Sworn Enemies - Rebel Hart Page 0,73

rematch seriously.

“You…” I looked up at him, tears filling my eyes. “You didn’t set us up.”

He shook his head. “No, baby. I would never do that to you.”

I threw my arms around him, and he hugged me back, squeezing tightly. He pulled away, but only enough to take my head between his hands and pull me in for a kiss. I felt the stack of papers leave my hand but couldn’t be bothered.

I heard a sniffle and looked up, and Alec was crying. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

Alec was frowning. “It’s just so nice. He really loves you! I’m sorry, Zeke.”

Zeke chuckled. “It’s okay, buddy. Just don’t kill me, okay?”

Alec nodded. “Okay.”

I sat back. “God, I feel so dumb for letting him trick me again.”

“He got us both, twice,” Zeke said, rubbing the tears from my face. “As long as you forgive me, I don’t care.”

“Of course I forgive you, but Zeke, you can’t put your semi-pro status on the line. You could ruin your chances to go pro. I won’t let you give everything up like that.”

“I’m not giving everything up,” Zeke replied, his eyes settling into mine with a warm expression. “I’m just changing what everything means.”

Alec squealed. “Aw.”

I looked up at him. “Get out.”

His jaw dropped. “I brought you three different foods today.”

“And I’m grateful. We will eat it after,” I replied. “Get out.”

Alec complained but grabbed his phone and left. I stood up off the couch and pulled Zeke into my bedroom so we could get to making up, first and foremost.

27

Quinn

My heart was pounding in my chest as we filed into the official opponent’s locker room in Vipers Stadium. The concrete benches, rows of lockers, high-grade tile showers, and whiteboard for going over plays were just a few of the amenities a semi-pro facility boasted. The rest of the Widows seemed similarly amazed as everyone wandered around the space, Cal included.

“Holy crap,” Alec grumbled. “This is not MontRec.”

I shook my head. “No, it is not.”

I loved my community center. For my entire life, it was a place that meant football to me. It wasn’t just a job. It was a home. It was where I met my team, where I earned a living, and where my boss and the owner treated me like one of their own. It was a place that comforted me when I was sad, brought me joy when I was energized, and calmed me down when I was angry. Leaving it behind for a real stadium would be scary and sad, but it would be amazing, too. Maybe one day soon, I could go to MontRec as nothing more than a member of the community. Maybe I could finally lead my own class. The possibilities had electricity coursing through my blood.

“All right, enough gawking, ladies. Get yourselves comfortable. We have a lot to go over.”

Despite everyone wanting to continue walking around the impressive locker room to view everything it had to offer, we did, eventually, gather around Cal, sitting amongst the benches, no longer collecting grass stains on our pants during the huddle.

Cal took a deep breath before starting. “I know we’re all probably more than a little nervous after our last game, but the amount of work we put in this week wasn’t for nothing. The Vipers are taking this game as seriously as any other game, maybe even more so. We have to match that energy. No, we have to beat it.”

He pointed at Jansen. “You need to be more careful with your pacing. If you’re exhausted by the third like you were yesterday, we’re gonna lose. There’s nothing else to it.”

Jansen nodded. “I know, Coach.”

“Mala, Jazz. You guys killed it yesterday, threading the needle. I need more of that. If you can lure the Vipers away from Quinn, she can get the ball out, and as long as Jansen’s downfield, there’s nothing that can stop us.”

“Yes, Coach,” they resounded.

Cal looked over at me. “And you.”

I flicked a hand through the air. “Hi.”

“We can’t afford even a second slip up from you. I’m sorry to put it all on you, but well, it is. Don’t get starstruck, don’t get overly excited, don’t freak out, and don’t flirt with your boyfriend. You want this, don’t you?”

“More than anything.”

“Good, prove it.” He closed his playbook. “This is different from any of our previous games, Widows. Let Alec give you water during timeouts, and don’t be afraid to let me know if you’re struggling. We have contingency plans for a reason.”