Page 1 of The Jack*ss in Class

FUN TIMES WITH FLYNN

FLYNN

Football, adoring fans, especially the sexy ones who wanted to get in my pants, and a cheering stadium. This was my kind of fun.

“Dragons on three.” I pumped my fist in the air, and the crowd of students packed into the quad echoed my enthusiasm. “One... two... three...”

“DRAGONS!”

The responding roar was exactly what I lived for. Game day energy, but without the pressure. Just pure school spirit and academic excellence. Which, yeah, sounded ridiculous, but this whole pep rally was the athletic department’s way of proving we weren’t just dumb jocks. Hence the “Brains and Brawn” banners everywhere and the fact that I’d just had to rattle off my GPA to the crowd, which of course included my father, former National Championship coach of the Denver State Dragons football team.

“Speaking of brains,” my twin brother, Gryff, mutteredbeside me, “explain to me again why we’re doing this instead of prepping for the combine?”

“Because Coach says we need more positive PR for the football team.” I elbowed him in the ribs, nearly knocking him off our makeshift stage. “Especially after Xander’s InstaSnap went viral.”

“I told you that wasn’t my fault.” Gryff moved to elbow me back, then froze. “Uh, Flynn? Is that a baby donkey... wearing a purple and gold jersey?”

“What? No.” I followed his gaze to the edge of the crowd where... “Holy shit, that is a donkey. In a jersey. With... are those wings?”

A tiny gray donkey stood at the edge of the crowd, sporting both a Denver State Dragons jersey and what appeared to be sparkly dragon wings attached to a tiny harness. The wings actually fluttered in the breeze, which was both weird as shit and adorable. It was being led through the crowd by a one of the players from the DSU women’s soccer team.

“Freddie,” our younger brother Isak called out from where he was filming the rally for his FaceSpace followers. “What are you doing with a bonkey?"

"Isn't he cute?” She beamed up at us, practically bouncing as she walked. The donkey followed docilely at her heels, its oversized ears twitching beneath what might have been a tiny dragon horn headband. “He’s my sister’s, and she is busy studying. So, I thought he needed some school spirit.”

“You stole your sister’s donkey to bring it to a pep rally?” A tall girl with wild curls pushed through the crowd, grinning. “Classic Freddie move.”

“Artemis,” Gryffin’s whole face lit up at the sight of his best friend. “Done crushing souls at rugby practice?”

“Never done crushing souls, Kingman,” she said and flexed dramatically. “But I took a break to see this disaster in the making. Why is it always the football players up on stage, hmm?”

“Because we win shit,” I said. Like the Snoop Cat bowl. Which brought money and fame, and did I mention the money, into the school.

Artemis slugged me in the arm which garnered nothing more than a snicker from my twin. “Uh, so do the rest of us, jackass. No offense, baby donkey.”

“Ladies and gentlemen.” The assistant athletic director grabbed the mic, oblivious to the barnyard animal in our midst. “Please welcome our beloved mascot... Drake the Dragon.”

The crowd cheered as our mascot bounded onto the stage in his oversized dragon costume. He did his usual hype dance, spinning and...

His head fell off.

The fuzzy green dragon head rolled right off the stage.

Directly toward the baby donkey.

“Oh shit,” all three of us Kingman brothers said in unison.

The donkey’s eyes went wide. Its ears shot straight up. And then...

“¡Ay, no! Wait.” Freddie’s cry was drowned out by the sound of tiny hooves on pavement as her sister’s donkey took off like a shot through the crowd, sparkly wings flapping wildly.

“I got it.” I vaulted off the stage, because obviously thiswas what I did. I protected, defended, and made my team look good. That’s the mission when you are team captain.

“I bet I catch it before you yahoos,” Artemis called out, already sprinting after the donkey.

“Hey, who you calling a yahoo?” Why did women always call me that?

“You’re on,” Gryffin shouted, hot on her heels.

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