eyes, there’s a dimple in his cheek that would melt most girls, but I’m immune to guys and their charms, thanks to my messy bond situation. There's also a sadness that's clinging to him when he looks at Sage that sets my teeth on edge.
Why is everyone so freaking obsessed with pitying her and treating her like shit?
“Shit, sorry, Sawyer, this is Oli. I forgot you two haven’t actually met yet.”
I blink away from the guy and smile at Sawyer, trying not to be offended at the uneasy look he’s giving me. He’s probably worried about Gabe giving him shit if he’s even a little bit nice in my direction, so I shift back on my heels and give him a tight smile. “Nice to meet you, and good luck with the game tonight.”
He gives me a curt nod back and then hesitates before saying, “Thanks for coming with Sage tonight. It means a lot to me that she’s here.”
I shrug and shift away from him a little more. “No worries, I've been meaning to come see what all the fuss is about.”
Sage smiles at me but it doesn’t reach her eyes, and I step away from them both to give them a second to talk without me hovering and making things more awkward. I try to blend in with the crowd, which is impossible thanks to my notoriety, and I find myself back out in one of the hallways. I know which direction I should be heading in to get back out to our seats but I stop and mess around on my phone to look busy while I wait for Sage instead. I don’t want to run off on her and leave her alone with all of these shitty people.
I’m there for a few minutes before something catches my eye.
The door to another of the training rooms is open a little and I can see Gabe shaking the hand of the captain of the other team. Nothing groundbreaking about that show of sportsmanship except... except there's something in his hands that he's just handed over to him. Drugs? Wait, no, it's a piece of paper. They're both looking around like they're doing something highly illegal and then Gabe's eyes hit mine through the doorway.
He sees me.
I see him.
I have no fucking clue what he's doing but I'm sure I could walk into the locker room and find his coach and ruin his life right now. The little flash of panic in his eyes tells me I'm not wrong, he's doing something that would get him kicked off of the team... or thrown in lock up for the night.
We just stand there and stare at each other for a beat too long, so much bullshit floating silently between us.
“Hey, sorry for taking so long. We should grab our seats.”
I startle and find Sage staring at her feet, her eyes a little red. It snaps me out of the little trance I was in and I look away from Gabe, sliding my arm through hers until we’re tucked together as we walk.
I’ve never been a snitch and I’m not going to become one just because Gabe has been an ass to me.
We walk back up to our seats and Sage introduces me to her parents in the most awkward conversation I’ve been in since coming here. They both clearly don’t want me around their daughter but they smile and pretend to be polite, probably because she came here tonight thanks to me.
I roll with the punches and ignore them, chatting and faking like this is all fine with Sage as the game starts and she really lights up. Sometime after half time, when we’ve eaten and laughed until my stomach aches, her parents take a call and stand to go grab something to eat for themselves. A girl I’ve never seen before slides in next to Sage and she instantly tenses, immediately on high alert.
Why won’t the bullshit of tonight ever end?
There’s a beat of silence as the cheering around us is deafening but when the crowd quietens, Sage speaks.
"Oli, this is Gracie. Her brother, Felix, is on the team."
She doesn’t sound worried or upset, so I follow her lead and lean forward to get a look at the girl. She’s pretty, blond hair styled beautifully, but she’s wearing a band tee and has a nose ring. She looks out of place here but totally at ease.
Gracie nods at me with a small smile. "Thanks for hanging out with my