“You scare the shit out of me, Banner Spurlock. The things I feel…” She shook her head against my chest. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay? Just… let’s not mention it until we get through with next week.”
That sounded perfect to me.
“Let’s go get my car before they decide to start another carnival,” I murmured softly.
She laughed softly into my chest. “Sounds good.”
Chapter 25
I’m not a control freak, but you’re doing it wrong.
-Banner to Perry
Banner
I threw the pass and knew without a doubt that it would be a touchdown.
This week had been perfect.
The game had been perfect.
My passes had been on point.
Hell, I’d even scored two touchdowns myself.
I was on fucking fire.
Slone caught the ball and dove into the end zone at the same time, his hands curling around the ball and holding it tight as he was dog piled.
I waited along with everyone else as the players started to peel off of him.
And, the moment that he stood, I knew we’d done it.
“Hell yeah!” I whooped.
The fans started to pour onto the field then.
I looked up just in time to see a cooler of Gatorade coming for my head.
“Son of a bitch!” I yelled as the cold drink soaked me to the skin.
Laughing, I whipped the hair out of my eye and pointed at the culprit.
“Fuck you,” I said to my now best friend.
Titus laughed. “You had it coming, man. Good game.”
I slapped his hand in midair and pulled him to me for a half hug.
“Thanks, you too, big guy,” I said.
He bumped me with his pads and then jerked his chin in the direction of the end zone.
“Your girl’s trying to get through.”
I looked up to find Perry trying to fight her way through the crowd toward me.
Grinning like the loser I was, I started to jog toward her.
The moment I reached her, I pulled her up into my arms and wrapped her up tightly.
“Ewww!” she cried out. “You’re sweaty and sticky!”
I was very much the both of those.
She buried her face into my neck and started laughing.
“How’d your game go?” I asked, pulling my head back to look down into her eyes without putting her down on the ground.
She scrunched up her nose. “We won. But I played like shit. Things hurt.”
I imagined they did.
It’d only been a week since Vance’s assault on her and things were still tender, as they would be for a while.
Though, she’d insisted on playing and nothing I said or her parents said could change her mind.
“It’ll get better,” I offered.
And it would.
With time, she’d get back to where she was.
“You did good.” She smiled. “I can see now why everyone wants you.”
I felt a ball of dread hit my stomach at her words.
Everybody did want me.
In fact, tonight there were five recruiters in the stands, and all of them had talked to me before the game.
Despite what I’d told them—what I’d yet to tell Perry—they’d stayed to watch me anyway. Just in case I changed my mind.
But I wouldn’t—couldn’t—change my mind.
Not anymore.
Not after today.
I really, really needed to talk to Perry.
“I need to talk to you after we leave,” I said. “Your place or mine?”
The smile dropped off of her face. “Yours, and okay.”
My parents came up to me then, my dad slapping me hard on the shoulders.
“Good game, kid.” He grinned. “I just wanted to come back and say hi and that we were leaving. I have to work in the morning, and after having to take off this afternoon to…”
I gave my dad a look and shook my head, my eyes flicking to Perry.
Understanding dawned and he nodded his head.
“And you, little lady. You’re looking well,” my dad said.
Perry grinned. “I am. Bruises are getting to the point where they’re that really ugly putrid green color. I think that means they’ll be gone soon.”
“They will,” my mother said as she patted Perry’s hand then looked at me. “As much as I’d like a hug, I have to ride home on the back of your dad’s bike for a couple of hours. I really don’t want to be wet the entire time. Give me a kiss, though.”
I did just that, dropping a kiss to my mom’s cheek.
She smiled at me and patted my other cheek as she said, “Don’t keep her in the dark long, Banner. Just tell her. It’ll be okay.”
I leaned back and grimaced.
It would… hopefully.
“Love you.” I smiled at her.
She winked and pulled Perry into a hug.
“Make sure you feed my boy,” she ordered. “And yourself. Y’all just went through a lot of hard work. You deserve to splurge a bit.”
My dad looked at me then. “You have enough money?”
I did.
“Yes, Dad,” I said. “I still have quite a bit left over from my summer job.”
I’d intended to get a job here as soon as I could, yet after this afternoon, I doubted that I’d bother to do that anymore.
I wanted to spend as much time with Perry as I could before I left.
“Let me know if you do,” he ordered. “Y’all be good tonight.”
After saying our goodbyes to my parents, I looked at Perry. “You ready to go?”
Before Perry could reply, we were surrounded by our friends.
Blue on one side of her and Echo on the other. Titus and Slone made their way to my sides.
“Y’all going to go get food?” Titus asked. “We’re starving.”
“Yes,” Perry snickered. “We’re going to go to grab pizza then go to Banner’s place.”
My lips twitched.
“Sweet, I’ll go,” Slone said. “My mom has the baby tonight. They went to visit her sister in Dallas.”
I grinned at him. “So you’re a normal teenager tonight?”
Slone shrugged. “As normal as a teenage father can be, I guess. I’m fuckin’ worried about them and they just left two minutes ago.”
I chuckled and slapped him on his helmeted head. “Let’s go get changed. We’ll meet you at the cars?”
That question was directed at my girl.
She batted her eyelashes. “Of course.
