Romance: Teen Romance: Game On (A Nerd and a Bad Boy Romance) (New Adult High School Sports Romance) Read Online Free Page A

Her mother had threatened to cut off her allowance if she dyed it, so she hadn’t followed through. But she’d thought about it.
    “Normally I’m pretty smart.” She said in a sorrowful voice. “I feel pretty stupid right now.”
    Darryl gave her a sympathetic look. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad, Faith. You shouldn’t feel bad at a party on spring break. He’s not the only fish in the sea, you know. And there’s some guys that are way better than him.”
    “Like you?”
    He grinned. “I’m not gonna say no to that. But you know, I’m not egotistical, either. I just know that Ethan is a player. And I think you deserve better than that.”
    She smiled at him. “Thanks for being so blunt with me, Darryl.”
    He sighed. “Trying to be honest without being rude.”
    “I don’t think you’re being rude.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”
    “You’re pretty wise for a teenager.”
    Darryl laughed. “I’ve been told I’m 17 going on 35. Not sure if that’s really a compliment, though.”
    “Well, you’ve made me feel better even though you’ve been pretty blunt with me.”
    “I’m glad you feel better, Faith. You wanna dance?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t dance.”
    “Well, I’ll be glad to sit out here with you and look at the stars then.”
    “That sounds great.”
    She smiled at him.
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Faith stayed busy for the next two days, hanging out with Stacy and Darryl and some of the other kids from their group. She didn’t want to watch Ethan getting drunk and acting like an idiot. She had a hard time believing he was really like that.
    Darryl seemed to enjoy spending his time with two of them instead of Ethan and he introduced Stacy to another player on the team, Andrew, who took an immediate shine to Stacy. Both were very outgoing in the same way and discussed where they had been hiking and camping more than anyone Faith had ever heard before. How many times could you discuss the same trail and what the best equipment was for each occasion?
    Darryl proved to be the opposite of what Ethan seemed to be, and she wondered how they could be such good friends. She found herself drawn to Darryl. He was outspoken in a way that she hadn’t noticed before. In fact, she didn’t know anyone like him. He was unafraid to speak his feelings, never bowed to what someone else’s opinion might be and always seemed to have reasons for everything he believed. He could back up his thoughts with at least three or four other thoughts and back them up, too. He also sang great karaoke and would sometimes clap loudly for no reason, which turned out to be a lot less annoying to Faith than it was the first time he’d done it. He followed it up with a “yeehaw!”
    It broke any tension there might have been in the room without a doubt. She loved his sense of humor and the fact that he could make her laugh with only a look.
    Saturday night was the last night they would be at the beach. Stacy and Andrew decided they wanted to try the best chicken wings place on the coast, Foster’s Grill.
    “You really can’t beat wings and a large Coke, ” Stacy said, sipping from her straw with a big grin on her face.
    “These wings are incredibly hot.” Faith said, foregoing her straw and drinking from the cup itself, filling her mouth up to cool it down.
    “You got the wrong ones then, ” Darryl said. He scooted his plate toward her. “I got mild. You wanna try one?”
    She looked at him. “You’re a man, and you ’re eating mild wings?”
    He lifted his eyebrows. “Well, excuse me. I guess I’ll take the offer back then.” He hooked his finger on the plate and attempted to pull it back toward himself, but she slapped his fingers lightly.
    “No, no, I was only teasing. Yeah, I wanna try your wings.”
    He laughed, shaking his head. “I got a sensitive stomach when it comes to hot stuff.” He admitted. “You won’t see me eating any curry or