Chapter Seven

Amber

The cheers of more than half of Wilmont saturated the stadium as our football team stormed the field. I forced my way through the flailing arms and foam fingers, weaving in and out of the crowd as I climbed the bleachers.

“Amber!” Hannah shouted from three rows up, her golden hair held back by a black headband. She practically swam in Jake’s practice jersey, the bottom of the number thirteen hitting her knees. “Up here!” She waved, a wide smile on her face. “You’re late,” she said once I took my spot by her side.

I shifted my bag over my shoulders, the gray T-shirt I wore ruffling under the weight. “Not even,” I said, pointing to the field as everyone took their seats. “They haven’t started yet.”

Hannah rolled her eyes but gave my shoulders a squeeze. “Are those new jeans?”

I nodded, glancing down at the ripped black skinnies I’d treated myself to last weekend on a fun shopping trip with Mom. “You like?” I asked, shifting so she could see where they tucked into my silver Chucks.

“Love,” she said.

That was the one good thing about sporting events for Wilmont—we were allowed to wear our own clothes.

Setting my bag between my feet, I gazed out at the field as the game started, my eyes finding number nineteen out of sheer muscle memory.

Even with the helmet and the bulky jersey, anyone could tell Brandon was in good shape. Muscles for days upon days, biceps thick, thighs thicker. Something I used to admire, used to compliment on the discipline he had when it came to training.

I rolled my eyes.

I used to love coming to watch the games, too, but he’d ruined it for me.

Not that I’d ever mention it to Hannah. She attended every game, rain or shine or sleep deprived. She’d never miss an opportunity to cheer for Jake.

Her sharp whistle jolted my senses, as did the loud crowd. All I’d wanted was to go home and crash for a couple hours—catch up on what I’d lost last night building the blog—but I’d promised Hannah I’d be here.

She followed my line of sight, huffing. “Wish they’d bench him.”

A laugh ripped from my chest. “The only way coach would bench Brandon is if he broke something.” I shook my head. “Seriously, it’s fine, Hannah. I’m here for you. And Jake.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s always so much more fun when you’re here.”

I tore my eyes off Brandon, trying like hell not to remember how I used to clap and cheer and scream his name just like Hannah. I’d even gone so far as to paint his number on my cheeks last year.

Stupid, stupid girl.

“No Code Club today?”

“Tomorrow. And Friday.”

“That’s exciting.” She waggled her brows at me, and the look took me straight back to Spanish class this morning.

Dean’s and my chat had been fun, borderline flirty compared to our normal recaps of codes or techniques. But I’d choked when his words had sent my heart flying. Made me picture things. Want things I knew I shouldn’t. Because the relationship road only led to pain or humiliation or both.

I’d learned that in a harsh way.

“Totally,” I finally said, swallowing hard. It wasn’t a lie. I was looking forward to spending the extra time in the coding room—with Dean or without.

Okay, with.

But mainly I was happy because it’d be uninterrupted time spent on the challenge between us. I’d need every minute of it to top him.

Color flooded my cheeks at the thought, my mind circling right back to the joke he’d made. The way I’d been ready to respond with my own innuendo, rile him at his own game.

The memories—they stopped me.

Because I didn’t want to give the wrong vibe. Didn’t want to invite unwanted advances, not that Dean was advancing…

I sighed, rubbing my palms over my face. I needed sleep. Every time I crossed that line of deprived, I became delusional. I was an over-analyzer by nature—something that helped my natural ability to read code, exploit systems, and more. But pair that with little sleep and a wave of emotions that wouldn’t stop crashing? I was downright loopy in my thought process.

“Omigod!” Hannah gasped beside me, and I snapped the eff out of it.

My eyes darted from her to the field and back, worried Jacksonville had scored on us. It was a time-out. “What?” I asked, noticing she held her cell.

“Check out what Sabrina just Snapped.” She handed me her cell, and when I saw the screen, I damn near dropped it.

Plan worked.

It actually freaking worked.

Clinging to it with weak fingers, I forced my breath to slow. It wasn’t Sabrina’s model-worthy selfie that had me fearing I’d pass out right then and there. It was her comment splayed over a screenshot of the bio page of the website I’d launched last night—at two a.m.

Whoever is behind this is a flippin’ goddess! I don’t know about y’all, but I could use the $250 gift card. Here’s the code to find the page. Everyone follow it. Now. Party at my place if I win!

“This is her messing around, right?” Hannah asked, taking the phone back, and I pressed my lips closed.

I had posted the giveaway as an incentive for web traffic—sacrificing half my regular check from the coffee shop—hoping someone found it and spread the word, but holy Loki’s helmet, I didn’t think the most popular girl at school would get a hold of it so quickly. Sabrina was connected to everyone on social media—Wilmont and plenty of other schools surrounding us. And she’d just shared my midnight creation to all of them.

“Maybe?” I said, my voice coming out a whisper.

This is what I’d wanted, right? A following from Wilmont. That way I could potentially help someone who needed it. And it would get back to Principal Tanner and throw his tight-gripped rule off kilter.

“No,” Hannah said, completely ignoring the game to swipe on her cell. “Check it out. The site is legit.”

I glanced at the screen again, already knowing what she’d pulled up.

My site.

My stomach rolled as I pretended to read what I’d spent countless hours crafting. I hadn’t expected it to reach my best friend so fast…

“Huh,” I said, instead of a proper response.

“Huh?” She scoffed, taking the cell and pocketing it. “That’s it? This is exactly what we were talking about yesterday! Do you think someone heard us?”

I chuckled. “Nah,” I said, shrugging. “You saw the prank. We’re not the only ones totally over the way Tanner runs this school. Someone just decided to take the rebellion a step further.” I motioned to the cell I could no longer see, unable to meet her eyes.

“True,” she said. “This is crazy, though.” An excited smile shaped her lips. “I can’t wait to see who actually writes in.”

Me, too.

I cleared my throat, ignoring the urge to dig in my bag for my laptop and check if Sabrina’s post had resulted in any questions.

A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. How the hell would I find the answers? What if I couldn’t? What if I failed someone who needed me?

This is really happening.

“Amber, you okay?”

I snapped my eyes to hers, taking a deep breath to calm the nausea rolling my stomach.

“Yeah. Why?”

She arched a brow at me. “You look…”

“Tired,” I filled in for her. “I was up late.”

“And that’s different from any other day?” she teased.

I forced a laugh. “Right. Later than usual.”

“Did Dean have anything to do with that?” She nudged me, and I was grateful that the topic had shifted from the website calling for my attention.

I wanted to tell her about it. Wanted her to be there to go through this massive project with me. But I couldn’t risk her involvement. I’d locked the site up so well I didn’t think anyone would ever be able to trace it, but still. I was taking a big enough risk pulling something like this at Wilmont, over Principal Tanner. Plus, I’d promised Dean I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I expected him to do the same. Fewer people involved to get burned if we got caught.

Which I had no intention of doing.

Ever.

Besides, no one could even write in.

“Yes,” I finally admitted. “We have a bet between us. I was working on my end of it.” I sighed. It felt good to at least tell her a half truth.

“Ohh,” she said over the roaring crowd. Wilmont had just scored. “I love this so much! What are the terms?”

I pressed my lips into a line, shaking my head. “I’m sworn to secrecy.”

She stomped her foot. “That is so unfair!”

“It’s techy stuff.” I laughed, the tension breaking within me. “It would bore you.”

“Anything with you and Dean working together or against each other or whatever is so not boring.”

“Why are you so obsessed with the time I spend with him?”

“Because,” she said. “He’s a good guy. And you deserve to be around a good guy who gets all that intricate wiring you have tangled in your pretty little head.”

I grinned, rolling my eyes.

We’d thought Brandon was a good guy, too.

A cold chill raced down my spine. The same deep iciness that built a wall around my heart, forbidding me from even thinking of Dean that way.

“You really can’t tell me?” she asked.

“No. It’s no big deal. Just something between us.”

A massive grin slid over her face. “Sounds romantic.”

“Platonic. Promise. He’s a friend. That’s all.”

A gorgeous, delicious-smelling friend. And this challenge was bringing us closer, despite being in opposition. Maybe it would be good for me. To get to know him beyond the halls of Wilmont, beyond our normal exchange of hacker-only info. It could be nice…having him as a friend.

Something I’d never really entertained before, because Brandon dominated all my free time, ensuring I barely had time to hack, let alone get closer with someone else.

“Fine,” she said, her tone completely understanding. “That’s a start, anyway.” She winked at me, her focus returning to Jake on the field.

I didn’t see the plays or touchdowns. I didn’t hear the cheers of the crowd around me. I was in my head, contemplating my next step with the website, wondering how many hits Sabrina’s post had gotten me, wishing I could ditch the game and check but at the same time grateful that I couldn’t.

Because once I did, it would be real. More real than it lighting up my best friend’s cell phone. More real than Sabrina telling thousands about it.

I wasn’t ready.

But I had to be.

“Yay!” Hannah clapped and cheered as the game ended, Wilmont winning. “Come on!” She clutched my wrist and propelled me down the steps. She shoved her way through the bodies doing the same thing, pushing us through the pack and to the fence that lined the field.

I sucked in a breath when we cleared the crowd, the pressure easing on my lungs at being pinned among so many people. The fence was less packed, the mass of students heading toward the exit in drones.

“Great game, Jake!” Hannah called as he walked to the other side of the fence, his helmet tucked underneath his arm.

“Thanks, babe,” he said.

Sweat dripped down his golden-brown skin, a clear line of dirt showing exactly where his helmet had been. He leaned down, planting a deep, long kiss onto Hannah’s lips, and the girl didn’t flinch at the ick of the game all over him. No, she snaked her fingers around his neck, soaking her nails in the dripping black hair at the base of his neck, tugging him closer. If the fence hadn’t been between them…

I shuddered and turned my head the opposite direction. I’d seen them embrace like this plenty of times—my house was one of the only places they could be fully relaxed and themselves. Hannah’s parents weren’t the strictest, but there was one issue they’d never budge on and that was sex before marriage. But it didn’t mean I enjoyed being the third wheel to their true-love show.

It hadn’t always been like this. For a while I’d been a fourth. Smiling and congratulating just like Hannah—

“Amber.”

My spine turned into a steel rod while my legs felt like Jell-O.

I swallowed a mouthful of acid, turning to set eyes on Brandon. He brushed past Jake, who was still completely tangled up in Hannah, their PDA totally concealed by the bustling crowd still leaving the stadium.

“Brandon.” His name passed my lips quietly, timidly, where I’d intended it to be sharper than a razor. I was stronger than this, damn it. Why did one look at his dark eyes, muscles, and shiny, buzzed-black hair turn me into a weak…victim?

He shifted his helmet under his arm, stopping at the fence right in front of me. His eyes roamed up and down my body. I was suddenly conscious of the rips in my new jeans and the tiny strips of skin they exposed.

I took one step back, clutching the strap of my bag.

“Didn’t think you’d show,” he said, his tone smooth, casual, like our breakup never happened. Like I wasn’t glaring at him as if I could mentally throw him across the football field.

“I’m here for Jake.”

Brandon cut his eyes to my best friend before returning to me. “See they appreciate it.”

I rolled my eyes—anger helped loosen the tight air in my lungs. “What do you want?” Why was he here? Why wasn’t he having a post-game celebration with his new girl? I’d heard it was Sabrina, but that could just be a rumor. It was hard to tell anymore, especially since I’d stopped paying attention.

“Why does it have to be like that?” he asked, and he had the audacity to genuinely look confused. Like I should be pumped about him talking to me again.

You know why.

I furrowed my brow.

He sighed, shifting his weight. “Just thought I’d say hi,” he said, shrugging. “You coming to Sabrina’s party after?” He motioned toward the exit.

“That’d be a no,” I said, a dark laugh on the end of it.

“We used to have fun.” He narrowed his eyes. “You used to be fun.” He shook his head. “Now you’re just…”

I swallowed the rock in my throat.

Whatever I am, it’s because of you.

“Brandon?” Jake snapped, looking like he only now realized he was next to him.

Hannah was at my side in an instant, dagger-glares and claws bared.

Brandon chuckled, holding up his hands—one with his helmet—as he backed away from the fence. “Yeah, man,” he said, eyeing Jake. “I get it.” He planted his dark eyes on mine. “Was just saying hi to a friend.”

“Don’t,” Jake said, his tone sharp and everything I’d wished mine could be.

Brandon huffed, spun on his heels, and jogged toward the exit.

“Sorry,” Hannah said. “You could’ve said something.”

“No use. He doesn’t merit the energy.” I wished my heart would believe that, be as strong as that thought. “But,” I said, glancing between them, “thanks.”

Jake flashed those white teeth. “I’ve always got your back.”

Hannah nodded her agreement, rubbing her hand up and down my back.

I sighed, the internal shaking subsiding with my tribe surrounding me. “That’s more comforting than you know,” I said, grinning softly. After a silent shared look between Jake and Hannah—their own brand of communicating that was perfected over years of being together—I stepped out of Hannah’s touch. “I’ve really got to crash,” I said. “My brain is going fuzzy.”

“Oh no,” Hannah said. “We all know that leads to binging on Oreos and fail-YouTube-videos.” She laughed, jerking her head toward the exit. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You don’t know me.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right.” She glanced at Jake. “I’ll text you later.” She blew him a kiss and we fell in with the last stragglers of the crowd leaving.

I hugged her outside my car, silently siphoning her happiness and support to wash away the bad taste that talking to Brandon had left in my mouth.

“See you tomorrow,” I said, sinking behind the wheel.

As I watched her walk to her car parked a few spaces down, I sucked in a sharp breath. I didn’t have time to dwell on my past or Brandon’s need to seek me out tonight. I had a challenge to cultivate, and hopefully, classmates to help.

I pulled out of the parking lot, wondering just how I’d go about doing that, and hoping like hell I’d be enough.

For once.

I knew I needed sleep, that I needed to unplug and recharge. But after seeing Sabrina’s post, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist checking the site when I got home. A few more hours awake wouldn’t kill me.

So, instead of heading straight home, I drove toward my favorite taco shop to grab some much-needed fuel.