Stars (Penmore #1) by Malorie Verdant Page B

afraid.
    Afraid that if I’m not hidden at the back by the masses, or under the bleachers, Gray will realize that I’m just a nerdy girl who doesn’t belong. I’ll appear sad and pathetic, openly moping after the star quarterback.
    I’m also afraid that someone might notice that I actually don’t know much about football. I stupidly never paid a lot of attention to the rules and every player’s role on the field; I was always too busy chewing my fingernails and solely focused on Gray’s movements. I kept worrying that one day he would get sacked and never get to his feet again. I might not know all the rules, but I had seen the TV shows and movies; I knew the dangers and foolishly felt that if I never took my eyes off him, he couldn’t get hurt.
    From the back of the stands, I’ve also only caught glimpses of the theatrics other girls will go to in order to get Gray’s attention. I don’t know how I’ll feel being able to clearly see every girl from the university throwing herself at the star quarterback. How I’ll handle reading their posters and propositions.
    I have a momentary lapse in dwelling on my anxieties and realize that I should probably think less about what I want and see if Nate and Keeley are right, so I nervously decide to text Gray back. This way, at least when he tells me he doesn’t care in the least, I won’t feel this guilt settling in the pit of my stomach right beside my fears.
    Do you really want to see me cheering you on?
    I look between the book I have resting on my side table and the clock before I hear the chime from my phone.
    Hells yes. I mean pretty please.
    Fuck. Looks like I’m going to the game. I quickly slide my uniform off and throw it into a small backpack I have beside my bed before I can overthink it.
    I grab my new favorite skinny jeans from the closet and throw on my best black tank top with a scalloped neckline.
    I then look at my knee-high work shoes.
    It would be dumb to carry around extra shoes if I didn’t need to.
    I glance at the clock and realize I probably have just enough time to curl my hair, contact Keeley, listen to her scream with excitement, and make it for the start of the game.
    No time to text Gray back.
    I’ll do it when I get to the stadium.
    Eek. Where did I put my straightener?
    GRAYSON
    She was in the stands. I knew it. She may not have let me know she was coming. She may not have replied to my last text message. But I knew she wasn’t going to miss it. I felt this rush of fucking adrenalin knowing Stars was watching me. Cheering me on. I sent her one last text before nodding at Coach Hardy to let him know I’m getting off the bench and putting my shit away.
    So if we win, will you finally agree to go out with me?
    I had been asking her at the end of every class for the past month. Each time, she blushed but never responded. I had never had to work so hard to get a girl to go out with me. I finally told D last week about her and now I was constantly being fed jokes about meeting my match.
    When I hit the field, the frustration of not being able to finally claim what I’ve been pretty sure has been mine for the last four weeks has my blood pumping. I was ready to fire up my teammates in the pre-game pump-up. Thankfully, we win the toss and our offensive unit gets to go in first. It’s early on, and I watch as the ball sails through the air to be grasped fiercely by Leyton, who is looking to make a touchdown only minutes into the game. Fuck, it’s thrilling, between the crowd’s cheers and the simple splendor of the game.
    But this one is different. The field is the same bright green. I take the snap like I always do, and the rumble of the fans echo around the stadium the same way it usually does. This game, however, will always be special. I knew it the moment I messaged a girl, telling her I wanted her to be here. Something I had never done before. This was the first game I’ve ever played where my heart hasn’t been on the field, but