I Hate Football Players

17: School Spirit

Her eyes rounded and she sucked in a sharp breath. With a squeak, she snatched the board and raised it like she considered hitting me with it. "You can't do that!"

Fueled by equal parts stubbornness and impatience, I marched to the front of the line. "Watch me."

"But then we're off-balance with the number of girls," she whined and tugged on my arm.

I shook her off me, scanned over the eighteen sets of eyes that stared at me, and recognized the timid one who decorated my locker. She gave me a glitter-shitfest of the first week. Mom still fought to get it out of the dryer. "Olivia, right?" I asked. She nodded, eyes wide and jaw almost on the gym floor. "Do you feel like being the topic of stupid school gossip for the next week?"

The pale color of her face and the earthquake her lower lip became suggested no, but she nodded again. "Umm, okay."

"Perfect." I grabbed her elbow and ignored Ava's annoyed expression. Josh could deal with her pouty duck face later. "Let's get this shitshow started."

Olivia's arm shook in my grip, so I dropped it. "Tonight's game should be enough," I grumbled over my shoulder to Josh. The school was ready, going off the supportive shouts, high fives, fist bumps, and back pats I received. Kids lined up along the fence to watch our practices, including Jackson, Sebastian, and Christian's laps of shame.

After our pageantry parade, the team and coaching staff were introduced to the student body. Olivia beamed during the whole experience. She clutched my arm and twitched all over the place. "Thanks for coming." I cleared my throat at the end of my half-politician propaganda, half-amp-up speech. "I promise to every person here, that we Mustangs will do everything in our strength and abilities, whatever it takes, to bring that championship home to Salesian!"

Thunderous applause.

More of a smattering, but I didn't give a fuck.

I meant what I said. Even if there was a finite number of ways to say we were going to destroy another school. As I turned, I caught Assistant Principal Lopez clapping. My smile widened when he gave me a thumbs up, no idea how much of a solid he did me this morning.

Direct, guaranteed outside-of-school access to Ellie.

But first... the annoying part.

Snake hissing, 'Olivia?' whispers started during the rally since gossip was better than any speech I gave or skit Ava and Kendall came up with. These hisses pushed open the fucking revolving door of rumors about who dated who. Another surge followed after each rally, one new couple at a time.

Of course, no one asked me to my face if I dated Olivia. I would've obliged with a "Nope."

"Maybe I'll wear a sign," I complained to Josh as we exited under the curious gazes and removed our jerseys. He, of course, had nothing to worry about. Ava blew an invisible tranquilizer into his neck from her top spot on the pyramid.

"Yeah?" He ran a hand through his messy hair and grinned. "What would it say? Taken by Ellie Harrison?"

"Fuck, no. And shut up." I scowled. "I'm not interested in her like that."

"You seem pretty invested for 'not interested like that.'" His grin widened and his fingers air hooked for emphasis. His low growl impression of me was terrible.

My eyes darted around for eavesdroppers but stopped where Jackson flirted with Kendall. Her disgusted face was priceless. "It's for Harrison," I reminded Josh. He was the only one who knew my plan, and I intended it to stay that way. "And, you know, human decency."

"Logan?" Ava's eyes sparkled as she pressed into Josh's side and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Who is this mystery crush you're hiding? I want to meet her."