It's Monday today. The first day back at school since Drayton and I finally got a grip and confessed to each other how we felt. The rest of the weekend had been pure bliss. I'd spent a considerable amount of Sunday at his house, the four of us lounging around in the den or upstairs in the bedroom. I'll admit that being locked away with Drayton was my favourite part of the weekend.

When I step out of the car after I've parked in the school lot, into the nippy frost filled air, I wonder how the dynamic between the two of us will play out now that we're not hidden away behind closed doors. Will the affection he'd regarded me with for the last two days still be as strong as it was, or will his walls come back up around the rest of our peers?

Dray is a fairly closed off person so I can't expect that to totally change, but I do hope that I'm not completely deprived of his adoring pleasantries.

I don't have any classes with Drayton for the first half of the day so unfortunately I don't get to see him until lunch break.

Because of all the snow that's covering the school grounds, cheer practice is held in the gym while the football team runs light drills.

When I come out of the locker rooms, the rest of the squad is waiting, doing stretches or chatting animatedly amongst each other. I spot Drayton on the other side of the gym, he's engaged in a conversation with coach, gesturing with his arms, his biceps flexing with each movement. His fitted tank top displays his defined pecs and when his gaze flickers in my direction, his mouth curls up as he continues to speak and he gives me a little wink.

I grin in return and then dart towards the congregated cheerleaders, clapping my hands together in order to get their attention. "Hey guys, gather round!"

I'm met with a little reluctance and confusion but eventually they sit in a gathered group, except for Emily who stands on the outside of the formation, looking as though the thought of sitting and not leading, is a form of unbearable torture.

"Emily, sit down." I gently order with a faux smile disguising my utter distaste. She scowls but drops to the floor and crosses her arms and legs like a defiant child.

"What's going on?" Becca's eyes dart between Emily and I with confusion that seems to be plastered on most of the groups faces. I'm not surprised to find that Emily hasn't shared the news of her dethroning with anyone. Far be it from her to announce the humiliating truth.

"So most of you probably aren't aware but Emily has stepped down from team Captain." I do my best to keep my smile neutral and not let it curl into a sadistic satisfied glee. "I've taken her place for the remainder of the year."

A series of hushed whispers and confused questions start to dart around the group. Some expressions are full of distaste, some are indifferent and a mere few actually look pleased at the change in hierarchy.

I clear my throat, interrupting the low thrum of chatter and smile as the dozens of eyes fall back to me. "So the first thing I want to do as captain, is find out what you guys want to see more of."

This team is so used to Emily doing all of the thinking that the only response I get is blank looks. A few of them shift their sitting positions, expressions indicating peaked interest, which fuels my confidence. "So basically what I'm asking is if any of you have any ideas or thoughts you want to incorporate in the routines. Maybe some choreography or songs or-"

"Wait a sec!" Emily shoots up so fast that I barely see her going from sitting to standing. "You took my position as team captain so that you could hand the job off to everyone else!"

"No Emily." I roll my eyes at her hoity position. Her hands are firmly planted on her hips as she stares at me with knit brows and a scrunched up mouth. "I'm including the team and getting their opinions. Something you failed to do. Instead we just had to learn your cookie-cutter routines, and don't get me wrong, they were good"- I nod enthusiastically as I pace back and forth - "but they were generic and always the same moves in a different order. I'd simply like to find out if the team here, has something to offer, which I'm sure they do."

I seem to have gained several more supporters by the end of my speech, a lot of the girls nod in agreement with eager smiles, no doubt ready to share their ideas with the new captain. This only seems to annoy Emily more, impatience evident on her frustrated face.

"Come on!" She swivels towards the rest of the group, throwing her arms open wide. "You can't seriously agree with this. You need a leader, not a motivational speaker!"

"I think the girl's method is brilliant!" Melissa speaks up with folded arms and a challenging pout. "I know that Dallas is the best dancer on the team, she's got a lot to offer."

I flash Melissa a warm smile. I'd been prepared for an unkind welcome, knowing that it'd be hard to win a majority of the team overdue to their allegiance to Emily. It meant a lot to have someone side and stand up for me. It worked too because following her statement was a lot of murmured agreements and nodding heads.

"Ugh, fuck up the team then," Emily scoffs, sitting down amongst her handful of clones, even they look less defiant than they had a few moments ago. "You're all making a huge mistake."

"You can share your thoughts too Emily." I taunt her with a pitiful smile before I delve into how I plan on reforming practices and workouts. I don't plan for a second, on dictating things the way Emily had.

I'm halfway through promising everyone that I'll be equally as involved in workouts, shooting an accusatory glance at Emily who spent more time on her ass than working it out, the entire time she was captain, when I'm picked up from behind and spun around so fast that my feet fly out in front of me.

"Drayton!" I giggle as he sets me back down.

"Girls," he turns his head and regards the team with indifference. "Chat amongst yourselves for a minute while I steal your captain!" He emphasises the last word and I'm going to guess that was for the sake of his petty ex-girlfriend.

He laces our fingers and moves us over to the edge of the gym, I glance over my shoulder and stifle a giggle when I make out the rest of the team staring at me with dropped jaws and boggled eyes. I shouldn't take so much satisfaction in their disbelief, but I'm ashamed to admit that it feels just a little good to have them all thrown through a loop. That's the other piece of news they won't be caught up to date on. Oh, how a lot can change in one weekend.

"I was watching you, ya know." Drayton positions me against the carpeted wall and lifts his hands trapping me with an arm on either side of my head. "It's sexy as hell watching you boss that team around."

"I was not bossing them around!" I blush, struggling to look unamused. "I was just-"

"Being the hottest captain that teams ever had?" He inches closer towards my face, his brows lowering as his eyes become hooded. "I dunno how I'm supposed to do anything when you're strutting around in these tiny shorts." One of his hands comes down from the wall and handles the hemline of my gym shorties between his fingers.

"Well you're supposed to be concentrating on your drills, not me."

"Ha," he scoffs with a playful eyeroll. "Easier said than done babe."

If his close proximity, the scent of his masculine musk, sweat and his gentle but dominating presence wasn't enough to have me coming undone, his words would all but push me over the edge. I lift my hand and cup the length of his jaw, dragging it down and pressing my lips against his. I can only imagine the whispers and stares that are going on behind us, but I don't care.

"Careful," he pulls back and huffs with a chuckle, "I don't wanna be doing drills with a hard-on."

A giggle leaves my red swollen lips and I become mesmerised with the expression that the simple noise puts on Dray's face. His eyes brighten and his smile lifts, as if he's never heard anything better. I've never dated someone that I've gone to school with and I have to wonder how easy it's going to be to keep our hands to ourselves when we have to spend so much time around each other.

"What are you doing later?" he asks, straightening up and pulling me into his body. His large hands spread out on my lower back, holding me tight against his front.

"I have work." I sigh with boredom. "How come?"

"Because I wanted to do something with you!" He looks a little disappointed but his expression still displays so much affection that it hurts.

"Oh, what'd you want to do?"

"I dunno," he shrugs with a lopsided smile, "I just wanna be around you. All the time."

He lowers his face and kisses me softly, his hands coming up to either side of my face and cupping it gently. It's such a stark contrast to how rough I know he can be and in a way, it assures me that it's not just physical. Kisses like this don't exist without feelings behind them. And as much as I love the tender sweet gestures, I need more.

However, I'm promptly granted an unwanted breath of fresh air as he pushes me back and gives me a cunning smile.

"Stop tryna get me excited babe." He smirks, his hands still cupping my face as he holds me at arm's length. He smirks and pulls me back into his body, placing his mouth next to my ear and whispering as his hands travel sensually down my back. "Or I'll drag you to the locker rooms and show you exactly what I'm thinking about doing with your body right now."

The words only further fuel my need for him. I wonder if this effect we have on each other will ever slow down, if we'll ever be able to look at each other without wanting to tear our clothes off. I've heard of the honeymoon phase, but without experiencing it, I had no idea how strong it could really be. I kind of hope this feeling never goes away.

I clasp the back of his neck and pull him down as I tiptoe up, putting us at an even height so that I can whisper back. It might seem a little cruel to wind him up, but I'm convinced he does it to me on purpose, so why not return the favour. "As much as I want you to bend me over and take me from behind, to the point where I can't even walk anymore, I have a team to captain." I pull away and peck his cheek, giggling at the pained expression on his face before I turn around and skip away.

"Sorry about that." I plant myself in front of the group, who of course, couldn't take a single bit of initiative and work out while I was occupied and begin to list off the drills that we'll start with today.

"Oh, are you done with your live porn?" Becca sneers, getting to her feet with the rest of the team.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response Becca." I smile, flicking the waistband of my shorts before I start doing stretches.

I bend over and touch my toes, letting the stretch pull my muscles, the backs of my legs are feeling it as I hold the position for a decent length of time. I come back up, shake it off and spread my legs, using one hand to come across and touch the opposite foot, switching between hands and feet as fast as I can.

When I bring my left hand into the air again, a grasp wraps around my wrist and once again, I'm overwhelmed with his presence. Drayton attempts to drag me towards the double doors but I pull out of his grip and halt him when he spins around. "I have a team to captain. No."

"Aw come on—"

"Nope."

He pouts and I laugh as I turn around and head back towards the team who are still stretching while they watch with curiosity. We continue our practice with no more interruption. Although football season is over, we still cheer for other school sports and participate in a few state competitions over the summer.

About ten minutes before the bell sounds, I tell the girls to call it quits. We've packed a lot into the practice and the amount of sweat coming off of our collective bodies could fill a pool. I bend over and start fishing around in my duffle for a towel when I'm gripped by the hand and once again, dragged towards the double doors.

This time, I don't fight it.

Drayton drags me towards the gym doors without offering any explanation to the girls who are watching, some with amusement.. some not.

"Dray?!" My voice hitches because I basically have to sprint to keep up with his long strides as he pushes the boys locker room door open and drags me inside. I've never been in here before and surprisingly, it doesn't stench of foul body odour and dirty laundry. I suppose it may after they've finished their drills and come back to get dressed.

"I just had to watch you for almost an hour." He finally stops when we're tucked away at the back of the locker room. A long bench stretches beside us and a wall of cubby holes guards us from the view of the door. "Almost an hour of watching you bounce around in your little shorts. And then you start bending over, showing off my favourite meal and expect me to do nothing about it?"

A knot starts to form in my stomach as he hoists me up at the back of the thighs, wrapping my legs around his waist. I clasp my hands together behind his neck and suck in a sharp breath of air when my back hits the cold brick wall behind me.

He drags his mouth along my neck, I tip my head to the side, allowing better access as I chew on my lip to stifle a moan. "Have I told you how beautiful you are today?" He murmurs against my throat. "You're so fucking beautiful."

"Dray," I gasp. "The team will be coming into shower soon."

"Better be quick then."

____

"I've never done anything like that before," I huff, pulling my shorts back on while Drayton does the same.

"We can do it more often if you want?" He wiggles his brows before his face disappears behind his tank top that he's pulled over his head. I'm always a little disappointed when his body goes back into hiding.

The sound of the door being swung open causes me to straighten up, the blood drains from my face when I realise that I don't have my shirt.

"Dray!" I whisper with a strained voice, waving my hand wildly at the front of my body while we listen to footsteps get closer and closer. Drayton starts spinning around, searching the floor for my shirt while I do the same.

He huffs, staring up above my head and I follow his movements as he reaches above me and plucks the shirt from the top of the tall shelving, throwing it to me as a voice calls out asking if anyone's in here. I fumble with the fabric, attempting to turn it in the right way as the persons footsteps reach us.

Drayton positions himself in front of me, blocking me from whoever's just come around the corner. "Drayton? What are you doing? Is that Dallas?"

"Can we help you Lincoln?" Dray responds with boredom while I finally pull the fucking shirt over my head so that I'm no longer half-naked. I step around Drayton, grateful for his cover while I changed and sport a guilty grin at our assistant coach.

"You guys know that this is against the rules, right?" He folds his arms, gazing between the two of us. If I'd been caught by anyone else, I'd apologise and beg for forgiveness, however that won't be the case this time.

"Don't talk to us about rules Lincoln," I bite back, taking a step forward. "I know about you and Emily."

His eyes widen and his mouth drops open as he recoils with astonishment. Before he can muster up some excuse or lie, the door is once again, swung open, but the voice remains where it is. "Dray, are you in here?"

"Yeah James, what's up?" he calls back, his narrowed gaze firmly glued to Lincoln.

"Coach needs you."

"Can it wait?"

"Na man. Now. Or he'll come looking for you."

If I'm not mistaken, it sounds like a warning. Whoever it is, probably knows why Dray disappeared and now he's giving him time to reappear before coach comes searching. Dray looks as though he's conflicted, his jaw twitches and he runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

"Go." I touch his arm, and nod when his gaze meets mine. "It's fine. I'll be out in a minute. I'll be discreet."

He flashes me a pained smile and then ducks down, giving me a chaste kiss before he steps forward, stopping in front of Lincoln. His shoulders are broad and intimidating but the voice he uses is even more frightening. "If you touch her, or hurt her, I'll kill you."

Lincoln watches him vanish with wide eyes before he turns to me and jabs a thumb over his shoulder. "Why does he think I'd hurt you?!"

I can't explain that it's because Drayton has underlying issues of what happened to his sister which has caused him to see everyone as a potential threat, so instead I shrug and turn it back on him. "Because you're a perv that's sleeping with a student. Who knows what you're capable of."

"Oh god," he shifts his weight, running both hands through his dark brown hair, "I wouldn't hurt you! And I'm not a perv! Emily is old enough. She turned eighteen a few weeks ago."

"Your affair has been going on longer than that. She's been sneaking off during practice and games for months."

His silence confirms my theory and I give him a challenging stare down. I always thought Lincoln had a kind face, approachable and trustworthy. I'm not entirely sure what to make of him now.

"Okay, but ya know, I'm only twenty-two. That's not a huge gap," he defends himself, although, I'd half been expecting him to defend their love, or tell me it's all worth the risk. So far his only argument has been their age.

"Why Emily?" I lift my hands in question. "If you're going to risk your career, shouldn't it be with someone who isn't void of all human emotion."

"Would it help if I told you that I'm kinda, sorta using her?" He bares his teeth in a sheepish grin.

"What?"

"Her Dad owns buzzfit." He shrugs. "It's one of the biggest gym chains in Colorado. Celebrities and star athletes work out in those gyms. I wanna work there."

"W-w-wait!" I hold my hands up as I rapidly blink in disbelief. "You think sleeping with his high school aged daughter is going to get you there?! What are you expecting?! For her to say, oh dad, this is the teacher I've been screwing, can you give him a job!"

"No," he scoffs with an eye roll as though I'm the idiot in this situation. "But if I stick it out long enough, eventually she won't be in high school, we can take things public and it may lead to an opportunity at some point. It might take a couple years but it'll be worth it."

"That is so fucked up!" I cry with wild gesturing hands. "Have you ever thought of dropping in a job application like a regular fucking human being?!"

"It's super exclusive," he explains, seemingly not disturbed by himself in the slightest. "Besides, Emily really isn't that bad. I do like her, it just started out as a means to get what I want. But what's it to you? I know you hate her."

"Yeah I do, but I'm not a pure evil entity like she is. I actually feel kinda bad for her."

"Well don't. No one's getting hurt here. Just keep it hush hush. You still get your captain position, because yes I've put that together, there's no way Emily would just give that up, although I am surprised she didn't tell me about it last night when we wer-"

"Enough!" I interrupt before he can tell me something that I can never un-hear.

"Yeah anyway. You're getting your back scratched. She's getting hers, I'm getting mine. It's a win win win." He shrugs with a wide smile. "We're all happy here as long as the truth doesn't come out."

"I did not wanna get in this deep!" I groan with my hands over my face. It feels like a serious web of fucked-up angles and lies and despite how utterly disturbed I am at the latest revelation, I can't regret stumbling upon the two of them in coach's office, otherwise Drayton and I wouldn't be as happy as we are right now.

"You better keep her happy!" I warn him with a pointed finger. "She's holding on to a secret for me, and if you break her cold heart then she'll have no reason to keep our deal."

"Easy," Lincoln chuffs, looking pleased with himself. "Like I said, win win win."

I wish that my life had stayed a drama-free zone. Drayton is worth it all. He makes me so damn happy. I just hope that all of this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass.

• • •

Much love. Until next time. x
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