Page 14 of Campus Heat

“Well, a friend of mine has an old school bus for sale,” Sarah said. “He started converting it into an RV type thing, but he ran out of cash and gave up. It’s still running and I think he only wants like $2,000 for it.”

“Great, so there’s a bus. How do we get the money together to buy it?” I asked, hoping at least one of them would have a decent idea.

“We can do one of those carwash fundraising things,” Jenna eagerly said. “The girls can be in bikinis, and the guys in shorts. I’m sure that will draw a lot of attention.”

Malik looked concerned, and honestly, so did a few of the girls.

“I don’t know if I can convince the guys to buy into that idea,” he said honestly.

“And I don’t know if I’m comfortable exploiting my body like that,” Lizzy said.

“Firstly, the guys don’t have much of a choice. They can either join or they can walk to the next game,” I said, earning a few chuckles. “And secondly, by being a cheerleader you’re literally exploiting your body. At the carwash you’ll just be wearing fewer layers.”

Malik could barely contain his laughter, but I seemed to have convinced them both.

“Okay, I’ll arrange it for Saturday. Coach will probably allow us to use the field, and I’ll get the guys to spread the word,” he chuckled.

“We’ll do the same,” Jenna said, giving him one of her killer smiles. “I guess it’s a date.”

The girls broke away and started heading home, but Malik and I hung back for a while.

“Why are you doing all this, Pretzel?” he asked.

“Don’t tell anyone this, especially not Ethan, but I really want to see you guys succeed. The football team is long overdue, and I firmly believe that, deep in there, under all that unpolished skill, hidden somewhere in the abyss, is a winning team.”

“Are you sure there isn’t more to it?” he asked, looking all sly.

“Well…” I said, leaning in. “I mean, I do have this huge crush on the big bulldozer they call a linebacker.”

I gave him a peck on the cheek, and walked off before he could respond.

*

It was 10 am, and we hadn’t seen a single car all day. It was the most depressing fundraiser I had ever seen, and the looks on the guys’ faces weren’t helping. I wanted to do more, to find a way to make this work, but I was coming up short. Not thinking, I picked up the hose and sprayed water in Malik’s general direction.

“Are you insane?” he snapped, making me giggle. “Have you seen my nipples? They don’t need this kind of torture.”

“Oh, grow a pair,” Jenna said, throwing a soapy sponge at him. “It’s just a little water.”

And just like that, our boredom turned into a full-blown water war. Laughter filled the air as sponges became projectiles. Bikini-clad cheerleaders versus topless football players, and a coach who didn’t know if he wanted to go into hiding or join the fun. It was the most fun I’d had all semester, and I was sure many of the others felt the same way.

A sponge came flying across the field and hit me square in the stomach. Without hesitating, I grabbed my own and tossed it in the direction of the source. My gaze followed it, and my delight quickly turned sour. The sponge, still dripping wet, cut through the air like a bullet and hit Ethan right on the butt. He spun around and gave me a scathing look that made my heart flutter.

Our eyes met, and I quickly swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. What was he going to do next? Was he going to join the fun? Or scold me for not paying attention? It was clear that he wasn’t enjoying the day as much as the other players, so any reaction from him would be an unpredictable one. Ethan took a couple of steps toward me, but before he could get too close, a car pulled in between us.

“Guys! My dad and Mr. Pine came to support us,” Cam said, holding up the car keys.

And he and Charlie weren’t the only ones who’d shown up. There was a whole line of cars that had come with them. I recognized a few students, and even a couple of locals who saw us messing around and decided to show their support. I was ecstatic to the point where I was hugging everyone I could find. It was nowhere near enough, but it was a start, and I was hoping the people who were there would help us spread the word.

We decided to break up into teams of two, a cheerleader and a player on each car. It was a statement to say that at the end of the day we were one big team and we were proud of it.

“I’m with you, Pretzel,” Malik said as he approached, bucket in hand.

“Awesome,” I said, giving him a bright smile.

As the two of us headed over to Mr. Pine’s car, I felt a set of eyes burning into me. At first, I tried to ignore the feeling, but it became so intense that I had to look. I turned to see Ethan, and the hunger in his gaze was enough to set my soul on fire. A look that took my breath away.

My breath hitched, and my lips parted of their own accord. The attraction that had been teasing at me this whole time went into overdrive, and suddenly I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything else.