Blurred Lines Read online

  “Just leave it, yeah, Leigh?”

  Her eyes drilled holes into the side of my face, but I wasn’t about to confess.

  I had bigger problems.

  Like telling my dad I wanted to go to Notre Dame.

  Chapter Four

  Miley

  Wednesday morning before classes, I found myself sitting on the bleachers, watching as Avery and the team ran drills. My reusable coffee cup warmed my hands as I observed Coach bark orders at them as they zipped up and down the field. Growing up, I’d never been a football fan. I was too busy losing myself in the fantastical worlds of the authors I loved so much. I was and always would be a bookworm, preferring to curl up on a chair at home or in the library, escaping to some faraway land.

  So the fact anyone wanted to drag themselves out on a football field at half past seven in the morning and get pummeled by each other, running their legs to jelly, was beyond me. But I couldn’t deny the dedication of these young men. The same young men I’d watched last year party too hard, miss assignment deadlines, and exploit the power bestowed on them all because they could throw a football, or tackle a guy their size to the ground.

  Sure, I’d seen them run drills and play games. I’d been a cheerleader for the season, so it kind of came with the territory. But this was different. This was seeing it through new eyes.

  “Okay, ladies, gather round.” Coach Ford’s voice boomed across the field. He was an intimidating man: all cool gaze, with a layer of scruff on his jaw, and a physique that most of the female teachers around school got tongue-tied over whenever they saw him. He was also NFL royalty, so he was kind of a big deal in a small town like Rixon.

  I noticed Lily Ford, his daughter, sitting down a few rows, also watching. She’d just started Rixon High, but from what I could tell, she was a shy little thing, which seemed odd for the coach’s daughter. Usually, girls flaunted their connection to the team. Sister, friend, ex… booty call; girls wore their connection to the team like a badge of honor. But the daughter of one of the Philadelphia Eagles’ best players ever looked like she was trying to disappear.

  I contemplated going down there, introducing myself. But something stopped me.

  Specifically, Avery hollering my name across the field.

  What the hell was he doing?

  “Let’s go, Fuller, get down here.” He beckoned me over and reluctantly, I got up and traipsed over to where the team were huddled. Coach Ford gave me a sharp nod.

  “We figured if you’re going to be shadowing the team, the least you could do is make yourself useful.” Avery smirked, throwing a ball at me. I fumbled it but managed to snatch it close to my body.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You’re not going to learn much from up there.” He flicked his head to the bleachers. “You want to know what it’s like to be a football player, don’t you?” His eyes pinned me to the spot, and I felt my cheeks flush.

  He thought he was so damn smart embarrassing me in front of the rest of the team.

  “What Avery is trying to say,” there was a warning in Coach Ford’s voice, “is that we thought you might like to watch from the sideline.”

  “I can do that,” I said, throwing the ball back at Avery without warning. He didn’t see it coming and fumbled the catch. A couple of the guys laughed, but their captain silenced them with a deadly glare.

  “Okay, okay. Miss Fuller, you’re with me,” Coach Ford said. “Ladies, let’s show her how we play ball.

  I followed Coach to the sideline area. “You good?” he asked me.

  “I can handle the likes of Avery Chase,” I scoffed, indignation burning through me.

  He wanted to embarrass me, to make me feel stupid in front of his teammates. Part of me didn’t blame him, but I also didn’t expect it from him.

  Not the Avery Chase I’d spent last season watching lead the team to the state championship.

  Avery was levelheaded, calm, and composed. He didn’t lose his head like Micah Delfine or Ben Chasterly. He was a firm, but fair captain who led by example. He didn’t let his emotions get the better of him… until now.

  Coach Ford folded his arms over his broad chest and chuckled. “Oh, I don’t doubt it for a second, Miss Ful—”

  “Miley. You can call me Miley.”

  “Very well, Miley. He’s a good kid, you know. One of the best players I’ve had the privilege of working with.”

  “You think he can go all the way?”

  “Oh, I know he can. But the hard work is only just starting. You want to go to college, Miley?”

  “Northwestern, sir.” God, I didn’t just want it. I yearned for it.

  “And what would you do to get there?”

  “Whatever it takes, sir.”

  He regarded me for a long second, and I felt my stomach knot under the weight of his stare. “Then I guess you and my players aren’t that different, after all. Something to think about.”

  Coach Ford excused himself and left me with my thoughts. I’d been so consumed last year with the article, that maybe I’d been too hasty in my conclusions. I still believed that being an athlete didn’t entitle you to play the system. Because an education was just as important, and the reality was most of these players wouldn’t end up with a professional career in football. But maybe I had first underestimated the power of sportsmanship, teamwork, and dedication.

  Maybe.

  I spent the next couple of days balancing classes and my responsibilities at the school newspaper, alongside shadowing Avery at practice. Most of the guys ignored me as if I wasn’t there, and Avery barely spoke two words to me. But I wasn’t there to make friends. I was there to write a kickass article and finish my submission for Northwestern.

  “Oh look, it’s the snitch.” Kendall and her friends crowded me in class again. I glanced up at her and let out a heavy sigh.

  “Very original.”

  “I heard you’re sniffing around the team again. I didn’t realize they let traitors hang out at practice.”

  “And what do we have here?” Micah strolled up to us, slinging his arm around Kendall’s shoulder.

  “Is it true she’s writing another article?”

  “Article? No way. We have much better uses for the snitch this year. Isn’t that right, Miley?” He smirked at me. “She’s our new mascot if you will.”

  “Yeah,” Ben chuckled, elbowing his friend in the rib. “The team’s very own stress reliever.”

  “Gross,” I muttered, trying to ignore the girls’ snickers.

  “We’re taking bets on how many Rixon dicks she’ll suck before the season is out.”

  “I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last guy on the planet.”

  “Ouch, you say that like you have other options. Do you… have other options? Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a friend, let alone a guy.”

  I swallowed down the wave of embarrassment crashing inside of me. So I didn’t have many friends. I liked my own company. And between school, my part-time job, and spending time with Mom, there wasn’t exactly time to date.

  Not that I had a queue of guys knocking at my door.

  “Oh my God, how sad,” Kendall said. “She’s a loner and a snitch. Sucks to be you.”

  “Okay, people take your seats.” The teacher finally arrived, ushering everyone into their seats.

  It didn’t stop their stares and whispered taunts though. By the time the bell went, I was ready to get the hell out of there. But I traded one hell for another, bumping straight into Avery.

  “Watch it,” he sneered.

  “Sorry, I was just—”

  “Yeah, whatever.” He went to stalk off.

  “The pep rally tonight, you’ll be there?” The words spilled out in a desperate attempt to make him talk to me.

  Of course he would be there… it was a pep rally for his team.

  He stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of coming?” Contempt dripped from his words.

  “Yeah, well… for research.” I ducked my head, my heart crashing wildly in my chest. His hatred for me bled from him like a river, washing over me until I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

  “Avery, I am sor—”

  “Didn’t you screw Chase over enough already, snitch?” The sudden weight of Micah’s arm draped over my shoulder made me flinch.

  My eyes found Avery’s again and the air instantly cooled between us. I braced myself for his retort, but instead he spun on his heel and walked away.

  “Shit, snitch, what the fuck did you say?”

  “Get the hell off me, Micah.” I nudged him away from me and flicked my hair off my shoulder. “You don’t have to be such a dick all the time.”

  “Says the girl who single-handedly screwed us over.” He scowled.

  “I’m not doing this with you.” I dodged around him, but he grabbed my bag strap and yanked me back.

  “Not so fast, snitch.” I glanced back, arching a brow, refusing to show even an ounce of weakness. “Little word of advice.” The corner of his mouth lifted into a vicious smirk. “Stay the fuck away from Avery.”

  Until last year when I’d made the cheer squad, I’d never been to the football stadium before. It felt strange coming back here to sit in the bleachers. Kids gave me a wide berth as I tried to find a seat, stepping aside or bunching up to their friends as if they might catch some contagious disease from any contact with me.

  It didn’t bother me. I hadn’t exactly been a social butterfly before the paper ran the exposé. I preferred my own company, reading books and watching real life crime documentaries. I had friends, my co-writers at the paper and my colleagues at the library. I just didn’t have close friends. Except my mom. She was my best friend.
Always had been, always would be.

  Eventually, I found a seat on the end of a row. The guy next to me scooched closer to his friends and I shook my head.

  “You won’t catch anything.”

  “I don’t know, I heard you gave Micah Delfine crabs?”

  “What? I didn’t—” I rolled my lips together, refusing to feed the rumor mill. Clearly Micah wanted to play dirty.

  “He’s just covering for the fact that he couldn’t last, if you know what I’m saying. All that locker room talk of Micah Delfine going all night long…” I beckoned the guy closer, my lips curving with amusement. “I heard he pays the cheerleaders to spread rumors that he’s an energizer bunny in the sack, but he’s more of a floppy duck if you catch my drift.”

  “Oh, shit.” The guy exploded with laughter, leaning over to tell his friends.

  I smiled, satisfied. But then it quickly died when I realized I’d potentially poked the beast.

  Chapter Five

  Avery

  The crowd roared my name as I stepped up beside Coach.

  Chase.

  Chase.

  Chase.

  It filled the football field like a battle cry, rippling through me like a wave hurtling toward the shore.

  But I knew that come game day, it would be ten times as loud. Because the whole of Rixon would turn out to see our first game of the season.

  “Did you tell him yet?” Coach Ford asked me out of the corner of his mouth as we watched the cheer squad do their thing.

  “No, but I will.”

  “You have until Monday. I won’t lie to him, Avery. He’s my best friend.”

  “And I’m your star player,” I quipped, earning me a nudge to the shoulder.

  “Watch it, kid. You might be my star player, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to give you an easy time this season.” He nodded over to the bleachers. “I see Miss Fuller came.”

  “Hadn’t noticed,” I grumbled.

  “Of course you hadn’t. It might have been light years ago, but I remember what it was like to be seventeen.”

  “Mom told me you fought your feelings for Felicity for most of senior year.”

  “Your mom talks too much. But yeah, I was an asshole back then.”

  “Then? I hate to tell you Coach but you’re still kind of an asshole.”

  His deep laughter reverberated through him, but then the cheer squad made their grand finale, and all eyes were back on the team.

  Coach stepped up to the mic and the crowd ushered into silence. Anticipation rippled through the air. “Rixon High,” he said, “are you ready to play some football?”

  The bleachers exploded, the chorus of hoots and hollers hitting us like a forcefield. The rest of the guys joined in, cheering and clapping, while the team mascot, a huge foam Viking head worked the crowd into even more of a frenzy.

  “Okay, okay,” Coach boomed. “Last year we got our asses handed to us by Marshall, but this year we’re bringing that championship title home. And the guy that’s going to get us there… your quarterback and captain, Avery Chase.”

  It was a heavy burden to carry, the hopes and dreams of every teacher, every single kid at Rixon High, their parents, my teammates. But I bore it with pride and honor. As I stepped up to the mic, a sense of deep responsibility weighed down on me. But nothing worth having came easy. You had to fight for it tooth and nail. You had to dig your heels in and keep going. If my dad and Coach Ford had taught me anything, it was that it wasn’t about being the best, it was about being better than you were yesterday.

  Last season, we’d lost. We’d let the championship slip between our fingers. But this season, it was not an option.

  I needed to go out on a high, to leave my mark, and follow in my dad’s footsteps.

  So I would push. I would push my team and myself and our fans…

  And I would win.

  I followed the guys out of the locker room to the stadium parking lot. We were heading to Micah’s house for the after-party. His parents were out of town a lot and his older brother worked shifts, so he was home alone most weekends, which made his house the preferred hangout for the team.

  “Yo, Chase, look who I found sneaking around.”

  I ground to a halt, dread flooding my chest as I watched Micah steer Miley toward me. He had his arm roped around her neck like she was one of the guys.

  “Snitch wants to party with us.”

  “I never said that,” she snapped, elbowing him in the ribs. Micah yelped as she ducked out from under his arm.

  “No, but you were hovering around waiting for us to leave…” He rubbed his jaw, assessing her with his dark eyes. “So I got to wonder if you were hoping for an invitation or whether you planned to follow us like the creep you are.”

  “Go to hell,” she sneered.

  “What, scared, snitch?”

  “I’ve been to your parties before and they suck.”

  Surprise registered on Micah’s face. “Well you weren’t doing it right.” He stepped up to her, and my spine went rigid. “Because my parties are fucking epic.”

  Micah wasn’t a bad guy; he just didn’t know when to quit. He loved the fan worship, the way girls went ga-ga over football players. He lapped up the attention and power. A lot of the guys did, and I didn’t blame them. It was something to be so young and be so revered and adored. In the eyes of Rixon, we could do no wrong.

  Like tonight. No one would bat an eyelid at the party out at the Delfine’s house. So long as we kept it under control, parents, the adults, even the local police were happy to let us do our thing because we were Raiders. And wearing that jersey meant something.

  “Look at her, man. She doesn’t want to come to the party. She looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights,” I said, refusing to look at her.

  “I think she does,” he countered.

  “Micah,” an exasperated breath left my lips, “just leave—”

  “I’ll come.”

  My head whipped around to meet Miley’s narrowed gaze. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Fuck, yes. You and me, snitch. It’s going down. I hope you can hold your liquor.”

  “One, there is no ‘you and me,’ and two, I said I’ll come to the party, not that I’ll get drunk.”

  Micah slung his arm around her shoulder again and smirked. “We’ll see. Let’s go.”

  My brows bunched together as I watched him guide her toward his car wondering what the fuck was happening right now.

  I didn’t want her at the party. I didn’t want her anywhere near me. But Miley climbed into his car, glancing over at me at the last second. She didn’t look confused or even scared… she looked determined.

  She looked like she was a girl on a mission. But she’d been that girl before, and it hadn’t ended well for anyone.

  Especially me.

  By the time I arrived at the party, Micah already had Miley drinking one of his concoctions.

  “What’s going on?” I hissed, while she chatted to Ben and Petey.

  “What? Just giving her a little behind the scenes access.” He grinned, letting his eyes flick back over to her. “She’s pretty hot for a nerd.”

  “This is a bad idea,” I said.

  “Because you’re pissed at her still, or because you have a thing for the snitch?”

  “What the fuck, man?” I balked.

  “Oh, come on. You think I haven’t noticed the giant stick up your ass ever since last spring? Did something happen between the two of you?”

  “Nothing happened. And don’t go spreading that shit around. She screwed me over just as much as the rest of you, that’s all. I don’t want her here because she doesn’t fucking belong here.”

  A trickle of awareness ran up my spine and Micah’s gaze went over my shoulder.

  Shit.

  She was behind me, listening to every word. When I turned slightly to meet her dejected expression, my blood turned to ice. How was it possible I felt so much for a girl I hardly knew? But I’d been getting to know her.

  It was months ago. The article hadn’t run until right before school broke for the summer, but Miley had quit the cheer team long before that.

  “I think I’ll have another.” Miley waved her empty cup at Micah and he whooped.