Faking the Play

FAKING THE PLAY An Enemies to Lovers Sports Romance EMMA BLAKE Copyright © 2023 by Emma Blake All rights reserved. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Bossy Sneak Peek Chapter 1 Sophia “Touchdown!” the announcer shouted over the microphone. “A great pass from Spade, and an even more phenomenal thirty-two-yard run from Truscott.” I leaned back into the stadium bleachers as Bianca jumped to her feet and shouted excitedly about her twin’s touchdown. I clapped, smiling at her reaction. My eyes trailed down to the field, finding Mateo. He looked at us, and even from this distance, I could see the way he smiled at the excitement his sister showed. He did a dance as a handful of players surrounded him and hit him on the helmet, shouting their pride. On the other side of the field, the quarterback stood, fist pumping in excitement as he celebrated the phenomenal play. The touchdown had brought the scoreboard to 20-6, lessening the gap, and with the senior kicker, the seventh point was all but guaranteed. Yet, despite the excitement around me, frustration arose within me. The quarterback of the Desert Lions football team; the reason these games gave me a fit of undeniable anxiety in my stomach. Levi Spade danced excitedly, and despite the time that separated me from our miserably failed relationship three years ago, seeing him still brought a heaviness to my chest. I couldn’t stop myself from reminiscing on what we’d once had and that karma hadn’t repaid him for betraying me the way he did. I hadn’t spoken to him in three years, and I didn’t think I’d ever speak to him again. I was less than a year away from graduating and finding a job in a big city like I’d always dreamed. It was time to get out of here, and Levi Spade no longer mattered. That chapter of my life was over. “Mateo’s killing it out there,” Bianca commented as she paced, too excited and rowdy to sit. “He always kills it,” I retorted. He had always been one of the best tailbacks in the league, able to maneuver through even the tightest holes in an opponent’s defense. “Spade’s having a damn good game, too,” Bianca said, winking over at me. “Stop,” I told her. “What? Everyone said he was going to have a record-breaking season. I’m just saying that they’re right.” “You know,” I started, “Nothing you say is going to convince me to tell Tre what he did.” Bianca shrugged and looked down at me briefly. “Your cousin would ruin his whole season if he knew.” Since the “incident” three years ago, Bianca had insisted I go straight to my cousin about it and ruin any chance Levi had at becoming a starting quarterback. Tre was the head coach of the team, but I knew it wouldn’t make a difference. Tre had always been protective, but not at the expense of his players and his job. He knew something had happened between Levi and me, but he didn’t need to know everything. I didn’t want to put him in that position. “Bee, drop it,” I demanded lightly. “We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if we’d sat in the student section,” she taunted. “We wouldn’t be having any conversations because we wouldn’t be able to hear each other.” That sounded like a horrible idea. “That’s why we’re not sitting there.” So, we’d compromised. Bianca wanted to be in the student section, and I wanted to sit as far from the crazy, half-drunken students in that section as possible. Instead, we sat directly to the right of the section—close enough that Bianca could stand and shout her heart’s fill, and I could sit and watch the game. “I kind of feel bad for the other team,” I admitted as one of our guys intercepted a long pass and ran fifteen yards before being tackled. “They’re fucked,” Bianca cut in. “Speaking of fucked…” “Bianca,” I chastised. She swore like a sailor, and I rolled my eyes as she shrugged off my halfhearted scold. “Do you have plans after the game?” Bianca asked, a smirk on her lips. I didn’t even want to consider what she was thinking with that segue. Bianca had always been promiscuous, to say the least. It was one of the things I loved about her—the unwillingness to settle or fall into traditional boundaries. She regularly had one-night stands and enjoyed being the life of the party while I stayed home. I preferred it that way, though. I could watch movies, catch up on studying, and make sure I was ready for the week ahead of me. I only had a perfect GPA because I didn’t party all the time, and I wouldn’t change that during my senior year. I lived in the basement of my cousin’s house, and I had plenty of space to hang out with Bee, but she sometimes opted for the after-parties. I couldn’t blame her. “I’m going home. I might study a bit, but if you come, we could watch movies and get a late dinner. I’d love to have you over,” I said. “What happened to your vow to lose your virginity before college ended?” Bianca asked me, narrowing her eyes. “Believe it or not, you have to talk to men to lose your virginity. Or women, I guess. If you swing that way.” “You know I like men.” She