Page 57 of The Surprise Play (Nolan U Football #3)

ELIZABETH

I’m doing this for Wily.

Because I couldn’t handle that crushed puppy dog look on his face when he thought I didn’t like his party.

Of course I love it!

I just wish there weren’t so many people here, and I wish to God that he’d never invited Jade and her friends.

Picturing how that conversation went down is easy.

She would have put on her sweet “You’re such a great boyfriend” routine, and he would have casually said, “You should come help us celebrate.”

It wouldn’t have occurred to him that they could ruin my night because I’ve never told him what Jade did to me. What she and her new crew continue to do to me.

And I can’t go saying anything now.

I can tell he’s scanning the crowd, trying to figure out who was hassling me, but I seriously don’t want some big incident that will immediately land on the rumor mill, and then I’ll have to spend the next few weeks fending off gossip as the story grows into something grotesque and overly dramatic.

Ugh!

I have lived through way too many years of whispers chasing me down hallways. I don’t want or need that here.

I just have to keep my mouth shut and stay glued to Wily’s side. They wouldn’t dare say or do anything nasty in front of him. Not when Jade’s still set on making him her man.

But he’s mine.

That’s what he keeps telling me, and so I cling to his fingers as he pulls me back through the door.

“Everything okay?” Zander’s the first to approach us.

Wily gives him a stiff nod but then leans forward and whispers something in his ear. Zander’s eyes dart to me, a fierce look crossing his face as he clenches his jaw and grits out, “Will do. I’ll tell the guys.”

“Tell the guys what?” I quietly ask, worry coursing through me in a sickening wave.

Wily smiles down at me, then kisses the top of my head. “Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s go sing.”

“Sing?” I squeak as he pulls me into the living room and finds Nylah and Carson messing around with a karaoke machine.

“Is it good to go?” Wily asks, and I start chewing my bottom lip.

Yes, I adore karaoke. It’s one of my favorite things to do. But in front of all these people?

“Are you sure about this?” I softly ask, but he doesn’t hear me. He’s too busy leaning forward to whisper something in Carson’s ear .

The guy’s head jolts back, and he whips a quick look at me before his face goes just as hard as Zander’s did.

“Who?” he seethes.

Wily shrugs. “Just keep an eye out, okay?”

“Of course, man.” He raises his chin at his friend, then shoots me a stiff smile.

“Wily.” I tug on my boyfriend’s hand. “What are you saying?”

“Just asking them to look out for my girl.” He winks, and I give him a pained frown. “Don’t worry.” He rests his hand on my neck. “They’ll be subtle.”

“But—”

“Okay, I think it’s working now.” Nylah stands up, brushing her hands on the back of her pants. “I’m no Grady Newman, but the plugs seem to all be in the right place.”

“Where is Grady?” I look around, and now it’s Wily’s turn to look pained.

“He couldn’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s okay.” I smile, trying to brighten my expression. “There are so many people here. You must have invited the whole school.” I punch out a laugh, and he gives me a “you’re cute” smile before turning back to grab the mic off Nylah.

“You should know this one.” She winks at us, and before I know it, “You’re the One That I Want” is playing, and I’m thrust into a duet with my boyfriend.

He’s ridiculous, not knowing the lyrics and hamming up the song when he can’t keep up. I can’t help laughing out my lines, keeping my eyes trained on him and my back turned to the crowd that’s cheering us on.

“Go, Sandy!” someone shouts from the back .

Wait, that’s me. I’m Sandy in this duet. Are they… cheering me?

I glance over my shoulder, surprised by the sea of grinning faces.

And then it’s my turn again, and I lift the mic to my lips and come in on the beat.

“Whoo!” Nylah cheers. “Girl, you can sing!” She looks so impressed that I sing a little louder and find the cheers crescendoing.

Is this really happening?

I eventually start to belt out the tune in earnest, getting into this song I love so much and trying to make up for Wily’s terrible pitchiness.

He laughs at the hecklers, singing even louder until I can’t help a wince.

When the song comes to an end, I grin up at him, and he kisses me soundly on the mouth while people applaud and whoop.

“Another one!” someone shouts.

“But take that mic off Wily!”

My boyfriend throws his head back with a laugh.

“Yeah, do us all a favor. We just want Satch!”

My eyes bulge and I turn, trying to figure out who just said that.

“Satch! Satch! Satch!”

“W-what are they doing?”

Wily leans down to grin at me. “They want to hear you sing, baby. You up for it?”

I blink, not really sure what to say. No one’s ever chanted my name before. No one’s ever wanted me.

“You sound amazing!” Nylah grabs my attention and points to the screen. “Do you know this one?” I nod, and she laughs. “Yes! It’s all you, girl.”

Before I can protest, she presses Play on one of my favorite songs ever, and I just can’t help myself. Closing my eyes, I let the beat kick in, bobbing my head as the music swells… and then words ease into the room smooth as honey.

“When the night… has come…”

The room seems to go still around me, but I keep singing anyway, swaying to “Stand by Me” and loving the sound rising through my body.

When I get to the chorus, Wily comes and stands right beside me, gazing down at me with an affectionate smile that makes my chest swell.

“So, darlin’, darlin’…” I sing the chorus to him, and he threads our fingers together, kissing my knuckles and making the rest of the room disappear.

It’s just us, swaying to this smooth beat while I ask him to stand beside me and know that he will.

How did I get so lucky?

When the song finishes, another cheer erupts throughout the room, breaking me out of my loved-up bubble.

Wily’s arms come around me, and he lifts me off my feet. “That was incredible!” He kisses me again, then beams down at me like I’m the first prize he just won, and I can’t help a soft giggle.

“One more! One more!” Sienna makes her way up to the front, stepping up beside Nylah and hunting down a new song.

I’m not sure I’m ready for another one, not with all of these eyes on me, but then my mom’s absolute favorite starts to play, and I have to do it for her.

So, I sing “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” which apparently is also Zoey’s favorite. Sienna pulls Zander into a slow dance, and Carson and Nylah follow suit. Soon the living room is swaying with dancing couples, and it makes me feel like a jazz singer in a bar.

Wily’s recording me and I smile at his phone, knowing he’s gonna be sending this to my parents. They’ll love it.

When the tune comes to an end, I get lavished with a ton more praise, plus a big hug from Sienna, before finally handing the mic to someone else.

Two new people jump up. I have no idea who they are, but they’re having fun massacring “La Bamba.” I mean, their pronunciation is flawless, but neither of them can hold the tune.

The tall cowboy and his girlfriend are whistling and laughing at them, hassling the…

brother and sister maybe? They look pretty similar.

“You were so good.” Wily catches my attention, leading me into the dining room and passing me a drink.

I sniff it, then take a little sip, grateful it’s not beer. I really can’t stand that stuff.

“It’s Dr Pepper.” He winks at me. “I know my girl.”

Smiling up at him, I can feel myself finally starting to relax.

I have no idea where Team Evil 2.0 went while I was singing. I had my eyes closed most of the time so I wouldn’t have to see them.

Maybe they’ve left.

Maybe they saw Wily kissing me in front of everybody and knew the battle was over .

I won.

You never win. Keep your guard up.

Sipping the drink, I sway to the beat beside Wily, who’s leaning against the wall, smiling at people who keep greeting him, then glancing down to check on me.

“You feeling a little better?”

“Yeah.” I let out a shaky laugh. “Singing was fun.”

“You’re so amazing at it.” He grins. “We’ll do some more soon, and then it’s cake time.”

“Cake? Really? You’ve gone all out.”

“Of course I have. I want this night to be the best for you.” He looks around, his eyes grazing the room as his expression gets a little tense. “Those people who were hassling you… they still here?”

I don’t want to look and give away the culprits, but his expectant face forces me to do a quick sweep of the room. “I don’t think so. Maybe your singing scared them off.” I throw in a little joke to lighten the mood, and it works like a charm.

Grabbing me around the waist, he tickles me, and I nearly spill my drink all over him. He laughs, giving my neck a raspberry that makes me squawk.

“Stop,” I laugh. “I take it back. Your singing is amazing.”

“That’s a bit of bullshit right there.” He snickers against my neck, and I wrap my arms around him, wishing I had even an eighth of his confidence. He seems to have no problem owning his weaknesses.

My heart fills with affection for this incredible man, and I hold him a little tighter.

“Love you,” I whisper, brushing my hands through the back of his hair .

He leans away from me, rubbing his nose against mine before our little moment is shattered by one of Wily’s football buddies.

He slaps my boyfriend on the back, pulling us apart so they can talk about the game for a minute.

I hold Wily’s hand, listening in and managing to keep up.

Playing Madden has taught me so much about the game.

Not to mention all of the conversations I’ve had with Wily about football.

As they continue talking, I start to relax even more, actually getting pumped to maybe do another singing session. That was pretty fun, and people cheering me on… that part felt pretty good too. I’m not used to being lavished with positive attention from people who aren’t my family.

It felt weird.

But like a really cool weird.

The kind of weird I could get used to.

Maybe it is okay to have eyes on me sometimes.

“Good talking to you, man.” Wily wraps up his chat while taking the cup from my hand and placing both our finished drinks on the sideboard. “I gotta go dance with my girl now.”

“Cool.” The guy smiles at me, then turns back to the table…and my insides start to spasm.

“Uh…” I wince, so not up for dancing in front of everybody.

Wily will probably try to pull off some crazy rock-n-roll moves, and I don’t want to embarrass him with my terrible lack of coordination.

“I need to pee.” I attempt to get out of it and start making a beeline for the bathroom. “Back in a sec.”

“Cool.” He follows me with his gaze, then starts shifting through the crowd after me. He’s watching me like he’s my bodyguard, and I don’t mind it so much.

He’s so big and strong. He can protect me from anything.

That’s the way he’s making me feel as I slip past a couple making out, and then a group of girls who are preening their ’50s costumes and hair.

They all look amazing, like they’re about to attend that dance from Back to the Future .

Smiling at them when they tell me “Happy birthday,” I give them a soft thanks before trying to open the bathroom door. It’s occupied.

“Give us a minute,” someone calls from inside.

I wince, stepping back from the door and checking over my shoulder to find Wily caught in a conversation with a couple who are dressed up like Archie and Betty.

His smile is so beautiful, and whatever he just said made them all laugh.

Aw, man, I don’t want to disappoint him, but I so don’t want to dance.

Maybe if I take my sweet time, he’ll forget that option and just go straight to the singing.

Easing away from the bathroom door, I head down the corridor. I don’t really need to pee; I just need a moment to myself.

Glancing around the corner, I spot a door that I think leads to a den or office or something.

I haven’t been in there before, and the sign says Do Not Enter, but it’s probably okay for me to hide in there for just a second, right?

I saw the stairwell had been roped off when I came back inside, so they’ve probably just closed off the bedrooms and office to protect their stuff.

They know me. I’m not going to do anything.

Clearing my throat, I ease past another couple making out against the wall and am relieved when I try the door handle and it turns easily.

Slipping inside, I close it behind me, locking it for some privacy before resting my head against the wood… and immediately sensing that I’ve just made the biggest mistake.