Page 24 of Set the Moment
“Is she sick? Did she get hurt?” My words are like vomit, tumbling out of my mouth uncontrollably as Georgia frowns at me, shaking her head.
She doesn’t give me the time to think of a game plan for this situation. No, instead, Georgia Adams grabs the knob of Cleo’s door, saunters into the room, and snatches the covers off of my cousin's back.
My heart cracks and falls out of my chest at the sight below me, my cousin—one of the strongest people I know—lies in a fetal position, hugging her knees to her chest as she sobs quietly.
“Cleo…” I breathe her name, my body moving on its own as I take a seat beside her on the bed with Georgia doing the same on her other side.
My brain feels as if it’s on autopilot as I listen to what's been going on with her. I’d noticed she wasn’t like her old self and has been distant, but I’d never suspected this.
Someone’s been threatening and stalking her formonthsand she’s just now speaking out about it.
I swear I’m going to kill everyone who ever dared tothinkbadly about her, let alone threaten her. They’ve been texting her nonstop and it’s sickening. If I had it my way, I’d go real life COD on their asses and blow everyone up.
Too much?
Sorry…
By the time we get to the game, everyone's spirits are up. Cleo’s started to feel better, Denver’s with us, and Georgia’s had a margarita. I drank a little bit of those electrolytes that Daisy gave me earlier, and now my energy is through the roof.
We’re sitting in center field, near the fifty-yard line, on the edge of our seats watching the boys get obliterated. Ryan was cocky in our cousins’ group chat about how he and the guys would win, but it’s not looking too good for them with this game.
The energy in the arena shifts just as Denver complains about the game being boring, and my spine straightens as a chill runs down it.
“Funny to see you here, Coach.” Minty breath against my ears sends shivers across my body as Jace backs away from me.
“I didn’t know they let crazy people on school campuses…” I roll my eyes as Jace looks me up and down, cataloging me in his brain.
My body thrums to life as I watch him analyze me carefully. My skin warms as his eyes caress the bare parts of it that my cropped shirt doesn’t cover.
“Guess you can say I’m the exception.” He shrugs, leaning back and spreading his legs wide.
My mouth salivates as he gets comfortable in his seat, his eyes never leaving my own.
“More like the rule…”
We stare at each other in complete silence, and I don’t realize my friends are going back and forth with his friends until Jace interjects and Georgia groans.
She’d said before we left that she wanted a drama free night to watch “her man” in action. Her man being Ryan, though I don’t think he knows that.
“Oh, fuck me sideways, why are you here?Don’t you have some girl to paint or something?”Georgia asks loudly before whispering as her eyes flicker to the left, catching on Delilah and Derek—whom I hadn’t realized were here—before falling back on Jace.
Why is Derek here? And what girl? Was the girl from the first day of classes really hisgirl—
Jace rolls his eyes. “Did Halloween come early, or have my nightmares come true,peach?”
I grimace as Georgia scowls—she’s mildly allergic to peaches.
The two of them go at it, but I tune them out as my stomach gurgles and my head spins. Has Georgia known all along about Jace’s girlfriend? And if she did, why hadn’t she told me?
By halftime, my mouth feels cottony and my stomach is queasy. I don’t know what I ate, but it obviously disagrees with my body.
My skin is hot, and I don’t know if it’s because it’s too many bodies around me or because I’m coming down with something. The feeling of my curls being moved to the side and a cooling, wet sensation being rubbed against the nape of my neck brings me mild relief. I groan as a cool feeling flows through my skin.
“You feeling alright?” Jace’s gruff voice is soft as he rubs circles against my neck, the cool sensation slowly fading to his fingertips.
Is he rubbing me down? At a football game, no less?
“No, stop touching me…” I bite, my body craving to get closer to him even though my brain refuses.
