Page 13

12

Summer

A lice rips into the package, her eyes lighting up as she pulls out the first shirt. The forest green is not a color I would normally wear, but at least it’s not a bright green. It’s not that I don’t like bright colors. I’ve just always been more into darker tones, but it will be so worth it to see the look on Morningstar’s face will make it all worth it. He thinks he can make me want to kiss him like that and just walk away? Dick.

Alice throws the other jersey at me, and we disappear into our rooms to change. The sound of Alice chuckling away to herself carries through the wall, and I can’t help but join in as I look at myself in the mirror. The dark green doesn’t do much for my skin tone, but it’ll do plenty to Connors. I can picture it already.

“You know, Rafe was crying with laughter earlier,” Alice comments. There’s a slight lilt of coyness in her voice.

I pause in the process of putting my mascara on and lift an eyebrow. “Alice?”

She pops her head around my door, her hair now in two low, spiky ponytails. “Yeah?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Do you have the hots for the broody angel?”

“What?” Alice sputters. “No, I do not! We just…” she considers for a moment, “get along for some reason.”

I cross my arms, giving her a knowing look. “Please. You want to hop on that angel dick so bad.”

Alice rolls her eyes and inspects her nails. “Yeah, seems like you might be looking in a mirror there, Sum.”

I flip her off and turn my attention back to my actual mirror, putting another layer of mascara on. Alice walks over and rifles through my makeup. She holds up a dark red lipstick. “Can I borrow this?”

I nod and pick up one of the eyeliner pencils from my floor. Carefully, I write HAR on one cheek and OLD over the other. I sigh at the sight. “I wish he had a hotter name…”

Alice chuckles, applying the lipstick.

“Boots or sneakers?” I ask, fixing my own lipstick.

“Sneakers. You want to be able to move fast when Connor sees you in that. Always have an escape plan,” she advises, drawing on her cheeks. She writes MONT on one cheek and DICK on the other.

I laugh and pull my white sneakers from the closet. Carrying them and a pair of white ankle socks, I stop in front of the full-length mirror. The infinity slam jersey is massive, hitting me mid-thigh, and the subtle makeup just emphasizes the name on my cheeks. I sit back down and pull on my socks.

Alice turns to face me. Her lips quirked into a smirk. “Bird brain is going to lose it.”

“Maybe I’ll invite Harold to the party.”

“I’m pretty sure his name is Hector. You should probably get his name down before you go and blindly support him to piss off the captain of our infinity slam team. Think the school will be pissed if we make Connor so angry that we lose?”

“Maybe. Who cares? It’s just a game.” I slide my feet into my sneakers and tie them up. My stomach tightens around the knot that has been growing since lunch. I’m not sure why I’m so eager to do this. Maybe it’s in the hopes of pushing the devilishly handsome angel away, or maybe it’s because of how he makes me feel and my desperate need to run away from him.

“Sum?” Alice pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance at her. “Ready?”

I nod and take one more look in the mirror, running my fingers through my hair before pushing to my feet.

Rae Field is just behind the health center and only around a ten-minute walk from Kelpie. Yet if looks could kill, Alice and I would have been incinerated not four feet from the dormitory doors. The sour looks and whispers continue as we walk toward the stadium.

The campus is awash in black and silver, with students of all years and species heading to the field to support our team. Other than us, there is not one speck of dark green in the sea of excited people. Talk about a home court advantage. Everyone is eager for the first game of the year. Many girls are sporting MORNINGSTAR across their cheeks or bare stomachs, and many students are carrying banners and signs.

“Connor, the star of my morning,” Alice reads out loud. “These people are thirsty.”

My lips twitch. “We should have brought one for Harold. We did not come prepared.”

“I think our outfits will make enough of a statement.” Alice laughs. “And his name is Hector.”

When we arrive, the bleachers are already filling up. I hear someone calling my name, his voice just barely audible over the roar of the crowd and the music blasting from the speakers. I grab Alice’s hand and wave at Luke before pushing and darting through the throngs of people, making our way to the front where the youngest Morningstar sits.

Luke smiles warmly and leans in when we make it to his side. “Con asked me to save you guys two seats at the front.” He notices what we are wearing, and he pales, his smile slipping. “Oh, no…”

I throw my arm over his shoulders. “It’s fine, Luke!” I use my hand to cup my mouth, trying to amplify my voice over the others. “Go, Harold!”

Alice nudges me. “Hector, moron.”

“I mean, Hector!” I shout into the void of noise. Alice clutches her stomach as she cackles.

“Not good. Not good,” Luke mutters, grimacing. He pales more when the announcer’s voice rises above the rest.

“Are you ready, Avalon?” The announcer’s voice rises above the rest, echoing around the field. Luke pales even more as everyone erupts into a cheer that almost ruptures my eardrums. “I said, Are. You. Ready. Avalon?!” The crowd gets even louder, screaming and chanting. “Please, welcome to the field, your team, the Avalon Knights!”

Connor leads his team onto the field. His muscular body looks even bigger thanks to the various guards used to protect his body from serious injuries during the game. The black jersey looks like it’s been melted to his skin. The silver Avalon logo on the front flickers in the light, appearing like molten metal as he moves. He is carrying his helmet under his arm and has what looks like war paint on his cheeks.

“You’re practically drooling,” Alice says, nudging me again.

“I am not.” I give her a black look, though I have to make a conscious effort to keep my face neutral.

The rest of the team filters out behind him, and I notice that many players have halos on their wrists, not just the Morningstar brothers. Other species are playing, but angels are by far the majority. The cheerleaders spread out in the center of the pitch and start shaking their pom poms.

“They are the knights! They are the knights! Come to destroy and show their might!” I glance at Alice, about to roll my eyes, but see that hers are already nearly embedded in the back of her head.

“They are the knights! They dominate! Winning isn’t luck! It’s their fate!” The cheerleaders jump and dance, doing handstands and backflips. Sure, it’s impressive, but they’re just so… peppy. I can’t stand it.

The team starts their warmups, running around the field and stretching out.

“And here comes the competition. Please give a big Avalon welcome to… the Irachmoor Ravens!” the announcer yells, and the Avalon cheerleaders move to the side, glaring at the other team and their cheerleaders.

Harold leads the other team out, and the vibe in the stadium changes. People all around boo and hiss, and that angry attention extends to Alice and me.

The Ravens cheer squad starts their routine but they can barely be heard over the roaring crowd. The noise level dies down as both teams head for the middle of the field. Zach, his helmet marked with wings on either side of his face like the rest of his team, looks toward us. I can see his teeth flash in a snarl. He nudges Rafe, who’s lined up next to him on the field. Rafe holds back a frown as he nudges Connor. Rafe nods toward us when Connor looks back at him. Connor’s eyes lock with mine, but his bright smile fades the moment he realizes what I’m wearing. His entire body tenses when I blow him a kiss and wink at him.

Connor looks away just as the ball is launched into the air. He grabs Rafe and tosses him after it. Midair, Rafe shoves a member of the other team out of the way and grabs the ball. He nods at Zane, who charges down the field. Rafe throws it to him, but Zane is tackled by one of the Ravens. Luckily, Zach is right on his tail and catches it. Zane hits the ground so hard it trembles. Players from both sides collide, all trying to get the ball. Zach passes it, and Connor almost misses catching it because he’s glaring at me. The moment it hits his hands, a huge opponent slams into Connor, taking him to the ground.

“Get your head in the game, Morningstar!” the coach calls. The teams reset, and I can tell that Connor is trying to shake it off and focus on the game. The Ravens score a point, and Zach curses loudly enough that it’s heard across the stadium. Harold winks at me, noticing my jersey. I give him a little wave right before Connor slams into him. They both fall to the ground, and the referee blows his whistle, pointing a little yellow card at Connor. Rafe jogs to Connor, assumingly to calm him down, but Connor shakes his head and beckons the coach over.

The coach holds his hands up in the shape of a T, and a time-out is called. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure this is an odd time to call a time-out. Connor takes off his helmet and locks eyes with me, walking toward the edge of the field with Rafe at his side.

Oh, shit. They are heading for the bleachers, and their target is clear.

“Oops, time to run!” Alice laughs and yanks me to my feet, pulling me past the people in the seats next to us, scrambling for the stairs.

Connor jumps over the barrier. The stadium is eerily quiet as everyone trains their hungry eyes on us. Rafe darts under the bleachers and up the other set of stairs, blocking out escape when Alice and I try to change directions.

“You can run, but I’ll catch you,” Connor warns in such a way that I stop in my tracks and turn to face him. I wanted to make him mad, and based on his thunderous expression, I’ve more than succeeded. The crowd moves to make way for the irate angel, leaving me nowhere to go.

Even though he has stopped a few steps below me, he’s still taller than me by at least a head. I quirk an eyebrow at him, trying to maintain my nonchalant expression.

“Hello, Summer .” He doesn’t waste another moment before pulling me against him and slamming his lips to mine, kissing me hard. I’m vaguely aware of the whoops and cheers from the crowd around us, but it all seems to blur away as he tunnels his fingers in my hair. His lips are just as pillowy as I remember, and I lose myself in them way too easily.

Connor pulls back after a moment, and I blush when I instinctively lean forward, wanting more. Connor glances at Rafe and gives him a curt nod before bending and heaving me over his shoulder. He carries me down the stairs and onto the field, heading back toward the locker room. I can hear Alice’s protests and assume Rafe is following with her.

“Put me down, Morningstar!” I squeal in outrage.

Connor ignores me. The noise of the crowd grows muffled when we pass into the tunnel and enter the locker room. Connor gently puts me down and turns to rummage through his locker. Rafe places Alice down beside me, and Connor throws a clean jersey to her. I expect him to throw one at me, too. Instead, he smirks at me, and with a devilish glint in his eyes he pulls off his jersey and hands it to me.

“You know, even if I put this on, I still have his name on my cheeks,” I say defiantly when he turns to pull a new jersey out for himself.

Connor turns and pulls his new jersey over his head, tugging it into place before reaching for me again. He grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger, holding me in place. His lips slant over mine as he brings a towel to my cheeks, wiping away Harold’s name. I growl and pull back, slapping at his hand. “I said one kiss, dickbag.”

“And you wore my rival’s jersey to provoke me. Looks like we both had different plans.”

Zach bursts into the locker room, his cheeks pink from exertion. “Coach is pissed. You both need to get out there. Now.”

Connor leans in, brushing his tongue along the seam of my lips. I moan and open for him, but he pulls away before I can sink into the kiss. “I’ll be back after the game,” Connor says, brushing his fingers along my cheek. He winks, and he and his brothers leave the locker room.

Alice and I look at each other for a long moment before we burst out laughing. We change into our new jerseys, accepting that we lost. My lips tingle from the lingering memory of his lips on mine, and the promise of more makes my core thrum in anticipation.

“Well, I guess he knows your name now.”

I laugh again, filled with a giddy lightness that is equal parts terrifying and wonderful. “Let’s go watch the game.”

Alice spots a mirror in the corner. “Wait.”

She pulls me closer and poses us so our backs are to the mirror. MORNINGSTAR is emblazoned in huge letters across our backs. We both look over our shoulders and pout. The moment Alice snaps the photo, I take her phone and post it to @KillerLegosi . Immediately, her phone begins to blow up with alerts.

“I guess I can unblock them all now,” Alice says as we walk back to the bleachers.