Isla - POV
My phone buzzed just as I scrawled "expand on your thesis" across yet another essay.
Unknown number.
I already knew who it was.
Unknown: So... did I at least score a pass? ⚡️🏉
I snorted, biting back a smile. Leave it to him to text me less than two hours after full-time. I stared at the screen longer than I should've, debating whether to play it cool.
Finally, I typed back:
Me: Relax, Staggs. The game was just background noise while I graded papers.
Three dots appeared almost immediately. Then stopped. Then started again.
Kotoni: Background noise, huh?
Kotoni: Didn't look like "background" when you were smiling at the TV. 😉
My cheeks heated even though no one could see me. Of course he'd push back. Of course he'd make me admit more than I wanted to.
Me: Don't flatter yourself. I smile at commas in the right place too.
This time his reply came with a photo—a close-up of his boots, still muddy from the field.
Kotoni: Good. Because I'm terrible with commas. Guess that means you'll have to teach me.
God help me, I laughed out loud.
Kotoni - POV
I should've been at recovery already. Ice bath, protein shake, all that. Instead, I was in the locker room, phone in hand, grinning like an idiot at her texts.
Background noise.
Yeah, right. She'd been watching. I could feel it.
Ezra strolled past, catching my expression. "Who's got you smiling like that?"
I shoved the phone into my pocket. "No one."
He laughed. "Sure. Book Girl strikes again."
I ignored him, pulling the phone back out the second he left.
Me: So what's the marking scale? Am I at least sitting on a B?
Her reply came fast:
Isla: Generous C+. Needs improvement.
I leaned back on the bench, heart thudding in a way that had nothing to do with the eighty minutes I'd just played.
She was sharp. Funny. Completely unimpressed with the spotlight. And somehow, she had me more nervous than a grand final.
And all I wanted was another excuse to make her smile.
YOU ARE READING
Between The Lines
FanfictionIsla Bennett lives for her students, her lesson plans, and her quiet nights with a good book. As a high school English teacher, she's learned to keep her head down and her heart safe. The last thing she needs is a distraction-especially one in the f...
