I HAD A DEEP suspicion Jayce knew Elijah and I had been sneaking around. I asked him for Elijah's number not too long ago, and he had seen us together many times. If he couldn't put the pieces together, I would be worried about his guessing skills.
However, the way Lucy glanced at me on Sunday told me she knew something as well.
"You're wearing Jayce's jersey." I pointed out as she ran her hands over the blue fabric.
"Just his number," she said. "Figured I'd get into the school spirit."
I looked down at my plain Trembullen crew neck and skinny jeans. Iya, Reva, and Penelope dressed in regular school apparel, making me feel less alone. Elijah's sweatshirt—which I could have worn—hung in my closet because I could not have the number twenty-one on my body without raising questions.
"It's going to be packed," Iya said, pulling into the bustling parking lot.
Students filtered into the stadium, and the cheering vibrated through the pavement as we left the car. I had not been to a university function in a long while, and I wasn't an enormous sports fan. I didn't mind the view from the studio window, but sitting in the stands would be a very different experience.
Iya and I found our seats while the other girls went to ransack the food vendors. I checked my phone to see if Elijah had replied to my good luck message, yet he left it unread.
The seats were almost filled, but the field was barren. I noticed the players moving inside the dugout, though it was too far for me to spot Elijah or his friends. My stomach tightened at the thought of seeing him play.
Why the hell was I nervous? All I had to do was watch.
"You excited about the bonfire tonight?" Iya asked.
"Yeah, it will be fun." Fun as in avoiding being around Elijah in front of everyone. "What's up with Jayce and Lucy?"
"I couldn't tell you. Lucy has been pretty hush-hush about Jayce, which is out of character. But every time she leaves the chapter house, I know she's going to his place."
Now I might run into Lucy at Elijah's house? Hell. That was not comforting to hear.
"Wieners for everyone!" Reva shouted. "Except for Penelope and me."
My stomach hurt from laughing as Reva handed me a hotdog and beer—the perfect game day food. All five of us sat in a row, eating while waiting for the game to start. The moment the team walked on the field, my muscles tensed, and I searched for Elijah.
I spotted him between second and third base decked out in the number twenty-one. I could see his braids peaking from his ball cap as he high-fived Jayce. They were playing against their rivals, and the stadium was packed with fans wearing blue for Trumbullen and orange for Lincoln State.
I caught Lucy looking at me. "You excited for tonight?"
"Yep, it will be fun," I said unenthusiastically.
She patted my hand and winked, and the announcer's voices boomed overhead. "Big game today at the Trumbullen stadium between the Lions and the Vikings, on the bases...." They listed the players on the field, and my heart swelled when I heard "Elijah Preston rising senior, our shortstop" over the speakers. Everyone cheered, including my friends and me.
Despite telling me baseball was not where his heart lay, he was in his element. I could tell from the way he tugged on the fabric covering his thighs and squatted, his face stoic, that he commandeered the field. I was eager to watch him play.
The speakers announced the player batting for the other team, and the game started.
For not loving sports, I was utterly engrossed. Sitting in the stadium was a much different experience than sitting in the art building, which I could see from my seat. Elijah had the perfect view.
"Go, go, go, yeah!" Lucy screamed, jumping from her seat. The rest of us shared a confused look. "What? That was a good play," she said, sounding like me when I watched Elijah's game on the TV last month.
"I didn't know you were such a baseball fan."
"Remove the word base, and then it makes more sense," Iya chimed in, and Lucy's eyes practically rolled from her skull.
"I didn't know you were, Sade," she cooed, and my skin heated. None of the other girls noticed how Lucy's gaze lingered on me longer than it should have. She knew.
Jayce, Aiden, and Rocco batted, and all made it safely to a base. They were crushing the opposing team. I knew Trembullen was good but never saw them live in action, and they were incredible.
When it was time for Elijah to bat, my fingers curled around the armrest with an unearthly grip. The girls said something, whether it was toward me. I didn't hear because I was too focused on chanting "come on, come on, come on" repeatedly in my head.
He squatted and gripped the bat. His body swayed back and forth as he found his balance. The pitcher reeled his arm back and sent the ball barreling toward home plate. Elijah swung with all his might and hit the ball clear across the field. The crowd bounced to their feet in anticipation of the home run.
My hands clasped in front of my mouth in a prayer position as he and his teammates ran, sending everyone back to home base. At the same time, the Vikings scrambled to find the ball, despite it flying over the outfield fence.
The noise in the stadium was unbelievable. The team clapped and smacked one another on the back in congratulations. Yet Elijah turned toward the seats, scanning the rows until our eyes locked. He tipped his chin in my direction, and I could not keep the beaming smile off my face. I was surprised he spotted me.
There was something invigorating about our relationship being a secret—mostly. In a stadium of hundreds of people who did not know about our studio rendezvous, sleepover, or late-night calls, the abrupt look he gave me reminded me of those moments we shared.
And for a moment, I wished his name was on my sweatshirt, and I could scream it from the top of my lungs and let everyone know I was with Elijah Preston.
THE SUN WAS setting behind the ocean. All the color leeched from the sky as day turned to night. The bonfire glowed a brilliant red, and students gathered around, chatting over the loud music. It was much warmer than the first bonfire party, making me even more excited for summer.
We gave Tasha a ride on the way to the party since Rocco was coming with the guys, and I told the girls they could drink since it was my turn to be the designated driver. While they picked drinks from a cooler, I scanned the beach for the team but was unlucky.
He was not here yet.
"That was fun," Reva said, cracking open a can of Twisted Tea. "We should get in the school spirit more often."
Penelope laughed. "We can go to the lacrosse game for our next date."
They high-fived. "Perfect. It's a date."
Lucy peered over my shoulder and waved. I froze, suddenly nervous about turning around and seeing who she was greeting. It took seconds for the party chatter to grow louder, then cheering and clapping broke out.
I spun around and watched a few players parade onto the beach with broad grins. Jayce and Brant were two of them, and Aiden, Rocco, and Elijah were trailing behind with a couple of other players.
Shit. Elijah looked more attractive than ever. He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling ear to ear, as people threw congratulations his way. His blue tee clung to his biceps, and he still had remnants of face paint across his cheeks.
I felt incredibly small, hoping he would walk in my direction.
He tipped his head at people and threw a hand up in thanks, yet continued walking closer and closer. Oh shit, he was coming toward me.
All five of the tight-pants-posse stopped in front of my friend group. Rocco and Tasha shared a moment as he took her in her arms and gave her the most extensive kiss I had ever seen in public. Jayce said hello, then turned to Lucy. Brant and Aiden busied themselves with Reva, Penelope, and Iya, leaving Elijah. He stood before me in all of his home-run glory.
"Hey," he smiled and looked me up and down. His eyes loitered on my sweatshirt.
"Hi."
"Thanks for coming to the game."
"Yeah, of course. You guys did amazing." I felt like a teenager back in high school, afraid to talk to my crush.
He paused, looked around, then asked, "Do you want a drink?"
"Oh, no. I'm DD'ing tonight. I can't."
"Damn, I was going to ask if you'd be my pong partner."
My cheeks heated, and I laughed. "I can still be your partner."
He winked and told me to meet him at the pong table in five. The guys left to get drinks and probably asked to play the next round.
Reva eyed me. "Did Elijah just ask you to be partners?"
"He did."
Her face lit up, and I spotted an exuberant glimmer in her eyes. "Is there something I should know about?" she asked, and I assured her there was nothing while Lucy listened beside us. I looked away, my nerves buzzing because I felt terrible for not explaining what had been going on.
I needed to tell Reva everything. Because if she found out through somebody like Lucy and not me directly, it would blow up in my face. Sneaking around with Elijah wasn't my plan, and I did not anticipate keeping it a secret from Reva for so long, but I had my nerves to blame for that.
I was afraid of making anything public because if something went wrong, I would have to explain over and over why we weren't seeing each other anymore. But I needed to keep reminding myself Elijah is not Ben, and I am not who I was four years ago.
Reva deserved to know.
We met the guys at the pong table, where they organized the cups from the last game. Elijah tilted his head for me to come near, and I took my place beside him. "Your friends still don't know?" his question was quiet.
"Only Lucy does because of Jayce."
Elijah cast an apologetic look. "I'm still sorry about that. Jayce caught me off guard the other night and—"
"You do not have to apologize," I chuckled, helping him straighten out the last cup. "I will tell them soon, I promise. I just need to figure out what and how I will tell them."
"Tell them I'm your boyfriend."
I stopped moving, my heart pounded like a hammer on cloth, but I could have sworn it was loud enough for him to hear. Did he just call himself my boyfriend? His smile, to my dismay, was quick enough for only me to see.
Boyfriend. Elijah Preston, my boyfriend?
"Ready to go?" Jayce shouted from the opposite side. Lucy cheered, and some partiers lingered to watch. Our friends bet on us as they did during our billiards match at the bar, and then Lucy and I faced off. My ball rattled inside the cup while hers bounced on the table, which meant we had the first shot.
"Are you gonna win again for me like last time, Van Gogh?"
Memories from the first night we met flashed in my mind, and I smiled. "You-fucking-bet," I said and tossed the ball in a cup again.
Our game was intense, and by intense, I meant there was a lot of yelling. More people gathered to watch me and Elijah beat Lucy and Jayce's ass, or maybe to see where the commotion came from. All we needed to do was to make two more cups.
"If you get this shot," Elijah said in a hushed tone, "I will take you to my car."
Heat plowed through my body, and I dug my toes into the sand. The incentive was enough for me to get the ball inside the second to last cup. Elijah grinned, knowing what the win meant. The mob became louder as he aimed and won the last shot.
We cheered and high-fived but waited to see if Jayce or Lucy would tie. "Sorry," Lucy said in a sing-song voice as they made every cup. "We have to break the tie now."
I knew if we won, we would have to play the next round, which meant Elijah would not take me to his car yet, and I wanted to go to his car. So, I threw, the ball hit the rim and bounced right into the sand. Lucy and Jayce celebrated, and Reva and Penelope stepped up to take our place.
"I'm going to get water," I laughed and walked toward the parking lot.
I couldn't hear his footsteps in the sand, but I did not have to turn around to know Elijah was following me. The moment my feet hit the pavement, and the row of cars hid us, he pinned me against the door. His hand rested above my head, holding his body weight up as he looked down at me.
"Is this what we are going to keep doing?" His lips grazed my cheek, and a breathy groan slipped from my mouth. "Keep losing games, so we run off like this?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," I cooed.
"You purposely missed that last shot, Van Gogh."
"You still took me to your car."
He grinned, lowering his mouth onto mine, and my body slackened from the pressure of his lips. I didn't realize how much I needed him until this moment: his scent, the feeling of his skin under my fingertips. I gripped the back of his neck, pulling him until his front connected with mine.
His hand snaked from my face and past my hips. His fingers gripped the back of my thigh, and he lifted my leg to hook it around his body. It gave him an unfair advantage as he pressed his hardness into me, sending a wave of pleasure through my body.
Fuck, a gasp slipped from my mouth, but he captured it with a kiss before anyone heard.
"I liked having you at my game today," he said in-between kisses. "All I could think about was you."
"I liked watching you play. You're amazing."
He planted feathery kisses along my collarbone. "Stay over tonight."
"I can't. I'm driving the girls back home."
"This week?"
His persistence made me chuckle. "You can stay over at my apartment this week."
He stopped moving and searched my face with an adorable, animated look. "Really? I finally get to see your bedroom? What about Reva?"
"I'll tell her." I needed to.
His hands cupped my ass as he picked me up and spun me around. I couldn't contain my laughter as I looked around the parking lot, making sure nobody watched.
He let me slide down, and his chin grazed my sternum as he held me tight against his body and said, "Do you know how hard it's going to be falling asleep tonight thinking of you?"
A quick laugh slipped out. "Why? Because you have blue balls? I can fix that."
My hand trailed along the hem of his pants, and all I wanted to do was unbutton and see what he'd been hiding underneath, but he gripped my wrist before I could venture any further. "Not here." Pain laced his voice while he pinned my wrists to my body. Still, I leaned forward and kissed the side of his neck. "I don't want you to touch me here."
We had provoked each other too many times and had yet to follow through. At this rate, I was going to implode. My imagination slipped through the cracks, unable to hold my thoughts about Elijah at bay. The second we get our hands on each other, he will think I'm some sex-crazed woman who needed a fix. Though I didn't need merely any fix, I needed him.
"I'm going to walk back to the beach," I said, with him still wedged between my legs.
"Okay." He didn't move.
"Because you're teasing me, and it's not nice."
"If anyone hasn't been playing nice, it's you. You have no idea what I think about you."
"I'd like you to tell me." I pried out of his hold. The beach air was much colder than before. "Another time."
Putting enough sway in my hips for him to see, I strolled from his car toward the beach, unable to keep the ridiculous smile off my face. I touched my lips, wishing he were still on mine.
Yet, my smile faded faster than it appeared when that shaggy blond-haired guy stumbled my way. "Sadie Garner," Dustin's words slurred. "Nice to see you could finally come to a party."
He clutched a plastic water bottle in his right hand, and his body was leaning heavily toward one side like he could not balance his weight. He twisted the cap off, tipping the drink into his mouth, and wiped away the remnants with the back of his hand. I could bet money that it was not water.
"Hey, Dustin," I greeted unenthusiastically and continued past him. I had no interest in talking to him.
"You still fucking around with Preston?" his voice rang over the music, and my body went still. I turned around to face him and noticed Elijah over Dustin's shoulder, standing where the sand met in the parking lot.
"That is none of your business."
He scoffed. "It is my business when you keep stringing me along."
Elijah must've heard because he beelined toward me. My hand flew up, wordlessly telling him to hold on. He listened, his body skidding to a halt. Dustin must have noticed the gesture because he turned to see where I was motioning.
Fucking hell, this would not end well.
Dustin looked at me, then at Elijah, then back at me. His impassive expression turned into amusement as he bent over and howled with laughter.
Elijah strode closer, and he was almost by my side when Dustin collected himself and said, "Do you like the attention? Is that it, Sadie?"
"Don't fucking talk to me like that."
"You just string men along for your amusement. Is he even your boyfriend, or are you just fucking him?"
Elijah stepped closer to Dustin, but I stepped in front of him, unable to look at his face. I would not let Elijah fight my battles. "Do you get off on insulting women because they don't show interest in you? Or are you just extremely full of yourself?"
"No, but I get off calling the cops on sluts."
It took me a second to realize what he was referencing. He was the one who called the cops on the party.
Before I realized what I was about to do, my fist barreled down on his face. A sharp pain seared through my knuckles as I withdrew my hand. "For the record, Dustin, since I haven't made it abundantly clear," I heaved out of breath, my heart pounding as if I just ran a mile. "I dislike you. I do not want to be with you. When a woman says no, it means no."
Dustin stumbled backward into the sand—which I knew he hated—and held the spot I punched. I blinked. Holy fuck, I hit him. My body was plucked off the ground as Elijah picked me up.
I just punched Dustin.
People ran over to see what the uproar was, including my friends. There were so many people asking what happened, but all I wanted to do was laugh, and laugh at how arrogant Dustin was and how I punched someone.
However, I didn't have the chance to answer because Elijah carried me to the parking lot, back to his car. He sat down as my friends ran over, still holding their drinks.
"I punched him," I breathed, laughter bubbling out of my body.
I finally met Elijah's stare as he scanned my face. I could tell he was trying to keep his grin at bay as he inspected my throbbing knuckles. "At least you knew not to tuck your thumb."
"What the fuck, Sadie?" Reva shouted.
"He called me a slut."
"And he called the cops on our party," Elijah added. "I was about to punch him, but Sadie beat me."
Our eyes briefly met.
"Oh, he deserved that punch then," Lucy said while Jayce, Brant, Aiden, and Rocco chanted my name. I couldn't stop laughing despite feeling horrible. Dustin was an asshole, and I probably should not have punched him, but it was too late. Especially for my hand.
My laughter quickly faded, and my heart sank. "Am I going to get in trouble?"
"No, just... don't punch anyone else tonight," Aiden chuckled, and the guys shared a look. Elijah asked Iya to stand beside me without acknowledging me, and then he walked away with the rest of his friends back onto the beach. I tried watching where they went, but my friends huddled around me.
"I cannot believe you punched someone."
"What did he say to you?"
"Are you okay?"
I explained as best I could, and they applauded.
"He's been an asshole to other girls at the frats. He had that coming," Iya assured. "Don't feel bad."
Nobody questioned why Elijah was with me or where he went. Instead, the girls hustled me toward our car and said it was time to leave. I was the only one who could get behind the wheel, albeit my hand hurt as my adrenaline wore off.
Before driving away, I texted Elijah the girls wanted to leave and that he could stop over later. Then, I put the car in drive and left the beach, wondering what had I done.
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