Page 21 of Most Valuable Player
Only then do I realize how conceited that word sounds. “I don’tmean it like I’m really sexy or something,” I choke out defensively. “Um. I’ve just been told that I have a certain kind of body that…”
My voice fizzles away. Cameron’s observing me with a calm expression I’ve never seen him wear before. I can’t stand it anymore, so I demand, “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when we fell? You’re acting strange. Not as annoying as usual.”
I think I snapped something inside of him. His mystified expression dissolves into one of dread, intense enough to contort his entire face. I blink, and when I open my eyes, someone else is standing in front of me. His broad shoulders are back and he’s giving me a glittery smile and his eyes are brimming with an overabundance of confidence.
“Am I acting different, or are you just distracted by how good I look?” he asks cheekily.
I stare at him.
He stares back.
“What?” I ask.
“I need to go yell at that motherfucker outside.” Cameron starts striding to the sliding glass door I came in from.
I watch him blankly. It’s like he flipped a switch, and suddenly, everything about him changed without a moment’s delay. I only come to when I see him sliding the door, and a rush of cool wind flutters through the house. “It’s too cold for you to be out there naked,” I tell him.
“Well?” Cameron throws his arms up—a sight I’m becoming familiar with. “My clothes are in the dryer because Anup decided to be a whole entire dick. I don’t have options, so I guess I’m just putting my tits out today free of charge.”
I avoid snickering at the recollection of him flailing around in the water.
He ventures out into the dimly lit backyard. I’m not sure why I even came inside, so I follow him to rejoin the party. The bonfire is still a roaring mass of wood and flame, spitting embers into the air and shedding warmth over the clusters of teens fluttering around it like moths. Some football players are tossing a ball around underhanded so it won’t get tangled in the string lights.
Jody catches sight of Cameron’s predicament and hoots, causing the rest of them to turn and start whistling. “Suck a thousand cocks, Anup Kumar!” Cameron growls, sticking his middle finger up. Anup is too busy hunched with laughter to respond.
I inch away from Cameron, eyeing his back. The shadows slicing through the backyard cause his muscles to appear more defined, jutting from his skin in little ridges and hills. He’s abnormally big for a high schooler, even a senior, which I guess goes to show just how desperate he is to impress that scout from Alpine University. Through the grapevine, I heard he was told last year that he’d need to bulk up and gain weight if he wanted to be seriously considered. I wonder what kind of regimen he had to follow to get his body to look like that over the past year. Strong and sturdy, not fragile and flimsy.
Cameron groans at the sound of everyone’s hilarity. My stomach chooses, at that particularly random moment, to groan alongside him. Loudly.
He immediately spins toward me to stare.
I fan a palm over my stomach, embarrassed. “Sorry,” I mumble. “I’ve been running on coffee and a blueberry muffin today.”
Cameron’s brows are furrowed and his eyes—turquoise under the nearby light—are shot with concern. Suddenly, he turns to the yard and shouts, “Who’s sober?”
He’s glaring at the varsity football players, all of whom snickeragain at the sight of his towel. Darius glances around, then heaves a fatigued sigh. “Guess that’s me,” he says somberly.
“Emergency Taco Bell run,” Cameron snaps, and he takes my shoulder, shaking me around. “Aren’t you guys always creaming your pants over this guy? How do none of you know that the only thing your precious water boy has eaten today is a muffin?”
No. No, no, no. My face is flooded with scorching heat again, made worse by the fact that everyone immediately gasps in horror and sprints toward me.
“My baby!” Anup says, gripping my face and squeezing. He’s far, far gone. “Don’t worry, Big D will get you some precious sustenance.”
“Why haven’t you eaten?” Jody demands, shoving Cameron aside to get a closer look at me. “What are we supposed to do if you get sick or something? Bad enough this asshole next to me had to get benched. The team literally won’t survive without you there to keep everyone cool.”
There it is again. Another proclamation that I do more for this team than hydrate them. I don’t understand why they’re being so nice—I guess they just know I’m a lonely person trying to get myself out there, and they’re being supportive.
I’m so lightheaded I can feel numbing tingles in my fingers. Normally, being surrounded by several muscular guys who only have eyes for you is a bi boy’s dream, but it’s suffocating. So I do what I always do and turn my lips up into a small smile, keeping quiet. They’ll stop eventually. They’ll get bored of me and my lack of response. I just need to stay collected—
Someone yanks my sweater, hoisting me out of the center of attention. Suddenly, Cameron is inches from my face, allowing me to zero in on him. “What do you want?” he demands, rattling mearound again. “Darius is going to get you something so you don’t pass away.”
He’s still speaking in an exaggerated manner, his movements agitated and dramatic, but his voice is strangely low. Steadying.
“It’s fine.” I shrug out of Cameron’s grip. “I’ll eat when I get home.”
“Look, Mason. Taco Bell is right around the corner.” Darius swings his keys around his thick index finger. “You do plenty to help Barnett and the team. And you’re suffering through tutoring Cam. It’s the least we can do.”
“Suffering?” Cameron chokes out.
