Dauntless High School

Chapter 53

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry! I did not mean for this to take so long. The reason is really simple actually... it's that this is the championship football game and I know nothing about football. So I got a little stuck. But then finally I was like, I gotta just write something, I'm not going to know any more about football tomorrow than I do today, and just... yeah. So... anything that is totally wrong? Pretend it makes sense. Because I am completely out of my element here!

I hope you're all staying well! Be responsible, protect yourself and others. Keep social distancing, stay home and save lives!

-o-o-o-o-o-

TRIS

At school, the air feels charged with electricity. Everyone is anticipating the big game tonight, especially the football team. All day I can feel the tension radiating off of Tobias. When I asked, he said he was just nervous for the game tonight and I had little choice but to take him at his word. I can't help feeling ashamed for having even a split-second of doubt that he is being entirely honest with me; I must not be entirely over our fight, I have no other reason to doubt him. Why wouldn't he be nervous? The scouts will be watching, this game will have a significant impact on the college scholarships he will be offered next year. Now his abusive asshole of a father has at least doubled the pressure by adding on extra demands.

Tobias has told me how wealthy his father is. Why is he participating in any sort of high-stakes gambling, let alone getting his son involved? Is it really that lucrative to be worth the risk? It must be. As much as I resent my father's abandonment, it is certainly better than being afraid for my safety and used as a cash cow.

The state championship game is held at Northern Illinois University's Huskie Stadium, an hour outside of Chicago. Erudite High will not have the home field advantage this time. Tobias and the other guys from the team were excused from their final lessons of the day so they could arrive with plenty of time to prepare for the big game, but we cheerleaders didn't have to be here until 5:30.

I finish getting ready, complete with "war paint" and a big black-and-red bow in my curled ponytail, before any of the other cheerleaders; the clock reads 5:49 pm. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with cheer at all; at times like this I feel like I don't quite fit in. The others are so into all the girly primping and it just isn't me. I wander out of the girls' locker room and out a side door, quickly finding a bench to sit at. I can hear the distant sound of fans and stadium staff coming from the field and seating area, but the area I am sat in, a large alcove which I think might be some sort of loading or delivery area, is deserted.

I lift my head when I hear someone opening the door I came through a moment ago and the shuffle of footsteps. "Thought I saw you come this way," says a familiar deep voice behind me just before the door clicks shut. I slide off the bench and to my feet, smiling as I unhurriedly turn toward him.

Tobias Eaton stands there in a tight gray athletic shirt and skin-tight black game pants, freshly showered, dark curls damp and tousled. His clothes are so tight that I can even see hints of his six-pack through his shirt and the definition of each muscle in his strong, lean thighs. He is dead sexy, especially when he smirks at my obvious ogling. I step closer to him and run a hand slowly down his chest.

Tobias sucks in a breath and reaches a hand out to rest on my waist, halting abruptly just inches from making contact at the hem of my uniform top. His eyes dart, surveying our surroundings. He lingers at the corner. It is a blind spot, but I haven't heard any sound coming from the area and I don't see anything when I glance back. His attention returns to me, our eyes locking for a long moment before he pulls me closer and dips his head for a kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck while our lips move together and when we break apart I continue holding him close to me.