I’m just saying, it should be criminal to look that hot.
Something happens on the field and the rows of superfans cheer. Cooper grabs my hand and throws our arms up while he shouts at the players. Chloe holds his other hand as she jumps up and down yelling.
He said they’re not together, but they arealwaystogether. And they lookgoodtogether.
There’s definitelysomethinggoing on there.
“All right, Mitchell, you ready to start the chant?” Cooper says, leaning into me.
“Uh, no?”
“Come on,” he says. “All you have to do is face the crowd and shout, ‘Hey, Bramble Falls, let’s leave a bruise!’ And they’ll take it from there.”
“Live a little, Ellis!” Sloane shouts over the crowd.
I groan. “Fine…” I turn around to face the expansive bleachers full of people.
“Wait.” Cooper turns around and kneels down.
“What are you doing?” I’mnothopping on his bare back.
“You’re too short. You’ll blend in with everyone down here, especially with everyone else yelling.”
“Then maybe you should do the chant,” I say.
He turns his head to look at me. “Ellis, just get on. Stop making everything so difficult.” I sigh but put my hands on his shoulders, and he swoops me up. He turns around to face the massive crowd of excited fans. “Be loud!” he shouts to me.
I cup my hands around my mouth, my heart pounding as adrenaline courses through me.
“Hey, Bramble Falls!” I shout as loudly as I can. Everyone in the vicinity turns to me. “Let’s leave a bruise!”
“Black and blue,” the whole Bramble Falls side of the stadium shouts back, “refuse to lose!”
Everyone stomps their feet against the bleachers, shaking the stands. I yelp and hold on to Cooper as he stomps with them. I’m laughing when I notice Chloe watching us with an expression I can’t decipher. Then her gaze meets mine, and she smiles.
“Oh shit!” Sloane yells, pointing to the field.
I know zilch about football, but there’s no missing Jake running the ball toward the end zone, faking out defensive players as he zooms by.
My body tenses as I watch him get closer to scoring. “Come on…,” I mumble to myself.
Cooper squeezes my thighs like he heard me, and my grip on him tightens. I never knew sports were so stressful.
The crowd erupts when Jake runs into the end zone, puttingus in the lead. Sloane laughs as I scream, “Heck, yes!”
His teammates slap his shoulder pads and shove him and try to hit their helmets on his—a bizarre showing of support and excitement that only exists in football, I think—but he’s searching the stands.
And then he finds me. His eyes lock with mine, and he grins and points to me.
Then he holds up his hands in the shape of a heart.
“Oh. My. God,” Sloane says as the cheering grows louder.
I laugh, knowing he’s referencing Taylor from the first time he asked me to come to a game.Such a Swiftie.I let go of Cooper’s shoulders and hold my hands in a heart back to him. His grin grows wider before he’s running to the sidelines.
Cooper lowers himself. I guess it’s time to climb off him.
Once my feet are on the ground, Sloane leans into my ear. “Nothing going on there, huh?”
