Spiked by Love (Bellevue Bullies #6) - Toni Aleo Page 0,80

Really? How’d that go?

Posey: Good, she found him in my pantry.

Me: Why was your boyfriend in the pantry?

Posey: Long story short, I freaked and stuffed him in there because he was at the apartment and she showed up out of nowhere.

Me: Huh? Did she tell your mom?

Posey: No. She’s actually keeping it quiet.

Me: What are you bribing her with?

Before she can answer, Coach comes in, and we gather for a pregame talk. I know it’s silly to assume that Posey would have to bribe Shelli, but I know Shelli very well. She wants all this crazy shit for her wedding. These over-the-top fluffy dresses and more. Posey is the only reason I’m not stuck wearing a Gone with the Wind style dress. God bless her. But because of this, I know Shelli will use knowing about Boon to get Posey to do what she wants. It can go one of two ways—Shea and Elli will find out about Boon, or Shelli will be wheeling herself down the aisle. And the thing is, I don’t know which scenario is more likely to happen.

I’m excited to find out, though.

“All right, girls. Tough match, with Vandy. Their front line is a blocking team, but the left hitter, number eight, that girl is a beast with her hit. She has the highest number of spikes in the state, so block the hell out of her. Keep your heads in the game, talk to one another, and let’s go win the three sets we need!”

We all put our hands in, and on three, we yell, “Bullies!”

We line up in the hall in the order we’re to be announced. As I bounce back and forth, I’m always reminded of how my dad used to warm up before a game. He would say his ABC’s since his English wasn’t all that great. He said it would help him when he needed to cuss at someone in English. He always rocked left to right, and I do that now. It’s more of a bounce since I’m not on skates, but the motion is still the same. As I go through my alphabet, I rub my fingers along my shorts, and I feel this fluttering in my gut. Is it nerves? I think it might be because Asher will be out there to watch me.

Not as my best friend, but as my boyfriend.

I want to impress him. I want him to know he has the most talented and sexiest girlfriend. I want him to be proud that he gets to go home with me, even if no one else knows. A different sensation is going through my body, knowing he’ll be watching me. I used to look up into the stands and yearn for him. But now when I look, I won’t have to yearn because he’s mine.

“And now, your captain…your setter…number two…and making her senior year count, Allison Titov!”

I take in a deep breath and count to two before running out. Another thing my dad would do. It may be silly, but it’s his number and mine. His warm-up always seemed to work for him, and it may be all in my head, but it works for me too. The crowd claps for me as I slap hands with my teammates, but all I hear is him. Asher. I immediately look up into the bleachers, and between my mom and his, he’s standing, a pair of white-rimmed glasses over his patch, towering over everyone, calling my name through cupped hands.

Ally T.

He isn’t quiet with his cheers. It’s as if I’m the only one on our team going against Vandy with the way he is hollering. It concerns me a bit since we’re supposed to be keeping us low-key, but then I remember he’s always been like that. Always my biggest fan. My heart swells so big, I feel as if it will explode in my chest. Then I notice that my mom has made him a new shirt, still as my number two fan, but a part of me feels he may have moved into the number one spot.

Maybe not on his shirt, but definitely in my heart.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ally

“Why are we looking for a dress for Shelli’s wedding when it’s months away?”

My mom looks over the top of the rack at me. “Because I need to know how much weight I have to lose to fit into the dress of my choice.”

I wrinkle my nose. “That’s insane.”

Her look is deadpan. “Not all of us have the metabolism you