Staying close to the fence, I moved her long ponytail off her shoulder. “That was Mom. She says hi.”
“Are we going to see her?” she asked.
Kaylee had been asking if we could visit our mother. I couldn’t bring myself tell her that Mom didn’t want us to see her in jail.
“Soon,” I said as more football players emerged, taking my sister’s attention away from the topic of my mom.
“Any of those players Lucas?” she asked.
“Nope. Don’t worry. I’ll point him out.”
During the next several minutes as we waited, I zeroed in on a conversation between two older men. Fathers of players, I would guess.
“Remember when we played for Lakemont?” the taller of the two men asked. “The pep rally was the best part of the season.”
I smiled as I watched the exit doors, thinking back to last night. The man was so right. I wanted to relive the pep rally over and over again. I wanted to experience the rush, the feeling that I was part of something bigger than myself, that my problems were a dot on the radar. I wanted to feel my stomach flip and flop as I gave in to the kiss.
The shorter, dark-haired man chimed in with, “I heard Lucas Allen broke the tradition.”
Both men laughed.
“When I played for Lakemont, I did the same thing. That’s how I met my wife,” the taller man said. “Everyone thought we would lose the homecoming game, but in fact we went on to win it. Just like they did today.”
The shorter man chuckled. “So Lucas has found his mate.”
Inwardly, I laughed as I remembered what Lucas had said. We’re fated, Midnight. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Up until the pep rally, I’d thought the Wolf Howl was just a motivator for fans and the team. But the football players really believed in the superstition.
“One thing is certain,” the short man said. “Lucas is definitely slotted for the NFL. He’s had a rough start to the season, but it looks like he’s returned to being the player from last year.”
Every time I’d heard Lucas’s name in the stands, and I’d heard it a ton, my pulse had picked up. He deserved to be on the big stage with bigger lights and larger crowds, which meant that this time next year he could be playing in the NFL while I stayed behind to finish out my senior year, and that made me sad. But I had dreams too. I had no idea what the future held for us. But fated or not, I shouldn’t be thinking of Lucas and me as us since we hardly knew each other.
My thoughts were broken by a loud female squeal. “There’s Lucas.”
“There he is,” I said in Kaylee’s ear. “The blond.” My body vibrated with anticipation.
“Ooh, he’s handsome and big,” Kaylee said. “This is so exciting. I’m dying to meet him.”
I leaned down to get closer to her ear. “It’s not serious between us.” I didn’t want her to get her hopes up only for them to be shattered if things didn’t work out between Lucas and me.
She rolled her eyes. “Mazzie, I’m thirteen, not five. I know you only had one date with him.”
“And you’re too perceptive for your age.” And an expert eavesdropper.
She giggled, light and airy. “You need a good guy in your life. I’ll see if I approve.”
I had to laugh that my younger sister was giving me boy advice.
Woofs, howls, and shouts grew louder as more players spilled out of the building behind Lucas.
“Lucas!” a female called out. “A minute of your time.”
I couldn’t see the reporter, only her microphone cutting through the crowd. Lucas still hadn’t spotted me, but I wasn’t about to run to him. He deserved his moment in the spotlight, especially after a clutch winning play to end the game.
“Does he know you’re here?” Kaylee asked.
“I sent him a text earlier.”
Then the air shifted from warm to scorching hot as we finally locked eyes.
