Our Secret Moments (Drayton Hills Series)

“MARRY ME JULIET, you’ll never have to be alone! I love you and that’s all I really know!”

We all sing in unison, watching the video back and laughing at our ridiculousness. We finished practice nearly an hour ago before Sam suggested we make a TikTok in the changing rooms. I thought it was stupid at first, but I’m trying to take my mom’s advice.

Naturally, the current trend going around is a video to ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift where somebody has to pretend to propose to someone before they say yes and we all jump around in a circle with the lights off and flashlights on.

Obviously, I got picked to be the person on one knee while Wes wrapped a towel around his head and pretended to be the lovely bride-to-be.

“Let’s do it one more time, folks,” Wes says, wiping the sweat off his forehead. We’re all a shirtless, sweaty mess and someone believes he’s the director. He points to Oliver who is by the lights. “Oli, my man, you have one job. Literally. Do it right.”

Oliver nods and I snicker as Wes calls action. He keeps the light on as Sam starts recording Wes’s dramatic entrance around the benches, flicking his ‘hair’ around his shoulder. When he reaches me, I kneel to the ground, open my pretend ring box as the music continues playing through the phone speaker and when the bridge hits, Oliver turns off the lights, I stand and all the flashlights turn on and we’re jumping in a circle.

Two seconds into the song, the lights turn on, ending the fun in an instant.

“Oliver!” Wes shouts. “I swear to God–”

We all turn to the door, heaving until our faces drop when we see who’s there. It’s not Oliver. In fact, Oliver is passed out in Jaxon’s arms somehow, doing some weird bridal carry. Coach Mackenzie clears his throat and a lump gets stuck in mine as I take in who is standing at his sides.

Catherine Fables is in the boys locker room.

She looks fucking stunning.

And I look like… this.

I don’t get time to process it before all of my attention is on Coach. I’m supposed to be leading this team, but clearly I’m doing a bad job at it if we’re spending our time doing TikTok’s to Taylor Swift songs.

Coach sighs, running a hand down his face. “I’m not even going to ask whatever was going on just then, but can everybody please put on a shirt.”

Michael Redford’s – or Red, as we call him – shoulder bumps into mine playfully as he wiggles his eyebrows at Cat and the assistant coach, Olivia. “You sure, Coach? Seems like we’ve got company.”

Coach huffs. “I said put on a shirt, Redford. Or are you incapable of doing that like you have been incapable of catching a ball all season?”

Everyone makes a low sound of disapproval followed by a few snickers. Wes hits Red on the back of his head with a towel. “Ooh, he got you there, Red.”

“Mackenzie!” Coach’s harsh tone makes me flinch.

“Yes, Coach?”

“Put on a shirt and keep your mouth shut, or your mom and I will not be letting you back home for Christmas and you can stay here. Got it?”

“Yes, Coach,” he mumbles, turning around to his locker.

A few minutes later, the entire team is decent and quiet, sitting on the benches waiting for them to say something. The whole time, Cat kept her gaze on the floor, not daring to look up at me as everyone rushed around the room, snickering at the fact that there were two women in the locker room. It’s not a big deal, but the guys like to act as if they’ve never seen a woman before. With or without clothes on.

I’m trying my absolute hardest not to smile or even look at her, but it’s really fucking difficult.

She’s standing there in a black tennis skirt and white top, her tote bag around her shoulder, her curly afro long down her shoulders, giving her a preppy, hot look. She rolls her lips in as she finally looks up wearily. When she’s noticed we’ve all actually got shirts on, she relaxes a little.

“Okay, boys, listen up. Catherine Fables is going to be working with you all to improve your interview skills this season, as well as taking over the Titans Daily,” he explains. He turns to Catherine who has been looking around the room aimlessly, looking at everyone but me.

She smiles at Coach before looking at someone at the back of the room, a technique we’ve all been taught when speaking in front of crowds.

“Hi, so, as Coach said, I’m Catherine, but you can just call me Cat. I’m a journalism major and I’m hoping to have my own take on the Titans Daily and help the school get to know you all more before you all become famous football players,” she says easily, a tight smile etched onto her lips as everyone cheers at the end of her statement. She is clearly not doing this by choice. “This isn’t all going to be about football. Not because I don’t find it interesting, but because realistically, no one wants to know every single detail about football. You’re the only team without a newspaper and I want to help change that.”

Coach nods at her, grinning like a proud dad before turning to us with his usual defiant stare. “Catherine is now a part of this team and I expect you to treat her as such. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Coach,” we all reply. Some of the guys talk an octave higher, wagging their eyebrows at her. She doesn’t even seem to notice.

She’s looking right at me. I took my eyes off hers for two seconds and now she’s looking at me? Our gazes lock and hold as Coach continues talking.

“Great. The first induction will be next week so Cat can start putting together profiles. Until then, I want you all on your best behaviour on and off the pitch.”

Olivia opens the door before she and Coach Mackenzie walks out. Just as Cat turns to leave, she looks over her shoulder, her eyes dip to my shoes as I spread out on the bench and then back to my eyes.

And then she fucking smiles.

At. Me.

I must have died and come back to life because by the time I can form coherent thoughts, everyone around me is cheering, whistling like fucking animals about having two hot women on our team. As much as it sucks to say, after having Olivia as the assistant coach for a few weeks, the boys started to back off. I just hope it doesn’t take that long for Cat. I hate the fact that they can even look at her.

“Holy fuck, she’s hot,” Redford says. The words coming out of his mouth burn straight through me, making my chest fill with an ache. I don’t know why it does. I have no right to be jealous.

“Scary, too,” Sam says. I pin him with a look and he accidentally drops his boot before picking it back up. “Hot scary,” he corrects. That’s more like it.

“Makes sense. Scary is clearly your type after what your ex looked like,” Red retorts.

“I told you she was going through a phase,” Sam says, exasperated. He bumps his shoulder into mine as he flips off Red. “How long do you think it’ll take until she has her way with one of us?”

I huff, slipping on my Nike sneakers. “Did you not listen to what Coach said? He said we’ve got to be on our best behaviour on and off the pitch, which I’m sure is code for hands off.”

“Who said he has to find out?” Sam says, gaining the approval that he wanted from the rest of the team. I shake my head at him.

“Why don’t you just go for Hailey Dermont, or something, man? Or literally, anyone else?” I find myself saying. Hailey has made it a personal mission of hers to sleep with every one of the football players and I am not going to participate in that trend. Everyone else on the team love that shit.

“Why would I do that? You’ve seen the way she’s been all over Oliver this year,” Sam replies, nodding to where Oli is mindlessly munching on a protein bar. The poor kid isn’t going to know what hit him when Hailey eventually rocks his world.

I shake my head. “Besides, Cat is my sister’s best friend. She wouldn’t go near you with a ten-foot pole,” I say.

“Oh, but you’re sure she’ll go near you though,” Wes coos as he casually steps across the line that’s drawn on the floor as if it’s a tightrope. The more I watch him, the more I wonder how many times Coach dropped him as a baby.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, scrubbing my hands across my face before resting them on my thighs, my shoes done up so I can finally leave.

“Don’t bullshit me, Connor. I saw that little look that she gave you and I saw the way you lost your shit. Girls only do that when they’re thinking about fucking you.”

All the guys nod and ‘mmm hmm’ in agreement. What kind of stupid rule is this and why did I not know about it until now?

“You– What– You think she–” I stutter, my face feeling red hot with heat.

Wes starts laughing hard, gripping onto his shirt. “See, look at you! You’re blushing already. You’re in deeper than I thought.”

“I’m not deep in anything,” I mutter, clearly not making sense as I grab my backpack and get ready to get the hell out of here. Wes follows behind me.

“But, you want to be deep in her p–” I turn around, squaring my eyes at him as I close the distance between us. He holds his hands up in surrender. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right, you don’t like her at all.”