The Bennett Boys

CHAPTER 16

The ref blows the whistle, and the game starts.

When it comes to lacrosse, I'm clueless, but I can tell you this much: Lucas Bennett is a pro at making the game look easy. So far, he's scored twice, and we're only halfway through the match. Did I mention he looks super gorgeous in Winston High's maroon uniform?

My eyes are on him the entire time, even when he saunters to the bench to grab his water bottle. He reaches it over his head, squeezing the liquid out to soak his hair. And then he uses his hand to tousle the top of it. Damn.

"Still think he's not God's greatest gift to the world?" Raegan asks, but I just playfully roll my eyes at her.

"Yes," I lie. "And that'll never change."

"More for me then," she boasts, licking her lips, and I squint my eyes at her.

The game's tied up at this point and Lucas is cradling the ball in his stick as he runs. He passes the ball to Marshall, who's open, only for Marshall to throw it back to Lucas when he gets closer to the other team's net.

Some dude from the other team wearing a jersey with the last name 'Lyons' on the back suddenly trips Lucas, causing him to drop the ball and fall to the grass. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the act looked intentional.

"Foul," the ref shouts after he blows the whistle, and Lucas immediately stands up and gets into his opponent's face. He doesn't shove him or do anything that would risk him getting ejected, but he does mumble something that seems to infuriate Lyons. It's clear that the two have some sort of rivalrous history.

"Yeah, keep walking, jackass," Lucas shouts, shooing Lyons away with his hand.

"Enough, Bennett," the ref intervenes. "Or you'll be next."

"Focus, Bennett," Winston High's coach cups his mouth and yells at Lucas, who finally does just that and ends up scoring the winning point.

The crowd goes crazy and starts chanting for Lucas. "LUCAS! LUCAS! LUCAS!" they scream, and all I'm thinking is how much Lucas just impressed me, too.

***

When the game ends, Raegan and I descend the bleachers to find Teddy standing at the bottom of them.

"Hey, there you are!" he calls out.

"Hey!" I say. "Were you here the whole time?"

"Yup. Performing my good baby brother duties. Were you?"

"Yeah. I was sitting with Raegan," I say, pointing my thumb to her.

"Hi-hi, Teddy," she says, her voice shaky, even though she already knows him.

"Hey, Raegan," he says before looking back at me. "Are you coming to the party tonight?"

"The party?"

"Yeah. Marshall's having people over at his place. It's not really my scene, but if you're going..."

"We're going!" Reagan interjects and I immediately glance her way, giving her a sharp look.

"Great," Teddy smiles. "We can all go together if you want. I'll drive."

"That would be ah-mazing," Raegan says.

"Okay, great. Lily, I'll text you later," Teddy says before shifting his stance to Raegan. "Good to see you, Raegan." Then he looks at me again - a gleam in his eyes - and whispers, "Bye, Lily."

"Bye," I wave, and when he's out of view, Raegan pulls my arm down.

"Okay, what was that?" she asks.

"What was what?"

"Don't play dumb. You and Teddy. You guys just had a moment."

"We did not have a moment!"

"Uh, yes, you did."

I playfully shake my head. "You're being ridiculous again."

"And you're being delusional. Baby Bennett is totally crushing on you."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"No, you don't!" She wraps her arms around my shoulders, angling my body so that it's facing Lucas now. He's standing by the bench with his teammates. "The Gods blessed this town when they gave us not one but two gorgeous brothers."

I shift my body out of her hold. "Raegan, we talked about this. Lucas and Teddy are people. Just like us."

"Nuh-uh, Lily. They're different kinds of specimens."