I started to nod when Mr. Hawks cleared his throat loudly, and we both turned our attention to the front of the class. He was glaring at us over his glasses with a bit of honey-bun sugar on his top lip. “Do I need to assign more work? Was that not enough?”

“No, sir, I think this will be just enough,” Asa drawled, sounding a little amused. I focused on my work in front of me and didn’t look back his way again.

Asa laughed, but I didn’t even smile.

When the bell rang, a guy sitting behind Asa started talking about the homecoming game, and I quickly snuck out. Surprisingly, there were a lot of oddly dressed kids in the halls completely on board with the nineties dress up. I thought a seventies day made more sense. They dressed cooler back then. This nineties thing just looked like a bad episode of Friends. It was my mother’s favorite TV show of all time, so even thinking about the show brought up a slew of bad memories.

Brady was at the door when I stepped into the hall. His attention was on me, so he’d come simply to talk to me. I felt awkward around him, and I hated that. The kiss had changed everything, and I wished so badly he hadn’t done it. It was easier with him before. I felt like I was hiding something from the world, and I didn’t have the energy to have to hide anything more. I was hiding enough.

“Hey,” he said, looking a little nervous. Great, he felt weird too. Even after our brief but uncomfortable talk yesterday.

“Hello,” I replied, trying to think of something normal to say. A girl wearing a pair of overalls walked by with one strap undone and a crop top on underneath. That was a terrible look from the nineties, but she was spot on. Rachel from Friends had sported overalls more than once. Yuck.

“You not dressing up in nineties either? Y’all got the easy out with the jersey thing.”

Brady was the quarterback. The school seemed to worship him, especially on game day. I didn’t get that. Didn’t it take a whole team to win a game?

He smirked and glanced around before looking back at me. “Yeah. You didn’t dress up either. No school spirit.”

“I’m not feeling the school spirit. Especially if that means dressing up in ridiculous costumes daily. I’ll pass.”

Brady’s grin grew, then he leaned closer to me and whispered, “I don’t blame you.”

“You’re the quarterback of this oh-so-special team. You should care,” I shot back.

He didn’t appear insulted. “I just care about winning. The silly shit I ignore.”

That wasn’t very Brady-like. Mr. Football Star. Just as I was thinking that, some random guy walked by and slapped him on the back. “Big week,” he said, smiling at Brady like he could do it all. Throw the ball, catch the ball, and run it in for a touchdown. Terribly cliché.

I Don’t Do Dances

CHAPTER 26

BRADY

Willa had loosened up a bit toward me in the hall earlier. I was now unable to wipe the grin off my face. Maybe I hadn’t messed things up. I wanted a chance at this. At us. It was obvious she was trying to not feel uncomfortable around me after our kiss, and I was glad. Because I wanted more kissing. I wanted more Willa. I was currently ignoring the teacher’s lecture while thinking of ways to get out of the homecoming dance with Ivy so I could take Willa. I was safe from Gunner taking her because he had already lined up Serena. I knew he wasn’t willing to give up both a blow job and sex the night of homecoming to take Willa.

My only obstacle was Ivy, and I didn’t want to be cruel. I just wanted to be free of her. I had just let her be for so long I hadn’t thought about what would happen if a Willa walked into my life. Hurting Ivy wasn’t appealing, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t think of any other way. My mind went through several scenarios. It kept going back to me paying off Nash, who still hadn’t asked anyone, to ask her to the dance. She’d tell him no, but then he’d tell her I was flirting with Willa, and to get me back she’d more than likely go with him. Making it her choice not mine, and she wouldn’t be hurt.

That was just a lot of manipulating, and I wasn’t completely okay with that, either. Dammit. Why had I asked Ivy? Though, honestly, I knew why. It had just been easy.

The bell finally rang, and that meant it was lunchtime. I was starving, but I was always starving. It was homecoming week, so the football players would get special meals brought in by the cheerleaders and booster club members. Today was pizza, and I was more than ready for it. Most of the cheer moms would bring in baked goods. I was hoping for some of those brownies with fudge icing that Ivy’s mom always made. I mentioned them to her last week when she asked me my favorite dessert item for homecoming week. I’d been sure to request them.

Guilt gnawed at me again over the Ivy thing. I changed my train of thought and sought out Willa in the crowd. My gaze fell on her and Gunner walking to the cafeteria together. I won’t lie. A small bite of jealousy snapped at me. Gunner was laughing at something she was saying. The more I saw them together the harder it was for me to be around Gunner. I stayed irritated at him. He was leading her on. He wasn’t a one-woman guy. Never had been. Willa was different. And so was my friendship with Gunner. It was slowly falling apart. Over her. And although that wasn’t what I wanted, it was happening.

Willa was worth it. Watching her made me feel better. I liked the way she wore her Chuck Taylors with her skirts. It was cute. Almost as if she woke up deciding to dress girly, then saying screw it and throwing on her shoes before leaving.

“Mom brought your brownies,” Ivy said as her arm slipped under mine and she wrapped herself around it. As if she was holding on to me for fear of falling. I felt a sick knot in my stomach because I wanted to be free of her, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.