False Start - Jessica Ruddick Page 0,81

Carson has always had a thing for you.”

I did a double take. “What?”

Roman paused, mid-chew. He swallowed. “Yeah. Wasn’t it obvious?”

“Not to me, it wasn’t.” And not to Carson either. Unless there was something he wasn’t telling me. I didn’t think so, though. Carson wasn’t one to keep secrets.

Roman shoved the second half of the doughnut into his mouth and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Well, just play nice with each other, because if I have to kick his ass to defend your honor or some shit, it’s gonna get awkward.”

Rolling my eyes, I went back to my room to grab my shoes. Whatever you say, Roman.

***

ROMAN ALMOST MADE me late. By the time we made it to campus, I barely had time to point him in the direction of Evan’s tailgate and rush to the coliseum to meet up with the rest of the homecoming court. Since the game wasn’t being televised, the homecoming court presentation would be during halftime instead of before the game. That meant the court had reserved seats in the first and second rows near the end zone. Though the seats weren’t centered, that was probably the closest I would ever get to the action. It was a shame, though, because I would rather sit with my parents and Roman.

When Carson came streaming out of the tunnel, carrying the Virginia flag, my chest swelled with pride. I was glad Roman and my parents were there to see this. I knew they watched the televised games religiously, but it wasn’t the same as seeing Carson in person and hearing how the crowd reacted to him. Everyone loved him. Wyatt Archer might’ve been the best player on the team, but Carson was the most fun.

He scored in less than three minutes on a pass from Wyatt that resulted in a forty-seven-yard run. I knew from years of watching Carson’s games that that play was one of the most basic in their playbook. Yet the defense had done little to slow them down, much less stop them.

Beside me, Blake stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. He put both hands up to high-five me. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

The entire first half went pretty much like that, with the touchdowns alternating between Carson and Jake. By halftime, it seemed like the game would indeed be a blowout since we were up thirty-five to nothing. It was also clear the other team was frustrated as hell. In a way, I felt sorry for them. The only reason they played us was proximity. It really wasn’t fair to them. But that still didn’t stop me from enjoying seeing my man jump into the crowd behind the end zone on his last touchdown. The fans couldn’t get enough of his antics. Neither could I, really. I loved seeing him confident and in his element.

The homecoming presentation at halftime was nothing to write home about. I’d been so nervous about walking on the field, but at least a quarter of the audience had gone to the bathroom, and out of the people left, probably only half of them paid attention.

Spoiler alert—I didn’t win. But Blake did. I was so freaking excited for him, even if he did look ridiculous in the furry maroon crown they put on his head. While the rest of us got to return to the stands, he had to stay on the field to pose for pictures along with the homecoming queen. But as soon as he got off the field and away from the cameraman who was broadcasting him to the jumbotron, he took the crown off.

“I think you should wear it,” I told him. “You look, um, regal.” I tried valiantly to keep a straight face and failed.

“Nope,” he said quickly. “I did the requisite five minutes. Besides, that thing is heavier than it looks. Do you want to try it on?”

“Nope. But congratulations. For real.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking bashful and adorable. “Aww, thanks.”

I wanted to ask him if he’d talked to his ex-girlfriend, whom he was hung up on, but I didn’t want to risk bringing it up in case it was still a sore subject. If things didn’t work out with her, he was going to make someone else very happy one day. Hopefully he and I would remain friends.

By the fourth quarter, the other team still hadn’t scored, and we were up by forty-nine. Coach Coyle pulled Wyatt out so his backup could get some game-time experience.