Gold (All that Glitters #2)(108)

Stacia tried to get between them. “Eric, let him go now.”

Eric pushed off the wall and took a step away from Pace, but they were in a standoff.

“I don’t know what the f*ck you think I did, but you and I both know I deserve playing time over Marshall.”

“I don’t believe that at all.”

Pace laughed. He looked between Eric and Bryna. “Have you been listening to Bryna? Is all of this because you’re banging my sister? So has everyone else, Eric.”

It happened so fast. Bryna hadn’t even seen it coming. Eric swung and punched Pace right in the face. They were on top of each other in an instant. Bryna and Stacia desperately tried to get between them, but when two giant football players over six feet tall want to fight, there was nothing they could do to stop them. A few of the other guys rushed over and tore them apart. Marshall was one of them.

He grabbed Eric and hauled him away. “What the f*ck, E?” Marshall asked.

“He’s pissed because he’s banging my sister and listening to her drivel,” Pace said. He was holding his face. Blood was pouring out of his nose, and it looked like he had a busted eyebrow.

Eric seemed perfectly okay. He had gotten the jump on Pace.

“You got her f*cking attacked, you f*cking *!” Eric yelled at Pace.

“What are you talking about?” Pace asked. His eyes landed on Bryna.

“After what you said to Cam, he physically attacked Bryna.”

“What did you tell Cam?” Stacia asked. Her voice was suddenly flat.

“The truth,” Pace spat. He was still so riled up that he hadn’t heard the warning in Stacia’s voice. “That Bryna is a slut and f*cks around and likes to play games with people.”

Stacia glared at him. “You went behind my back and behind her back to tell Cam that shit? He almost raped her!” she cried.

“What?” Pace asked, shocked. He turned to Bryna. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Bryna whispered. Great. Now all of her dirty laundry had been aired to the football team.

“I never believed her when she said you f*cked with her life on purpose,” Stacia said. “Now, I get it. I don’t understand it, but I get it. I can’t be a part of that. You hurt my best friend.”

“Stacia, I didn’t know he would do that.”

“And you didn’t care!” she yelled back. “Then, you won’t care as I walk away.”

Bryna stared on in amazement as Stacia turned and left. Pace looked stunned.

“I didn’t know,” he said to Bryna.

“Too little, too late,” she said.

Then, she jogged after Stacia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She released the tiniest of sobs that Bryna knew was sure to turn into a waterfall once it really hit her that she had lost her quarterback.

THE NEXT WEEKEND, the team won a stunning victory at home. It was Halloween, and the annual Slutfest party was being thrown at a house the cheerleading captain, Lauren, had rented for the event. It was one of the biggest events of the year, and people had been talking about it all week. Lauren had promised that she was going all out this year, bigger and better than ever before. Reportedly half of the student population had been invited.

“I don’t want to go,” Stacia said.

“You need to get out and stop moping around about Pace,” Trihn said.

“I’m not moping. I’m mourning.”

“You’re not mourning. Nothing died!” Trihn reminded her.

“It feels like it.”

“It’ll be fine,” Bryna said. She finished applying fire-red lipstick and then turned to her friends. “The party will be so big that you won’t even see him. All right?”

“What if I want to?”

“You don’t,” Trihn said. “He’s an ass. Think about what he did.”

“I know,” she murmured. “But…this sucks.”

Stacia had been like this all week. She’d cried herself to sleep every night, and Bryna had seen that she had a dozen missed calls from Pace on her phone. She felt bad for Stacia. She hated seeing her friend in pain, but she was glad Stacia had taken the blinders off. He wasn’t a good person. Stacia needed to drop him from his pedestal, preferably on his head.

“You’re going. That’s the end of it,” Bryna said, putting her foot down. “Now, I’m going to head over to Eric’s. I’ll meet you guys there.”

Stacia’s bottom lip popped out. “Have fun with your football player.”

“Eric doesn’t play football anymore. He isn’t defined by what he does. He’s defined by the kind of person he is. He is good and kind and valuable without the title,” Bryna said. “That is the kind of person you deserve, too.”

Trihn and Stacia stared at her in shock. A year ago, she would never have said anything like that. In fact, she would have laughed at someone who had said that to her. A lot had changed in a year.

She smiled at her friends and then exited the apartment.

She was in an excellent mood by the time she arrived at Eric’s house. This was their official coming-out party. She liked to call it that, considering their history. After the blowup at the game last weekend, everyone had found out they were dating, but they still hadn’t really been seen together as a couple yet. Tonight was the night.