Page 21 of Stealing for Keeps
His brows lift as if he’s surprised by the question. He’ll learn quickly that he should never be surprised by what comes out of Lacey’s mouth.
“I’m a forward.”
“Oh, like Vaughn.” I recognize the glint in her eye. She’s dying to know every last detail about him, and she won’t stop until she does.
“You play?” he asks her.
“No.”
“You did once when we were kids,” Rowan says.
“One season when I was six hardly counts.”
“Play is the wrong word. You mostly just stood in the middle of the field and cheered on your teammates,” I say. I wasn’t there, but she has told the story enough times that I feel like I was.
One side of Rowan’s mouth pulls up into a grin. He was there. “She really did.”
“It should have been obvious to my dad right then and there that I was destined for cheerleading.” Her face lights up as we share a smile, and then she turns back to Austin. “What do you think of Frost Lake so far? Aren’t the signs and decorations great?”
“The decorations?” He looks from her to me and then around the cafeteria.
I cover my mouth with a hand to stop a laugh. He couldn’t possibly know that she’s responsible for, like, ninety-nine percent of it, and he’s acting like he hadn’t even noticed them.
“The cheerleaders are the ones who made the signs on our lockers,” Rowan explains.
“Oh, right.” His attention moves to me. “I should have known. They’re very sparkly.”
“Thank you.” Her smile grows impossibly bigger.
I’m not sure he meant it as a compliment, but he doesn’t know about Lacey’s obsession with glitter.
“So, do you have a girlfriend back in Arizona?” She continues her interrogation, and Rowan and I share an amused look.
“Nope.”
“Interesting,” Lacey says and shoots another sly glance at me. I’m going to kill her.
A group of sophomore girls on the soccer team call out to Rowan from across the room, then stand to make their way over. Rowan is probably the most liked guy at FrostLake. He’s friends with everyone, and no one has a bad thing to say about him. He’d be the most popular guy at Frost Lake if he put any effort into it at all. But even as it is, he’s always nominated for stuff.
Amanda and Sophie stop next to our table. They give all of us cordial smiles before pinning their gazes on the new guy.
“You must be Austin Keller,” Sophie says. “I’m Sophie. This is Amanda. We’re on the girls’ soccer team.”
“His reputation precedes him,” Rowan jokes. “He goes by Disco.”
Austin hums low in his throat as he shoots Rowan a playful glare and then tips his head slightly at the girls. “Nice to meet you both.”
Sophie sits in the tiny space between him and Andie. My friend shoots me an amused look as she scooches closer to Brandon.
“Are you going to Boone’s party tonight?” Sophie asks him. She’s facing the other way, but I can just make out the question above the noise in the cafeteria.
“I’m not sure,” he says.
“You should totally come. Everyone will be there. A bunch of the girls from the team are going, and, Rowan, you’ll be there, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says.
I truly don’t know how he goes out so much and still maintains his grades and soccer.
