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“Oh, I was here, alright, but it sounds like a you problem, not a me problem.”

“I’m with Damon on this one,” Brandon says, and I offer him a fist bump in solidarity. “I’m sure they could find plenty of volunteers elsewhere. Who the hell has a dance on a Monday, anyway?”

“That’s the thing,” Jace says. “They kind of had to reschedule, so they’re in need of chaperones, and they don’t want just anyone. They want us. You know how involved the team is in the community, so when Brynn pitched the idea, they ran with it. Now they keep going on and on about how our presence will be an incentive for the boys to go, since most of them think high school dances are lame.”

“Uh, that’s because they are lame,” I point out. “And you know what’s even lamer? Celebrating our semifinal win by chaperoning a dance,” I say, without waiting for a reply.

Besides, these boys are better off at home where they won’t meet some girl that’ll inevitably crush their hearts to dust.

“But that’s exactly my point. Our presence there makes the dance cooler,” Chris argues.

“You mean, your presence makes it cool. Because I”—I point to my chest?“am not going.”

“Come on, man,” Chris whines. “We already promised the girls.”

“Give me one good reason why I should go,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Other than because you’ll make a bunch of these kids’ night?” Jace says, playing hardball. “Because we’re better when the five of us stick together, as ateam. Take this week for example. The more you struggled on the field in practice, the more you pulled away. You were distant, sullen, quiet. And the more you pulled away from us, the more you sucked.”

“Then after Friday night, you were so pissed at us, you stopped talking to us completely,” Chris chimes in.

Jace nods. “And because of that, you went into the game with a chip on your shoulder.”

“And we almost lost.” Chris gives me a hard look.

“We’re all better when we stick together, when we rely on each other,” Jace adds.

“Nice try,” I argue, “but we won, and I don’t think I need a dance to?”

“If anything else, it’ll take your mind off Avery,” Jace states. I freeze, and he takes this as his chance to pounce. “In fact, you’ll be so busy decorating, setting up tables, talking to all your adoring fans, and making sure these kids keep their hands to themselves, you won’t even have time tothink about her.”

“Exactly.” Chris snaps his fingers. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, you know.”

I purse my lips, hating to admit they’re right because if I hang out at home, or anywhere on campus for that matter, it will be next to impossible to keep my mind off her. The last thing I needis a ton of time to myself where my mind can wander, especially when we’re only one victory away from winning the National Championship.

I need to stay focused now more than ever. One more week and my fucked-up thoughts can run wild, but for now, I need to take this win and the energy I brought to the field in the second half and channel it, bring it into the coming weeks ahead.

With a long sigh, I rake a hand over my face as my shoulders curl in defeat.

“Dammit!” Brandon hisses beside me. “We’re going, aren’t we?”

Chapter 11

DAMON

I’m not sure why the staff at Helping Hands thought our presence would be beneficial in recruiting boys to come to the dance. While there seems to be an equal mix of girls versus boys, so far, I’ve spent the first forty-five minutes of the dance signing autographs and fielding questions from the boys in attendance while also narrowly avoiding the advances of some rather aggressive fifteen-year-old girls.

Though Jace was right about one thing. Between helping Brynn set up and decorating the old town hall with about a hundred paper snowflakes, twinkling lights, balloon arches, and the glittering faux-diamond garland hanging from the ceiling, I’ve barely had the chance to even think about Avery all evening.

Shit. That doesn’t count. I’m not meant to be thinking about her at all.

I glance over at a scowling Brandon who’s manning the refreshment table and staring at his phone. No doubt he’s still sulking over the fact that his girl bestie, Tatum, is headed to Bradd’s tonight with a group of friends, including several AAU basketball players.

I chuckle to myself as I imagine him texting her as we speak, freaking out over the thought of her grinding up against one of them on the dance floor.

Poor bastard.

I shake my head, turning back to look at the makeshift dance floor where Chris is fawning all over Charlotte, and then to my right where Brynn is forcing Jace to learn some kind of new line dance.