Once the song ended, Payton excused herself to go use the bathroom, nearly colliding with Chance.
“Hi,” she said, looking around for Kelly, who was nowhere in sight.
“Hi.” He gazed down at her. “You clean up well.”
“You too. So I’ll see you later at Neal’s, right?”
This time he leaned toward her. “I—don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“But why?”
“After what nearly happened in my room, it’d be best if we didn’t spend time alone together.”
“We won’t be alone,” she pointed out.
“Payton—just tell Neal I’m sorry and maybe next time.” He pulled back abruptly and ran right into Matt, who’d been looking for both of them.
“Hey, we should do that picture now, before it gets too late and we forget.” Matt grabbed hold of both of them, half dragging them over to the photographer. Neal was already in line, saving a spot for them.
When it was their turn, the three boys ended up posing while holding Payton up across their chests, like they were lifting weights. It was a pretty funny picture, and they all ordered copies of it. Even Chance, which surprised the hell out of her after he just said he didn’t want to hang out and all.
At last, Payton drifted back to where her date was seated, looking around anxiously.
He stood. “Hey, where did you run off to?”
“Pictures, bathroom … ” She chuckled. “I’m back now, though, if you’d like to dance.”
Craig pulled her out onto the floor for a slow song. “Payton, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you go out with me?”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“Yes, but I meant as a couple—you know, date exclusively.” His fingers slid along her cheek, caressing it. “There’s only one stipulation,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.
“And what’s that?” Payton’s heart clattered like rocks being tossed down the stairs.
“If Chance Montgomery asks you on a date, I want you to say yes.”
Payton stopped dancing and gave Craig a bewildered look. “You what?”
“I want to prove to you that I’m the right guy for you. I know you’ve had a thing for Chance, but I know he’s not the one for you. So if he asks you on a date, I want you to go, if only to prove that he’s not who you think he is.”
“Craig, I don’t need a stipulation. I like you a lot without it.”
“So you’re saying yes?” He smiled, allowing his dimples to come out and play.
“Yes.”
He planted another kiss on her mouth.
The rest of the night went smoothly, except when Payton bumped into Kibby, who threatened that she’d get back at her.
“I should probably get you to Neal’s,” Craig finally said, glancing at his watch.
Payton nodded her agreement and followed him out to his dad’s car.
Payton turned to wave to Craig then pushed through the gate to Neal’s. She hadn’t even made it up to the porch when the door swung open and Mrs. Visser hobbled out.
“Oh my—you look wonderful. Neal, Payton’s here,” she called out excitedly. “Now, before you kids go and change, I want some pictures.”
Matt groaned, and Payton snickered behind her hand. A moment later her breath caught in her throat as she watched Chance step into the living room from the kitchen.
“I thought you weren’t coming.” She blurted out, taking her place next to Neal.
“I changed my mind. Besides, Matt wouldn’t leave me alone until I said yes.” He scuffed the floor with his foot.
Mrs. Visser lined everyone up and snapped away, making the kids do various poses.
“Matt and Chance, why don’t you two go ahead and get changed first?” Mrs. Visser said. “Neal, I want to get some of just you and Payton together.”
Neal lifted Payton up like a baby, and she clutched her hands around his neck, squealing when he spun her around. They grinned foolishly at one another while Mrs. Visser took a picture. She made them pose for several more photos, until her battery died.
By that time, the other two had finished changing, and Payton had finally found her overnight bag in the kitchen. She went into the bathroom, pulled out a pair of black jogging pants and her football sweatshirt, and hung up her dress. After getting all of her stuff put away, she took her hair down, shaking her head to make sure she’d gotten all the pins out. Payton stared at the beautiful waves and curls that cascaded down her back.
“I’m human again,” she said with a laugh when she left the bathroom. Then she grabbed her sleeping bag and followed the boys out to the backyard.
“I’ve got pop and snacks if you kids get hungry,” Mrs. Visser called after them.
“Thanks, Gram.” Neal waved just as Payton leapt up onto his back.
“I need a lift. My feet are killing me,” she said. “You guys don’t know pain until you’ve walked in a pair of heels.”
“Whatever, my tie was worse. I think I choked myself like a hundred times tonight,” Matt whined, tossing his sleeping bag onto the ground in front of a fire pit.
Neal tilted his head back to whisper in Payton’s ear, “At least he wasn’t wearing a cup. Otherwise we’d be hearing about something else getting choked.”
Payton giggled. “Eww … That’s nasty.”
“Okay, Chance, your turn. Any costume malfunctions?” Neal peered over at the other boy.
“Other than my date?” He grinned, grabbing up an armful of firewood for their bonfire.
“Why’d you ask her then?” Payton slid down from Neal’s back.
“I thought she was pretty. Now she’s just annoying.”
“See, let this be a lesson—you shouldn’t base your dating decision around the fact that someone’s hot.” Payton rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the boys’ attempts to work on the fire.
“I noticed you had no qualms about going to the dance with Craig Helton—popular, senior type boy,” Neal shot back.
Payton laughed. “Good point, but no one else asked me. Besides, if you remember correctly, I did turn him down the first time he asked. But he was persistent and asked again. What was a girl to do?” She sighed dramatically.
Chance grabbed the lighter and tried getting the wood to take, but it just smoked before going out again.
“Why don’t you city boys let a pro handle this?” Payton took the lighter from him and rearranged the wood and newspapers until it formed a teepee. She lit the newspaper surrounding the wood, and within a few minutes an orange flame licked to life, crackling and popping. “And that, gentlemen, is how we Carters start a fire.” She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of campfire drifting in the air.
Matt immediately dashed over to get the two pronged sticks to put marshmallows on. He was like a hollow log; it almost made Payton scared to fall asleep for fear of him waking up hungry and mistaking one of her limbs for a drumstick.
“And this, Ms. Know-it-all, is what we call a cattle prod.” Neal took one of the bonfire sticks and poked her in the leg.
“Hey,” she screeched, slapping the stick away. She pulled her roasted marshmallow off her own stick and reached across to wipe it down the side of Neal’s face.
“Payton!” He jumped up and raced after her as she took off across the yard. He tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms above her head, and wiped his cheek against hers until the sticky chunks of marshmallow were all over her face. He then leaned down and licked her cheek.
“Yuck … You did not just do that.” Payton wrinkled her nose, laughing so hard she thought she might pee her pants.
“Your cheek tasted kind of like marshmallow-coated chicken,” he teased. Right then Matt came rushing at him.
“Must protect my quarterback,” he called out as he knocked Neal to the ground.
“That’s my center! Yeah!” Payton stood and cheered as Neal got graham cracker crumbled up in his hair.
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“Two against one is not a fair fight.” Chance dove into the mix, bringing Payton down with him. He had several squashed marshmallows in hand, which he wiped on Payton’s face and neck. She fought back, knocking him to the side and jumping up to start running toward their food supply for more ammunition. She didn’t quite get there as he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up over his shoulder.
“Hey.” She giggled, managing to get her hands on a can of pop that was left on the table. She tipped some on his head, and it trickled down the neck of his shirt.
“That’s cold.” He nearly dropped her. “Say uncle, and I’ll let you go.”
“No, I’ll never surrender!” she called out, watching as Neal was finally up and running again—heading right toward her.
“Hold her still,” he said. He took her shoe off and tickled her foot.
“Stop!” she whined, trying to wriggle free, but between the two receivers it was an impossible task, that is, until Matt dive-bombed them, knocking all of them to the ground in a pile.
Payton landed on Chance, her head bumping his as they went. “Sorry,” she groaned. He was so close that their faces were nearly touching—she could feel his warm breath fanning out over her cheek.
“Don’t be.” He caught her hand up in his while they all disentangled themselves from one another.
“Okay, I’m gonna go in to grab some washcloths. Matt, you want to help me?” Neal motioned toward the house.
Payton watched them disappear inside and felt Chance come up behind her. “Can I have a dance?” he asked softly.
Payton was about to bring up that there was no music, but as she listened to nature in full swing around them, she realized they didn’t need it. “Sure.”
Chance held her tight and swayed back and forth in the cover of the shadows. “I’ve been waiting all night to dance with you.”
“Why didn’t you ask then?” she said, her voice trembling the same way her body was. Yet her mind nagged at her that she had a boyfriend, a very hot boyfriend who trusted her.
“We both had dates—and I thought you’d say no.”
She didn’t say anything in response, just closed her eyes and let her head rest against his chest. She felt his hands in her hair and tilted her head upwards. His gaze burned into hers, as if he was trying to memorize every feature. But the magical moment didn’t last long, as they were interrupted by the sound of the outside door shutting.
Payton took a step back and rushed to Neal, who held out a warm washcloth for her. Confusion clouded her mind when she glanced back at Chance. She never knew where she stood with him, one minute he acted like she had the plague, while the next he was trying be her friend and possibly even more. She just needed to forget about him. She had Craig. Someone who liked her and had known her forever. And he treated her well.
After getting cleaned up, Payton climbed into her sleeping bag, in between Neal and Matt. The air grew colder, and her nose felt like an ice cube. She wondered how in the world the Eskimos survived, not that it was anywhere near as cold as the Arctic in the Visser’s backyard.
“Hey, do you guys want to see if my fart lights up?” Matt called from his sleeping bag.
“No,” Payton and Neal shouted at the same time.
“You guys are no fun.” Matt laughed and farted anyway.
“Gross. Move over, Neal, I’m coming over by you.” Payton stood and hopped closer to her friend, nearly taking out his head as she landed.
“Too bad we don’t have our astronomy stuff. Look how clear the sky is tonight,” he said, pointing out the Big and Little Dippers.
“Yeah, it’s pretty.” She leaned her head up on his chest and stared at the sky. “Oh, I forgot to tell you,” she whispered. “Craig asked me out tonight.”
Neal was silent for a moment. “Congrats. Well, that is, if you said yes,” he teased her. He then took a deep breath, sniffing her hair. “Oh, and by the way, you still smell like marshmallows.”
“Wonder why.” She glared between him and Chance. “I think my receiving core needs to give their quarterback more respect.”
They laughed, wadding up in their sleeping bags for the night. Their first homecoming dance was now behind them, with their last football game still to come.
Payton was right back to square one with Chance. Ever since their late-night dance he’d barely spoken two words to her. His mood swings were like a yo-yo. Not that she had time to worry about it. She toyed with the strap on her bag. She had bigger things to deal with tonight.
“Don’t be nervous. I’ll be up in the stands cheering you on.” Jake held up his hands in a V, which she assumed was supposed to be for victory or something.
Tonight was not only her final football game of the season, but also the most important. Aller Falls hadn’t beat Lawson in over a decade. This was their one chance to take the trophy back home. Payton knew her brothers would be more nervous tomorrow for their game at home against Lawson, because that game would determine who advanced into the playoffs.
“I’ll look for you in the stands.” Payton gave a weak smile.
She hurried away and went to grab her pads, helmet, and gear, then headed out to the school bus.
“Hey, Carter,” a familiar voice called from behind her. She turned to see not only her brothers coming out to see her off, but her boyfriend as well. Craig rushed forward and tugged her into his arms. “Give ’em hell, babe.” He kissed her.
“I will. Any last-minute advice?” she asked Marino, who glanced down at her.
“No. I think you can handle it, little sis. You’ve been handling it all season. We’ll be sitting in your cheering section. You better get going.” He nodded as Coach Youngman motioned for his team to get loaded onto the bus.
Payton slid into an empty seat, tossing her equipment in the one across from her. She instantly pulled out her iPhone and plugged her earbuds in. Rock music blared in her ears as she attempted to stay calm. When she saw Neal get on, she flagged him down to sit with her.
“Hi.” She scooted over, patting the seat for him. She took her headphones out. “Is Grandma coming?”
“Yeah, she said she wouldn’t miss it. Your dad is going to swing by and get her.” He grinned, wrapping an arm around her. “You holding up?”
“Barely. I want this game so bad, not just because those guys jumped me, but because Coach hasn’t beaten them in forever.”
“Maybe tonight would be a good time to bust out the play,” he whispered. “We’ve been saving it all season, so no one will even know how to cover it when it blows wide open.”
“Well, we may need it.” They both turned to wave to Matt, who got on the bus with food in his hand.
“Man, I’m starving,” he complained, plopping down behind them. “I don’t think this energy bar is going to hold me over until after the game.”
“Matt, seriously, man, I think you’ll survive. And anyway, if you eat too much you’ll end up spewing all over the place.” Neal wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“And that would be a bad thing? Come on, throwing up on Lawson’s mascot would be fricken awesome.”
Chance was one of the last players to get on. Then the bus doors shut, and they pulled out of the parking lot.
The ride didn’t feel long enough, and before Payton knew it, the bus parked outside the Lawson Lions’ stadium. Crowds of people were already lining up. If they were this eager for the freshman game, Payton almost hated to see how the varsity game would be the next night.
“Hey, the girls’ team is here,” one of the Lions’ players shouted. “Hey, Montgomery, how does it feel to play with a girl?”
“Just ignore them,” Coach hollered, herding them to the locker room. “Why don’t you boys save your energy for the game?” he called to the opposing team.
As always, Payton was escorted into an office. With Mrs. Atkinson’s help, she was quickly changed into her uniform, awaiting the knock on the door from her coach.
“Take a deep br
eath, kiddo.” Mrs. Atkinson patted her arm. “You’ll be great out there—you always are.”
“I hope so.” But at the moment, Payton thought she might vomit. Her stomach churned with nervousness. She took slow breaths, trying to calm herself. When that didn’t work, she ran in place.
A couple minutes later the coach came to get her, and Payton rushed out to join her team. “All right, this is the game we’ve been gearing up for all season,” Coach said. “This will decide the division champions. Our numbers far surpass theirs. We just need to be on our toes.” He glanced around at the team. “So what do you say? Are we gonna win?”
“Yeah!” they answered with enthusiasm.
“Then let’s go. Play smart. Play your game. And give it your all.” They charged out of the locker room and were instantly met by the lights on the field and screaming fans. The cheerleaders held up signs, waving them around to get the crowd to shout with them.
The stadium speakers crackled to life. “Welcome, folks, to the division showdown between rival teams the Aller Falls Tigers and the Lawson Lions.”
Payton and Chance made their way out for the coin toss.
“So, princess, you ready to see how the big boys play?” one of the Lawson players hissed.
“Don’t start,” the ref said, putting a stop to it. “We’re here for a clean game.” He showed both teams the coin before telling Chance to call it in the air.
“Tails.”
The coin flipped in the air, the lights glinting off the shiny silver. It hit the ground and rolled, then finally stopped. “I’m sorry, it’s heads.”
“Lawson, do you wish to kick or receive?”
“Receive.”
Chance and Payton sauntered back over to their sideline. The cool air caressed her bare hands, the scent of grass and sports drink tickling her nose.
“Okay, boys, suit it up, and let’s get out there.” Coach Youngman shoed the kickoff team onto the field.
Payton stood by and watched her team kick the ball deep, her body quaking with both fear and anticipation. Lawson returned the ball for ten yards before being brought down, which had her letting out a sigh of relief.
French Fries with a Side of Guys Page 19
