“Hey yourself.” I pull her into a one-armed hug, not caring about my sweat-soaked practice uniform. “Look who I managed to drag out to practice, guys.”
“Ah, she lives!” Dax exclaims dramatically, clutching his chest. “The vanishing girlfriend has returned. I wasthisclose to putting your face on a milk carton.”
Honey rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. “I've missed your humility, Dax.”
“Ah, but I missed your face so much, fair maiden,” Sebi announces, dropping to one knee in front of Honey, “that Icomposed sonnets about your return. I was worried our slightly unhinged quarterback had locked you in a tower somewhere.”
Honey laughs, the sound making my chest tight. This. This is how I want her to feel every day. Like she belongs here. “Sorry to disappoint. I’ve just been busy with classes.”
Sebi takes her hand and kisses it theatrically. “The team's morale is restored!”
I snatch her hand back, giving Sebi a playful shove. “Back off, Seb. She’s mine.”
“Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying,” he says with an exaggerated wink.
“Good to see you again, Honey,” Mason says with a curt nod. “Maybe now Zach will stop checking the stands every five minutes during practice.”
“I do not—” I start to protest, but everyone's laughter cuts me off.
Honey's smiling wider now, some of her nervousness fading. “I had no idea I was such a distraction.”
“The worst kind,” Mason says, but there's the tiniest hint of amusement. I think. It’s hard to tell since neutral is his default function. “He threw three interceptions the day after your ten-month anniversary.”
“That was food poisoning!” I argue.
“Sure, it was,” Dax smirks. “Who even keeps track of their month anniversaries?”
I shake my head, defeated but not really caring. Seeing Honey smile is the only thing that’s important to me.
“Don’t you guys have somewhere to be instead of making me look bad?”
“Nope,” Sebi grins. “This is entertainment gold.”
“Actually, we should review the footage from today,” Mason says, and everyone groans. “Especially that missed connection in the third drill.”
“Always working,” Dax sighs, but he nods, raising his hands in defeat. “Fine. Let's go dissect our failures instead of having fun.”
As they walk away, Reese lingers behind the group and gives Honey a small side hug. “It’s good seeing you here, Honey. You should come to the Pep Rally before the game this weekend,” he says quietly. “We’d love to see Zach’s unofficial mascot rooting for him.”
I glance at Honey, gauging her reaction. She hesitates, but then nods. “That sounds nice.”
“Cool,” Reese says. “See you there.” He jogs to catch up with the others, leaving Honey and me alone at the edge of the field.
Honey’s got a little crease in her brow, and I already know what that means. She’s not going to come to the Pep Rally. She only agreed to attend some games because Coach promised she could stay in one of the suites instead of out in the student section. I already know she’ll find a reason to bail, and I don’t blame her. Parties aren’t her thing, and any convincing her that they would be different than high school was obliterated when she overheard some girls talking shit about her at the first game she attended.
I can’t deny I’m disappointed. Being without her at these events sucks. I just wish she’d let me show her things could be different. That it’s not about the party, or the crowd, or the noise. It’s about finding the right people.
I pull her closer, about to ask what she thought of practice, but before I can get the words out, a shrill voice cuts through the air.
“Zach! Zach Evans!”
Honey shifts beside me, and just like that, the moment’s gone. I glance up at the chorus of voices calling my name, and there’s a cluster of girls waving their hands wildly with their phones out.
Honey rises on her toes and gives my hand a squeeze. “You might need to go and say hi. They’ve been waiting for you all practice.”
My jaw ticks when the calls get louder and more insistent.
“I’m not in the mood to pander to people who don’t matter to me,” I say, my eyes fixed on her. Leaning in, I whisper, “I’m going to sneak back into the locker room, take the fastest shower of my life, and meet you outside the east entrance in ten minutes. The one behind the equipment shed that nobody uses. You know the one, it’s where I—”