Free Rival Love by Natalie Decker Page B

head toward the door.
    “Oh, Caleb, before I forget, could you pick Skylar up at her work tonight? She gets off around seven.”
    I glare at the glass in the door. “Why do I have to do it?”
    “I think it’d be best if you picked her up. Spent some time with her. She’s a pretty good person once you get to know her.”
    Annoying—yes. Hot—yes. Good person, as in a saint? Please . I nod though. “Fine.” I walk out the door before he tacks on more crap for me to do like go to the grocery store or something equally dumb.
     
    ***
     
    “Run, Morgan!” Coach Dillon screams from the fifty-yard line. Sweat is pouring off me as I turn a corner and run across the end zone, heading for the sideline. My punishment for being late: twenty laps. The entire field. I’m currently on lap eighteen, and my sides are on fire. My legs beg for me to stop, but thanks to that freaking Bulldog I can’t.
    The more I think about Skylar the more ticked off I get. If she were in front of me I’d wring her neck. She’s screwing up my life.
    Lance runs up beside me and says, “Hey, there’s an after-game party Friday night at Amber’s. You going?”
    “Yeah, count me in.” One good thing came out of this shitty day. The weekend can’t come soon enough. Beer, chicks, and no Skylar.
    I finally finish up the laps and it’s the end of practice. Coach Dillon hands me a bunch of papers stapled together and growls, “New plays. Study up. Be ready tomorrow. We’re going to run a few.”
    I nod and head down to the locker rooms. It’s a little past six forty-five when I get my shower, change, and am in my car. Lance jerks open the passenger-side door and says, “Hey man, Derrick left my ass, can you give me a ride?”
    “Um…I kinda gotta get Liv from work.” His eyes light up, and it makes me instantly regret telling him that.
    “Well, I don’t mind. Besides, I wanna meet the hot chick. Derrick won’t shut the hell up about how he got to meet her first.”
    God, I’m really going to regret this. I nod. “All right but she’s a total bitch. Warning you now.”
    “Most hot chicks are.” He slides into the passenger seat and we take off to Coffee Junky’s Dream.
    It’s way after seven when I pull into the parking lot. I hop out and tell Lance to wait in the car. Stepping inside the small coffee bar, I instantly spot Skylar sitting in the back next to some tall guy. She tips her head back and laughs, and he laughs too. I don’t know what’s so damn funny, but I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her laugh with another person. And if Skylar Fletcher could make herself any hotter than she already is, she just accomplished it. My heart speeds up, as I make my way toward her.
    Her eyes meet mine and she instantly stops laughing. The dude she’s sitting with looks at her and then up at me. “What are you doing here?” she asks.
    “I had to pick you up. So, um…are you done working?”
    I glance down at the table and notice she has a few of her schoolbooks open. She’s seriously doing homework in a coffee shop. What a freaking dork. I shake my head as she shoves them into her book bag. “I’m done. See ya tomorrow, Alex. Thanks for the chat.”
    “Anytime, Sky. See you tomorrow. Stay out of trouble.”
    She laughs. “I’ll try.”
    Who’s this Alex guy? Why does she laugh and seem nice around him but when it comes to me, it’s totally different? Like night and day.
    She’s about to walk out the door when I remember Lance is in my car. I grab Skylar by the shoulders and spin her around. “Hey, um…I had to help my friend out so he’s in the car with me. So…uh…could you like wear a hat or something?”
    She raises an eyebrow. “Okay. It’s the least I can do, I guess.” She walks back toward the counter and grabs a black baseball cap with the letters CJD stitched on the front. Placing it on her head, she returns to my side and asks, “How much trouble did you get in with your coach?”
    I shrug.