Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1)(22)
The first game of the season was packed more than normal. We were starting the season with a rematch against Valley Christian and the entire town wanted revenge. Sarah had taken over the task of sneaking us in, easily manipulating the freshman boys working the snack bar into opening the gate for us. We found a spot in the stands near the press box and I saw Buck sitting with a few older men just a few rows down. Feeling confident I walked down and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Mr. Johnson? I’m Nolan, we’ve met a few times. I’m friends with…” he cut me off immediately and grabbed my hand with a shake and brought me in for a hug. “Of course, Nolan. I remember you. How you been? You should come by the house more – my son seems to get better grades when you’re around,” he laughed. I smiled back and nodded as I headed back to my seat, not truly sure what he meant. Reed’s GPA was almost as high as mine, in fact I think I was number two in our class and he was number three or four. Shrugging it all off, I took my seat.
“Those are scouts,” Tatum whispered in my ear as she sat down behind me. “They aren’t supposed to be here yet, but they’re personal friends with Buck, so that’s how he gets away with it.”
I smiled with wide eyes, a little uncomfortable knowing that much information. I turned my attention back to the field for the rest of the game. Sean made two amazing catches in the end zone to score their first 14 points of the half. I worked to keep my focus on Sean and was excited when I caught his eyes as he took his helmet off and turned to face the crowd as they ran in for half time. His smile stretched his entire face and then he blew a quick kiss before taking off. I was blushing when I caught a glimpse of Reed’s eyes as well. They looked… troubled. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to fix whatever it was.
The Bears ended up winning 21 to 7 and everyone was pumped to celebrate. I had promised Sean I would go to the desert party with him, so I rode with Calley, Sarah and Sienna. We sat on the hood of the car watching the dust fill the air as the various headlights highlighted it through the desert brush. The smell of alcohol started to fill the air in an instant and I pulled out my own cooler, better prepared than I was last year.
Sienna and I clicked our water bottles together in tradition as the first trucks of players started pulling in. Sean was in the back of Cole’s pickup truck and jumped over the side as soon as it stopped, running over to me and picking me up and carrying me through the middle of the lot and into the desert brush. “Sorry, super hyper and couldn’t wait to see you,” he smiled. “Did you see that game? I was good, right?”
He was talking a mile a minute and his body and hair was still warm and damp from his shower. I could feel his shoulder muscles under my fingers as I slid them to his back and tiptoed up to kiss him. He reached around and lifted me up so I could reach his lips and hair, tangling my hands in the wet strands. He walked me backwards until I was sitting on the hood of a truck. I laughed inside realizing I had become one of those couples that made me feel so uncomfortable the year before.
Things stayed heated for about the first hour as we kissed and Sean ran his hands over my thighs and around the back of my shorts, grabbing my butt and pulling me close to him. I was nervous but also felt a bit of a thrill, so I let myself go for a while until we were both nearly dehydrated from the heat and the make out session.
“I’ll be right back,” Sean said, kissing me one more time so hard that my head leaned back.
I rubbed my lips as he walked away, they were actually raw. I slid from the hood of the truck and was straightening myself up a bit when Reed slid into me with a bump. “Heya,” he said, crooking the side of his mouth into a dimple. “Missed ya, how’s it going?”
A little rattled by what he said, I shook my head and blinked my eyes a few times. “Uh, good. Hey, great game! Those were some pretty spot-on passes! Gutsy!” I said, knowing that he was really the orchestrator of the great catches that Sean was riding high on.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks! Well… I knew my dad had some friends in the stands, so I wanted to put on a show,” he looked at me, his eyes a little troubled.
“Yeah, I … uh, saw them,” I responded, showing I understood what he meant.
“You know, I could get in serious trouble if anyone said anything about my dad meeting with those guys. It’s all pretty harmless, right now. But if someone took something the wrong way, or made up something just to embellish the story a little, that would be it,” he looked frightened, and I understood the look on his face. For the first time ever, Reed was wearing anxiety. It was a look I knew all too well. I just wasn’t accustomed to seeing it in his eyes.
“Hey, hey,” I said, pulling his sleeve to get his attention, reaching my arms around him to hug him. “Seriously, this kinda thing goes on everywhere, every game, all the time. I promise. I know, because we had people over for dinner a lot when my brother was graduating. And I know in the city it’s waaaay worse. So don’t worry, ok?” I tried to reassure him.
“You’re right; it’s just starting so early. I guess… I just… I want this all too much, you know?” he hugged a little tighter, digging his chin into my shoulder and letting out a deep breath. The wind was knocked out of me at his vulnerability. I let him go just before Sean walked around the front of the truck with a water bottle for me, relieved that no one had seen our exchange. I don’t know why I felt that I had to hide it, but I expected it had something to do with the aching in my heart when he squeezed me in his arms.