Page 49 of The Red Zone
Music blared through the speakers and people started filing into their seats in the stadium around us. I could see why people liked coming to these kinds of things. The excitement was buzzing throughout the building and the game hadn’t even started yet.
Players began filing into the locker room, and Abel and October sauntered over toward the sideline together. They could complain all they wanted claiming they could never be friends, but the two of them were ever so slowly becoming friends.
By the end of the season, they’d be hanging out at least once a month outside of Friday night dinners—which, if you knew Abel, was about the closest thing he got to best friendship. I’d be willing to bet a couple thousand dollars on it, easy.
Abel picked up his pace as they got closer to us and Scarlett jumped into his outstretched arms, locking their lips together in a passionate kiss like they were the only two people around. They were disgustingly cute together. It made me sick.
October, who was trailing behind Abel, finally caught up and gave the two of them a side-eyed once-over as they kissed again… and again… and again. When our eyes met, he shot me a lifted brow that I reciprocated with a shrugged shoulder.
Scarlett and Abel broke apart to look over at us, and at that exact moment October grabbed me by the waist with one hand and a handful of my ass with the other as he pulled me closer to him.
“What are you—"
Within a second he was giving me a big, slobbery kiss on the cheek. Exaggerated kissing noises and all.
How revolting.
“Eww, get away from me.” I pushed October away playfully to which he flung his head back in an amused chuckle, although his hands stayed firmly planted on my body.
After his fit of laughter died down, he tugged me in closer, bending down to whisper in my ear. “Funny you say that, considering you were begging me to bury myself inside you a few nights ago.”
My breath hitched, but I tried to conceal it with a cough.
October drug his attention over to the two love-birds. “That’s what the two of you look like, by the way.”
Scarlett narrowed her eyes at me, shooting me a pleased smile. I rolled my eyes and shoved October away, flicking my fingertips to shoo him toward the locker room.
“Thanks for the good luck kiss, March baby.”
“I hope you break every bone in your body,” I muttered with disgust coating my voice.
“Ma’am.” A muscular security guard called over from a few feet away in a firm voice. “Threatening the players is a removable offense. Do it again, and you’ll be escorted out off the sidelines.”
I had to fight not to roll my eyes as my shoulders slumped forward. How did things like this always happen to me? At least this wasn’t as embarrassing as the one time I accidentally robbed a bank, which was anhonestmistake. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
“Sorry, officer,” I mumbled under my breath.
October looked back over his shoulder before disappearing underneath the tunnel and shot me a sly wink which made my heart skip a beat.
Fortune was walking next to October, and I watched as he snuck a glance back at Lea too. I could’ve sworn I saw alittletwinge of a smile on his lips. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had a strange feeling there wassomethinggoing on between those two that she wasn’t telling us about.
* * *
Back at home, I stared at myself in the floor length mirror in the beauty room, taking in the weirdness of seeing me wearing a jersey with October’s number on it one last time before changing into a sleep shirt.
Right then, an idea sparked in my mind and I instantly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture before uploading it to Socialgram without a caption. What could I say? Sometimes it was fun leaving the people wondering. Scrambling to find the hidden subtext in the silence even if there was nothing there in the first place.
Within a minute, there were at least one hundred comments speculating dating rumors between the two of us. I couldn’t help my burst of laughter as I scrolled through some of them.
@sunshinegirl0927: OH. MY. GOD. ARE YOU DATING OCTOBER CALHOUN?!?!
@sugardaddydan: Unfollow. I thought you were single. I can’t believe you’d lead on your loyal followers like this. #whore
@scarlettsawyer: *curious eye emoji*
@knights_football98: The Matrix suck. Go Knights!
@fansofmaegarten: They’re not dating. The two of them have been friends since they were kids.
