Filed to story: Lily Bennett and Mason Cooper Book
“Life goes on,” I say, mustering my most I-can’t-be-bothered voice.
Ava changes the subject with an eye roll.
“Are you ready to go? Jonah is meeting us there.”
“Almost,” I say, pulling on my shoes and grabbing my face paint. I quickly paint two lines on both my cheeks, then Ava’s.
“Now we’re ready,” she smiles.
As Ava pulls her car into the parking lot, I instantly spot Mason’s car on the other side.
“Jonah is by the bleachers,” Ava announces, tapping on her phone.
“You go find us a seat. I’m going to pee,” I tell her before making my way to the bathroom.
As I’m leaving the bathroom, my phone starts ringing in my pocket.
“M” flashes across the screen, making my heart race and palms sweat.
“Mason?” I whisper, answering the call.
“Sorry to disappoint, princess,” an unfamiliar voice replies.
“Who is this?” I ask, moving to stand behind the small brick building, facing the visitors’ locker room.
“Liam. I’m Mason’s friend,” he says.
“Why are you calling me?” I ask, chewing my nails.
“I swiped his phone and read his texts,” he replies coolly.
“Okay?” I draw out.
“He spent the summer with you?” he asks curiously.
“A little bit,” I answer, kicking a loose stone with my foot.
“So why’d you stop talking to him?” Liam asks casually, and I bite my lip.
“He stopped talking to me,” I mumble, wanting to cry. Why did things have to be like this? I wish we could’ve just stayed how we were in the summer.
“Are you crying?” he asks as I swipe a stray tear away.
“Maybe,” I mutter, resting my head against the wall and looking up at the dark sky.
“How much do you know about Mason?” he asks in a low voice.
“What do you mean?” I ask, clearing my throat.
“I mean about Callum,” he states, and my whole body freezes.
“Judging by your reaction, he told you.”
I frown, looking around. I spot a Greendale player with the number fifty-five on his chest scowling at me across the parking lot.
“What reaction?” I reply, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“Pretty sure I’m looking right at you,” Liam states.
“Nope. I’m at home,” I lie, hoping like fuck he believes me.
“Look, I’m going to be honest with you,” he says, pushing himself off the wall, and I panic for a moment thinking he’s going to come over here.
“Mason is-shit,” he hisses, looking at the door that’s opened, and a fuming-looking Mason storms out.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hear Mason’s voice through the phone as I watch him stomp up to his friend.
“We’re meant to be out on the field,” he snaps before the line goes dead, cutting me off from my eavesdropping.
I watch the two talking as I slowly slip my phone back into my pocket.
They exchange a few words before Liam starts walking back into the locker room, Mason following closely behind.
I want to yell out to him so badly.
Once they’re both inside again, I make my way to the bleachers.
By the time I make it to the bleachers, they are full.
Thankfully, Ava and Jonah saved me a seat on the end of a row in the middle.
“What took you so long?” Ava asks, leaning over Jonah to look at me.
“Long line,” I lie, looking at the Ridgewood players warming up, no sign of Greendale on the field.
“Why aren’t Greendale out yet?” Jonah asks, looking between us.
“No clue. Maybe they’re too scared to come out,” Ava laughs.
“Probably.” He joins her laughter, looking at the field.
“He’s there,” I say, pointing to Harry’s number sixty-eight.
He really wanted sixty-nine for shits and giggles, but the school wouldn’t let him, so he settled for sixty-eight.
“Finally!” The man sitting in front of me huffs when the Greendale players come out from under the bleachers.
My eyes instantly find number twelve.
He’s standing off to the side talking to fifty-five, Liam.
“That one is Mason the quarterback, and the one next to him is Liam the running back.
They’re the best players on the team and just the worst,” I hear Ava explaining to Jonah.
“So we hate those two the most?” he asks, looking confused.
“Yup.” She nods as the players start their warm-ups.
“I heard that his brother died and he’s mentally fucked now, so they’re probably going to lose,” she adds, making me frown.
“How’d he die?” Jonah asks, and I want to scream at both of them to mind their business.
“I’ve heard three different ways-drowning, drive-by, and car accident, so take your pick.” She laughs, and it takes all my willpower not to stand up and punch her in the face.
“That’s really sad,” Jonah snaps at her.
“Oh, he’ll get over it.” She tries to brush it off.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asks in disbelief.
“Do you think this is funny too?” he snaps, looking at me.
“Quite the opposite, actually,” I say, giving Ava an are you serious? look.
“Let’s just watch the game.”
Turns out Jonah knows less about football than I do.
He asks me what the rules are, and throughout the game what’s happening, but all I can really tell him is when someone scores a touchdown or gets some points.
It takes all my power not to get up and start cheering when Mason scores three touchdowns.
I never actually noticed how good of a player he is.
After the last one, Jonah looks at me with a sad face.
“We’re not going to win, are we?” he asks, and I shake my head.
There’s no way Ridgewood could come back.