Letterman Jacket

when she gave him her number

"Congratulations!"

Her voice rang through his ears even in the deafening sea of yells echoing around the gymnasium.

Against his better judgment, Nico turned his head.

Faust had Thea in his arms as he spun her around. His mouth moved in words Nico couldn't hear, but the next thing he knew, Thea's hands reached up to cup Faust's face, and her beautiful eyes shone with genuine happiness as she leaned in to kiss him.

Nico looked away.

He took a deep breath, and after counting from one to five, he turned back around and stalked towards the pair. Wrapped into a tight hug, Thea's fingers clutched the cloth of Faust's jersey on his back. Nico's jaw clenched.

"...should probably kiss you more often then," Thea was saying.

His chest ached. Nico grabbed Faust's wrist and pulled him away. "Can you both save the lovey-dovey shit for later? Preferably in the after-party we're going to?"

Nico knew Faust wasn't going to the after-party. He was meeting Thea's parents.

Faust shoved him. "I told you man, I'm taking Thea to dinner then I'm meeting her parents after."

He etched his face into the most annoyed expression possible as he wiped his forehead with the towel slung over his shoulder. "You're the captain. You can't miss the after-party. You've never missed the after-party."

Faust's answer pissed him off more. "Theo will be there."

As painful as it was, Nico's eyes met Thea's. She stared back at him evenly.

"It's not the same," he forced himself to say.

Thea's pink-tainted lips curled up into a tight smile. "It's okay," she told Faust with a voice so soft and gentle. "I told you you're not obligated—"

Faust's eyebrows were furrowed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Thea, please shut up before I make you."

Thea looked flustered. Nico wanted to punch a fucking wall.

JJ appeared behind Thea and laughed boisterously. "Dude, really?"

Faust let out an annoyed grunt.

The blonde placed a hand behind Thea's back. "I feel so sorry for you, sweetheart. I would've been a much smoother talker than Carter here."

"Hands off," Faust snapped. "And stop trying to steal my girlfriend or I'll kick you in the balls. Friend or not."

With a grin, JJ raised his hands in the air and backed up a few steps. "The fact that she's wearing the jacket only proves how much of a caveman you can be when it comes to her."

Nico shut his eyes and cursed under his breath.

Thea's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "What does that mean?"

A forced smile found its way onto Faust's face. "It doesn't matter. Don't listen to him."

Don't listen to him, Nico echoed inside his head, gritting his teeth.

JJ was never good with shutting his mouth. "It means that every player on the team—Northvale and East Hampton's—knows you're his, and soon every team in the state will know it too. And they'll be wanting a piece of you. Even if it's just from afar."

Thea looked angry. Fuck. "Because I managed to catch the attention of Northvale's most wanted casanova? Is that it?"

He hated it. He hated himself.