Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(17)

Riley stopped with a chip at her mouth and turned to look at me. “No way,” she whispered.

I just nodded.

Her eyes were wide with amazement. “Ohmygod,” she responded, before shoving the cheese-covered tortilla chip into her mouth.

Rock

We won. By two touchdowns. One of those had been mine.

But none of that seemed to matter at the moment.

Since halftime, when we had run to the locker room and I’d looked up into the stands and seen Trisha’s blond hair, I had been going on adrenaline. She was here. And I was taking her home. I’d beg Marcus or Dewayne for their car. I just couldn’t let tonight end without seeing her.

My touchdown had been simply because I wanted to show off for her. Get her attention. She’d made me play better. I had come alive once I knew where to look when I turned around to see the crowd. Every time, she’d been there. In the same spot. And I had f**king loved it.

The guys were all heading to the field house, and that’s where I was supposed to be headed too. But she’d be gone before I got out of there. I couldn’t chance this. Tonight was my night. I was on fire. No more playing games.

“Take this,” I yelled at Preston, and tossed him my helmet.

“Go get her, tiger,” he called after me with an amused tone.

His obnoxious comment only made me grin. I was riding on my high. She couldn’t tell me no. This time I wouldn’t let her.

Shoving through the crowd and nodding thanks to people telling me I had played a good game, I kept my eyes on Trisha. She didn’t see me headed toward her. Good. I didn’t want her to have time to run.

I got to the bottom of the bleachers just as Trisha’s nerdy guy friend led the trio down the steps. His eyes locked on me and he frowned. I knew he wasn’t a fan of me, but I could fix that. If he was Trisha’s friend, I’d make sure he liked me.

“Trisha.” When I called out her name, she stopped studying the steps. Her head jerked up and her baby blues showed her shock. Then her confusion. God, she was gorgeous. The crazy kind of gorgeous. “Let me take you home. Buy you dinner. Whatever, just don’t leave. Stay. Wait for me to get done in the field house,” I begged her. It sounded like begging. I was desperate. The moving crowd stopped, and I felt all their eyes on me. I was drawing attention.

She glanced around at all the people who were now watching her. Waiting on her response. Maybe I was putting her on the spot, but I needed her to say yes. To give me a chance.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, my dad appeared in front of me, blocking my view of her. I tried to step around him so I could watch her. She was about to say something. His hands grabbed my shoulders, and he shook me. He was pissed. “You’re late for f**king practice and have to sit out for five minutes, and now you’re out here instead of in the field house! What the hell, boy? Get your ass in there. Don’t throw shit away for that.” He waved his hand toward where Trisha was standing.

Rage pounded in my veins and I clenched my fists. “Give me a minute,” I said, meeting his glare with one of my own.

“NO! Fuck that!” He grabbed my arm and tried to move me. I didn’t budge. The old man forgot that I’d outgrown him a long time ago. He might catch me off guard and shake me in front of everyone, but hell if he’d get me to move at his command.

I jerked my arm free. “I said give me a minute,” I repeated calmly, knowing people were watching me.

“You gonna throw this away? For a chick? Prove to everyone you’re white trash like your momma? That what your plan is, boy? Because I won’t keep you if that’s what you’re planning on.” He spat, and his nasty onion-and-beer breath made me sick.

I ignored him. I wasn’t fighting with my old man in front of the town. “Please, Trisha. Wait for me.”

My dad was roaring dumb crap, and I blocked it out, waiting while she took in the scene in front of her. Then she nodded. It was a small nod, but she nodded.

My heart soared. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. “I’ll be fast. Just don’t leave. Please,” I called out, and she nodded again, looking somewhere between horrified and surprised. I turned and headed for the field house. My old man was behind me, still bitching. I ignored him and jogged off.

Dewayne’s dad was headed our way, and he looked even angrier than my dad. He patted me on the shoulder. “Good game, kid,” Mr. Falco said, before walking past me. Then he said to my dad in a commanding voice, “That’s enough. Stop yelling at the boy like that or I’m calling the cops. He’s done nothing wrong.”

I hurried on inside, ready to get showered and changed. Trisha Corbin was waiting on me. Hot damn!

Dewayne was walking out of the showers with a towel around his waist. “You get what you wanted?” he asked, smirking.

“She said she’d wait for me. I need a car,” I told him. “I thought about asking Dad, but he’s pissed and yelling about me sitting out the beginning of the game and shit. Your dad is putting him in his place right now.”

Dewayne opened his locker and pulled out his car keys. “Take it. I’ll ride with Marcus to the party.”

I caught the keys to his Mustang.

“Thank you. Seriously. Anything you need, tell me,” I told him.

“Get your ass out there before she leaves,” Dewayne replied, then started getting dressed. I headed for the showers.