TATE
It’s game day and even though my head is filled with plays and counter plays I remember to swing by the library to grab the notes Savy said she’d lend me. I really need them, like, a lot. There’s a lot of pressure on me this year to perform at the top of my game and it’s fucking with my assignments. I can’t seem to focus on the work with football taking up so much of my head space. Even putting myself on lockdown at the house and avoiding most parties hasn’t helped. The guys are constantly bringing girls over and somehow they’ve always got a friend with them that has an angle to get with me. I’ve resorted to locking myself in my room to avoid the clingy girls that want to become my girlfriend in any way possible. It’s annoying as fuck.
Last night I had to physically remove a naked redhead who was waiting in my bed when I got home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down for a sweet piece of ass to take the edge off now and again but right now is NOT the time and dropping yourself uninvited in my bed is NOT the place. I left her sputtering her outrage, bare as the day she was born in the hallway when I slammed the door in her face and locked it. There’s going to be a house meeting about this shit tonight after the game because I’m fucking done with it all.
Two women are standing at the counter ahead of me so I get behind them and glance impatiently at my watch as I wait for them to be done so I can get the notes from Savy. I’m going over the plays of the other team we are against today in my head when a disdainful laugh from the older woman in front of me steals my focus.
“Really, what have you been eating? I know the freshman fifteen is a thing but you should be long past that by now, Savanna. Honestly, have some self-respect! I’m sure Vanessa would be happy to share her eating plan with you. Help whittle away all those extra pounds you’re carrying.”
I frown at the back of the woman’s head as the younger one titters in a nasty way. “Savy needs more than a diet to fix…” She waves a finger up and down, “all of that.”
Fucking women are brutal sometimes. I lean slightly to the side and catch sight of Savy. Her eyes are downcast and the line of her shoulders is rigid with tension. When she spots me behind them, her face flames red in complete humiliation and her eyes crash closed. I don’t know what the fuck I’m thinking but my mouth is moving faster than my brain.
“There’s not one damn thing about Savy that needs to be fixed. She’s perfect just the way she is.”
Both women spin around at my words and I get my first real look at them. They’re practically reflections of each other telling me they are mother and daughter. Icepick blonds, the both of them - all sharp angles and pencil thin without an inch of padding on them. The younger of the two gasps with surprised delight as hungry, calculating eyes look me up and down.
“Tatum Valor! Oh my, I’m such a huge fan of yours,” she gushes. She skirts closer to me and places a hand on my chest as she simpers, “And a gentleman too. How sweet of you to say that about my sister.” She flutters her ridiculous fake lashes at me. “Even if we all know that’s not quite true.”
I grit my teeth at this bitch’s nerve and peel her hand off me. Savy’s a nice girl who offered to help me. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. Especially by her sister and mother. I know a little something about an asshole parent. The fact that this chick put her hands on me uninvited is the last straw of my patience with this type of woman so I go all in out of spite.
“If you think that, then you’re blind,” I growl out between clenched teeth and circle around behind the counter, going straight for Savy.
Her eyes are owl huge behind her glasses when I reach for her and pull her into my arms and crash my lips to hers. She’s stiff as a board against me for a few beats as I nudge her lips open with my tongue and then she flat-out melts against me. All of a sudden, my arms are filled with her soft curves as I hold her against my body and I can’t stop my fingers from digging into them. She starts to kiss me back in a hesitant way and it’s so fucking sweet and innocent that my cock goes rock hard between us. The soft little sigh I get from her against my mouth has my hand sweeping lower to cup her round ass through her corduroy skirt. That’s a step too far because she goes tense in my arms again. I chuckle and slide my mouth to her ear.
“Just go with it. It’ll shut those bitches up,” I tell her in a whisper.
She pulls back from me and I catch the slightest nod so I lean into what I’m selling here. I straighten her crooked glasses with a wink.
“I can’t wait to see you in my jersey tonight at the game, Savy. Come early? Meet me at the players' entrance an hour before the game and bring that stuff we talked about the other day, alright?”
She just stares at me like I have two heads, making me grin and swoop down for another quick kiss and then let her go. I start backing away, keeping my eyes locked on hers.
“You’ll be there? Players’ entrance, an hour before game time, right?”
She swallows hard and then jerks her head once so I shoot her a wink and then leave without ever looking at the two alley cats staring at me with shock. I push out through the library doors and pick up my pace even as my grin grows. I think I just figured out how to solve all my problems. I just need to convince Savy to go along with it.
SAVY
My mouth is dry and I’m having a hard time catching my breath. Tate freaking Valor just kissed me…ME. Not only did he kiss me, twice, he stood up for me. I glance around the huge room looking for the portal that must have transported me to an alternate universe because this kind of shit…does…not…happen…to…me! But all I see is the shocked faces of my stepmother and stepsister gaping back at me. Two people that should not be here right now.
“What are you guys doing here? Why aren’t you at school, Van?”
Her mouth snaps closed and her eyes go hot with anger.
“What…the hell…was that? Tatum Valor is a god! What kind of cruel joke was he trying to play on us? The Tate Valors of the world wouldn’t be caught dead with someone like you!” She spits out at me.
My stomach ties itself in knots of anxiety from the cruel words she so carelessly throws at me. It’s not that she’s wrong. I don’t know what Tate’s game is but I will be at that player entrance later to let him know that I’m not fucking playing it. In the meantime, he gave me a gift by doing that in front of them that I don’t plan on explaining. I don’t know why they’re here but I know it won’t be for long so they can think what they want for now. I don’t bother answering her, I just ask my question again.
“Why are you both here? Is everything okay?”
Vanessa is still too angry to tell me so Celeste fills me in.
“I came to help Vanessa settle in. She’s transferred to your school. We thought it would be a better fit for her.”
My whole body freezes at that as every fiber of my being screams out in protest. NO! No, I can’t have her at my school. Even though Vanessa’s a year behind me, she still made every year of high school hell for me. This is mine. This is my safe place away from them. The universe can’t be that cruel.
My sister finally finds her voice and a sickeningly sweet, loaded smile curves her perfect lips.
