Fuck. It’s that obvious.
“Oh, the world saw it alright.” Austin laughs, staring down at his phone. “Guess who’s viral again.”
“AGAIN?” I boom, ripping the phone from his hand. “How does this happen so quickly? Who the hell recorded it this time?”
“Coach, there had to have been twenty thousand people there today. At least.” Gareth looks at me like I’m the world’s biggest moron. “I’m sure at least a third of them captured it on video.”
Not knowing how to use whatever platform Austin has pulled up, I tap on the screen, and a heart appears across it.
“Scroll,” he instructs.
“How the fuck did this happen so fast?” Every other god damn video is of mine and Hailey’s kiss.
“Does he not know how the internet works?” Jensen deadpans.
“It just—it—” What the fuck. “I kissed her thirty fucking minutes ago!”
Fucking viralagain? It feels like a violation of privacy—our first kiss captured on video, hundreds of times, at different angles.
But I’m the dumbass who impulsively kissed her publicly.
Verypublicly.
Thrusting the phone back at Austin’s chest, I walk out of the locker room.
“Coach!” Austin laughs uncontrollably.
“Maybe she won’t care!” Gareth calls with encouragement, but I ignore them all and stomp my ass directly into the sea of fans all trying to file out at once.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I call Hailey.
Her sweet voice filters through the phone after the second ring. “Declan, hey.”
“Hey. Where are you guys?” Her side of the phone is as loud as mine is, clueing me in that she’s still at the stadium.
“Trying to get out of here,” her voice raises slightly. “Do you want to meet somewhere?”
I lower the rim of my hat, shielding my face as a group of passing women seem to recognize me. “Yeah. Take Sail back to the hotel and I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”
“Do you mind if Hartley comes?”
With my head lowered, I weave through the crowd. It’s practically survival of the fittest to get through this mess. “Not at all, sweetheart. See you guys soon.”
About thirty minutes later, I make it to the hotel’s restaurant. It was a nightmare getting through the foot traffic downtown, and I’m borderline hangry when I arrive. Spotting their table near the window, I’m happy to see Sailor already has a plate of macaroni and cheese in front of her, and Hailey and her sister have been served some sort of blended fruity drink.
“Don’t worry, it’s a virgin,” Hailey blurts as I slide into the seat next to her sister. I try not to laugh. I wouldn’t give a shit if she was enjoying a drink right now—not after this long day.
Does she know about the newest viral video of us?
As I walked to the hotel, I searched through YouTube since I know how to use it, and of course, people are going crazy.
I can’t believe this happened again.
“Hi, I’m Hartley.” The blonde next to me holds out her hand. “I believe you’re pretty well acquainted with my sister, who sometimes has no filter.”
I laugh, sliding my palm into hers. “Hi, Hartley, I’m Declan. Nice to meet you.”
Her handshake is firmer than I expected it would be. Hartley looks similar to her sister, but with major differences. They share the same eyes and smile, but Hartley has more of a button nose while Hailey’s is straight, and Hartley’s hair is quite a contrast to Hailey’s red. Physically, Hartley is petite and a little shorter, but if I remember correctly, she’s a ballerina, which would attribute to her smaller frame, I’m sure.
