Ryan's Bed

“What do you mean?”

She looked to me, almost reluctantly pulling her gaze from the court. “Ryan’s nice and humble, not arrogant. People forget how good he is until the season starts. But they remember real quick. Friday night, after our first game, it’s going to be insane. Girls will be throwing themselves at him nonstop.”

Lovely. Willow had slowly stopped talking to me over the last two months, but I might have to pull out some of my inner Willow for this. Bitches might have to go down.

And as soon as I thought that, I was tired.

I was tired of the fighting, tired of the cattiness, tired of the way some girls seemed to hate each other just because.

“Don’t you get sick of it all?”

“What?” Cora frowned at me.

I glanced over and saw that she wasn’t the only one who’d come into the gymnasium once practice ended. A whole bunch of others had congregated beside the bleachers. Erin, her friends, Peach, some of the popular senior girls. There were guys with them too—half were talking to the girls, and the others shouldered past the group to sit on the first row of the bleachers.

I gestured to the group forming. “What you were saying—all the girls, all the fighting.”

She stared at them and raised a shoulder. “I don’t know. I don’t really get an option, you know?” She turned back. “I feel like I have to fight just to have my friends notice me.”

“Not Kirk.”

She threw me a look, half rolling her eyes. “He noticed me because you told me not to give a shit. I didn’t, and he came right over, but it hasn’t been like that since. I give a shit. I don’t know how not to. I’m not at the top of the food chain. I mean, look at him.” She gestured to Kirk, who had his arm around Erin. His face was bent toward her neck, like he was nuzzling her, and she laughed. “He flirts with everyone, makes out with everyone—”

“Not when you’re around.”

She gave me another one of those “are you serious” looks. “I’m around right now.”

“Bet he hasn’t seen you yet.” I flashed her a grin and hollered, “Kirk! Up here.”

“Mackenzie!” she hissed under her breath.

Too late.

Kirk lifted his head, saw us, and a broad smile lit up his face. His arm dropped from Erin’s shoulders. She shot me a scathing look as Kirk left her side and came darting up the bleachers to where we sat.

He dropped down next to Cora, straddling the bench like she was. She could’ve leaned back into him, and he eyed her backside like that was what he wanted.

“I didn’t see you guys up here,” he drawled. “What are you doing?”

Cora stiffened, pointing to me. “She’s waiting for Rya—”

“I’m talking to you. I know what Malcolm’s doing here.” His eyes were steady on her.

I saw her blush; it traveled up her neck to her cheeks.

“I’m talking to Mackenzie,” she said quietly.

“Interested in going somewhere and talking to me?”

Cora’s eyes were glued to mine, and they widened. I watched as she sucked in her breath.

“What?” It came out as a strangled squeak.

Kirk snorted, moving up behind her so there was no point in her not leaning against him. If she didn’t want to be touching him, she would have to move forward. She didn’t.

He ducked his head so his lips could find her shoulder. “You heard me.”

Another strangled sound came from her. She still didn’t look at him, but she wasn’t moving.

Kirk’s eyes flicked up to mine in confusion.

The buzzer sounded, ending the scrimmage game. I nodded to Ryan, who was walking over to his bench. “I’ll be taking off with him in a minute,” I told them. “Go. Hang out. Have fun.”

Kirk’s grin widened. “Yeah. What she said. Let’s hang out and have fun.”

Cora was so stiff that when she nodded, it came out looking like a robot. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s hang out.”

“Great.” Kirk was up on his feet, pulling her with him. “Tell your boy I’ll call him later,” he told me. He tugged Cora behind him, though she couldn’t seem to stop looking at me. Her mouth hung open.

I waved at her, and when Kirk turned around, I gave her two thumbs-up instead. Have fun, I mouthed.

She flipped me the bird, but she was grinning.

I chuckled to myself.

The bleachers moved underneath me, and I looked up again. Ryan was loping up the seats, but he stopped and turned in the direction Kirk and Cora had disappeared.

“Did I see what I think I saw?” he asked.

“You think he’ll hurt her?”

He looked at me, his eyebrows shooting up. “They leaving to mess around or something?”

I frowned. Was he clueless? “They’re holding hands.”

“Kirk holds hands with every girl.” He thought about that and growled, “Except you. He better never touch you.”