Page 66 of One Shot

“Hey, Chip. I texted but you didn’t answer. I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he says as I let him inside.

“I feel . . . okay.”

Tyler tilts his head and huffs at my response.

“No really, I do. Talking to my mom was exactly what I needed. I finally told her everything.”

“Would ice cream also be exactly what you need?” Tyler asks.

I smile big. Ice cream is always exactly what I need, no matter the reason.

The next home game I try to avoid Lucas, which is not easy to do. Especially since his face is all over posters for our damn calendar. Ihave to endure his giant face even more because it’s my turn to run the merch table with the lower classmen this game. We have pre-orders for Nick’s jersey design, new shirts, calendar orders, and sign-ups for our poster giveaway.

“That captain is so delish,” I overhear a pretty redheaded girl saying. She looks barely out of middle school. She has to be a freshman.

“I need this poster of him. Excuse me, ma’am?”

Did she seriously just call me ‘ma’am?’ I’m barely two years older than her!

I plaster on a big smile before asking what she needs.

“Are you going to sell these posters? I need to buy one for my dorm room!” she responds.

“We might be doing some signed giveaways of the posters. Make sure you follow the team on social media!” I hastily reply.

She walks away happily staring at her phone.

“I’m sure my boyfriend will be thrilled to know he could be on your wall!” I call after her. My eyes widen taking in the words that just slipped out of my mouth. Why did I just say that? The girl doesn’t turn around or acknowledge my comment. Thank goodness, she must have not heard me.

“You’re finally dating Lucas?!” Libby, my favorite underclassman, asks with a goofy grin on her face. The eager sparkle in her eyes beg for me to dish out details.

“Don’t tell anyone I said that, please. I’m being petty and jealous, and it’s not a good look, especially when it’s because of a random freshman that doesn’t even know him!” A frustrated groan escapes me. I miss Lucas.

And clearly, I want him all to myself.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to raffle off signed posters for charitable donations at games.” Libby shrugs. “Then that super fan could really have a picture of your boyfriend on her wall.”

I roll my eyes and elbow her, but it’s a brilliant idea. Nick would have eaten it up. I bet he would have even taken selfies with fans for donations or something ridiculous.

I don’t see much of the game at the merch table, but the Wyverns win. Libby and I go to find Bren and Suz to tell them Libby’s idea to raffle for donations. I will conveniently omit the part out where I called Lucas my boyfriend, if anyone asks.

Lucas walks out of the locker room. I try not to let out a groan when I see him in my favorite gray sweatpants of his. I lock eyes with Libby, and she pretends to lock her mouth and throw away the key. I roll my eyes and can’t help but giggle when I realize Lucas saw her. Libby is redder than a tomato.

“What’s this about?” Lucas asks.

“Oh, nothing,” I reply. “Just some fangirls want signed posters. So you, Captain Hot Shot, are going to be on some walls in the freshman dorms once we raffle them off at the rest of the home games this season.”

“Oh great,” Lucas jokes enthusiastically, “just want I’ve always dreamed of.”

“Do I get to be on freshman dorm walls?” Liam asks.

“You’re despicable, Liam Welsh,” Bren makes a disgusted face and jabs at Liam.

“But you love me.” Liam puckers his lips making kissing noises at Bren.

“We’ll have a few different prints of the starters, maybe two or three guys featured a game, a full team one, and one of the Sexy Seven every game," I think out loud. “We have enough promo posters to last a few games. I can easily order some more.”

“We are pretty much famous,” Connor chimes in, throwing an arm around Lucas and the other around Liam as they walk out down the hallway away from Libby and me.

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