9. Maddison

Maddison

W alking into the orientation room is almost like walking into class late, butt ass-naked and screaming at the top of your lungs. So many people stare at me that I even sneak a glance down at my outfit to make sure I didn’t accidentally tuck my dress in my underwear or something.

Nope, everything looks good.

At least I’m not the only person getting openly gawked at. They’re also staring at River. And whispering. There’s so much whispering.

“Sorry about this,” River mutters as we make our way past the dining tables that are dotting across the room.

I thought orientation would be like a pep rally or something, but we’re in a dining hall type of room with tables and chairs and all sorts of breakfast-type foods.

“Why is everyone staring at you?” I whisper, trying not to squirm.

“Honestly?” he answers. “Probably because I’m walking in here with you.”

And just like that, my irritation returns full force.

When he notes my expression, his lips part. “I didn’t mean that like how it sounded?—”

“You made it.” Lily materializes with a smile on her face. “I’m so sorry we didn’t stop you from entering that room. We tried to yell, but you didn’t hear us.”

“It’s okay,” I assure her. “I’m honestly confused why it was such a big deal that I walked in there, anyway. So what if it was for football players only? They were just talking.”

“It’s about keeping their plays a secret.” River is the one to reply. He looks at me with his arms crossed. “We have one of the best teams in the country, so the coaches are adamant about keeping everything they do hush-hush.”

“Finn even had to sign an NDA when he joined the team,” Lily chimes in as she inches forward out of a guy’s way.

“Still seems a little weird, if you ask me. And if they don’t want people walking into their little boys’ club room, then maybe they should try, I don’t know”—I shrug—“like closing the door or something.”

This gets Lily to giggle, while River gives me a tolerant look.

Look at me, making new friends.

At least Lily laughed at me.

“Come on,” River says as he walks over to a few chairs at a table. “Let’s go sit down so we can get through this painful orientation.”