Page 95 of Teaching the Teacher's Pet

The marching band got into their formation on the field with the cheerleaders sorted among them, holding their pom-poms. With a few blows from the student conductor’s whistle, the band began their performance, starting hard with a flurry of instruments.

Jozie flinched, putting her hands over her ears. “Yikes.”

“Shh,” I hissed, dropping my voice to a whisper. “What if one of their parents is sitting behind us?”

“Then they need to invest in some lessons.”

I didn’t notice Rachel climbing the steps to our bench until she was almost beside me, and she waved her hand in my direction. “Hey, come chat with us while it’s halftime. A lot of people went to the concessions, so it won’t be as crowded.” Before I had a chance to argue, Rachel grabbed my hand, hauling me to my feet. “Jozie, I’ll bring her back in a sec.”

“Get me another popcorn while you’re up!” my sister called after us.

I wanted to dig my feet in, didn’t want to go hang out in the student section, but Rachel’s unrelenting grip wasn’t giving me a choice. Ava was sitting on the bench seat in the front row, thumbs working rapidly on her cell. When she saw me, she scooted over, patting the space beside her. “Hey, you.”

“Jozie wanted a popcorn—”

“We’ll get it in a second,” Rachel assured, forcing me to sit. She glanced backward at the field where the band members and cheerleaders weaved their way through the song. Alex, in the back, was swaying his tuba back and forth, totally in the moment. “How are you feeling?”

I glanced around at everyone around me.Waytoo many listening ears. “I’m okay.”

“I’m glad you came tonight.” Rachel placed her hand on my knee and gave it a squeeze. “Things work out the way they’re supposed to, don’t they?”

Didthey? Was that why I sat here now, in the last place I ever thought I’d be, single, with the guy I liked too afraid to stand up for me? This was what was supposed to happen? “I guess so.”

“Okay, Brentwood, before we get back to the game, let’s take a second to recognize the high school homecoming court!” the announcer proclaimed over the mic, and the field became a flurry of movement as the band shuffled into a corner of the grass, playing the fight song. Three couples from each of the grades congregated on the field, wearing their best dresses and suits.

Madison was the first I spotted, and Jozie had been right—shehadchanged from her cheer uniform. Madison now wore a glittering blue floor-length gown that hugged her curves in a way that totally suited her, and her golden brown hair hung in perfect coils around her face. She had her arm wound around Landon’s, who still wore his football gear. She smiled at something he said, beaming underneath the lights.

But they weren’t the couple I focused on.

There was no denying that Connor and Jade were a cute couple. Underneath the stadium lights, Connor gleamed like he was under a spotlight. Like Landon, he wore his shoulder pads too, and the brilliant blue jersey was the perfect match to Jade’s rich golden dress. Brentwood High colors. The perfect football player/cheerleader pair. Jade’s dress was just as beautiful as Madison’s, and with her hair pulled back into a loose bun, she definitely looked like royalty material.

Looking at them, you’d never be able to guess it was fake.

I’d never even entertained the idea of being on homecoming court, but I wondered, in a different universe, what it would’ve been like to be the one on his arm.

“And then, finally, our last couple in the running for homecoming king and queen! We have Brentwood football player, Connor Bray, and co-cheer captain, Jade Dyer!”

Jade tugged Connor forward a step to separate them from the lineup, giving the crowd her best princess wave. Connor didn’t wave; he wasn’t even smiling. Instead, his attention seemed to sort through the crowd, never settling.

Until he found me.

Even though my heart ached, it apparently hadn’t gotten the memo, because it gave a slow, longing-filledthump.

I watched as Connor looked over—not at Jade, though, but at Madison, who’d already been waiting for him to return her gaze. She tilted her chin down, and it took me several seconds to realize it was a nod.

Connor dropped his arm, forcing Jade to drop hers.

She tilted her head at him, and it was obvious she was asking him a question. His lips moved in response.

“You think he’s about to ask her to homecoming?” I muttered, insides wincing at the prospect.

Rachel, on one side of me, picked up my hand and gave it a squeeze. Ava, on the other side, picked up her cell phone.

Madison suddenly broke away from Landon’s arm and grabbed her best friend’s wrist, snatching Jade back from pursuing her boyfriend. My heart seemed to know what was happening before my brain did, racing as Connor strode from the field with determination written across his features.

He isn’t coming over here. Don’t get your hopes up. He wouldn’t.

Except…he did.

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