The Wrong Play: A Football Romance (The Wrong Player Series Book 2)
The Wrong Play: Chapter 23

Practice wasn’t supposed to be easy. It was supposed to push us until our lungs burned, our legs screamed, and our heads pounded like we’d been smacked with a brick.

And for the most part, it did.

But that didn’t mean we weren’t gonna talk shit the whole way through it.

“Being a dick won’t make yours bigger, Matty,” I told him as I lined up wide, rolling my shoulders as Parker barked out a new play. Matty was next to me, cracking his knuckles like we were about to throw hands instead of running drills. He scowled at the reminder of his missing quarter inch.

“All right, listen,” I called as Parker took his stance. “If you’re gonna risk your life for a secret society, you should at least get something out of it. I don’t feel like I’m getting the proper respect from these people.”

I caught the ball from the jugs machine and turned upfield, shaking my head. “And why do I feel like my life isn’t worth as much as Parkie-Poo’s? Do they not even realize how awesome I am?”

“I mean they haven’t given me much.” Parker grinned. “A mysterious envelope with pictures I happened to need to secure my future wasn’t much of a gift considering they made me dig up a fucking body.”

Parker rifled a pass straight at Matty’s chest—hard enough that he staggered back a step when he caught it.

“I would like to point out that I helped dig up that body too,” Matty said, his eyes doing that bugging out thing again. “And what have I received? Nothing.”

“Did you help, though, Matthew? All I can picture from that night is you all pale and shaky, while Parker and I dug up a corpse.”

“Do you hear yourself right now? You just dropped the word corpse like it’s the same thing as walking a dog,” Matty griped.

“Corpse is just another word for dead broad—which means woman for all you non-big brained people out there.” I caught another ball from the jug machine, making it look easy as usual. “And I happen to be very good with women.”

“This is a really weird conversation,” Manning, one of our freshman wide receivers, commented from a few feet away.

“That’s why it’s rude to eavesdrop,” Matty said, all of a sudden getting all growly and scary looking. I could see it when he did that, how it was possible for him to get the ladies.

Not to mention having a dedicated stalker.

All I’d had stalk me so far was the three-nippled girl.

A wonder of the world when you thought about it. Must be those baby blues Matty had going on. They must be stalker-worthy to some people…who obviously hadn’t seen me yet.

“I’m just saying,” I said, jogging past him. “Two near-death experiences and a fun new fear of blindfolds.”

“And absolutely no snacks,” I muttered as an afterthought.

Matty snorted. “Maybe your third trial will be easy.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice.” I reached for my helmet, flipping up the visor. “What’s the ROI on getting shoved off a building, though? Parker, you got anything in that big brain on that subject?”

Parker flicked the ball at me, shaking his head. “It seems like they help out when you least expect it.”

“The problem is that they gave us all those expectations when they put the bag over our heads and shoved us into the basement. Remember all the ‘you will be rich and powerful’ things.” Matty said in a weird, deep voice. “That was a mistake on their part. They set the expectations too high. My trials haven’t even started yet.”

“I agree with that,” I said, holding up my hand for a high five in solidarity…which he ignored.

“Why do you sound so shocked about agreeing with me?” he growled, his eyes straying over to the car sitting in the parking lot…the one that happened to always be in the parking lot at practice.

I slung an arm around Matty’s shoulder and nodded toward it. “So, Matty…are we ever gonna acknowledge her, or are we going to keep pretending she doesn’t exist? Because I’m thinking she’s your soulmate.”

Matty groaned. “Or she’s related to Darla…and I can’t live through that again.”

Parker raised a brow. “It sounds like you’ve put some thought into it, though—the whole soulmate thing.”

Matty muttered something under his breath. “I have not put any thought into it.”

I hummed the first lines of “Love Story,” and he acted like he didn’t even know what I was humming, even though everyone knew I had excellent pipes.

He could ask Riley—she’d seen my performance first hand.

I grinned. “Matty’s in loooove.”

“Or Matty’s about to lose his teeth. She could have one of those walls in her house that she’s decorated with memorabilia,” mused Parker.

“We should talk to Riley and Casey about upping their game in that regard,” I said, once again thinking it was irrational that Matty had such dedication.

“Agreed,” Parker said, giving me the high five of solidarity that Matty wouldn’t, and showing why he deserved his place as number one bestilicious bro today.

“Can we just focus on football?” Matty groaned, running a hand down his face. “Fuck. You guys act like I’m about to get kidnapped.”

I squinted at the car again, at the girl hidden behind a big pair of sunglasses…and a hat. Because evidently, she didn’t think that was obvious. “I mean…we don’t not think that.”

Matty threw up his hands. “I hate both of you.”

Coach’s whistle blew again, and we lined up for another rep. I flexed my hands, ready to run the route, when Parker called out, grinning, “All right, run it back, and it would be great if both of you could try not to get murdered before the season’s over.”

Matty groaned.

Parker snapped the ball.

And I took off, grinning the whole fucking way.

I was in such a good mood after practice, I couldn’t help but fuck with Jagger.

Riley chose that moment to walk through the door, and I swooned a bit at the thought of her using the key I’d given her. And her living with me every day.

And her having lots of sex with me. Starting right now, obviously.

I ignored the middle finger he texted back because one, it was rude…and two…I had better things to do.

Or better said…I had a Riley-girl to do.