Crave (Harlequin Teen)

between us again.
    If he—no, when he did, because they always did—when Tristan went into stalker mode, I might have to ask Mrs. Daniels to take him off the team.
    No. I couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair to him, especially since I was the one who had messed up and used the freaky vampire gaze on him.
    I’d have to be the one to leave the team. It was only right. My throat closed up at the idea.
     
    That night at the game, I got to lead the pre-drill girls in their first bleacher routine. It was fun, it took my mind off the afternoon’s disastrous events…
    And it got me away from Tristan.
    I couldn’t understand why he affected me the way he did. Even last week, before everything had gone haywire between us again, sitting beside him in the bleachers had been excruciating. Tonight was way worse. Though frequent glances at his profile showed that he didn’t seem bothered at all. At least my standing at the head of the pre-drill section put several yards and people between us so I could breathe easier.
    And the ache in my chest and stomach wasn’t as bad as it had been this afternoon.
    Though if he kept staring at me while I danced in place with the pre-drill girls, it would be. I didn’t even have to look his way; I could feel his stare. And because of it, tonight’s game was very long and tense.
    As the fourth quarter began, my phone beeped to let me know I’d received a text message. But who in the world would text me? Team rules forbade cell-phone usage of any kind during a game, except when we took our third-quarter break. Feeling conspicuous, I nudged my already unzipped bag open farther so I could see my phone’s lit display inside.
    Want 2 grab some pizza after the game?
    It was from Tristan.
    I nearly squeaked. Without lifting my head, I peeked at him through my eyelashes. He was staring at the field as if watching the game. But I noticed a cell phone barely visible in his hands.
    While pretending to search for something in my bag, I quickly text messaged back, Sorry, we can’t. Then I turned off my phone and zipped up the bag so I wouldn’t give in to the urge to check it again.
    Sitting beside him now was excruciating. I only stayed in my seat a couple minutes longer, my cheeks burning the entire time, before I retreated to the pre-drill section and worked on teaching the freshmen a new bleacher routine. Mrs. Daniels’s idea to give them something to do. When the game ended, I tried not to notice how his denim “escort” shirt accentuated his wide shoulders and narrow waist.
     
    When I got home, I was surprised to find Mom in the kitchen, just removing a pizza from the oven. “Hey, hon! How was the game?”
    “Oh, you’re home! And to what do we owe this honor?” I joked as I gave her a quick hug.
    “I know, I haven’t been home much lately. What can I say? I’ve got demanding customers.” She slid the pizza onto a plate then took it to the table.
    I grabbed us two sodas from the fridge and sat down with her. “Where’s Nanna?”
    “She already ate, and since she’s got an early get-together with her crochet club in the morning, she went to bed already. It’s just you and me, kiddo.”
    We chewed in silence for a while. Nanna’s snoring traveled through her closed bedroom door and echoed faintly up the hall to us, making my lips twitch with the urge to laugh. Then I looked at Mom and saw she was trying not to laugh, too. We both burst out in laughter at the same time.
    “Lord, that woman snores like a freight train,” she gasped when the giggles died down.
    “Definitely.”
    She sighed, still smiling. “You know, I really miss hanging out with you.”
    My throat tightened. “I miss you, too.” I took a careful sip of my drink then found myself asking her, “Mom, why did you ever start to date my dad? I mean, weren’t you scared to, since he was a vampire and all that?”
    She surprised me by laughing. “Why does anyone ever break the rules? I thought they were stupid. Growing up, I heard so many stories about how terrible vampires were. Then I met your dad, and he was the complete opposite of everything I’d expected. He was kind, and funny, and charming. He made me laugh. And of course there was that whole mystery element to it, since I couldn’t read his mind. Being with him was peaceful, a break from the constant chatter of the rest of the world. I thought the Clann was just unfairly prejudiced against vampires, especially after I fell in love with