The Rivalry

Amusement lit his eyes. “I did, and I know where you’re going with this—”

“Horseshit!”

He shrugged as if it had any hope of placating me. “Ohio State’s in the top five.”

“I know, like I said. Horseshit. Number one? The school you go to isn’t that good.” Sure, it was early in the season, but still. No way Michigan was better than we were.

“Polls don’t mean shit, and how would you know?” he teased. “You don’t watch the games.”

Was he for real? “I’m busy on Saturdays, too, you know.” Busy cheering for the team that should have been number one in the polls.

“That’s the only reason, though?” His expression turned serious. “Because you won’t be busy October first.”

“That’s our bye week.”

The gleam in his eyes set me on edge. He was working an angle. “It’s not a bye for Michigan. Are you going to watch my game?”

It was like swallowing glass. I’d watched Michigan games before, but only to actively root against them. It’d be so different now. “It’ll be painful for me,” I admitted. “But if you want me to, I suppose.”

Jay’s smile widened, and my heart dipped down into my stomach.

“What?” Suspicion narrowed my eyes. “You’ve got a look on your face. I don’t like it.”

“Would you watch the game . . . in person?”

For a moment, hysteria made me deaf. I had no choice but to repeat the ludicrous idea he’d just thrown out. “You want me to sit in the stands at a Michigan game.”

“With my parents.”

My muscles tensed, locking me in place. “Be serious. I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Did he need to go through concussion protocol? Or had he plain forgotten about my feelings on the rivalry? “Well, for starters, if I step on that campus, I might burst into flames.”

He laughed, and then swung right back into seriousness. “I want you there, Kayla. It’d be really cool if you came.” He looked sheepish. “I accidentally mentioned you to my mom, and she got all excited. I need you to know, my mom said something like ‘I better meet her or you’ll be sorry.’ I don’t want to be sorry. She made a mechanic sorry once, and he was never heard from again.”

“Is that a threat, Eighty-Eight?” I said.

“No, it’s a request.” His blue eyes implored me. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I’d do it for you.”

I absolutely believed he would, and I looked away from the camera.

He had enormous pressure on him, and yet he didn’t pass it on to me. We’d talked about dating, and I’d never given him a real answer, and yet he hadn’t pushed to put a label on whatever it was we were doing. It felt like as long as I didn’t slap a title on our relationship, I was safe from having to tell my parents or the squad.

I was aware it was a total cop-out.

He must have been able to see I was about to say no, because he added, “Come on. You can practice your fake ‘I don’t hate Michigan’ face for when you’re on-air.” His expression deepened. “Also, pretty sure it’s easier for you to use me for sex if we’re actually together.”

I pinched my knees tight and was grateful he couldn’t see my response. The truth was I missed him. Not just sex, but being near him. Talking through video chat was nice, but it wasn’t the same. “I cannot believe I’m about to agree to this.” Maybe I was exhausted and it impaired my judgement. Tomorrow I’d come to my senses. “Fine. But I don’t have to like it.”

This smile was more brilliant than I’d ever seen from him. “Yeah? Fair enough. I’ve got a spare Michigan shirt you can wear, if you—”

“Go to hell!” My rebuttal was pure instinct, and Jay gave a deep laugh.

-23-

KAYLA

Ohio State beat Minnesota in a nail-biter, keeping us undefeated, but guess who else maintained a perfect record? I didn’t swear much, but my language was blue as I stared at the list. OSU had climbed to the number two spot in the polls, but hadn’t unseated the Wolverines. Even ESPN had them ranked number one.

Such bullshit. I could concede we didn’t have as many dazzling players on offense as Michigan did, but our offense was consistent. And our defense? We were to be feared.

Jay listened to me grumble about it all week, and then when another week rolled around, it happened again. We walloped Indiana, while the school up North handed Penn State’s asses to them. I was beyond annoyed and conflicted.

Couldn’t Michigan just lose one game, before we played them, so we could sit on top of the polls? Ugh. I wanted Jay to transfer to OSU. Not just so we could have his skills on the field, but so he could be right here.

I plugged in the dock lights in my room, climbed into my bed with a textbook, and tried to read. At ten p.m. my phone lit up with a text message from him.