Becca gasps, her hand covering her mouth. “I can’t believe you said that, Kinsley.” Becca says, completely shocked. Even so, she doesn’t deny a word I said. All she does is flip her hair over her shoulder and stomp toward the end zone to sit with the rest of the student body.
Wyatt chuckles at her reaction. “Why do I like her more when she’s feisty?” He watches her the entire way to her seat before she’s sucked up in the crowd.
The first two quarters drag a little, but only because I’m ready to be done with the halftime festivities. When it’s time for us to take our place on the visiting side of the field, we form a line in alphabetical order, leaving me dead last.
I hook my arm though Wyatt’s, and he gives my hand an extra squeeze. “They saved the best for last, Kinny.” I smile, thankful I have the best brother in the world. One who would throw away his Friday night to come back home to rescue his little sister. He can be intense, insanely stubborn, and even a little cocky at times, but when it comes to his family, he’d move mountains for the ones he loves.
The announcer in the press box begins the introductions, and inch by inch, the line grows shorter as each couple makes their way toward the home side of the field. I’m not expecting to win, and I don’t. This entire experience has been about giving credit where credit’s due, and tonight that credit went to the right girl.
Once we’re seated in the stands, and the third quarter begins, I lean my head against Wyatt’s shoulder, finally able to breathe again. Part of me is a little sad my parents weren’t here to watch their little girl, but there’s no use letting it get to me because in the morning, my situation will still be the same. My mom couldn’t help her fate, and maybe someday my dad will realize how much he missed out on and come home.
Maybe.
“Don’t think about it too much, Kinny. I know it’s not easy. When I took the field at Beaver Stadium for the first time, I almost lost my mind. All those afternoons Dad spent with me in the back yard, teaching me the fundamentals, and he wasn’t even there to see my hard work pay off—his hard work.”
“Mom’s watching, Wyatt. She’s really proud of you.”
He squeezes my hand. “I hope so. I’m trying to be the man of the family, Kins. I really am. The last thing I want is for us to fall apart, too. You and Kate are all I have.”
“We’re doing well, Wyatt. I promise. I have Rhett and we both have Carson.”
“I tried like hell to keep all those guys away from you, but I knew there’d be at least one who would get to you. I even had a feeling it would be Rhett.”
“You’re really okay with it?”
“I have to be. You and him are the kind of people that would fight to be together no matter what. It’s just how you are.”
“Just like you and Becca.”
“I don’t know about that. She’s a stubborn girl, but until I have a reason to give up on her, I won’t. Maybe she’ll come around. Maybe she won’t. But it won’t be for lack of trying, that’s for damn sure.”
This time it’s me squeezing his hand for support. “She’ll come around.”
The final buzzer sounds, and the stands erupt in applause for another blowout victory. It’s become expected at Central—that’s how good the team is year after year—even with key players like Wyatt out of the picture.
“Do you mind if I find Rhett before we leave?”
Wyatt shakes his head. “I’ll go say hi to some of the guys while you talk to him. If we get split up, meet me back here. I don’t want you walking all the way to the car by yourself.”
“Okay, but if you run into Becca, go easy on her.”
“We’ll see,” is all he says, as his eyes shift toward the end zone. He knows exactly where she is despite being half a field apart.
It breaks my heart to see my brother so down, but I hold onto the hope they’ll figure it out. Becca thinks she’s doing them a favor by not pushing a long distance relationship, but she’s only hurting both of them. Some things you just have to fight for no matter how many obstacles you’re facing.
“Sunny!” I turn my head to see my hot boyfriend standing next to the railing, motioning me to come onto the field with him. I snatch up my blanket, and run to him, throwing my arms around his neck. “I missed you,” he whispers in my ear. His voice is low enough to give me goosebumps.
“I missed you, too. Is your back okay?” He took a hard shot, to his already sore back that left him on the ground for a few seconds too long. He jogged it off, but every single spectator in the stands could tell by the way he ran that he was hurting.
“I’m fine. It looked worse than it was. How’d halftime go?”
“The crown went to the most deserving,” I say with complete confidence, now that Mandi will never get her grubby little hands on the crown.
“Molly?” Rhett asks.
“Yes! Tonight was a lot for her, with her autism and all, but she wore her headphones in the stands to block out some of the noise, and then at halftime, she held onto her dad for dear life, but, she did it. It was an honor to lose to her.”
“You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
His words make me blush “Thank you for tonight—for bringing my brother home.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I wanted you to be happy.”
“I’m deliriously happy, Rhett.”
“Good. Now, how about we get out of here so I can kiss my girl without an audience.”
I want nothing more than to change out of these uncomfortable clothes and spend the rest of my night in Rhett’s arms, but I also want to spend some more time with my brother before he has to leave. “Will you come home with me? I was thinking about inviting Becca over, too. Those two need to finish talking, and while they do, we can hang out.”
“What about Carson?”
“He’s going to Penn State tomorrow, so either he already left, or he’ll probably stay in his room if the rest of us are coupled up.”
“All right, I’ll shower and meet you there. Wait for Wyatt though, I don’t want you walking by yourself.”
“You two are so alike sometimes.”
“We both care a shit-ton about you, that’s why.” He drops my hand, and jogs toward the locker room, leaving me with a huge smile on my face.
If I knew this is what it would feel like to fall in love, I would have done it so much sooner. Then again, it wouldn’t have been right unless it was Rhett. It’s all the more reason why I have to get my brother and Becca on the same page. I want this for them—I always have.
While Wyatt finishes his conversation with the head coach, I type out a text to Becca.
Kinsley: Meet us at the house.
Becca: What about Jake? He expects me at the football party.
Kinsley: I don’t know. Tell him you have cramps. He won’t question that.
Becca: Does Wyatt want me there?
Kinsley: I want you there and you two need to talk. He knows you’re coming.
Wyatt sneaks up on me as I’m typing out my last text, no doubt, reading over my shoulder. “Kinny, why are you trying to play matchmaker? Let it go.”
He walks past me toward the parking lot, but I hurry to catch up with him. “It’s not about playing matchmaker. My best friend isn’t as happy as she could be, and my brother deserves to have everything he wants.”
“I have enough.”
“Oh, come on. Go ahead and tell me you don’t like her. If you can do that, I’ll stop getting in the middle.”
“I like her, Kin. We’ve already established that.”
“Exactly. So, stop interfering with my interfering.”