Page 49 of Big Dix

“Are you kidding me? She has on his jersey—” Jen whispers in my ear, but her words are cut short when we see who she comes in with.

“That motherfucker,” I mumble when my eyes land on Maddox Case. It’s clear she’s here with him when she loops her arm through his as they make their way over toward the rest of the band.

“Are you okay?” I ask Jen while she’s busy glaring daggers in their direction.

“Peachy.” She turns her attention back to the field and watches the kicker make the extra point, and then it’s halftime. We watch the players leave the field in silence.

I bump my shoulder into hers. “Hey, want me to kick her ass? I totally will.”

Jen offers me a little smile. “I was about to ask you the same thing. No. It’s okay. He’s free to do what he wants, just like me.”

Before I can dig any deeper into what is really happening between Jen and Maddox, a throat clears behind us.

“Excuse me, but why are you here? Did Atticus invite you?”

I stare down at my feet and shake my head.Keep things civil. But damn, it is hard, especially when this woman thinks that I have to answer to her in any type of capacity.

I give her my bestgo fuck yourselflook. “It is literally not a single bit of your concern what I do and why. I think the better question is, why are you here? To be a man-stealing ho-bag is my guess.” And there went my civility.

She gasps in mock horror, like she’s unaware she’s a huge bitch. “I came here for Atti, of course.”

Don’t punch her. Do not punch her.But of course, she continues to spew her bullshit.

“Why are you wasting your time? Seriously. Atti and I will get back together. We are meant to be. We know everything about each other. He will always be there for me when I need him. He will always be in my life in one way or another, and he will always love me. Surely, even you can see that.”

“Funny, when he was having sex with me right before this game, you weren’t even a ghost of a thought in his head.”

That really does it. She begins to come unglued. The psycho hiding in the pretty casing comes out to play. “Atticus is mine! You’re a rebound. That is all you will ever be. He loves me. Not you. I’m fucking famous!”

“Oh, honey, I think you meant infamous.”

If her head could explode, I’m pretty sure it would. She literally screams. She just stands there, arms at her sides, hands balled in fists, screaming while everyone in the box turns to look at what is happening. Once Anastasia realizes she’s making a scene, she just turns around and leaves. Not another word uttered.

“Okay, that bitch is bat-shit crazy.” Jen laughs, and I can’t say she’s not right.

“What in the hell was that?” Maddox comes up beside us.

Jen tenses and turns back to stare at the field. Maddox appears a bit hurt, and I’m even more confused about what the hell is going on with them.

“Why would you bring that psycho here? You do realize I am seeing her ex-boyfriend, right?”

I can’t call Atticus my boyfriend. We haven’t had that talk yet. I really want to ask:why are you such a big dumbass bringing another woman around when there is something clearly going on with you and my best friend?

Maddox appears confused for a second before he responds. “I didn’t bring her. We just happened to come up to the box simultaneously, and she slipped her arm into mine at the door. I met her five minutes ago.”

Jen turns and smiles at Maddox, and he smiles back.

“I like it when you smile.” He gives her a wink before heading back over to the band.

I look at her then, really look at her. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Maybe. We’ll see. So, did Anastasia Boyd just sneak into the skybox uninvited, then?”

“Seems like it.”

Unless Atticus invited her? I mean, they have history. How would she even get up here without an invitation? She was wearing his jersey. What if she isn’t so crazy and what she just told me is the truth?

We’ve been dating for several weeks now, and ever since that weekend I spent with him at the farm, we’ve been inseparable. But we’ve never really talked about us—what we mean to one another. Are we a couple? Where is this headed? And I didn’t mind so much that we haven’t; I never thought to question or define what we are. But what if the lack of any progression is saying something that I just haven’t noticed until the psycho shoved it in my face?

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