A Thousand Thrones

Seven

His eyes lifted and met mine.  A smile spread across his face as he snuck away from the huddle and ran across the track to where I was standing against the railing.

"What are you doing, stupid?" I asked, grinning down at him.  "You've got a game to win, you know."

He laughed.  "I know," he said.  "Did you guys just get here?  Because you've kind of missed half of the game."

"You know Molly.  She takes forever getting ready and getting me ready."

His eyes took in my dress and everything else.  There was that look I hated...

"You look incredible," he said, smiling up at me. 

"Thanks," I said. 

"Fletcher!" Coach yelled from the sidelines.  "Get your ass on the field!"

"Go on," I laughed, nodding toward the field. 

"I didn't get my good luck kiss at the beginning of the game," Lee said.  "Can I get it now?"

I rolled my eyes again and leaned down toward him.  Just like I knew he would, he smelled awful, sweat, dirt, and grass.  Lee basically climbed up the side of the wall and to the railing.  Planting a soft kiss to my cheek, he stayed there a little longer than I wanted him to.  I put my hand against his shoulder pads and pushed him back down.

"Go," I laughed. 

He smiled and started running back onto the field, putting his helmet back on his head.

We won the game.  I'm sure anyone within a five mile radius could have heard all of the cheering when we made the winning touchdown at the last second.  Even Molly was jumping up and down, screaming, though she knew as much as I did about the game. 

After all of the excitement died down, all of the students were heading up to the gym, where they were holding the dance.  Since we lived in a small town, it was the biggest place that would hold the entire population of the school...all two hundred and fifty-four of us. 

Molly and I were standing at the doors of the gym, waiting for Lee to come up from the field house where he was getting showered and dressed.  When we started seeing the football players walking toward us, we knew he wouldn't be much longer. 

One of the guys had a girl on his arm.  She had to be a little older than us and she was smiling seductively up at him.  He was looking at her like he didn't really know what was going on. 

Her hair was what really caught my attention.  It was bright red, like fire on top of her head.  She had a body to die for, like the ones you see in the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated.  Her skin tight, black snake print dress emphasized every curve. 

It was her eyes that startled me the most.  They were electric green and were slit like a snake's.  She was staring at me with that same predatory gaze as she was giving the guy. 

"Love your dressss," she said as she passed by me.  Why did it sound like she hissed?

Molly and I both turned to watch her walk into the gym.  Molly seemed just as creeped out by her as I was.

"Those have to be contacts," she said, shaking her head as she continued to stare at the girl.   

"What?" I asked.

She looked over at me.  "Her eyes.  Did you see the color?  That's totally not natural."

An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest.  And then lips were at my ear.  "What's not natural?" Lee's voice sounded in my ear.