there’s seven minutes left—I know because I’ve been watching the clock like a hawk—I text Memphis my section, row, and seat number. I have no idea where they are or how long it will take Bates to find me, but I wanted to keep my promise, and the guy next to me is really starting to get on my nerves. It seems like he’s been complaining about Oswald since he asked if I knew him, saying crap to make it seem like he’s not playing hard enough or he’s messing up.
I’d rather watch the rest of the game from the aisle at this point.
Memphis
When my phone buzzes,showing Waylynn’s number, I get a sense of satisfaction. She listened. There’s seven minutes left in the quarter, which is a lifetime in football. “I’m going to get her,” I tell Bates.
He looks over at me, clearly not surprised, even though he says, “You told herIwould go get her.”
“You’re coming with me, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I told her the truth,” I hedge.
“You’re shady.” He snorts but stands up. We have to edge by a few people to get out of the row, but it’s not too bad.
“She’s in thirty-three.” I haul ass up the steps, intending to get to her quickly, but I spot a vendor selling hats and decide to do something that might make her feel better about me coming for her.
Thirty bucks later, I’m heading down to her section, scanning the area. I spot the number twenty-five first, then see my name in bold letters between two long braids. The sight causes me to stop on the steps, and Bates runs into my back. “What the hell?”
Waylynn hops out of her seat to stand up, and I see the guy next to her lean back so he can look at her ass. That gets me moving real fast. The row behind her has a few empty seats, so I head down it, pushing past several people, and then I lean forward to cover her up while staring the guy right in the eye.
“Hey!” She swats at me and jumps to the side to get away, but her face softens when she sees me under the hat. “Memphis?”
“Come on, sweetness.” I try to keep my voice level when I extend my hand to her so she knows I’m not angry. I would like to shove the guy’s head up his ass though. She was awfully quick to push me away, and it makes me wonder if he’s been bothering her.
She looks around and nibbles on her bottom lip. I can tell she’s worried someone might see us, but I don’t care right now.
“You know I’m not leaving without you,” I warn, and she plants her foot on the bench to come to me. I give into the urge to grab her waist and help her down, but I don’t move or let go when she stands right in front of me. Our bodies are pressed together, and I bet she can feel how much I like it. “Love the shirt.” I smirk. She gets all bashful and lowers her eyes before peeking back up.
“No more sitting by yourself,” I tell her when I know I have her attention. Her lips part like she wants to argue, but she doesn’t. “Tell me,” I order, forgetting all about the guy who was checking her out and why we shouldn’t be standing in a stadium full of people who would know at a glance there’s more going on between us than teacher and student, or even friends.
“I won’t come by myself,” she says softly, and my mind goes to an even more dangerous place, thinking about her with her fingers between her legs.
I lean down so my lips are near her ear and whisper, “That’s my girl.”
Her body sags against me when she melts. I bet I could kiss her right now and she would let me. Knowing I’ve gotten inside her head and erased those worries that kept her away from me makes me want to do just that.
“Memphis!” Bates calls my name loudly, and it snaps me out of the stupor Waylynn put me into. When I look up, he makes a face that tells me I’m being stupid, and I still don’t move. “Waylynn, come on,” he says, trying to reason with her since I’m beyond it.
Her chest pushes up against mine as she takes a deep breath, then she shimmies to the side and steps away from me.
Now I just need to pretend I don’t have a dick print in my jeans.Fuck.
Bates
The sexual tensionbetween the two of them is off the charts the moment Memphis gets his hands on her. They are attracting a hell of a lot of attention from the people sitting around them, and I know that’s the last thing they need.
