Meant To Be (The Callahans #4) - Monica Murphy Page 0,7

if he doesn’t know? Maybe no one saw us after all. That would make things so much easier.

My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my jeans, and I grab it to see it’s Ellie calling me. I decide to answer.

“Where are you?” she asks.

“At Beck’s football game. They’re playing against the Mustangs, so we’re at their high school.”

Ellie sucks in a breath. “Get out of here.”

“I’m not lying.” I glance over at Wyatt, who’s watching me, but immediately looks away when he gets caught. “Wyatt’s sitting with me, so he’s making the game tolerable.”

“Well, I wanted to ask if you’re going to the dance tonight,” Ellie says. “You are the homecoming princess of the junior class, you know. Are your parents going to still keep you at home or what?”

I go completely still. Oh shit. The homecoming dance. How could I forget? Am I grounded from that too? I sort of have to be there.

“Um, I don’t know.” I send a cautious look in my mother’s direction, who’s not paying attention to me at all. “I could ask.”

“You really should. Call me when you get home and let me know if you’re going or not.” She pauses. “I really want you there. It won’t be any fun without you.”

Please. I’m the mopey girl, sad over a breakup. I won’t be any fun.

“I’ll call you when I get home. I promise.” I end the call and smile at Wyatt. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem,” he says, smiling in return before he glances down for a moment. “You, ah, want to hang out after the game?”

I make a sad face. “I can’t. I, uh, have to go home with my family.” I don’t want to admit I’m grounded.

“I’ll see you at the dance later then,” Wyatt says casually, his gaze locked on mine.

“Yeah,” I say with a little laugh. “I’ll see you at the dance.”

“Maybe we could hang out there,” he says, and I see all the hope filling his dark eyes.

Oh boy. I decide to change the subject.

“Why’d you come to today’s game?” I ask him, my voice light. Like I don’t have a care in the world.

“My brother really wanted me to come watch his game. It’s an important one to him, considering who they’re playing,” Wyatt explains. “Just like it’s an important one for us. I haven’t been to any of his games yet this season, so I had to show up.”

“You’re a good big brother.” I reach over and pat his knee, keeping it completely platonic.

Though it’s pretty obvious that if I told Wyatt I was interested in him, he’d admit the same. He likes me. And while it’s flattering, and yes, he would probably make a great boyfriend, he isn’t the boy I want. Not even close.

The boy I want doesn’t want me.

And that is absolutely devastating.

Three

Eli

I stay in bed all damn morning, because it’s all I can manage to do. No one’s home. Mom is still gone for the weekend, getting drunk by the beach. A weekend wasted. I was supposed to go with Ava to her homecoming dance tonight. Could’ve shown everybody at that lousy school the prettiest girl in the junior class—hell the entire school—chose me as her date. Chose me as her boyfriend. After the dance, I would’ve brought her back to my house, got her naked. Done all the dirty things I’ve been thinking about doing to her all night long.

But then she and the rest of her family had to go and ruin everything.

If I could smother myself with my pillow I would; I’m so pissed off and miserable. Girls suck. Their overprotective douchebag brothers do too.

Finally giving up on sleep, I eventually reach over and blindly grab my phone to look at the time.

It’s freaking past noon. Can’t remember the last time I slept that long.

I check my notifications and I’m immediately bored. Same thing, different day. I see I have a Snap from Jackson Rivers and I open it, curious. We don’t communicate over Snap. Like ever.

He’s sent me someone else’s story. A name I don’t recognize. It’s video of a game in the middle of the day. At my high school. It’s the youth league football, I can tell. The camera pans across the crowd in the stands, before zooming in on a couple sitting at the very top of the bleachers. They’re engrossed in conversation. I’d recognize that blonde hair anywhere.

Ava.

And she’s with that motherfucker Wyatt.

Anger simmers in my gut as they continue to talk, their heads