Linger

T W E N T Y - F I V E

"You like vanilla chai, right?"

I looked up from my locker to see Tom strolling down the hallway during lunch. He held up a coffee cup toward me with a handsome smile.  

"Yes!" I gasped, taking the cup. "How did you know?" 

"He didn't," a new, familiar voice spoke up and I lifted my eyes to see Sasha walking up to us, her pink purse on her shoulder and a smirk on her lips as she looked at me. 

I smiled back at her. "Thank you." 

She nudged me gently. "You know I always got you, babe." 

"Don't get too excited though," Tom said.

"What?" I looked up at him.

"What did you do?" Sasha turned to him, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Mr. Williams." 

We both looked up to see Dan--Mr. Hayden standing outside his classroom, holding the door open. 

Tom rolled his eyes before looking at me. 

"You got detention?!" Sasha hissed at him. 

"We have a game tonight so I have to do it now." He let out a heavy sigh, looking at me. 

I looked down at my coffee cup. "Aw, now I feel bad," I said quietly. "You got detention because of this." 

"Hey," he began, stepping up to me. "For you, it's worth it." 

My heart fluttered in my chest as I looked up at him, unable to bite back my smile. 

Sasha looked over at me with a smile. 

"Tom," Mr. Hayden called.

My smile immediately dropped. 

"Be right there!" Tom told him, keeping his eyes on me. 

However, my gaze was on the man behind him. The guilt settling in my chest weighing heavier and heavier. 

"Come to the game tonight," Tom said, his bright eyes set on me. "It'll be fun. Then we're all gonna go out after and celebrate, and I want you there with me." 

I tore my gaze off of Mr. Hayden and shifted my attention back to Tom. "Celebrate?" I raised my eyebrows. "How do you know you're gonna win?"

He laughed, nodding his head. "If we win, we celebrate. If we lose, we party," he explained with a simple shrug. 

Sasha caught my eye.

I gave her a look before bringing my straw to my mouth and taking a sip of my drink. 

"Besides," Tom continued, a handsome smile tugging on his lips as he took a step toward me. "You're my good luck charm, remember?" He pulled the straw from my mouth, leaning in for a kiss to my surprise. 

"Williams!" a new voice barked. 

"That's coach," Tom mumbled as we pulled away. 

I snuck a cautious glance at the older man in a matching sweatsuit and Hawks cap walking towards us. "Are you in trouble?" I looked up at Tom. 

"Nah." Tom shook his head cooly, shifting his gaze down the hall. "We'll win so we'll be fine," he assured me with a smirk. "See you at the game." He waved at me before nodding at Sasha. 

"Thank you for the tea." I waved back as he walked off, before my gaze drifted behind him where the football coach was now talking to Mr. Hayden outside the classroom. Mr. Hayden's eyes lifted, meeting mine.