Three long days after Austin had left for camp, Emery arrived at the hospital for her usual volunteer time. Anne met her at the door and pulled her into the office area, away from the children.

“You may want to go spend a little time in Molly’s room today.” She gave her that look they’ve all learned was one that a loss may be happening soon.

“Noooo.” Emery frantically shook her head. She knew this day was going to come, but she wasn’t prepared for it to happen right now.

Anne gripped her hand and nodded her head that it was true. “She slipped into a coma last night and hasn’t regained consciousness. The disease has weakened almost all of her vital organs and her mom wants her to die naturally. It was Molly’s request that nothing be used to keep her here. She wants her family to be able to move on and have a life again.” The little girl knew what was happening to her body and the only concern she had was she didn’t want to see her family suffer anymore by coming to the hospital every day.

Emery wiped her eyes and put on the brave look that she’d grown accustomed to wearing in this department. She waved to the other kids who were playing and walked down the long hallway to Molly’s room. Only one parent was seated by the bedside, Molly’s mother, when Emery knocked softly and opened the door. She motioned for Emery to come over and take the seat beside her. They both held each other’s hand and wept for the little girl who would never see the light of day again.

* * *

The funeral for Molly was held three days later. Emery had attended both days of visiting hours at the funeral home itself and now was watching another small child casket be placed into the ground on this hot July day. Her mother wanted to come with her, but Emery told her that this was something she wanted to do on her own. She couldn’t get ahold of Austin to tell him what had happened because of the no communication thing at camp, except for if his parents would need to get ahold of him, but Emery didn’t even think about telling them so he could be notified until the funeral was about to start. It was like she was placed into a trance and had just gone through the motion of the days without any real thought. She followed everyone back to the picnic area of the park that had been set up as the gathering after the funeral. She took a small amount of food that was being served and sat down with the other volunteers who had known Molly. They ate in silence and looked at the vast amount of pictures that had been placed around the room. Most were of Molly before she’d gotten really ill, but there were a few that had been taken with other kids in the department and also with the volunteers who had been there since she had started going there. There were also tons of pictures that Molly had painted on her last stay in the hospital, the one that had lasted almost three long months to her but three short months to those who loved her.

“Emery.” Molly’s mom lightly touched the girl’s shoulder. She held out the envelope that Molly had decorated with heart stickers and had put Emery’s name on the front. “Molly had left this for you in one of her drawers. I just wanted to give it to you before you left and to thank you for being there every day for her.”

Emery saw the tears build in the woman’s eyes, but like her, she didn’t let them fall easily. It was as though they had been through this so many times that eventually they’d become numb to emotions. She took the envelope and set it under her purse. She didn’t want to open it around everyone else because she knew whatever was in it was only meant for her. “Thank you for allowing me to spend time with such an amazing girl.”

Molly’s mother smiled weakly and nodded her head once. She walked back over to the table that housed all the pictures of her late daughter. Her fingers lightly outlined each of the frames as she gazed upon each smile that Molly always had regardless of the circumstance.

Some of the other volunteers were getting ready to leave, so Emery packed up her belongings and began the trek back outside to her car. She had told the group that she would see them on Monday and that Austin would also be back. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Emery was excited that he was finally coming back. Even though they hadn’t been together very long, it was like a part of her had been gone since he’d left.

Emery said hello to her parents when she went into the house, but didn’t stop to elaborate about the funeral. She knew they could understand her not wanting to talk about it since it was personal and hit too close to home. She opened the envelope after staring at it for several minutes. A whole bunch of glitter and ‘I love you’ stickers fell out. That was so typical of Molly to use glitter and stickers on everything that she’d created and written. A small piece of paper was mixed in the bunch and Emery’s hands trembled as she picked it up to read.

In her perfect, neat, eight-year-old handwriting Molly had written…

Emery, you were the big sister I always wanted. Thank you for always being there for me. I know we will meet again and maybe then neither one of us will be in pain. Now is the time that I have to break the girl-code. Even though my mom thinks I’m too young to notice boys, I have to confess now that I think your boyfriend is hot. You and Austin make such a cute couple, he’s really good for you, Emery. I hope you two go on to get married and have lots of little Emerys and Austins, maybe you could have a little girl named after me too…love you, Emery, and I will be watching for you to build that snowman.

Love, Molly

Emery folded the paper back up the same way that Molly had done it. She gathered all the stickers and glitter that she could and placed it all back into the envelope with the note. Emery sealed it back up and placed it in the drawer of her nightstand. She laid her head down on the pillow, covered herself with her comforter, and cried the tears she’d been holding in for so long.

* * *

It was almost noon when Emery rolled back out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen. According to the note that was left for her, it seemed her parents had gone to the store for some groceries. Emery grabbed a banana and went back to her room so she could eat, get her clothes, and then get a shower. She had two hours before Austin would arrive back at the school.

Emery arrived at the school parking lot ten minutes before the scheduled arrival time of the buses. There were several other people there, mostly moms, dads, girlfriends, and boyfriends waiting for the buses to make their entrance. She didn’t know any of them, not on a talk to basis, so Emery just sat down on the ledge that went around the perimeter of the building.

The buses started to pull into the drive-around about thirty minutes after Emery had gotten there. She saw that everyone was getting off and looking around for whoever may be waiting for them. The second bus was almost unloaded and one of the last people to exit was Austin. Emery jumped off the ledge and waved to him when he glanced over to where all the people were standing. He patted Dylan on the back and began to jog over to where she was standing.

“It is so good to see you.” Austin wrapped his arms around Emery’s waist and lifted her up. He hugged her close like they’d been apart for years instead of just one week. He felt her grip him tight and bury her head in the crook of his neck. “Is everything okay?” He knew that something must have happened while he was gone for her to be acting like this around all of these people.

Emery shook her head no and lifted it up so that she could finally look at the person she’d been missing for this past week. As she lifted her head, one thing caught her eye. It was a light, purplish, colored mark on the side of Austin’s neck. Everyone knew what those were and it wasn’t something that he got from playing football. Emery pushed back from Austin as she realized his unfaithfulness to her. Not that they had ever said they were exclusive, but the way he acted over the past several weeks, she thought maybe she meant a little more to him than what was the obvious. “Oh, um…Molly passed away while you were gone.” Emery closed her eyes for a brief second just to will the tears away, then glanced up at Austin who had a look of horror on his face.

Austin pulled Emery close once again. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there.” He felt Emery’s tension and she backed out of his embrace.

“You were busy. It’s over and done. I had the other volunteers with me.” Emery glanced around and saw that a group of Apryl and her friends were walking toward them. “I better get going. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow at the hospital.” She tried to escape, but Austin caught hold of her hand before she could walk away.

“See ya, Austin. Camp was fun this year.” Apryl made sure she and her two besties walked past Austin and his new conquest. She flipped her hair as she got right up next to them. Apryl glanced over at Emery and saw the response that she was seeking. It was obvious that Emery had seen the mark on her neck that was almost identical to Austin’s. Emery’s poor, pathetic expression had gone from just a hint of anger to total anguish in about three seconds. Apryl waved to both of them then strolled away.

Austin didn’t think it was necessary to even acknowledge Apryl behind him. She’d been around him night and day for the past seven days. And being the determined bitch that she was she couldn’t take no for an answer for anything. He still had a hold of Emery’s arm and saw her expression as Apryl went past. “Are you mad ‘cause Apryl was there? She had to go because of cheerleading, not because anyone really wanted her to go.”

“I don’t care about Apryl or whatever happened with her at camp. I gotta go.” Emery finally got her arm free from Austin’s hold when he wasn’t paying attention to make sure she didn’t try to leave again.

After several seconds of watching Emery walk back toward her car, Austin finally realized why she was so pissed, or hurt, or whatever she felt toward him now. He subconsciously put his hand over the mark on his neck and began a trot to catch up with Emery. “Emery,” he yelled out across the parking lot, but she kept walking without looking back. Austin sped up his pace so that he would catch up to her before she made it to her car. “Stop.” Austin pulled on the back of her T-shirt so that she couldn’t move forward to get into her car. “I know what you’re mad about.” Of course, leave it to Apryl to cause another trial in his and Emery’s new relationship.

Emery stopped because she had no other option. Austin was holding the back of her shirt and it was nearly impossible to move anywhere. “I’m not mad. I just want to go home. It’s been a long three days. I saw you made it back safely, and now I want to go home and rest.” That was sort of the truth. She’d wanted to spend the rest of the day with Austin, but after what she’d seen she’d rather go home and be alone.

“Are you going to let me explain or just believe what you want again?” Austin turned her around so that he could talk to her face-to-face. She did look tired but also hurt by whatever she was thinking. “She did this to me.” He pulled down his neckline so that the sucker bite was more visible. “I was sitting with Dylan last night going over the plays that we have to work on this week and Apryl came up behind me and latched onto me. I shook her off as soon as I felt someone touch me. It just so happens that her mouth got ahold of me for a split second. That’s all that happened, nothing else.” Austin watched as Emery rolled her eyes over the story, which was really what had happened and not something he made up just to fool her.

“Austin, you don’t owe me any explanation. You never said we were exclusive, so you can do what you want, with whomever you want. It’s who you are and what you do. And by the way, maybe you should let Apryl know about your story since she has the same mark as you do.” Emery wanted to make sure she imposed the notion she still thought he was a player and up to no good.

“That is where you are wrong.” Austin was getting riled up of being accused of doing something he knew he could never do to her. “Dylan.” He waved over his friend, who was walking over on the portion of the parking lot. “Dylan will tell you exactly what happened.’” Austin pulled Emery by the hand so that she was forced to go with him.

“What’s up?” Dylan met Austin and Emery in the middle of the lot. She looked upset about something.

“Tell her what Apryl did last night when we were going over the plays.” Austin knew Dylan wouldn’t lie. He would kick his ass and make his life hell on the team.

Dylan shrugged his shoulders. “She snuck up behind him and bit his neck before he had time to know what the fuck was going on.”

“And how did Apryl get a sucker bite on her neck?” Austin questioned the one who knew mostly everything that went on with the team in these regards.

Dylan held up his hands in protest. “Dude, it wasn’t me. Last time I saw her she was with Kory last night.” Dylan noticed that his girl was getting impatient, waiting for him by the car. “Dude, I gotta go.” He slapped Austin’s arm and nodded to his girl waiting for him.

“Okay, see ya.” Austin was happy that Dylan had sort of cleared up the matter. Well, maybe, it still seemed like Emery wasn’t believing the whole story. “So, do you believe me or am I going have to get down on my knees and start singing my innocence to you”?”

Emery had to chuckle at that one. She had heard Austin sing before and it wasn’t one of his better qualities. He was gorgeous, great with other people, a star on the football team, but being a singer was not one career he should pursue. Emery didn’t want this to end in some wicked fight, life was too short to always be angry. She knew most likely he was telling the truth since Apryl was a conniving bitch. “Are you going home?” She had to find out what he was doing the rest of the day before she made any other plans.

“Only if you’re coming with me.” Austin saw the wall that was between them start to break down after Emery had thought about the situation. “If not, I’ll go wherever you go. I missed you this week.” He pulled her hand so that she would be pressed up against him. He didn’t feel any protest or her wanting to get away. Austin kissed her softly on the cheek. “So what do you want to do?”

“I’ll follow you over, I guess.”

“Nope.” Austin put his arm around her shoulders. “We’ll get your car later. You can ride with me.” He led her over to his truck, which luckily no one had trashed since in sat there for the week. But then again, there were a lot of other cars that got left there and patrol had been set up by the police department to keep an extra eye on the school parking lot for the week. Not that they lived in a bad town, nothing ever happened unless it was someone fighting when they were drunk or some sort of domestic dispute, but you never know when a kid could get bored and decide to vandalize cars that were left unattended. Austin opened the passenger door and gave Emery one last kiss before helping her into the truck. He began his ride home with his girl at his side.

Emery and Austin spent the rest of the afternoon in his room talking about everything that had gone on at camp and about Molly’s funeral that Emery had a hard time discussing. It still seemed unreal that Molly would no longer be making everyone smile and bop around with her whistling and happy demeanor. It was going to be a sad, lonely place for a while, but that’s what happens when you let emotions get the best of you. They discussed school that was starting in two weeks and how Austin was happy about finally being a senior. Emery faked her enthusiasm that they were going to finally be seniors. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy about finally graduating, but wasn’t sure what the year held in store for her. If she were a normal, healthy teen girl, she’d be thrilled and ecstatic about being seen with the most sought after guy in school. But since she wasn’t, Emery was just happy to have made it this far.

The subject of their upcoming birthdays came up and both decided that even though Emery’s parents and Austin’s friends wanted to do something special for those days, they decided just to spend them with each other. Emery had spent seventeen years of doing birthday dinners with her mom and dad, while Austin had spent the past few years partying each birthday away with the team and girls. Now for their big, becoming an adult birthday, they wanted to be alone. Finally, around seven that evening, after the couple had dinner with Austin’s rowdy family, he took Emery back over to get her car at the school.

“Thanks for coming to meet me today.” Austin softly touched her cheek.

Emery laid her head on Austin’s open palm and just enjoyed the serenity she felt when he was near. “Thanks for the great afternoon and dinner.”

Austin snorted and pulled Emery closer to him. “Any time I can dazzle you with chili dogs and my loud obnoxious family you’re more than welcome to come.”

“They’re fun. My parents seem so uptight compared to yours.” Emery knew the reasons why her parents behaved the way they did, mostly it was out of concern for her. “I like being around your family.”

“I know that they really like you, maybe almost as much as I do.” Austin had wanted to tell Emery that he thought of them as more than just the usual hook-up he was so known for before. He had really started to like her and could imagine them being together for a really long time.

“Well, Austin. I like them almost as much as I like you.” Emery leaned her head back and saw a smile spread across his face. “Guess we should be getting home. We have to be at the hospital bright and early tomorrow.”

“That’s right. We have to be there at nine instead of twelve.” Austin had totally forgotten about the schedule change. He had been worn out from football camp and then excited about coming back to see Emery, that the whole change thing had totally slipped his mind. “I better let Ms. I Need My Twelve Hours Sleep go home then.” He still loved the fact that Emery would rather be sleeping early than getting ready for an all-night party.

“If you were with me I’m sure I wouldn’t be sleeping.” Emery gave him a quick peck on the lips, then scooted around to her car door before he had time to realize what she’d just implied. She shut the door and waved to him as she backed out of the parking space. Austin was still standing there wide-eyed and opened-mouthed as Emery made her way out to the main road.

* * *

“Emery, we’re going to be late,” Austin yelled down the hall. Emery had gone back to her bedroom to grab another pair of shoes twenty minutes ago. It was their first day back to school and he didn’t want to start it off wrong by being late.

“I’m ready.” Emery grabbed her backpack and Austin’s hand. She led them over to the front door and yelled out to her mom that they were leaving. She shook her finger at him as he helped her into the truck. “You are so impatient.” It was the first day of their senior year and she had the jitters about showing up with the hottest guy in school. She knew there were going to be stares and multiple stories going around from the people who hadn’t seen them together before. She watched as he went around to his side of the truck and got in so easily. Emery still had a hard time believing that they were a couple. Never in a million years would have anyone ever suspected that they would get together. Now, she had to explain it all to her friends whom she hadn’t seen since Austin came into her life.

“Didn’t you have a different outfit on when you went back to your room?” Austin had just realized that Emery wasn’t wearing the same outfit as before. He made the turn onto the road that led to the high school.

“Yeah, but it didn’t look right. Does this one look bad?” Emery feared she’d have to either tell him to go back so she could change once again or suffer through the whole day with an icky outfit.

Austin raked his eyes up and down Emery’s outfit. It was a short black skirt paired up with a tight, short-sleeved hot pink T-shirt. She had these little ankle boots on that made the outfit extra sexy. “I think you look hot.” Austin knew that wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say. But if he had come right out and said that he wanted to take her back to his house, tear those clothes off, and have his way with her, well, that just would make her blush like she normally did with comments like that. Their ‘special’ moments had become more numerous and adventurous, but never to the point of being truly sexual. He knew Emery wanted to wait, but the way she acted sometimes led him to believe otherwise.

“So, I look hot.” Emery licked her lips with her tongue in the most sensual way she knew. She ran her hand up Austin’s leg and skimmed over his crotch area. Emery heard him groan, and he grabbed her hand to keep it in place on his thigh. She giggled at his response.

“It’s not funny.” Austin shook his head at her actions. He pulled into the student parking and parked in his normal spot that was always left open. “You.” He turned the truck off and turned toward her. “Don’t have to walk around all day with a boner because of that little move you just did.” Austin picked up her hand and kissed it. “Ready for the first day?”

Emery shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. Are you?” Emery watched as Austin thought about her question. He kept scrunching his nose up like he was in deep thought.

“No, not really. I don’t want summer to end and our lives to get more hectic. I like spending my time with you.” He kissed her softly on the lips so he wouldn’t mess her lipstick. “Now, football and school will be all time-consuming. The only time we’ll see each other is at the hospital.”

“I can come to practices.” Emery was all right with sitting there and watching the team practice. She’d done it a couple of time since Austin had taken her the first time after volunteer time that one day. The cheerleaders usually did their practices in the gym, so she didn’t have to worry about Apryl. “And we can study together and do other things.” Emery kissed him back and lightly ran her tongue over his lips. She felt him respond by deepening the kiss.

“You are going to make this difficult, aren’t you? I’m going to be so worked up today that I won’t be able to function.” Austin ended their heated moment. He kissed Emery on the tip of the nose and opened his door to get out. He quickly jogged around and helped Emery down to the pavement. He could feel all eyes on them from everyone standing around in the parking lot. Austin put his arm around Emery’s shoulders and led them up to the school.

“I’ll see you at lunch.” Emery tippy-toed and gave Austin a quick kiss goodbye. It was the only time they would be together during the day. They had made it through the hordes of students who watched their every move in amazement that the star football player would be seen with someone like her. Emery had seen her little group of friends and they seemed just as shocked that she and Austin were really together.

“Yep. I’ll meet you in the front.” Austin pulled Emery back one last time for another kiss, then watched as she quickly ran up the steps to make it to her class on time. Now he had to go listen to some of his friends complain once again that he’d been absent all summer, he’d missed a lot of parties, as well as try to ignore them when they rambled on about him being with someone like Emery instead of one of the girls that were more fitting for them, the girls from the cheer squad or the dance team. He couldn’t imagine ever going out with one of those girls again, even for a one-night stand, not since he’d met Emery. But his friends weren’t the type that he could talk about the possibility of falling in love, all they focused on was the next target and conquer.

“Where do you want to sit?” Emery met up with Austin outside of the cafeteria. They had made it through the first of their four classes and had three more to go until they could finally leave. None of her friends had lunch this period, but a lot of Austin’s teammates and other people he hung around with did and were already filing in line for food.

Austin looked around and saw the people he had eaten lunch with for the past three years were beginning to filter in. He was thankful that none of Apryl’s crew had lunch at this time, but he knew Emery probably wouldn’t want to sit with a whole table full of guys and girls she hardly knew. “How about courtyard?” He nodded toward the outside seating that had been constructed for those who favored eating outside. There were a few small picnic-like tables and benches that were surrounded by the colored flowers of the school’s theme, navy blue, and white.

“Okay.” Emery was happy with his proposal. It was way too nice of a day not to be outside. “You don’t want to sit with the team?” she questioned him as they went through the line and picked out what they wanted.

“‘I’ve seen them enough today. Plus, I get to see them all for the next three classes and all afternoon after school for practice. I haven’t seen you since this morning and I need my Emery time now.” Austin motioned for the cashier to total up both his and Emery’s lunches together so he could pay for them both. He gave her the required money and led Emery out to the fresh, warm air of the outdoors. “So, how’re all your classes going so far?” Austin picked up his hoagie and took a bite.

“Not too bad, but it’s only the first day. Ask me in three more months if I still like them.” Emery drank some of her orange juice and dribbled the ranch dressing on her chicken salad. “How’s yours going?” She took a big bite of the salad before the chicken lost its warmth.

Austin shrugged his shoulders. “They’re like every other year.” He was trying to talk and chew at the same time, which wasn’t a good combination. Austin started to choke on a piece of food that he accidentally swallowed while talking. He finally coughed enough that it got dislodged, went flying back out of his mouth, and landed on the next table over. Two of the girls who were sitting there let out a squeal as soon as the piece of food landed near them. They looked around at the rest of the people who were out there to see which one would have done something like that, mainly focusing on Austin since he was the one who just had the coughing fit.

Emery snickered at the whole scene. “Really mature, Austin.” He had his head tucked down low and pretended to be focusing on his food. “You know they aren’t going to say anything to you. You are the almighty Austin Murray.” Emery picked up a stack of napkins off of her tray and proceeded over to where the food had accidentally fallen. The two girls, who Emery didn’t know, looked at her as she picked up the piece of hoagie that was still lying on the table. “You’ll have to excuse my boyfriend. He hasn’t learned any manners yet.”

“So, is it true then?” the girl closest to where Emery was standing whispered to her.

“Is what true?” Emery hadn’t fully understood the question yet.

“That, you know, you’re paying Austin to go out with you.”

The girl looked dead serious with her question and Emery could feel the anger boiling up inside of herself as she pondered on who could have started such a rumor. “No, I’m not paying Austin. Who told you that anyway?” Now she wanted to find out who was the wiseass starting shit on the first day of school.

Both girls shrugged their shoulders. It was either they had no clue where they heard it or they weren’t giving up any info to get someone in trouble. “No one really, just some talk that’s been going around.” The girl finally gave an answer that Emery might be okay with.

“Whatever.” Emery took the napkin and threw it in the trash, then sat back down with Austin. “Are you going to charge me for sitting here?” Emery threw the question out to him just to see if maybe he’d heard any of the talk. She put the plastic lid back on her chicken salad and pushed her lunch tray away. Emery looked at Austin, waiting for his response.

Austin had heard a lot of stories and reasons why he and Emery were together. He just blew them off and told people either asking or telling him about the rumor to shut the fuck up. “Yes.” As soon as he saw Emery’s expression he knew he’d given the answer to a question that wasn’t even asked. “No…no…no. I didn’t mean that yes you have to pay me. I meant yes that I’ve heard the rumors.” He saw her face ease up a little, but still looked hurt that people would make up stuff about them, well, mainly her.

“What else have you heard?” Emery hadn’t really heard anything, but then again she didn’t pay much attention to others when they gossiped. The friends she had in her classes never said anything about them being together, they just listened to what she had to tell them and thought it was cool that they were together.

Austin knew she probably didn’t want to hear the majority of it, so he just told her the ones that came to the top of his head. “I heard that one, and that it was part of my volunteer time, and you were pregnant from our supposed hot, one-night stand.” He had to wink at her on the last comment just because she looked quite flabbergasted over someone saying that and people actually believing it.

“This school is so un-freakin’-real.” Emery heard the bell sound that signaled that their time was up for lunch.

Austin grabbed both their trays and tossed the garbage away and set the trays on the can for pickup. “You know what I liked, though?”

Emery rolled her eyes at him and waited for another comment that he may have heard.

“I liked when you said my boyfriend before.” He picked up both their backpacks and grabbed for her hand. “That was the first time you ever said anything like that.” He kissed her softly on the side of her face and walked down the hall toward her next class.

“Meet me after school.” Emery leaned her forehead on Austin’s chest. They had made it to her next class and luckily his was right next door. She felt his lips kiss the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’ll meet you after this class. Don’t leave without me.” He gave her one last kiss and then gave her back her backpack. Austin let all the other kids go into class before letting go of her. “Have fun.”

“You too.” Emery said it as sarcastic as he did to her. How much fun could they actually have in their math classes? She watched as he went in and took his seat near the back.

“Oh, we will have fun.” Emery heard the voice from hell as Apryl strolled past her and took the empty seat right next to Austin. She sat facing him with her legs uncrossed in a skirt that seemed way too short for their school dress code. Emery shook her head at the girl’s audacity and antics, then walked into her class just as the bell rang.

* * *

“Where are we going?” Emery gently smacked Austin on the back. They’d finished their last class and met in front of the school. As soon as he had seen her, he’d picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. She could tell that they were walking toward the parking lot because she heard the cars going by and saw the feet of other students as Austin moved past them. Finally, after a few minutes of being carried Emery was put back down on her feet.

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“Just to my truck until practice starts,” Austin told her. “And what are we going to do in your truck for the next thirty minutes?” Emery saw the sly look on his face as he shut her door and ran around to his side.

“We.” Austin wrapped his arms around Emery and pulled her closer to his side. “Are.” He began to lightly kiss her neck. “Going to do something that I’ve been waiting all day after watching you in that skirt.” Austin noticed a short gasp as he began to lightly stroke the inside of her bare thigh. As his hand moved higher, so did the rate of Emery’s breathing pattern.

Emery kept her eyes closed and knew that at any moment this could all be stopped by someone coming over to Austin’s truck or just by her saying no. It all felt too good to say no and she hoped that no one else was looking. Emery squinted her eyes open and saw that the parking spaces ahead of them were vacant, as well as the ones next to them. Austin still had his eyes closed as his hand progressed north and his kisses along her neck became more like nips of pleasure.

Austin knew Emery was going to stop him real soon. He was almost to the line that she always said no and being in the school parking lot was not a place for her to be acting like this. It was so not Emery-like. A few more millimeters and still no hand stop. He felt the heat as his fingers neared her panties and every tremble she gave made him even more excited. He glanced at her and saw that she had her head back on the seat, eyes closed, and a small smile on her face. Austin continued with the plan he had thought of all day.

Emery shuddered as she felt one finger swoop inside of her panties. In automatic response, she lifted her hips and let out a small whimper. She knew she was going to have to maintain control, especially since anyone could come by at any time. Austin worked magic on her throbbing nub that needed to be relieved. He kept the motion of small circles with one finger as two more worked their way backward and to the wetness that awaited.

Now that Emery had shifted her butt further toward the floor so that her crotch was no longer on the seat, Austin had better access to her sweetness.

Emery sucked in her breath and felt tears form in her eyes. It had hurt, but in an intoxicating way. Austin hadn’t made any more moves and had kept all fingers still after the last move. She could feel the pain subsiding and a new sensation take hold. Emery started to move her hips back and forth so that Austin’s fingers were doing the same. His other finger began its circular motion once again and Emery thought she was going to pass out from the heat that she felt.

Austin felt Emery shiver and grip his arm. He knew that he’d helped her reach the ultimate point of satisfaction. Her breaths were in soft pants and she kept her hand on his so that he wouldn’t stop and she would be able to ride this out with the fullest gratification. After he had heard her breathing return to a normal pace, Austin removed his fingers from her panties and pulled her skirt down a bit so that she was covered more. He watched her until she opened her eyes.

The bright sunlight filtered in through the window as Emery opened her eyes. That was the most intense pleasure she’d ever had and now felt a bit embarrassed of what happened or what Austin may be thinking right now. Emery glanced out of the corner of her eyes and saw Austin was intently watching her. He smiled as he caught her eye. Emery returned the gesture with caution. She rearranged her clothes and brushed the hair back that had fallen over her face. Austin tilted her chin so that she would look at him and he kissed her softly on the lips.

“I have to get going to practice. Are you coming?” Austin lightly ran his fingers down her arm and saw that it elicited goosebumps over her skin.

Emery had totally forgotten about the practice after that major event. “Yeah, I’m going.” She checked her face and hair in the rearview mirror, then waited until Austin came around to open her door.

Instead of letting Emery leap down like she normally did from the truck, he slid her down the length of his body and groaned on every inch they were in contact. “You have me so freakin’ excited I don’t know if I’m going to be able to concentrate during practice.” He shut the door when her feet hit the ground and backed her up until she was pressed against the side. Austin captured her lips with his in a hungry kiss that left them both gasping for air.

As Austin’s lips traveled down her neck, Emery reminded him of where he needed to be. He groaned, gave her one last kiss, then took her hand and led her down to the field. The first thing they noticed when they got there was that the cheerleaders were practicing on the sidelines by the field.

“What the fuck?” Austin was the first to comment about the girls being there. He pulled Emery over to the bench and stormed off to find out what the hell was going on.

Emery didn’t hear what they were saying, but she saw Austin’s hands flying everywhere as he talked to Dylan and pointed to the ones over to the side. After a while, he shook his head then started back over to where Emery was seated.

“Seems the girls wanted to be outdoors for practice so they could get their formations right on the sidelines for the game on Friday.” Austin knew Emery probably wouldn’t be happy with Apryl and crew being so near, but there was nothing he could do since their coach had them do it.

“That’s all right. If they stay there and I’m here, it should all be good.” Emery pointed to the guys jogging up to the equipment room. “You better go get changed.”

Austin turned around and saw the guys heading up. “I’ll be back in a few.” He leaned down, gave her a quick kiss, and then jogged over to the line heading toward the small white building.

Emery sat there just watching the birds enjoy their swoops onto the field in search of insects to eat. After a few moments of sitting alone, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She knew it wasn’t Austin, so that could only mean that it was one of the girls from the squad.

“Emery.” Even though she wanted to call her by the nickname that she always did, Apryl called the girl’s real name. She saw her nod her head but didn’t turn around to acknowledge that she was there. “I figured since you’re going to be hanging around our group from now on, maybe you should come on over and meet the other girls.”

There was no way in hell that Emery was going to subject herself to that torment. “No thank you, I’m good right here.”

Apryl hated being ignored and even more, she hated to be told no by the likes of some of Emery’s stature. Instead of just walking away, Apryl leaned down so that she was close to Emery’s ear. She kept a close eye on the equipment room door just in case Austin made an appearance. After she was done telling Emery what she wanted her to hear, she left the now confused girl alone once again.

Emery couldn’t believe what Apryl had told her. It seemed everything that just happened in Austin’s truck had already occurred in a classroom today between the two of them. It seemed that Apryl and Austin had a majority of their classes together, including one where they sat in the back of the science lab room with a teacher who was known for not paying any attention to the students. Apryl explained to her, in a not-so-friendly way, how she wasn’t wearing any panties today under her short, tight skirt and that drove Austin wild. She told her what had happened in the back of the room and it was almost exact to what had happened with them in the truck. Emery tried to keep her composure as the team began their descent out of the building and Austin made his way over to her.

“You okay?” Austin saw that Emery looked a little paler than when he had gone in to change. He hoped that the sun hadn’t taken its toll on her yet, since they still had two hours of practice to get through before they could leave. “Stay here a minute.” Austin went over to the cooler that had the ice and water bottles for practice. He grabbed two of them out and took them back to Emery. “Make sure you drink these so you don’t get sick sitting out here in the sun.”

The bottles were cool to the touch and Emery held them against her face. Austin was being so nice and thoughtful right now, it was hard to believe that he had cheated on her during the school day. “Thank you.” Emery set one of the bottles down on the bench and opened the other to get a cold drink.

The sound of the coach’s whistle signaled that practice was about to start. “I gotta get going.” Austin gave Emery a quick kiss on the cheek and jogged over the front line for warm-ups. Every so often during the next two hours, he would look over to the bench to make sure Emery was doing all right. She was either watching them go through the plays or playing around with her apps on her cell phone. Finally, around six, the coach ended practice and released them to go home. “Hey, I gotta change real quick, then I’ll be right back out.” Emery didn’t say anything to him, she nodded her head once and kept her focus on the two birds that were hopping along on the ground.

It seemed Austin was in a rush to get back, as Emery saw he was the first one out of the equipment building. She had to ask him about Apryl but wasn’t sure how to bring on the whole subject.

“Ready?” Austin was ready to get the hell away from the field and watchful eyes of everyone who had nothing else to focus on in their lives except what he was doing. Emery stood and walked beside him, but far enough that they weren’t touching or seen as together.

Austin opened up the truck door for Emery to get in and she clambered on up without needing any assistance from him. “Okay, Emery, talk.” Austin put the key in the ignition but didn’t start the truck just yet.

“About?” She knew what she wanted to say, but was afraid to hear if it was the truth.

“Something obviously happened from the time that we left to go to the field until now.” Austin was getting more and more frustrated by the moment.

“Do you have a lot of classes with Apryl?” First, she had to find out if Apryl was telling the truth about them having a lot of classes together.

Austin shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I try not to look for her. I guess she’s in some of my classes, but a lot of people I know are.”

“Is she in your Mr. Ward’s bio lab and does she sit by you?” Now she had to get to what happened in that lab today.

“Yes, and only because he put us alphabetically. I have an M for the last name initial and so does she. What does this have to do with anything?” Austin was totally confused as to where this whole conversation was leading.

“Did anything happen between you two in class today?” Emery didn’t want to come right out and ask if he had touched Apryl the same way that he did her earlier.

The only thing that came to mind was that Apryl kept sitting with her legs open in her little skirt. He knew from experience that she never wore underwear or if she did it was some scant little thing. Of course, being a guy it was hard not to look, but he never touched or gave her any inkling that he was remotely interested in anything she had to offer. “She kept flirting with me, but I ignored her.”

“Nothing happened between you two, like what had happened with us earlier here”?” Emery didn’t want to beat around the bush any longer, so she got straight to the point.

Austin was stunned speechless by her question. Now he knew Apryl must have talked to Emery while he went to change before practice had begun. “No. I don’t know what she told you, but I know it was another one of Apryl’s lies. Nothing happened with me and her for a long while.”

Emery knew that could be true, but every insinuated lie that Apryl supposedly told made it harder and harder to trust Austin. Emery kept her focus looking out the window as she began her next question. “Did you and her do stuff like…you know…like we just did?”

“Emery, Apryl and I were together a lot during the last three years. Yes, we did have sex and yes we did do other things like we did. But I wasn’t with her at camp and I surely wasn’t with her in school today.” Austin was growing tired of Apryl’s attempts to get him back and also Emery’s insecurities about his faithfulness to her and their relationship. “You know, I can’t keep up with every lie that Apryl will tell and I can’t keep going on in our relationship if you are never going to trust me.” He didn’t want to break up, but he didn’t want to have to explain himself every time Emery heard another rumor.

Emery was hurt that Austin wanted to break up because of her insecurities. It wasn’t like she had a lot of experience with this whole relationship and dating thing and he used to be the biggest man whore of the school, as everyone used to say, but the way he was acting now about not being trusted made Emery see him in a different light. “Okay, I’m sorry. I just get too wrapped up in what Apryl always has to say that I never give you the benefit of the doubt.” Emery finally looked over at him and saw he was staring out the front window with a depressed look on his face. Emery reached over for his hand, which willingly accepted hers, and shifted a few inches closer. “I promise to always ask you about everything that she might say before I get all pissy and hurt, okay?” Emery just wanted to make this all better and hopefully, move on from another Apryl attempt at destroying their relationship.

Austin nodded his head he was okay with that. He pulled her closer with one arm and kept his arm around her shoulders to keep her close. Austin started the truck so that he was able to take them to get something to eat for dinner and then get them both home.

* * *

It was finally Friday and the first night of football. It was a home game, so Emery told Austin she would just drive herself to school and then meet him back at the field before the game. Of course, she had to double promise that she was going to show back up and not go to sleep like she was known for doing. The day had gone well, like the rest of the week had gone since Austin and Emery had talked about their relationship complications. He had moved from each of his seats in the classes that Apryl was in so that she was on the complete opposite side of the room. He told the teachers that she would be too much of talking distraction for him to focus properly. It wasn’t that Apryl was very talkative, but he didn’t want to get her into trouble by telling them she would be making too many sexual advances on him for his comfort.

“You will be here at six this evening, right?” Austin had to make sure that Emery was going to be there before he had to go into the locker room for change and pep talk.

“Yes, Austin, I will be here.” Emery never knew he would be the one to panic before a game, but it was so obvious that he was worried about the upcoming game against one of their biggest rivals. This time, Emery moved him so that he was up against her car. She ran her hands up his chest and then back down his arms to clasp her hands with his. She tippy-toed up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Everything will be fine tonight. You’ll do great, you’ll win, and everyone will love you like they always do.” Emery tried to give an inspirational talk so that maybe he would calm down enough to concentrate of the game.

Austin loosened his hands from hers and placed them on her butt to pull her tight against him. He began to nibble on Emery’s neck and loved when she made those soft noises of pleasure. “Do I get something special if I win?”

Emery wiggled back away from him a smidgen and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away. “Definitely.” She began to move around to the driver’s side of her car. “I will buy you an ice cream afterward.” Emery giggled and hopped into her car before Austin could make any advances toward her. Austin just shook his head at her response as it seemed that wasn’t the one he was looking for. She waited until he stepped away from her car before backing out. Emery put down her window and waved him over. Austin leaned his head in the open space and gave her another kiss. “I’ll see you in a few.” Emery headed for home to grab a quick bite to eat, change, and make it back to the school to cheer her man on.

Emery had twenty minutes to get to the field on time. She didn’t want Austin to be anymore anxious than he already was. So with one last look in her mirror to brush her hair back once again and to make sure Austin’s last year football jersey was knotted just right, Emery told her parents she would be home later and headed back over to the school.

The parking lot was already getting full by the time Emery pulled into a spot. There was still over an hour until kick-off and the place was already pumped up to go. The field lights were bright and shining as Emery made her way down the bleacher steps. She saw Austin already suited up over by the home team’s bench and he seemed to be watching the bleacher section for her to make her appearance. He must have finally caught her eye in the crowd of people because Emery saw a big smile spread across his face. He motioned with his hand for her to come over to him.

“Right on time.” Austin picked her up by her waist and kissed her hard. He knew now wasn’t the time for them to get all PDA on each other so he set her feet back down on the ground and walked back over with her to the bleachers. Of course, he had to go through the numerous shout-outs of his name, especially from the girls, whom he gave waves. But his main focus was on the one who was right by his side.

“Seems you’re quite popular here tonight.” Emery cuddled closer to him as he sat with her on the spot on the bleachers, which he had selected, right behind where he’d be on the bench.

Austin pulled her close and kissed her nose tip. He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I’m popular all the time, just not tonight.”

Emery smacked his chest lightly. “Aren’t we all full of ourselves?” She knew he was joking around and trying to blow off some jitters that he probably had. “Hey.” Emery took him by the chin and brought his head down closer. “It’s going to be fine tonight, it’s just a game.” She kissed him lightly on the lips and noticed that he wasn’t really agreeing with her comment. “Austin, is everything okay?” Now he had her worried about the game.

“Yeah, I just tend to overreact at game time. I’ll be okay when I get out on the field.” He saw that some of the other players were beginning their warm-ups and knew that with him being the captain he should be out there. “I guess I gotta go.” Austin nodded his head in the direction of the other players.

“Okay, one last kiss and good luck.” Emery kissed him with a little more sensuality than was appropriate for a family event.

“Mmmm, keep kissing me like that and I’m taking tonight off.” Austin gave her a quick final peck on the lips then stood up to leave. “I’ll be looking for you when I score.” He had told her that he was going to be the winner this year of the big team bet. Well, at least he hoped he would be. He’d never won it before, as the running backs or the fullbacks were always the ones to get across the goal line first.

Emery gave him a thumbs-up and shooed him off with her hand. She didn’t want him to miss any of the important practice or talk that they probably had to go through. Emery watched as he jogged across the track and onto the field with over half the girls in the stadium’s eyes on him.

Halftime was over and the teams were both scoreless. Austin was back on his side by the bench, carefully going over the playbook, but every once in a while he would glance back at Emery and smile. Each play that he did came out perfect, but it seemed the other team’s defense was as good as theirs at stopping the runs and passes.

Austin looked worn out and defeated going into the final minute of the game. Emery could tell by his movements that this game was kicking his ass. He had just given the ball to their lead running back, but he got knocked out of bounds at the five-yard line. There were forty seconds on the clock and the team had one more play left until they had to do another kickoff. Emery watched as Austin took two steps back as the ball was hiked to him and then ran toward the goal line. Every defensive player was after him and had caught on quick to his sneaky move. The people in the stands were all standing, screaming, and cheering him on for the last two yards. Just as he was about to cross the line for the only score in the game, the strong safety tackled him on the line. Everyone gasped, wondering whether or not the ball had actually made it past the line.

Emery waited patiently for those several seconds, which seemed like hours. The silence of the crowd only intensified the moment and only when those rooting for their school erupted into a loud roar, did she know the final outcome. The referee had raised his arms high in the air, signaling it was indeed a touchdown. Austin got up from the ground, turned around, and pointed his finger at Emery. She waved back and he held up his hand in response that he’d seen her. He jogged back over to the bench and got congratulatory high fives from all his teammates.

The other team remained scoreless at the ending buzzer sound, indicating that Austin’s team had won. The team’s family and friends started to make their way down to the field so they could celebrate with the team. Austin saw Emery slowly making her way down, so he jumped over the fence that ran around the field and met her halfway. He scooped her up high and spun her around in a circle. “We are going out to celebrate tomorrow,” he yelled at her over the other people’s loud voices and yells. More students started to crowd them so they could congratulate him on the win. Even though girls and boys were trying to make their way in-between him and Emery, Austin never lost his grip on her hand.

Finally, after the half-hour celebration, the team had to go back to the locker room to change. Austin made sure he knew where Emery would be, on her usual spot on the team’s bench. He just hoped that Apryl and her crew would leave her alone until he got back. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be back out.” He knew it would take that long to get all the equipment off, a fast shower, and clothes back on before he would meet up with her again.

“Okay, I’ll wait.” Emery curled her legs up under her and got comfy on the bench that she became accustomed to sitting on. She watched as Austin sprinted past all the other players to be the first to get to the locker room. Emery noticed that Apryl and the other cheerleaders were on the sidelines still gathering up all their stuff and talking with the other students. It was a good thing that they hadn’t seen her sitting over here.

Austin broke all records in changing and showering. He had to listen to the other guys teasing that he was just in a hurry because his girl was going to give him a special present for winning the game. He just rode out the joshing from his friends without getting too angry at their talk about Emery. He used to do the same thing to them when they scored and what their girls were going to do to celebrate, so he really couldn’t get too pissed off at them for doing the same. Hey, it was all just locker room fun.

Emery saw that Austin had made good on his promise and was jogging back across the field in her direction. He was waving something in his hand, but she had no clue what it was. “What is that?” She pointed to the white envelop he was carrying.

“This, my dear, is what we are going to celebrate with tomorrow.” He opened the envelope so she could see the money that was inside. He put his arm around her shoulders and they began their walk over to the bleachers to leave. “It’s the bet money, remember? I scored first this season so I get the five hundred that we all put in.” They were close to the cheerleaders and he knew that Apryl had heard him stating that he had won the money.

“You did awesome tonight.” Emery had to kiss him right then and there just to piss Apryl off. He responded by making the kiss last a tad bit longer than it should’ve, but it was so worth the expression of defeat that was written all over Apryl’s face. “Just think, I didn’t even have to screw him so he could get that money or for him to stay with me all these months,” Emery whispered loudly to Apryl as they passed by the girls on the sidelines. Austin kept hold of her hand as they kept walking, but his face was one of shock. It wasn’t until they were up and out of the stadium that he broke down in laughter.

“Oh my God. I can’t believe you just said that to Apryl in front of half the squad.” Austin was still chuckling about Apryl’s stunned expression as Emery finally put her in her place. He knew Apryl was probably already plotting and planning how she could humiliate Emery more than she’d just been humiliated. But Austin knew that he’d have Emery’s back with whatever Apryl threw her way.

“I just get so tired of all her lies and put-downs.” Emery snuggled even closer to him and lightly ran her hand across his stomach. “So, what do you want to do for a celebration?”

Austin gave her a look that she knew what he wanted. He held her back a bit and looked her up from her white sneakers to the top of her head. “I think you are driving me crazier by being in my football jersey than you did in that short black skirt.” His truck was closest to where they were walking, so that’s where he decided to lead them. “We can get your car later.” He unlocked his truck doors and helped Emery up. He made sure to keep his hands on her perfectly round ass as she climbed up in the truck. Just as she was about to sit down, Emery wiggled her butt for him, which got a laugh and a jolt of desire out of Austin.

“Where to?” Emery questioned him once again after he merged into the slow-moving traffic that was leaving the school.

“I can think of a lot of places that I’d like to take you right now, but that will have to wait for another time.” Austin ran his hand along her thigh and ended with it being near her crotch.

Emery smiled at his response, then placed her hand on top of his and moved it down just a smidgen. “How about wherever the team is going?” She thought maybe he’d enjoy hanging out with his teammates after their first win.

“Really?” Austin was surprised by her answer. “Are you sure? You know everyone is going to be there?” He didn’t want to come right out and say that Apryl and the rest of the hoes were going to be there doing their thing with the guys.

“Yeah, why not.” She wasn’t too sure about it, but would never let Austin catch on to her insecurities about being around his perfect friends. Well, at least perfect in their own minds and half of the schools.

“Okay.” Austin made the turn to head toward the ice cream and game shop once he made it out of the line of traffic. It was only a short distance from the school, that’s why it was so popular and by the looks of it extremely popular tonight since cars were packed into all of the available parking spaces. “Do you mind a short walk?” Austin had to park over on the other side of the street since no spots were left.

“Nope, that’s okay.” Emery felt her stomach turn over a million times knowing that half of the school might be in there.

Austin parked in the first open spot he found. He raced around to help Emery and gave her a long kiss before letting her touch the ground. “Ready?” He waited for her to nod her head, then gripped her hand and led her to the place that seemed to be the happening place right now. He had to wave to everyone who called his name and once again congratulated him on the win. He saw some of the other guys were there, but most were probably still stuck in traffic as they’d been for a while. “Where do you want to sit?” There weren’t too many open private spaces left and the team had the other section all taken up with yellow taped ribbon so that not just anyone could sit with them.

“Some of your team is over there.” Emery pointed to the ones who had their practice jerseys on like Austin did.

“You sure?” He really didn’t wait for an answer as he led her to the place he knew was going to get wild. After the guys called his name once again, did the back slap, and the fist bump Austin introduced Emery to the ones who were already there. There weren’t too many of the cheers or dancers there yet, so she really didn’t have too much to worry about just yet. “Do you want something to eat or drink?” Austin had to yell over the other people screaming, the game sounds echoing out of the other room, and the music that was being played from the large stereo that had a million CDs to choose from.

“Just a coke, please.” Emery really wasn’t hungry since her nerves were on high alert.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Austin kissed her cheek and followed one of his teammates over to where they could order the food and drinks.

Emery felt the chair on the other side of her being pulled out and someone sitting down. She prayed it wasn’t Apryl or any of the cheerleaders that hung around her. Emery glanced over to her other side and noticed it was one of the girls from the dance squad. She had long dark brown hair, a perfect face in every sense, and dark brown eyes that were staring back at her.

“You’re Emery, right?” The girl was the first to talk and Emery was surprised that she’d used her real name and not one that Apryl had made up. Emery nodded her head that she was right, but she had no clue who this girl was. “I’m Laney, well, DeLane, but everyone calls me Laney. I’m a year behind you and Austin.”

“Oh.” Emery had no idea what this girl wanted, maybe she was being friendly. “I see you’re part of the dance crew. Are you also friends with Apryl? She’s on the cheer squad.” Emery needed to know if this girl was sent there from Apryl to cause havoc tonight.

Laney laughed and shook her head no. “Apryl and I don’t get along at all. Well, none of the dance crew likes her. She only has her little cheer minions that put up with her bullshit.” Laney nudged Emery with her elbow. “So, you and Austin, huh?”

Emery smiled at her. It seemed this girl was actually genuine and she didn’t like Apryl, which was an even better bonus. “Yeah, we sorta got together over the summertime.”

“Oh my God, he acts totally different around you than I’ve ever seen him act with any other girl.”

“Have you known him long?” Emery knew that Austin had a lot of friends. Well, a lot of girls were friends, but she didn’t know that everyone who performed at the games was also part of their clique that hung together.

“I’ve known him since my freshman year, but we didn’t start hanging out until last year.” Laney nudged her again. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t one of his one-night adventures. My heart belongs to Brandon.” She pointed to the guy that Austin was walking back with.

“Is Laney corrupting you against me?” Austin put Emery’s drink down in front of her and then sat down on the other side of her.

“Austin, I will only tell her the truth about you.” Laney gave him a wicked smile.

“That’s what he’s afraid of.” Brandon sat on the opposite side of the table and motioned for Laney to come sit beside him, which she eagerly did. She picked up one of his cheese fries and fed them to him in a seductive manner.

“Okay, guys. Don’t be scaring Emery off so quickly.” Austin motioned to Laney still holding on to the French fry as Brandon sucked it in.

Laney rolled her eyes at Austin. “Austin, she’s a big girl, I’m sure she can handle a little foreplay before the big event.” Laney looked at Emery and waited for her to agree. Emery nodded her head yes, but didn’t have much to say on the matter. Her friends, when they had gone out a few times, had never acted like this. They were all pretty conservative and sort of prudish in their actions. “See?” Laney stuck her tongue out at Austin and grabbed another one of Brandon’s fries to feed him. This time she put a piece of it in her mouth and made him suck it from there.

“You guys are gross.” Austin looked around to see if there was anywhere else to sit, but the place had gotten even more packed and people were even standing to eat and drink.

Laney had seen him looking around and knew he was looking for an escape. “Seems you’re stuck with us.” She smiled another arrogant smile at him as it seemed he had nowhere to go.

The four of them sat around talking and eating for about an hour. Austin noticed that Emery had hit it off pretty well with Lacey, so he was actually enjoying the night and not having to worry about Emery feeling out of place. He had noticed the rest of the team had arrived a while ago, along with the cheerleaders, but they were sitting too far away for them all to carry on a conversation. Austin had heard Dylan call his name. He wanted to know if he wanted to play a game of pool, but Austin waved him off and told him another time. He reached for Emery’s hand and held it with his own. “Wanna walk around a bit?” He knew she didn’t come here much and he wanted to show her everything they had to offer here.

Emery stood with Austin. “I’ll see you in a little while, Laney.” Emery waved to her as Austin pulled her out to the open room.

The building was huge, so it took them about a half-hour to get through it with the crowd that was still there. It seemed everyone was still wound up about the game. Austin showed her all the games that he’d mastered and the set-up for kids that had the tunnel tubes and slides. He offered to go on with her if she wanted, but she declined the suggestion. Emery knew he’d probably gone on there many times with his friends. Even if they were big teenage guys they still liked to have their little kid fun.

“Let’s go up here.” Austin led Emery over to the steps that led to the smaller room on the second level. It was the one that had the pool tables and the big stereo system.

“Wow, this place is really big. I had forgotten how much they had here.” Emery looked around at the twenty or so people playing pool over in the lit part of the room. Austin led her in the opposite direction to where the employee was seated in charge of the music.

The kid high-fived Austin and handed him the thick book with all the song titles. Austin let go of Emery’s hand and flipped through the pages. He found the one he was looking for and gave it back to the kid, pointing to the one he wanted to be played. The guy gave him a thumbs-up and took out the CD that had the song Austin wanted.

Emery was watching the guys play pool since Austin took a liking to check out the song lists. The last song ended and Emery felt Austin pull her by the hand over to the dark part of the room. There were a few tables, but no one was seated at them. It seemed this was a special place that had to be reserved or something like that. The next song began to play and Emery recognized it almost immediately. It was ‘Blank Space’ by Taylor Swift.

He put his arms around her waist and began to sway to the song. Emery had danced to slow songs before with other guys, well, ones that were just friends. But this time, it seemed so different with Austin. Emery placed her hands on the sides of his neck and laid her head down on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat and loved how it was the most soothing sound. It was too bad that the song couldn’t be one of the long ten-minute types. The intoxicating experience was over way too quick for Emery’s liking. The guy at the booth put on some type of hip-hop rap song that Emery had no idea what it was.

“I guess you don’t dance to this type of stuff?” Austin questioned her about the song that had started playing. “You know, maybe a little twerking.” He turned around and shook his butt at her.

Emery giggled at his attempt to try and do one of those butt-shaking movements. “I would probably look worse than you did.”

Austin gasped at her comment. “Are you saying you didn’t like my butt grinding?”

“Um, it was different. You’re better off sticking with playing football as a career and not relying on your dancing skills.” Emery tried to keep her serious expression, but Austin was still trying to perfect his twerking technique.

“So, you didn’t like my dancing at all.” Austin stopped dancing around and pulled Emery close once again. He loved how she felt up against him and could hold her all day and night if she’d let him.

“This kind, I like.” Emery snuggled closer to him and felt his arms tighten around her.

“We found them.” Laney’s voice echoed through the upstairs room.

Emery and Austin broke apart but kept hold of each other’s hands. They turned to address the group that seemed to have been looking for them. “What’s up?” Austin asked Laney or any of the ten or so people who were behind her.

“It’s almost midnight, so we were all heading out for an hour or two. You guys wanna come?” Laney answered for the group.

Austin glanced at Emery. She looked tired and he wasn’t really up for all the partying tonight. Plus, they had to be at the hospital tomorrow for their volunteer time. “Nah, I think I’ll take Emery home and call it a night.” He stood behind Emery and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her close to himself.

“Oh, man, you are so whipped.” One of Austin’s teammates yelled out of the back of the group. The group snickered and nodded their heads.

“Shut the F up, Mitch,” Laney yelled back and gave the kid who had yelled out a dirty look. “Maybe Austin respects Emery enough so that she doesn’t have to have sex with some guy who’s half wasted on beer.” She smacked Brandon in the stomach. “Unlike some of us who have to do that all the time.”

“Okay, I’ve heard way too much. I’ll see you guys later.” Austin quickly pulled Emery toward the stairway so that they could leave.

“Wait.” Laney scooted after them. She gave Emery a quick hug. “We’ll have to get together soon. Just girls this time, no guys. You know, so we can talk about them.” She winked at Emery.

“Okay, that sounds good.” Emery was so happy that there were people in Austin’s group that weren’t like Apryl. And, they actually liked her and Austin together.

“Oh no, Brandon,” Austin yelled over to Laney’s boyfriend. “Your woman is trying to corrupt mine already and she just met her.”

Laney smacked Austin on the arm. “You’re an ass.” She shooed the two of them away. “You better get going to whatever you guys were going to do. Have fun.” She walked back over to the group that was still discussing their plans for the rest of the night.

Austin walked with Emery back down to his truck. They got in and began their way home. He was almost to school when he remembered that Emery still had to get her car. “Do you want to get your car from the school now or tomorrow?” Austin slowed down his speed a bit until he got an answer.

“I better get it now or my mom will have a fit.” Emery knew her parents were overprotective of their vehicles. She really didn’t feel like driving, but the drive back home was only about ten minutes so she’d be home and snug in her bed before one.

“Thanks for coming tonight. I know that place isn’t one of your favorites.” Austin had pulled his truck up beside Emery’s car and they were standing outside her driver’s side door.

“It was fun. I had a good time.” Emery leaned her forehead against his chest and waited for the warmth that was going to come once his arms came around her. “Laney is really nice.”

Austin chuckled. “Yeah, she’s good. I think she really likes you, she doesn’t connect with too many people outside of the dance team.” He leaned his chin on the top of Emery’s head and took a deep breath. Everything about this girl intoxicated him. “We have to be there by eleven tomorrow, right?” Austin questioned her about the time they had to be at the hospital. He knew she’d have to leave soon so she’d be able to get the recommended amount of sleep that she seemed to always need.

“Yep.” Emery felt her eyelids growing heavy as she basked in Austin’s arms. “Are you going to pick me up around ten-thirty?” Emery knew he probably would, but wanted to be sure so that she didn’t leave without him.

“Yep.” Austin repeated the same answer that she’d given to him. “Are you falling asleep, Emery?”

Emery tilted her head up. “Almost.” She put her head back down and closed her eyes.

“Okay.” Austin moved his arms away from her. Emery stood up and looked upset that he had let her go. “You need to go home, get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He opened up her door so that she could get going.

“But I was so comfy.” Emery knew she sounded like she was whining, but Austin had the most comfortable chest to rest on.

“I want you to get home safely and not fall asleep driving. So, get going.” He smacked her lightly on the butt.

“Okay.” Emery ran her hands up his arms and noticed that he got goosebumps wherever she had touched. She loved the fact that she, of all people, could make Austin feel this excited. Emery put one hand on his neck so that he would lower his head. She kissed him softly and felt the fire erupt from her stomach, which signaled that she wanted more. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She broke the kiss and sat in her car. She didn’t want to leave and she didn’t want to end this, but there would be another time for them to have their moment someday, just not now.

Austin watched as she drove out of the parking lot and in the direction of her home. This girl was driving him insane but in a good way. He knew his friends were right. For the first time ever, Austin Murray was whipped and he loved the feeling. He went back to his truck and drove in the opposite direction that Emery had gone. Sleep sounded good, he just hoped one day he would wake up to find Emery by his side in the morning.