Forbidden Love

47

Jaxon

"Does my uniform make me look fat?"

Mason, Isaac, Paxton, and I pause the game and look at each other for a moment before shaking our heads.

Britney frowns. "That's not an answer."

"Pumpkin, there's no right answer to that question," Paxton tells her matter-of-factly. "If we say no, you'll think we're lying. If we say yes, well, we'd just be douchebags."

"No," Julia pops into Mason and Maddi's living room in her own cheerleading uniform. "You'd just be telling the truth."

"Said no girl ever," Isaac mutters before returning his attention to his girlfriend. "Brit, you look hot."

She blushes under his gaze. "I didn't ask that, I asked if I looked fat."

"You look a little chubby on the left." Julia sniffs. "But what does it matter? You're still hot."

I blink, expecting Britney to be upset, but a smile engulfs her face. "Thank you! Some people need to learn how to tell the truth." She gives us a glare.

Girls. I'll never understand them.

Speaking of girls, Luna will be at the game today. It's her first ever football game. I admit I'm a bit nervous. Mostly because I want to make sure she has fun, but partly because I don't know if I'll be able to play well. Practice is one thing, but having Luna Stone at an actual game? I don't think I'll be able to concentrate the entire time. I'll be too busy focusing on the girl on the bleachers.

Once Maddi comes in the room, we press play on the game, and rotate between us four. Paxton and Mason play one round, Mason and I next, then Paxton and Isaac. We go back and forth for the better part of an hour—even Maddi decides to play a round. Britney does too, but Maddi doesn't suck at it like Brit does.

Some game days, we all make plans to get ready together. The girls and Paxton say it raises school spirit. I don't believe them. But I come anyway because I—in my own way—missed hanging out with these guys whether I knew it or not.

~

"Luna's nice," Maddi mentions the second I start driving. Julia drove Britney, Isaac, Paxton, and Mason in her car, so it's just Maddi and I in here. Thankfully. Her sudden use of Luna's name has me glancing around like I did something wrong.

"She is?"

"Don't act like you don't know." She gives me a look. "Why'd you ask me to help her?"

It takes me a minute to answer. "I don't know." That's a lie. Luna Stone has been so good, helping me and all, but she doesn't ask for a thing in return. She has a lot going on, the last thing she needs is brainless high schoolers treating her like garbage.

Maddi doesn't say anything after that, only sings and dances along to the radio. Her blonde hair whipping in her face. Maddi's always been easy to talk to. She's chill and outgoing at the same time. If I tell her something, I know it'll stay between us. She's not a gossip like the rest of the group can be at times—including myself. She and Mason are pretty great secret keepers, it can be both good and bad. I think it's a family thing. But that means we have to pry the information out of them when we want it bad enough.

Which is what I'm about to do.

"Did she..." My voice comes out too pitchy, so I clear my throat. "Did she mention me at all?"

Maddi lowers the music down to hear me better. "Sorry, what?"

We stop at a red light, and I use that opportunity to glance over to her. The one-second glance is all it takes for me to know that Maddi heard me perfectly, she just wants to hear it again.

I take back what I said. I don't like talking to her.

But because I really want to know, I ask again through gritted teeth. "Did she mention me?"

"And why would she?"

It's not a secret that Luna tutors me. We haven't talked about it directly, but Paxton can't keep a secret to save his life and Julia talks to Maddi about everything. I'm sure Britney, Isaac, and Mason know too. It's not a shock that Maddi's trying to get information out of me just as much as I'm trying to get it out of her.

"Forget I asked."

"Fine," She relents with a sigh. "She doesn't talk about you."

I don't know why that brings my mood down. Of course Luna wouldn't talk about me, especially with my friend. I just...wish she would.

"But," Maddi adds and I'm ashamed of the spark of hope that grows in my chest. "She blushed when I brought you up."

Even though I'm pulling into a parking spot, I look over at Maddi to tell if she's messing with me.

She's not.

"You bring me up a lot, huh?"

"You have a big ego, huh?" She shoots back and unbuckles her seatbelt.

"So I've heard."

"Well, don't get too excited. It was only once when you were in my story that I was telling her."

We make it out of the car, and I grab her shoulders to slow her down. "What story?"

"When I made you and Mason watch a k-drama a few years ago."

"Ah," I nod my head. "You mean when you forced me to read."

"If you don't understand what they're saying, learn Korean."

"Jaxon's learning Korean?" Paxton appears beside us. Maddi and I answer at the same time.

"No."

"Yes,"

"Nice, I'll learn with you." Paxton grins.

"I'm not learning Korean," I tell him just as Julia, Britney, Isaac, and Mason round the car. Isaac and Britney hand in hand.

"You should learn Spanish instead." Julia smiles slipping her arms through mine and Paxton's. "It's much easier." Spoken like a fluent Spanish speaker.

"To you," Mason drawls.

"Oh, crap," Isaac gasps throwing his phone in his duffel bag. I don't get to hear what he's so worried about because that's the moment Luna decides to hop out of her car. She looks prettier than she did this morning if that's even possible. She's changed into a pair of white jeans and a yellow-brown t-shirt, her hair still tied in a ponytail. My feet move on their own accord, walking toward her. I don't get two steps before someone tugs on my arm.

"Jax," I forgot Julia's arm was still in mine. "Did you hear Isaac?"

"What?"

"We're late." She tugs me further away from Luna. "Let's go."

It doesn't hit me until I'm in the locker room what colors Luna was wearing. Her yellow-brown shirt could pass as gold.

White and Gold.

The colors of Dayken Prep.

Our opposing team.