He grabbed Eric and hauled him away. “What the fuck, E?” Marshall asked.

“He’s pissed because he’s banging my sister and listening to her drivel,” Pace said. He was holding his face. Blood was pouring out of his nose, and it looked like he had a busted eyebrow.

Eric seemed perfectly okay. He had gotten the jump on Pace.

“You got her fucking attacked, you fucking asshole!” Eric yelled at Pace.

“What are you talking about?” Pace asked. His eyes landed on Bryna.

“After what you said to Cam, he physically attacked Bryna.”

“What did you tell Cam?” Stacia asked. Her voice was suddenly flat.

“The truth,” Pace spat. He was still so riled up that he hadn’t heard the warning in Stacia’s voice. “That Bryna is a slut and fucks around and likes to play games with people.”

Stacia glared at him. “You went behind my back and behind her back to tell Cam that shit? He almost raped her!” she cried.

“What?” Pace asked, shocked. He turned to Bryna. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Bryna whispered. Great. Now all of her dirty laundry had been aired to the football team.

“I never believed her when she said you fucked with her life on purpose,” Stacia said. “Now, I get it. I don’t understand it, but I get it. I can’t be a part of that. You hurt my best friend.”

“Stacia, I didn’t know he would do that.”

“And you didn’t care!” she yelled back. “Then, you won’t care as I walk away.”

Bryna stared on in amazement as Stacia turned and left. Pace looked stunned.

“I didn’t know,” he said to Bryna.

“Too little, too late,” she said.

Then, she jogged after Stacia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She released the tiniest of sobs that Bryna knew was sure to turn into a waterfall once it really hit her that she had lost her quarterback.

THE NEXT WEEKEND, the team won a stunning victory at home. It was Halloween, and the annual Slutfest party was being thrown at a house the cheerleading captain, Lauren, had rented for the event. It was one of the biggest events of the year, and people had been talking about it all week. Lauren had promised that she was going all out this year, bigger and better than ever before. Reportedly half of the student population had been invited.

“I don’t want to go,” Stacia said.

“You need to get out and stop moping around about Pace,” Trihn said.

“I’m not moping. I’m mourning.”

“You’re not mourning. Nothing died!” Trihn reminded her.

“It feels like it.”

“It’ll be fine,” Bryna said. She finished applying fire-red lipstick and then turned to her friends. “The party will be so big that you won’t even see him. All right?”

“What if I want to?”

“You don’t,” Trihn said. “He’s an ass. Think about what he did.”

“I know,” she murmured. “But…this sucks.”

Stacia had been like this all week. She’d cried herself to sleep every night, and Bryna had seen that she had a dozen missed calls from Pace on her phone. She felt bad for Stacia. She hated seeing her friend in pain, but she was glad Stacia had taken the blinders off. He wasn’t a good person. Stacia needed to drop him from his pedestal, preferably on his head.

“You’re going. That’s the end of it,” Bryna said, putting her foot down. “Now, I’m going to head over to Eric’s. I’ll meet you guys there.”

Stacia’s bottom lip popped out. “Have fun with your football player.”

“Eric doesn’t play football anymore. He isn’t defined by what he does. He’s defined by the kind of person he is. He is good and kind and valuable without the title,” Bryna said. “That is the kind of person you deserve, too.”

Trihn and Stacia stared at her in shock. A year ago, she would never have said anything like that. In fact, she would have laughed at someone who had said that to her. A lot had changed in a year.

She smiled at her friends and then exited the apartment.

She was in an excellent mood by the time she arrived at Eric’s house. This was their official coming-out party. She liked to call it that, considering their history. After the blowup at the game last weekend, everyone had found out they were dating, but they still hadn’t really been seen together as a couple yet. Tonight was the night.

She walked into Eric’s house, unannounced, and found him lounging in the living room, watching The Avengers.

“You’re not dressed up,” she said. She placed her hands on her hips.

They had both agreed to dress up.

His eyes crawled over her body, and his jaw dropped. She appreciated the look as she had gone all out in a bright red devil costume, including a red corset, boy shorts, and garter with mile-high heels, horns, and a tail.

“You didn’t either,” he joked.

“You’re hilarious.”

“Queen Bee is out to play tonight.” He hopped off the couch and straight toward her.

He moved in for a kiss, and she darted out of the way.

“Lipstick.”

He laughed. “All right. I don’t have to kiss those lips then.” He kissed down her throat while his hands grabbed her ass.

“Dear God, we’re never going to make it out of this house, are we?” she asked.

He met her gaze. “Do you want to? I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off of you all night as it is.”

“I think this will be fun to witness,” she teased. “Now, what the hell are you wearing anyway?”

“I’m Coach Galloway.” He pointed at the name on his shirt.

She glared at him. “You stole one of his shirts and are basically going as yourself? That’s not dressing up, Cowboy.”

“All right. I hate dressing up, but you look hot.”

“Jerk.”

He looked her up and down and seemed to be considering something. “I do have a great idea for a costume.”

“What’s that?”

“How about you be the devil on my shoulder?”

He scooped her up before she had a chance to realize what he’d said, and he effortlessly hoisted her onto his shoulder.

“Oh my God, Eric, put me down. Right now! What the hell is wrong with you?” But she was laughing.

“Come on, Hollywood. Devil on my shoulder.” He adjusted the weight so that one arm was holding both of her legs to keep her from moving.

“I get the joke! Now, put me down.”

“I don’t know about that.” He playfully smacked her ass. “I have a pretty awesome view right now.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“I don’t think you’re exactly in a position to say that,” he teased.

“You just wait.”

He laughed and righted her once more. “You’re so feisty.”

“Damn right I am,” she snapped.

He grabbed her face, and ignoring her protest about the lipstick, he kissed her long and hard. The world slipped away, and she remembered all too well why she and Eric were a perfect match.

He released her and wiped his mouth off with a laugh. “You were right about the lipstick.”

She leaned into him. “I can think of a time you would want it on you.”

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, intrigued.

“When it makes a circle around your cock.” She winked.

“How about we skip the party, and you show me exactly what you mean?”

Bryna giggled again. “You can’t get out of going out with me, but I promise to be a very bad girl later.”

Eric drove them over to the Slutfest party in his Jeep with the promise to stay sober enough to drive them home. Lauren had ensured everyone that there were a ton of rooms for her friends to stay the night if they got drunk, but neither of them wanted to do that when they had a big comfortable bed at Eric’s house.

True to Lauren’s word, the house was already slammed with people when they arrived. They fought their way through the crowd. A couple of kegs were out back, and there were coolers full of Hunch Punch. Eric scooped Bryna out a glass and grabbed a beer for himself before they ventured back inside to find their friends.