Autumn's Kiss Read Free Page B

about when he’s away and she’d back off. Or she wouldn’t back off—she can get away with hanging on him like they’re a couple even when they’re not because Sean says she’s like his sister. For the record, I would never in a million years crawl on Erick that way, even if he did look like Sean. In fact, ew.
    “Got a ride from McNack,” Sean says. “He dropped a bunch of us off so we didn’t have to park and walk. You guys like the game?”
    I’m still not happy about Reenzie diving into Sean’s arms, but since the upshot is that the conversation moves away from me in the tiger suit, I can be okay with it. While we all talk about the game and stand in line for ice cream, I snag Taylor’s phone out of Jack’s hands and give it back to her.
    “You
do
need a costume, though,” she whispers to me. “Reenzie’s party’s only a week away.”
    “I know,” I say. “I’ll figure something out.”
    I say it, even though actually doing it sounds like torture. I’m not supposed to figure out my own Halloween costume. I’m not supposed to be free Halloween night. I’m supposed to be at my own ridiculously tricked-out house, having my own major party with my friends, Erick’s friends, and my parents’ friends, and my outfit is supposed to be a whole-family coordinated adventure—something dorky yet amazing that my dad started planning and my mom started creating May 31, which is Halloween’s half-birthday.
    My dad was seriously into Halloween. It was his favorite holiday.
    We’re next in line for ice cream when a van pulls up and a slew of squealing, bouncing, and somersaulting girls pile out. The cheerleaders. They do a quick “GO INDIANS!” and then split off in a million directions like breaking pool balls.
    “¡Mis amigos!”
Amalita throws her arms in the air and runs toward us. “Did you see I did an aerial? Did you see it? When I jumped off the pyramid!”
    We all tell her we did and it was amazing. Some of us might have actually seen it happen too.
    “What about you?” She smacks Sean’s arm. “You didn’t see?”
    “I was playing football!” Sean protests.
    “Make it up to me,” Ames insists. “Point me to Denny.”
    Sean points to the road. “I tried to convince him to stay. He’s hard-core.”
    “¡Que verracos pasa!”
Amalita groans. “He never goes anywhere!”
    “Except to the gateway of your heart,” Taylor sighs, purposely sounding like a Disney princess.
    “
Callate,
Tay,” Ames says. “This boy is making me
loco.
”
    “I was watching him today,” I say. Denny McNack was one of the guys on the field who
definitely
pulled off the turquoise tights. “He’s cute.”
    Sean scrunches his brows and shoots me a look. Does he not like that I noticed another guy?
    “
Really
cute.” I lay it on. “Did you get to hang with him at all during the game?”
    “No!” Ames gripes. We stop the conversation so we can order and get our cones; then she keeps going. “I never hang with him at all. He knows who I am—he winks at me every time he passes me, and he doesn’t do that to any of the other cheerleaders. I asked. But if he’s not on the field, he’s always talking to his stupid coach or quarterback or wearing his headphones and riding the exercise bike—like he’s not exercising by running up and down the court.”
    “Field,” Sean corrects her. “And
I’m
the stupid quarterback. And the bike’s to keep him warm when the defense is on the field.”
    “So if it’s so important, how come you’re not on the bike?” Ames asked.
    “I ride it sometimes,” Sean says defensively. “But he’s a running back. He’s the fastest guy on the team. He has to be. He’s the main reason we’ve only lost one game.”
    “I’m sure you have a lot to do with it too,” Reenzie says, putting her hand on Sean’s cut bicep.
    It’s such a kiss-up move. I’m totally annoyed she did it before I could.
    Sean rewards her with a humbly adorable smile. “Thanks. But