Chance cocked his head and gave me a queer look. “Uh, thanks,” he muttered.
We headed out towards the football field with the rest of the team without saying anything more about Margot, but she was resting heavily on my mind. Football was coming to an end, with only a couple of more games left in the season, so I wasn’t overly concerned with practice. I loved football, and I knew a few scouts have been checking me out lately, but I loved practicality more. No matter how good I was at throwing the football, I planned on going to college for a sensible and tangible degree.
I wasn’t the type of person who could be blinded by money, women, or fame. That just wasn’t my character. I knew if you chose a career in professional sports it could all come crashing down with just one injury or an awful scandal. If I did decide to play football professionally, I still wanted something I could fall back on, so I made football second to reality. Or maybe football was third on my list of priorities.
We got out onto the football field, and immediately to the left of the entrance, we could see the cheerleaders practicing on the sidelines. I glanced over at Chance, and, yep, his eyes automatically searched Margot out, and I knew I was fucked when I noticed Margot seeking Chance out, a wide smile plastered on her face.
These two assholes were going to start dating.
Standing in the middle of the football field, I wasn’t listening to a word Coach McGillis was saying. I was too busy noticing how Chance was standing next to me with hearts in his fucking eyes. Now, don’t get me wrong. As much as I hated the idea of Chance dating Margot, I would never do anything to sabotage whatever he was going to try to build with her, whether marriage and kids or a one-night stand. I just didn’t like it.
I didn’t like having to share my space with people. I had a shitload of acquaintances, but Chance was my only real friend. I could hang out in crowds, and I could party with the best of them, but my conversations were superficial at best and no one knew the real me. Chance didn’t even know the real me.
Wait.
That’s a lie.
There was one person who knew the real me.
There was one person who saw right through the perfect high school football god and saw whatreallymade me tick.
She knew the truth about what really made my heart pound inside my chest; what really made me feel alive. She couldn’t be snowed, and she saw what everyone else around us were too blind to see.
Mystic Anderson.
Mystic Anderson who also happened to be Margot Cross’ best friend. She was the person I did my best to avoid. She was the person I went out of my way tonotinteract with in public.
I avoided the shit out of that girl when I could, but if Chance were going to start dating Margot, that would all come to an end. I was going to start seeing her more often, and that wasn’t good.
Nothing about any of this was good.
Chapter 3
Mystic~
“How was school today?”
I walked into the kitchen towards my mother’s voice and I found her standing between the stove and refrigerator prepping for dinner. It was already close to five because I had hung out at Margot’s after school for a bit, helping her with the last-minute arrangements for her party.
My mother, Destiny, and Alaric all shared the same dark blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. And while Alaric inherited our father’s build, anyone with eyes could tell they were all related. I took after Dad with my dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and heart-shaped face. I was also...uh, not slim. I wasn’t fat, but I wasn’t statuesque like Destiny. I had curves, but I didn’t hate on them. I accepted them like everything else in life I couldn’t change.
I sat down at the kitchen island. “It was fine,” I replied. “Everyone’s still getting back into the swing of things after Christmas break.”
Mom stopped what she was doing and turned to face me. I almost groaned because I knew that look. Mom was about to start parenting. “Mystic, honey-”
I did groan then. “Mooooommmm, can-”
“Mystic,” she clipped out, interrupting my whining, “Alaric and Destiny had everything in line by this time when they were in high school.”
I didn’t want to be disrespectful because my parents really were good people. We lived a good life where we wanted for nothing and my parents could afford to send three kids to college. My father was a corporate attorney and my mother was an elementary school principal. Luckily, Cranston was big enough to need three elementary schools, and Alaric, Destiny, and I had gone to Millerton Elementary where our momhadn’tbeen the principal
Growing up in the Anderson household had been sickenly rather perfect. Sure, we’d had our fights over the years, and there were times when I had been certain the world was going to end because Destiny had ruined my favorite shirt and Alaric had made fun of my early-sprouting boobs, but our home had been, and still was, a good one.
We were blessed. I knew this. I knew this and I truly was grateful for it. But that still didn’t mean my life was perfect. ThatIwas perfect.
“That’s because Alaric and Destiny knew what they wanted to be, Mom,” I countered. “They had all their plans lined out because Alaric knew he wanted to be a veterinarian and Dez knew she wanted to be a scientist.”
Mom turned around and I waited patiently as she washed her hands, grab the hand towel to dry them, and turn back around to face me. “Mystic, you don’t have to decide the rest of your life right now,” she started. “If you don’t want to go to college, we are fine with that. But only if it’s because you really don’t want to go to college and not because you were just procrastinating.”
