Page 20 of The Midseason Fakeout

I smile. “You’ll do it. I have faith in you.”

His gaze traces my face, making my heart slam in my chest. If I didn’t know any better, it looks like Aidan wants to kiss me, too. It’s a terrible idea, of course. For me. I keep smudging the line between faking it and the very real feelings budding again.

He moves forward, and I freeze in place.

He’s going to—

Aidan’s—

He dodges my lips and places a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Thank you for saying that. It means more than you know.”

My stomach churns as he turns away.Stupid, I chastise myself. I don’t know why I thought he was going to actually kiss me. This is all a ruse. Fake.

If he did kiss me, it would be to keep up pretenses in front of his friends.

Suddenly, I feel silly for enjoying all this camaraderie when it isn’t even really mine to enjoy. I’m nothing. I’m no one.

The same player who brought up Reid says, “Don’t forget to sign up for the couples fundraiser now that you’re with Bailey, QB1.”

“Couples fundraiser?” I ask, peering over at Aidan.

Kenna laughs, hard. “Oh, you thought you were getting away with it. This is hilarious.”

“Shit,” Aidan grumbles.

I turn, looking for someone to clarify. “What am I missing?”

Aidan sighs, knocking a napkin out of his way with his pinkie. “Coach’s wife. She’s big into fundraising.”

I chuckle at his unenthusiastic reaction. “That actually sounds like a good thing.”

“It is,” he grinds out, his voice in complete contradiction to his words. “It’s just that Coach is making every couple on the team compete in her newest fundraising scheme.”

Kenna doesn’t sound thrilled at the prospect either. “The couple who wins gets to be king and queen of the Halloween Ball.”

“It’s for a good cause,” West adds.

Cade grins, beaming at us. “I’ve never been so happy to be single.”

It would be funny if I didn’t notice the reaction Aidan was having. He rubs his hands down his thighs, his leg jumping up and down.

It can’t bethatbad. “What do we have to do?” I ask.

“Participate in short competitions and community projects. There will be a skills game.”

West pipes in. “My girl’s been working on her arm.”

Kenna smirks but continues. “A relationship game. A few other things I can’t quite remember, and then it all culminates in a ball that people buy a plate for. All proceeds go to the Step-Up Foundation,” Kenna answers. “Oh, and the winning couple both get scholarship money.”

“That sounds—”

“Horrible,” Aidan interrupts. “Just what I need, another time commitment.”

“I’m sure we don’t have to join,” I tell him, squeezing his thigh.

He pins me with a stare. “Oh, there’s no getting around it. Coach asks, we do.”

“Well, lucky for you, I’m great at competitions.” My whole life has set me up to succeed at these types of things. Plus, earning scholarship money could help. Like, really help. What if I want to stay here but Mom and Dad won’t pay for it? I need to be able to fund it on my own.

---