Chapter Twenty-Two
Zach
"Evans." Jamie taunts behind me as my feet scuff across the gravelly sidewalk. I was hoping to sneak out of the locker room with no one noticing, but I should have known Jamie would be stalking my ass. He seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Honey even though he's the one who kicked her to the curb.
Cricking my neck, I slow but don't turn around. "What do you want, Jamie?"
I hear his clunky steps behind me, and even his feet sound uncoordinated. He drops his hand to my shoulder, squeezing a little too tightly for it to be considered friendly. "We need to talk."
"If it's about all those rough tackles you orchestrated in practice today, don't apologize; they'll just make me better for the championship game."
He raises his hand with a half-lifted smile. "Touchy." When he glances at my arm, his smile grows. "Hope that last hit by Kyle didn't affect your throwing arm."
"Be careful what you wish for, Jamie. Me being hurt will bring you up as our backup quarterback, and no one wants you playing. It would be embarrassing. Have you even thrown a ball this year?" I look up to the night sky, contemplating. "Oh wait, of course you have, during JV practice."
For the slightest moment, he frowns, and I think I've gotten to him, but then that mask of arrogance comes back up. "You've taken the bet too far."
Screwing my face in confusion, I say, "What's that got to do with your piss-poor performance on the field?" Fury burns behind Jamie's eyes, and he grabs my leather jacket, pushing me into a tree trunk. "Whoa, calm down, Nicks. I thought we were just shooting the shit?" Got to admit, I'm surprised by Jamie's strength.
His forearm pushes me into the bark of the tree. "Back off of Honey." Slumping, I calm. I should have known. Everything seems to boil down to her with Jamie.
Plucking his hands off me, I adjust my jacket. "Where was this overprotective guy when you were fucking McKenna?"
"That has nothing to do with this. You're fucking with the wrong girl, and I'm tired of watching."
"Aw, Jamie. Are you upset that the scholarship kid might actually be making progress with your plaything?"
I walk past him, heading to the parking lot. "Just leave her alone. She doesn't deserve this." His voice is quiet, and I'd think it was remorseful if I didn't know him any better.
"Says the guy who put the bet on her in the first place. So, sorry, I'm not giving up on this bet. Taking your money will be too much fun."
"I'll give you all the cash anyway. Just pull out of the bet." I laugh at his sudden desperation.
Interesting.
"You really want me to back out, don't you?" I throw out, watching his reaction with intrigue. His silence says everything. It's not that he wants me out of the bet, he needs me out. "Come on, Jamie. You'll have to tell me why if you want me to back off."
His tense jaw and awkwardness are enough to make me turn back and watch in pleasure. "It's nothing. Just back out now, and I'll give you double what you would have made winning it."
I raise my brows. "Are you saying you'd give me one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand dollars?" He nods. "Wow, you must really be desperate. But it's a strong no." It's not just that I don't believe he'll pay up since there are no witnesses, but I refuse to leave Honey saddled with the rest of the football team trying to get in her pants for the next month.
She's mine now.
"You're not starting to like Honey, are you?" I bite my tongue because I'm not about to let this power dynamic shift. "She'll get bored once she realizes how badly you fit in with her life."
"Doesn't matter. Like I said before, I'm here for the bet." Turning, I start to walk away.
"I'll tell her about Tiff." I stop, and my ears prick. It's his trump card, but how the hell does he know about her? "That's her name, right? I've heard you talking to her before. I won't stop at telling Honey either. I'll tell the whole school, and hasn't Honey been embarrassed enough?" I clench my fists, ready to punch him but knowing there is too much for me to lose if I knock his lights out.
"Imagine how embarrassing it would be for her. Her first boyfriend fucks a girl in public, then finds out her next boyfriend has been lying to her and has a family back home."
As much as it's a story I don't want getting out, I call his bluff. "Honey knows." The lie tastes bitter in my mouth, but she's seen Tiff, so technically, she knows something. With that, I leave Jamie standing there. If he wants me to legitimately walk away from the bet, he will need to give me an explanation first. Dropping out would make it look like he's won, and I would never admit defeat against a benchwarmer.
Striding past a row of cars, I see Honey's dildo dream of a car from a mile away. She's resting her back on the door, waiting for me to show up like I promised.
My phone buzzes, and I immediately answer when I see the name. "Tiff? Is Ella okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. I was just wondering if you could get some baby wipes on the way home."
"Sure, I'll pick them up on my way back tonight."
"Tonight? You mean you aren't coming home now?"
"Nope."
"I'm sorry to do this… but it's urgent."
"How urgent is urgent?"
"I've got three wipes left, and I know an avalanche of poop is already waiting for me."
I sigh, watching Honey adjust her sunglasses and fix her hair in her rearview mirror. All I want to do is spend time with her, but I can't.
"I'm sorry, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"I know that, Tiff. But why couldn't you have told me yesterday or the day before?" My voice is angrier than I'd like, but I can't help it. It's the first time I've agreed to hang out with Honey outside of school, and I wanted to do it. I didn't want to be threatened by Jamie or thwarted by Tiff beforehand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize until the last blowout. I would go myself, but Ella's reflux is acting up, and I've only just got her down after she cried for the whole day."
"It's fine. I'll be home in an hour." I hang up, immediately regretting how I ended that call. It's not Tiff's fault we're in this situation, and it's selfish of me to think about myself when she's home. But I wanted one night with Honey where I didn't have to think about my responsibilities.
Watching Honey from afar, I see her smile at Olivia, playfully slapping her on the arm. I grin because I like how happy she looks.
I get this urge to be near her and watch her, annoyed that it's not me making her smile like that.
As I get closer, I look around, and I'm happy there are enough people still here that I have a good excuse to kiss her. We're past the point of having to ask permission, but it feels more legitimate this way.
Walking toward her, she turns, and her grin widens when she sees me. "Hey, Zach," she coos. Giving her no time to think, I cup her cheeks, bringing her lips to mine, and kiss her deeply.
Instantly, I relax, letting her warm body soothe me and her sweet scent linger in my mind.
"What was that for?" she breathes out. Her lipstick is a little smeared, but I don't tell her because I like how it looks.
"Just making sure your ex knows where we stand?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing." I dip my chin down, kissing her again because I can.
"Did you still want to hang out?"
I blow out a breath. I was so into kissing her I almost forgot about Tiff. She sees the answer in my eyes and holds her hand up before I can speak. "I get it. You've got commitments ." She says the last word with contempt.
"I'm sorry, but something came up." I make a mental note to buy fifty boxes of baby wipes so I don't have to do this again.
She glances down and pulls her lips together. "Okay." Disappointment drips in her voice, and I squeeze her hands.
"I'll make it up to you. I promise."
"Sure," she mutters, and I drop my forehead to hers, leaving a gentle kiss against her lips.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Butterfinger."
A small smile creeps across her lips. "I can't wait."
"Come on, Evans. I'll drive you to the bus stop," Mike calls. Reluctantly, I drag myself away from Honey and to Mike's Jaguar.
I tilt my head toward Honey and Olivia. "Don't you want to hang out with them?"
"And talk about you all night? No thanks." He rolls his eyes, pushing me aside. "Don't do that stupid grin. Makes you look like an idiot."
I straighten my lips, walking to the passenger side of his car. When I take my seat, I notice Mike's tight grip on the steering wheel. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," he drawls out, clearly not okay. "Look. I know you and Honey have this agreement, but I feel like it's my place to say that if I find out you're anything but respectful, I'll have to kick your ass." I chuckle, relaxing back onto the seat. "I'm not joking, Z. This is the first time I've seen her genuinely happy in the last couple of years, and I can already see this is going to be a trainwreck when it comes crashing down."
"It won't come crashing down."
"You sure about that?" He raises a brow. I know he's referring to things at home, but I don't acknowledge it.
"Why do you care? You didn't seem bothered when Jamie put this bet on her in the first place."
"I wasn't bothered then, but Honey's been nicer and easier to like since she stopped dating that ass. I also can't deny that Honey happy means Olivia is in a better mood… and well, Olivia in a better mood means I have a lot more fun."
"No need to elaborate; I get it."
Shaking his head, he laughs and turns on the ignition. As we drive past Honey and Olivia, I give her a short wave, and she blows me a kiss. I don't know what comes over me, but I pretend to catch it and rest my fist on my chest, just above my heart.
"Oh, you've got it bad." Mike teases.
"Nah, just making sure we're believable in public."
"You keep telling yourself that."