Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“Coach…” My mouth finally begins to curve, and this time an actual laugh leaves me. My pulse kicks into overdrive, blood thunders in my damn veins.
“Stay focused. Prepare as always. And come April, you’ll get the call up.” He grins, clapping my shoulder as he walks away.
But I can’t move.
I bend at the knee, my hands covering my face, as I chuckle into my palms, pressing hard against my skin.
Every brutal morning, every late-night drill, every second I thought I was wasting my time, that I was facing down the field of loss and biding my time until the final second of that last game ticked down to nothing. All these months, when I’ve gone to bed, fighting with the urge to pack up and leave, to cut my losses now and find a job before my pockets were completely empty.
I want to scream and shout.
I want to fucking cry because holy shit.
Finally, finally, my future is truly within reach.
No one can take this from me but me.
I am in control.
My mother can’t touch this.
Money can’t ruin this.
It’s mine to take, and I’m going to fucking take it.
I’m going to hit that field on my scouting day, and I’m going to blow their fucking minds.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Paige
Looking at my outfit in the mirror, I smash my lips to the side, wishing I had a more feminine figure.
It’s not something I’ve thought too much about, but every now and again, depending on the outfit, it’s unavoidable—like in this new AU football tank top I bought at the student store on Thursday, specifically for today’s game.
I huff, and Cameron spins from where she’s sitting on the Vegas hotel floor, her ass sliding off the pillow she’s sitting on as she does.
She laughs, holding her hand up so she doesn’t get the mascara she’s holding all over the carpet. “Okay, what do you keep huffing about over there?”
“This top is made for someone who has to wear a bra, not someone who chooses to.”
Cameron smiles. “So don’t wear a bra. It’s a whole vibe right now anyway and you have those perfect, little, perky ta-tas.”
“‘Little’ being the key word.” I turn to the side, standing up straight, not that it helps my five-foot frame accomplish anything. I sigh again. “I can’t even return it either. It was final sale since it’s getting cold already.”
“Darn. Guess you have to give it to me,” she teases. “Look in my bag. I brought like five AU options.”
Pulling the tank top over my head, I flop onto the bed and cross my legs as I search through hers.
Ari pokes her head out of the bathroom, brushing out her wet hair. “Good luck finding anything in her mess of stuff that isn’t wrinkled. She’s the worst packer.”
“Overpacking doesn’t make me the worst. In fact, it makes me the best prepared,” her best friend argues back.
Ari grins, looking my way. “What happened to the tank top you said you bought? I’m sure we all have extra hoodies if you forgot one.”
“No, I brought a zip-up, yellow AU one, but the top falls way past my bra since I’m a bit limited with what I’ve got to hold it up.” I laugh.
“Ugh, I wish.” She ducks back into the bathroom. “I swear, mine are getting bigger right along with my ass lately. I’m living in leggings because my jeans are too tight.”
“It’s called comfort eating, my dear,” Cameron quips. “You miss your man, so you’re eating the damn spaghetti he made you fall in love with him over…over and over.”
“But it’s so good! And the peppers!”
“Yeah, yeah, we all saw you stealing pepper packets at the pizza place the other night. We get it. It adds the special touch.”
We’re sharing a laugh when there’s a soft knock at the door.
Frowning, we look to each other, and Ari comes out with a toothbrush between her lips and raises a brow.
“Well, I can’t get it!” She motions to her naked legs in her T-shirt and toothpaste dripping down her chin.
Cam jumps up, and I quickly tear something from her bag and yank it over my head to hide my bra. She pulls it open only enough to see out the latch, then closes it, unlocking it fully and yanking it open. “Chaser, what do you want?”
My head pulls that way and I tuck my hair behind my ear, climbing from the bed.
“Nice to see you too, Cam,” he jokes.
“We saw you like ten hours ago at dinner,” she sasses.
His eyes pop over her shoulder, spotting me coming to him, and his lips pull up at the side.
He tries to sidestep her, to meet me halfway, but Cam slides in his way, pushing him back a tad. “Sorry, girls only and one of us is basically naked. Please hold.”
He opens his mouth, but she closes the door in his face, turning to me with a laugh. “He’s all—” She cuts off, glaring down at my chest before blinking, and a smirk pulls at her mouth. “Oh, this is gonna be good. I’m totally eavesdropping.”