Page 25 of Enemies Off Camera
Game Day
“Hi, Jaxon.”
One of the cheerleaders wiggles her fingers at me as we line up to take the field.
I’ve never seen her before. She must be new. But the way she says my name—like we’ve got history—anyone watching probably thinks we do.
We don’t.
I can’t flirt with cheerleaders anymore. Those days are over.
I tilt my head back and press my fingers into my eyes, trying to reset. Zara and I were supposed to meet upstairs—get briefed on camera cues, learn when to react and where to look. That was the plan.
Instead, Roger and I sat there alone.
“I knew she’d pull this shit,” he spat.
He’s been pushing to swap her out with Ashley ever since the reunion.
“She’s more agreeable,” he said.
Translation: she’s easier.
And she is. But I’ve always foundeasyboring—and Ashley bores me. Plus, Roger’s thinking is short-sighted. You can’t just swap women like jerseys after the final pinning.
So I pushed back. “We’re sticking with Zara. End of story.”
“You don’t get to make that call. I do,” he snapped.
“You meanwedo,” I said.
We glared at each other. Roger and I mostly tolerate each other. The guy’s a bulldozer. I’ve had to play him like a fiddle—make him think my ideas are his.
“Let’s just stick with the plan for now. She’ll show us how we need to move forward from here,” I said.
“You like her,” Roger said.
“What? No.”
He gave me that look. The one that calls bullshit and doesn’t blink.
Yeah, Zara’s complicated. And I kind of like complicated. She jumps to conclusions. She can be a pain in the ass.
Butlike her? Take her seriously as a real girlfriend? I’d be stupid to do that.
Even though she’s hot as hell. Sexy—very sexy.
Smart, too. But too damn unpredictable.
Still, I thought—at the very least—she was a professional.
“I’m calling. See what the hell’s going on,” Roger muttered, jabbing at his phone.
She answered after the first ring.
“Where the hell are you!” he barked.
She sounded frantic. Didn’t know she was on speaker. Started rambling about a last-minute fashion show fitting. Said she planned to drive to San Diego after, but traffic was brutal. So she booked a commercial flight instead.
