The Star Player's Plus-Size Obsession

Chapter 04

Emily's POV

I froze under the bleachers. Grayson Hawkins was still looking at me.

He handed the microphone back to the dean and started walking. Toward the bleachers. Toward me.

The cheerleaders were standing on the sideline a few feet away. Brooklyn fixed her ponytail so fast she almost poked her own eye out.

"He's smiling at me," she said. "Oh my God, he's smiling at me."

"In your dreams," Ella said. "He was looking right at me."

"You guys need to calm down," another girl said. "It's obvious who he was looking at."

"Who? You?" Brooklyn laughed. Then she turned her head, and her eyes landed on me. Her face twisted. "Oh, look at this. A mountain is blocking Grayson's view of us."

Every head turned. I pressed my back against the metal bars of the bleachers.

"I was just leaving," I said.

"Then leave." Ella waved her hand in front of her nose. "She reeks of vomit."

"Oh, ew." Another girl gagged. "It smells like something crawled inside her and died."

"Something did," I said. "You put it there."

Brooklyn's eyes went wide. "Excuse me? Are you accusing me of something, Emily?"

"I found the rat, Brooklyn."

"What rat? I don't see a rat." She looked around. "Does anybody see a rat? I see a pig."

The girls laughed. Brooklyn stepped closer and shoved my shoulder. I stumbled back into the bleachers.

"Hey! Stop!"

The voice was loud and sharp. The laughter died.

Grayson was standing right behind Brooklyn. Up close, he was even taller than he looked on the court. His blue eyes were not warm anymore. They were cold.

Brooklyn spun around and her whole face changed. Her frown became a big, bright smile.

"Hi! Oh my God, hi." She held out her hand. "I'm Brooklyn Moyer. I'm the captain of the cheerleading squad."

Grayson looked at her hand. He did not shake it.

Brooklyn pulled it back and laughed like nothing happened. "Emily here was just having a bit of a rough day. You probably saw the... incident. But I promise she doesn't represent the caliber of the girls at our school."

"Is that right?" Grayson said.

"Totally. I'd be happy to show you around campus. Introduce you to some people who are a little more worth your time." She touched his arm. "We have a party at the Delta house on Friday. You should come."

"No thanks."

Brooklyn blinked. "Sorry?"

"I said no thanks."

The girls around her looked at each other. Nobody said no to Brooklyn. Not ever.

Grayson put his hands in the pockets of his warm-up jacket. "You know what I've learned traveling to competitions across the country?"

Brooklyn's smile wobbled. "What?"

"Beauty is common. Kindness isn't."

The gym was loud behind us, but our little corner had gone so quiet I could hear the hum of the lights above.

"What I just saw was ugly," Grayson said. He glanced at me, then back at Brooklyn. "Not her. It's you. All of you."

"Wow," Ella whispered.

"You may wear the right clothes, or have the right hair," he went on. "But cruelty makes you uglier than anything else ever could."

Brooklyn's cheeks turned pink. For the first time since I had known her, she did not have a comeback ready.

"We were just having a little fun," Ella said in a small voice.

Grayson looked at her. "That's what bullies say."

Nobody moved.

Then the buzzer sounded for warm-ups, and the spell broke. Brooklyn grabbed Ella's wrist and stormed off toward the sideline. The rest of the squad hurried after her. Not one of them looked back.

I let out a shaky breath. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

Grayson turned to me. The cold look was gone. His smile was back.

"Yes, I did."

"I'm Emily."

"I know who you are."

Before I could ask what he meant, he leaned down. He was close enough that I could smell his cologne, something clean, like cedar.

"You don't remember me?" he said, so low I almost did not catch it. I was about to answer when he snapped back. Then he jogged away toward the team bench, and I was left standing there with my mouth open.

Had I heard that right? I must have heard it wrong. The gym was loud. My ears were still ringing from the screaming.

"Emily."

I turned. Joyce was standing a few feet away with her arms crossed. She must have stayed behind when the others left.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Why would Grayson Benson stand up for you like that?"

"I don't know," I said again. "I've never even met him before."

Joyce looked over at Grayson, who was laughing with his new teammates. Then she looked at me and shrugged.

"Maybe he collects charity cases."

It stung, but I did not have the energy to be hurt anymore. My whole body felt heavy.

"Joyce, the rat," I said. "There was a dead rat in the head. Somebody put it there on purpose."

"Em..."

"I just don't understand." My voice cracked. "Why would they do something like that? What did I ever do to them?"

Joyce opened her mouth to answer, but she never got the chance.

"Hey, baby."

The voice came from behind me. Deep and calm. I knew that voice. I had replayed two words from it in my head all afternoon. You good?

Enzo walked past me like I was not there. He slid an arm around Joyce's waist and kissed the top of her head.

Joyce melted against him. "Hey, you. Are you ready for the game?"

"Always."

I stared at her hand resting on his chest like it belonged there.

The floor felt like it was tilting under my feet.

"You and Enzo," I said. "You're together?"

Joyce looked at me like I was slow. "For three months now. What, you just figured it out?"

"Three months?"

"Everybody knows, Emily."

"I didn't know." My eyes filled with tears. "But how could you? You knew how I felt about him."

Enzo's head turned. For the first time, he looked at me.

"I told you everything," I said to Joyce. My voice was rising, and I could not stop it. "You knew I've had feelings for Enzo since freshman year. I told you every single day. You sat there and listened to me, and you never said a word."

Joyce rolled her eyes. "Here we go."

But Enzo was not looking at Joyce anymore. His dark eyes were fixed on me, and his brows pulled together.

"Wait, are you serious?" he said. "You?"