Page 26 of Quarterback Crush
“Thank you,” I managed to say between swallowing and shoveling in another forkful.
“Yes, that’s great, Ollie,” Mom noticeably brightened. “I’d like to see it.”
“I think I left it in my locker,” I muttered, knowing full well I hadn’t, but a shudder caused every follicle on my body to resurrect. What if my assignment seemed familiar, what if she’d read Lance’s original one?
I excused myself after dinner, bolting upstairs to check my phone, my heart racing to see Maya’s text:Ok, sounds cool
I could have left it at that, but Maya was on her phone now and I was in the mood to banter.
Me:It’s what boyfriends do
Maya:Even fake ones?
My heart dipped unexpectedly, the fact that she saw me as her fake boyfriend hitting deep. But why? That’s what I was.
I’d never stopped to wonder why Maya agreed to fake date me. In hindsight, I’d barged into her life, basically demanded a favor which she’d agreed to without hesitation. Yeah, we had some old history together being ex-neighbors, but in reality she owed me nothing. Her sister Lizzie had dated my brother George for a short while, but that had ended amicably as far as I remembered.
Perhaps she had a grudge against Savannah? But that seemed highly unlikely because they were on the cheer team together, and cheer was one big happy family.
Maybe I’d been more forceful than I thought in asking her for a favor. Being a junior, she might have felt pressured to say yes, but I wasn’t intimidating—or was I? I had nearly punched Ben Monty in the face.
I read Maya’s text again and remembered we were fake:Yeah, Savannah’s back and we should be seen together.
Chapter 11
MAYA
On Sunday, having no plans, I slept late, lying in bed in a kind of surreal haze, reliving the most remarkable night of my life. Yet, there wasn’t complete joy like you’d expect after a date with the star quarterback.
No, something was missing. Yes, it had happened, the date, the kisses—-but it felt like a hollow victory.
Because it was all fake—it meant nothing.
Zero, zilch, just an act.
So, who was I fooling? No one but myself. That’s who.
Because by mid-afternoon, when I dragged myself to the kitchen, my stomach in a churn, there had been nothing from Oliver. Not a text or a message or a call, anything to acknowledge my existence. A hey or a hi, or thanks for the date, anything would have been nice.
Thinking a toasted bagel might fix my issue, I spread a thick layer of peanut butter, my favorite topping. Yet the bagel sat on the plate, unappealing, and I realized the ache wasn’t caused by hunger. When my phone pinged on the counter a minute later, I hurtled across the room like a girl on a mission only to see a message from Sammy. My heart sunk, even though seeing a photo of Sammy and her little sister Tessa in their backyard was cute. But I’d so hoped for Oliver to text me...
Sure, I knew the football team had a meeting with Coach, but that was unlikely to last all afternoon. And as evening fell and there was an excruciating silence on my phone, I was forcedto reconsider the true meaning of fake dating.Pretending to be in a relationship.That’s what Oliver and I were doing. Playing pretend. He’d talked and opened up to me, but that didn’t mean anything. People did that on dates—they talked, and the kissing had been for practice, to add a touch of realism in the future, that's what he said. And though I might have been buzzing with joy and curling my toes from his heavenly kisses, he’d obviously taken it all in his stride, playing his role and nothing more. While I was here pining and yearning, he was likely back in football mode, strategizing the team’s rise to championship status.
I hadn’t hesitated in agreeing to Oliver’s outlandish plan of fake dating—the perks of kissing my long-time crush was a no-brainer. But what if I was falling...for real? Because now Oliver was more than just the cute boy next door and the star quarterback. He was sweet, he was silly, he was fun—and he was trapped in a life of expectations. Living out dreams for everyone else, his parents, his coach, his team, his school, his ex-girlfriend.
Monday was the slowest day in the history of mankind. With still no contact from Oliver, Sammy was quick to remind me that fake relationships were tenuous and unpredictable and came with no guarantees. Oliver would make contact if and when he needed me. No more, no less. Cutesy texts weren’t part of the deal.
She was right, but I moped anyway.
But that evening, I bounced back when he messaged me:Hey, missed you today. I can give you a ride home tomorrow.
Like I’d been resuscitated, I was once again full of life.
He missed me!Or did he mean he missedseeingme today, like I wasn’t around.
And offering to give me a ride home? That was because Savannah had returned to school, announcing it with her usual aesthetically pleasing social media posts, the most recent a posein front of her racy red truck, sipping from a juice box. She’d be at cheer practice and Oliver would want her to see us together.
My stomach was in flutters all day. Though I wasn’t sure if it was because Oliver was taking me home or coming face to face with Savannah. Changing into my cheer outfit, I slathered body lotion on my legs and arms to keep them from drying out when we went outdoors, then I stood in front of the locker room mirror brushing my hair and styling it into a high ponytail.
