In Pieces

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” I lie. It isn’t the worst pain I’ve ever felt, but it’s not the most comfortable either. But I wanted this, and I’m not about to stop now.

He pushes a little more, and once he’s completely inside me, I’m afraid to move, so I don’t. Tears prick my eyes, and when he starts to pull out, the pain returns. I bite down harder, and they finally fall, soaking the pillow under my head.

“Look at me, Kinsley.”

I move my eyes, from the reflector patch on the side of the tent where I was focusing, to Rhett.

“Don’t cry, baby.”

“I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

I shake my head. “No, keep going. I want you to feel good.”

“I love you so much, Su

“I love you, too,” I whisper, as a few more stray tears fall.

Being with Rhett is nothing like I’d imagined it would be, yet it’s still one of the best moments of my life. Whether being with him changes us or not, I’ll never regret this night. Not with the way he’s looking at me right now. Like I’m his entire world.

KINSLEY’S TUCKED INTO my side with her arm thrown across my chest. I can see droplets from the cold morning air still resting on top of the tent, but inside, we’re nice and warm. Part of that has to do with the fact that we’ve been wrapped up in a sleeping bag big enough for two.

I pictured what it would be like being with Kinsley so many times, and I knew once it happened, it would be even better than I imagined—and it was. We’d grown closer, especially after last week, and I finally feel like this is more than just a high school fling. That this girl is going to be with me forever.

“Su

Her eyes open, and she lifts her head off my chest. “Is it morning already?”

“It’s morning.” I pause for a second, wondering if she’s okay, but not wanting to make it awkward for her. “How do you feel?”

“I’m okay.” She climbs on top of me and clings to me like she can’t get close enough. I feel the exact same way—that no matter how tightly I hold her, there’s still room for more.

She kisses my chest, and I smile against her hair. I don’t want to bombard her as soon as she’s awake, especially if she’s not a morning person, but the surprise I have for her is burning a hole in the front pocket of my bag. “I have something for you.”

“I don’t need anything else. I have you and Fall Fest.”

I reach my arm out, and luckily my fingertips graze the handle on the bag. I slide it closer, unzipping the pocket. “I’m allowed to spoil my girl.” I lean a little farther to reach inside.

“I can get off you, you know.”

“That’s a terrible idea.”

She giggles, and I reach into the front pocket, pulling out two tickets to the Pe

“I’m going to give you something, but you have to do it. Okay?”

She nods her head, a little bit of nervousness showing through her curiosity. “Okay.”

I show her one of the tickets, and it takes her a second to read it, but once she realizes it’s for the game today, I’m rewarded with the biggest smile she’s ever given me. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“I can’t believe this! I get to see Wyatt play. Rhett, how did you do this?”

“I called in a favor—your brother’s pretty cool, Su

“You called him again?” She sees me nod my head and her eyes grow wide. “I can’t believe you two get along. Everything I’ve wanted is happening.”

“Becca’s going to be there. He sent a ticket for her, too.” She rolls off of me, squealing with excitement. I love seeing her so happy. I’d do anything to keep that look on her face, permanently. I don’t know what I did to deserve this girl, but now that I have her, I’m not letting her go.

She sits up and the sleeping bag falls away from her body. For a moment, she forgets she’s completely naked. I notice a few marks I left behind when I couldn’t stop kissing her last night all the way into early this morning.

When she notices me staring, she shifts her focus from the ticket to her body. And like she’s ashamed of it, she grabs the blanket and pulls it up to cover herself. “Don’t hide from me, Su

“I’m not used to waking up naked.”

I grab her and wrap her in a hug, digging my fingers into her sides. She laughs so hard, she’s out of breath within seconds. “That’s the best sound.”

I remember back to the first day of school when she wandered inside the building with her head down. I had been waiting an entire summer to see her face again, and there she was, her eyes focused on the floor like she’d rather be invisible. The girl I’m holding now is already so different than the Kinsley West that showed up that day. I would have fallen for either version, regardless, but this is the girl I knew existed underneath the protective outer shell.

“When do we have to leave?”

“Soon, it’s an early game. We slept in.”

“Someone kept me up all night,” she jokingly complains.

She doesn’t know I was up long after she finally fell asleep. I watched her until my own eyes couldn’t stay open, and then I fell asleep happier than I have in a really long time. It’s still surreal to me that I got the girl—and I’m not at war with her brother. “I plan on keeping you up again tonight. You’ve been warned.”

Her cheeks instantly turn pink and the color moves all the way down her neck to the top of her chest. She’s picturing being with me again, and as long as she wants me, that’s exactly what I have pla

My sweet Su

I’ve been to Pe

“It seems so much bigger,” she says with excitement in her voice. “I guess it probably is. They’ve done a lot to the stadium since I saw it last. It still smells the same though.”

“What?” I ask her, as I laugh.

“You’ve never noticed? Even at your games, there’s just something about the way a game smells. The mixture of concession stand food, the people, the fall air—all of it. It sounds ridiculous, but it always reminds me of when I was little. When I’d go to the games and watch everyone around me. It was a happy place, one that didn’t have sickness or disappointment. The stadium has always been one of the happier memories for me, actually.”

“That’s not ridiculous at all, it’s cute.”

We climb the stairs to our seats, and Becca’s already sitting in her spot, next to Carson of all people. I guess Wyatt managed to get tickets for everyone. Kinsley sits next to Becca after acknowledging Carson. He smiles at her, asks how she’s doing, and then focuses on the field again.

Becca gasps, and I glance at Kinsley who looks like she wants to disappear. “I told you it would happen,” Becca whispers, and I realize our night together is no longer a secret.

I give Kinsley’s hand a squeeze, letting her know I’m not mad that she told. I never expected her to keep it from her best friend, even though I don’t think she was pla