“I WOULD LIKE to thank the entire student body for blessing me with this complete honor,” Merritt trilled. “And look at the king I’ve been paired with! Can he get a round of applause?”
Robert’s eyebrows came together as he clapped for his son, but I couldn’t move. I wanted to run to the field—to cover Beckett’s ears and draw him away from the bloodshed about to happen. The entire school could find out about the bet from Merritt, except him. I’d wanted to do that. “Unfortunately, this crown doesn’t belong to me anymore!” Merritt said, sending hushed murmurs through the stands. “See, about a month ago,
Aurora Hutton and I made a bet. She wanted me to believe that someone like her could win the love of Emerson Academy’s quarterback.”
Robert’s voice hummed low beside me. “Rory? Is she talking about you?”
My legs moved, mechanically pushing me forward, down the stairs, past the freshmen and their diminishing dessert trays. That didn’t matter. My eyes were on Beckett. At the confused look on his face as he searched the stands for me.
“However,” Merritt continued, “you might know her better as Cupcake!” She turned to Beckett, whose scowl was darkening by the second. “That was a cute nickname. You never gave me one quite that adorable.” She faced the crowd again. “I hope you all enjoy the cupcakes as a little celebratory treat.”
I reached the edge of the bleachers, opened the gate, and stepped onto the track. “Merritt!” I yelled. “Stop.”
“There she is!” Merritt cried. “Our woman of the hour.” She lifted the crown from her perfectly done hair. “I believe this is yours.”
I froze, ten feet away from her and Beckett. His eyes bored into me, seeking an answer I couldn’t begin to give.
He stepped forward, closing the gap between us. “Is it true?” “Which part?” I asked.
His lips parted. “The bet,” he murmured. “Did you bet Merritt you could make me fall in love with you? Tell me you didn’t do that.”
“She did,” Merritt said loudly. “And it looks like she won.” The crowd was hushed, and I reached for Beckett.
He stepped away, his hurt clear in the tremble of his jaw. “Becks,” I said. “Please.”
“No, Rory. I’m not a game.” His voice rose with each word. “I’m not some piece of meat girls can toy with to get more status!”
“It wasn’t like that!” I said. “I can explain. Please, Beckett, let me explain.” I reached for his hand, but he pulled away again. It hurt worse this time.
“You don’t need to explain.” He turned to walk away, but spun back, shaking his finger. “You know what the problem is with you? Girls like you think you’re so much better than girls like her.” He jabbed his finger at Merritt. “But you’re not! You care every bit as much about your looks and your popularity as she does—about what dating me looks like to everyone else—but you know the difference between you and her? At least she’s honest about it.”
Stifled tears reached my eyes and threatened to collapse me more effectively than any of the football players had done to each other the entire game. “Beck,” I begged. For what? At this point, I didn’t know.
“You bet her you could make me fall in love with you. Yes or no?” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I only nodded.
Beckett stared at the ground, and when his hazel eyes met mine, they were rimmed with red. “Congratulations, Rory. You won.”
He ran to the rest of his team, past them, toward the locker room, as I called after him, but it was no use. He was gone.
A cupcake landed on the field near me, and soon a deluge of desserts fired at me, over and over again until I was covered in cake and frosting and sobbing with everything I had.
Vaguely, I heard someone on the PA demanding order, but they had nothing on the inertia of the crowd. I didn’t escape until Aiden’s and Casey’s arms wrapped around me and led me off the field as fast as my shaking legs could carry me.
Beckett might have thought I’d won, but tonight, I’d lost everything that mattered.
