Hate to Love You - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

"You were on fucking fire, Captain!" Alex, the younger of the McGraw twins, grabbed me and gracefully jumped a good six feet in the air, using my shoulders as a launch pad.
I chuckled and caught his head in a headlock, playfully ruffling his fluffy blonde hair as he squirmed to break free. We tussled for a few minutes before he slumped in defeat. Owen, the other twin, swooped in, wrapping his arms around my waist, and I shifted my focus to catching him in the same grip. He laughed like a little boy and dodged my hands, running towards the showers.
I looked away with a small smirk on my face. Truth be told, I hadn't stopped smiling since that final whistle.
I shook my head, trying to clear the water from my hair before running my fingers through the damp strands. It would air-dry soon enough. As I changed out of my gear, my teammates came over one by one, offering their congratulations on my performance.
"Not bad, Captain," Joey Finnigan called out, his dark eyes flashing with a mix of begrudging admiration and irritation.
I could tell Joey's words weren't exactly a compliment. Ever since I'd told him off and ordered him to stand down, he'd been gunning for me. It seemed like he was constantly watching my every move, waiting for any sign of weakness, and seizing every opportunity to throw out sarcastic, back-handed remarks. I could feel his resentment every time he spoke to me. For the past two weeks, it had felt like I was under a microscope, trying to prove myself over and over again while the team waited for me to slip up.
I jerked my chin in acknowledgment of Joey's words as I walked away, pulling my football jersey over my head. I retrieved the spare shoes I kept in my locker, bending down to put them on and lace them up. I ignored the enthusiastic slaps on my ass from my rowdy teammates.
Once I was finished, Tate, Ryan, and Tai joined me, all dressed and ready to head out, duffle bags slung over their shoulders. Tate extended a hand, and I clasped it, pulling him in for a quick side hug as we patted each other on the back.
"Nice moves today, Twinkle Toes," he said.
"Not bad yourself, Mitchell. You were almost able to keep up with me."
He chuckled while the others greeted me. Ryan grabbed my face and planted a wet kiss on both of my cheeks, his damp curls dripping water onto my nose. As he leaned in for an actual smooch, I blocked him with a hand on his face and shoved him away. He laughed and stumbled back, colliding with Tai, who silently caught and steadied him.
"We ready to head out? My car's parked pretty close," Tate mentioned and I nodded in agreement.
"AFTER PARTY, BABY. FUCK YEAH!" Alex shouted, zooming past us. A couple of guys cheered in response.
"Make good decisions! Use protection!" I yelled after him.
"Yes, Dad!"
We all laughed at his response and walked out, our footsteps echoing through the corridor like a victory anthem. I tried to ignore the high I was currently riding, clenching and unclenching my hands. I bounced on my heels when walking became too stifling. The adrenaline had yet to leave my system and I looked like a crackhead coming off his high.
I took a deep calming breath, taking in the smell of blood, sweat, and grass. Not a lot of people liked that smell, but I lived for it. This place was more than just a playing field; it was my sanctuary, where my abilities shone the brightest and where I found solace amidst the chaos of the crowd. It was the only place in the world that felt like it made sense.
My fingers tightened around the straps of my duffle bag and I turned my attention to the sound of our fans. The shouts, the cheers, the energy — that wasn't just noise; it was a tangible manifestation of the connection we shared with our fans.
They were waiting at the entrance, eager to meet and greet us as the security personnel struggled to hold them back. I grinned when they caught sight of us and the screams intensified like music to my ears.
I loved this part. I loved meeting everyone, loved the selfies and jokes and words of praise. I loved the look in all of their eyes as they looked at me — it told me that I wasn't just a player; I was a part of their lives, a source of inspiration. It was addicting.
The team and I walked into the crowd and were immediately swarmed. Hot women with a whole lot of ass and cleavage vied for my attention and I happily obliged them, signing a couple of tits in the process. Tate joined up with his family and his mom, a short plump lady, pulled him down to kiss his forehead. Ryan was already making out with his girlfriend and Tai was signing a young boy's shirt. For the next half an hour, we basked in the attention of our fans.
After signing the lower back of a hot brunette, I looked up, trying to visually calculate how many people were left before we could leave when a familiar figure caught my eye.
Hoodie-girl.
I could have sworn I'd seen her from the field earlier, but I'd told myself that wasn't possible. She herself had told me she wasn't gonna be here. So I looked away before I got too caught up in trying to see if it was her or not. Still, I rallied myself — just in case it was her. Because I wanted to show off. I wanted to show her I was more than the low-life she currently had me pegged as.
I straightened, craning my neck in an attempt to catch sight of her amidst the group between us. The person in front of her shuffled to the left, giving me an unobstructed line of sight of her.
She looked beautiful, more so than usual. Her hair was loose, all wavy and golden, and kinda curly from the humidity in the air. Even from this distance, I could see the striking blue of her eyes as she looked at someone next to her and laughed. Who was she laughing at?
I tilted my head to the left and froze when I saw the tall man next to her. I couldn't really see him because he was wearing one of our football caps, but I could see how close she was standing to him. Could see the easy affection between them as she reached up and pinched his nose. She was actually laughing — smiling, at him as he swatted her hand away and said something back to her.
Were they on a date?
My blood ran cold, odd sensations coursing through me as I stared at them. Every single cell in my body revolted against seeing her with another man. Especially when she never acted like that around me. Without further thought, I pushed past the crowds of people, ignoring those who grabbed and yelled at me, my focus glued to Hoodie-girl and the asshole next to her.
The noise drew his attention and he looked at me. I saw the moment he recognized me, his whole body perking up. He was clearly a fan of mine, judging from the wide smile spreading across his face. I was itching to wipe that smile away.
My fingers twitched and I clenched my hands when he leaned down close and said something in her ear. She leaned even closer to hear him before her eyes started scanning the crowds until they landed on me.
I watched those blue eyes widen as she took in my appearance, including the pissed-off expression on my face. Her face shifted from surprised to wary as she watched me march towards her. Grabbing onto the guy's forearm, she stood up on her tiptoes to ask him something, her full lips inches from his ears. The man nodded at whatever she'd just asked and she looked back at me, apprehensive. It was clear that she'd just asked him something about me.
As I got closer, I could see the guy was a lot younger than I'd pegged him for. A lot younger. Was she into younger guys? Maybe he just looked younger than he was.
Seeing the thunderous look on my face, the last bit of people between us scrambled out of my way, opening a path that led directly to her. I stormed towards them and the guy frowned when he saw the glare I leveled at him. Hoodie-girl stepped in front of him, almost protectively, and I wanted to shake her. Did she think I'd hurt him? Yeah, I wanted to, but I'd never actually do it.
"What are you doing here? You said you weren't coming." I stepped close, crowding her personal space until she was forced to tilt her head all the way back to meet my eyes. Almost instantly, her addicting scent flooded my senses and I had to stop myself from inhaling deeply. Her boyfriend was right next to you, remember?
"Excuse me?" She glared, the space between her brows furrowing adorably.
"Why'd you never tell me you have a boyfriend?" I asked, shooting the guy another murderous scowl. His eyes were round as he tried to process what was happening.
She gaped at me, eyes scanning my face to see if I'd lost it. Maybe I had, but she was to blame.
"Not that it's any of your business, but that's my brother, Asshole."
I froze, all of my anger leaving me in a dizzying rush.
Oh.
"Wait," her brother interrupted, eyes bouncing between the two of us, "You know Tristan Beckett? Why didn't you tell me?"
She frowned at the hurt in his voice and looked back at him. "I wouldn't exactly say we know each other, we're more like acquaintances. We have one class together. It's not worth mentioning, Jace."
"This looks like more than just acquaintances, Han."
Han. I was assuming that was a nickname.
"Then it's not what it looks like," she insisted, stepping away from me.
Time to do some damage control. If I played my cards right, her brother could turn out to be a well of information.
Sticking my hand out, I smiled at him. "Hey, Kid. Sorry about that, just had to clear some things up. Any way I can make it up to you?"
Hoodie-girl gaped at my change of behavior, head ping-ponging between her brother and me.
"Uh..." He stared at me with large, excited eyes. "I guess you could give me your autograph? We stuck around because I was hoping to catch you. Here, on my hat." He took it off and held it out to me.
"Sure thing." My smile turned devious. "On one condition. You tell me your sister's name."
"Jace, don't you da—"
"Hannah Grace Walker."
I grinned and took the hat from him. Using my teeth, I pulled the cap off my marker and quickly scrawled my autograph onto the hat's firm material.
Hannah shot her brother a murderous glare. "You're my least favorite sibling."
"I'm your only sibling." He rolled his eyes — eyes that upon closer inspection were exact replicas of hers. And now that he'd removed the hat, I could see they had the same hair too. He looked like the older version of the boy from the pictures on her wall — how had I missed that?
"So, Hannah." Her eyes flashed at my use of her name. "What did you think about the game? Did I blow your mind? Ruin you for any other men? What am I saying, of course I did. I tend to have that effect on women." I looked over at her brother and he was staring at me like the sun came from my ass. I winked at his starstruck expression and he looked down in embarrassment.
"Wow, your ego knows no bounds." Hannah crossed her arms. "Honestly? I barely noticed you; I was too focused on my food. Ask Jason."
Her brother shrugged. "Yeah, she was."
"Really?" I raised a brow.
She smirked, leaning forward so that she was out of her brother's earshot, and I leaned closer to hear what she had to say, intrigued — like Tate had said.
"And the food was so good. I think I had a food orgasm."
Holy shit.
My breath hitched and I swayed closer as all of the blood in my head left to race down, the scent of vanilla and strawberries dealing an even more fatal blow to my sanity. I could not believe that Hannah, Hoodie-girl, anti-sex girl, had just said that, and that it had affected me this much. I was ready to dry-hump her again, in front of all these people. Fucking pathetic.
Unless she said it on purpose, knowing it would rock me a new one. Yeah, that made sense. Well, two could play at this game.
"Babe," I leaned forward so that my lips grazed the side of her jaw, keeping my voice low so that only she could hear, "You've clearly been missing out. There are other ways to have orgasms, all guaranteed to make you forget your own name. So many... fun, creative ways that don't involve food." I angled us so that her brother saw nothing, and it looked like we were talking into the other's ear because of the noise of the surrounding crowd. "I could show you."
I pulled back and watched with satisfaction as a red flush crept up her neck and over her cheeks, and tried to ignore the debilitating effect that her parted mouth had on me. I wanted to taste those full, ripe lips — wanted to bite and suck on them before exploring her mouth with my tongue. And then I wanted to explore other parts of her body with my tongue until I knew what every inch of her tasted like.
"Like wha—"
"Hannah! Is that Tristan Beckett!?" A girl's voice cut her off.
I sighed, annoyed by the interruption. "Right. Can't do any of those things to you. Yet. Not here at least."
She blinked and then frowned, pulling away from me with a disturbed look on her face. It took her a second to pull herself together and then she looked at her brother, horrified. He was just standing there with a knowing look in his eyes. I grinned at him, confirming his suspicions.
"Never." Hannah looked back at me, whispering furiously. "You'll never touch me or do any of those things. Nothing's ever going to happen between us."
Before I could dispute any of that, we were interrupted by the group of people who'd called out to her. I recognized the redhead from the movie night — Matthew's fuck buddy. I didn't know the rest of them, but they certainly knew me. Already one of the guys was holding out a T-shirt for me to sign. I tried to bury the frustration and anger, plastering on my signature smile and quickly signing their things.
"You never told me you knew Tristan Beckett!" The redhead yelled at Hannah, grinning wide.
"I don't. He was just signing my brother's hat. We have to go, sorry." She grabbed Jace's hand and started to drag him away.
I moved quickly, pushing through everyone and grabbing the sleeve of her gray hoodie. She looked back at me with furrowed brows.
"Are you going to the football house for the after-party?"
"What? With my underage brother? I'm not bringing him to a college party," she scoffed.
"Don't worry, we'll keep a close eye on him and we won't let him drink any alcohol. They have sodas there. He can meet the rest of the guys on the team."
"Han, maybe we should—" Jace said, hope and excitement on his face.
"No. You have a curfew, remember? We have to get going." She pulled her sleeve from my grip and continued to drag him away.
I held up a hand. "Wai—"
"Hey, Tristan. You were awesome out there." Skylar stepped in front of me, smiling broadly as her eyes trailed down my body.
I looked around her, but Hannah was already a good distance away. I fought the physical urge to chase after her, hating the disappointment that settled into my chest.
Needing a distraction, I looked at Skylar and grinned. "Thanks. Wanna get out of here?"