Page 11 of Play Fake

The woman crawled under my skin and lived rent free in my head way more often than I liked.

I knew she hated me, but she was also, generally, kind and tolerant toward pretty much everyone around her. I thought it would be out of bounds even for her to go that low.

And mocking my Captain’s? Who didn’t like Captain America? If I swung that way, Chris Evans would damn near be top of the list, and as far as superheroes went, he was badass, talented and unique without being over the top.

I pull through the drive thru after ordering my food, and the woman at the window’s eyes light up with interest as she sees me.

“Good morning.” She smiles brightly, giving me her full attention once she finally looks up.

“Mornin’. Can’t say there’s much good about it. But it is definitely a morning.”

“Oh, no? Well, we’ll have to fix that,” she smiles, “just a second.”

She shuffles around behind the counter, grabbing something and scribbling before she opens the window again.

She flashes me a smile before reaching back across the counter for something that looks like a pastry bag, in addition to the sack of breakfast sandwiches I’d ordered.

“Here you go,” she hands the bags and a large coke to me through the window.

“Thanks darlin’’ I give her a smile and watch as the color rises slightly in her cheeks.

As I slide the bags onto the seat next to me and pull out of the drive thru, I notice the donut she’d thrown into the pastry bag accompanied by her name and number scrawled across the brown paper. I grin. Maybe today won’t be so bad. After all, there were plenty of women in the world besides Mackenzie, and today was the perfect day to stop pretending I had a chance in hell with her.

* * *

After practice that afternoon,we’re all dragging ass in the locker room. I’m fairly certain Coach knew we all partied too hard last night and was making a point of punishing us for it.

“So, what happened to staying to clean up in the morning?” Liam asks me as he strips off his pads.

“The morning didn’t exactly go according to plan.”

“Holly have too much energy for you? I tried to warn you last night.”

“Not Holly. Managed to avoid her.”

“Who else was there? I only saw a couple of guys downstairs.”

“I didn’t stay downstairs.”

“Don’t fucking tell me you fucked with the hornet again. I’m gonna hear about it from Liv, and she’s gonna roast my balls for letting you do it.”

“You need to tell her your control over this football team has limits.”

“I prefer she thinks I’m in control at all times.”

“I bet you do.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

I laugh my ass off as I toss my shit into my locker.

“So, did you? Poke the hornet’s nest?” He smirks at me.

“I fucking wish, man. But I did get to see the hornet’s assets up close and personal. And fucking fuck.”

“Who’s assets?” Ben pipes in as he opens his locker.

“Your fangirl’s,” Liam offers.