Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 : He’s Never Beating the Allegations

Saturday morning on the campus quad was absolute chaos.

The university charity fundraiser was in full swing. There were rows of food stalls, loud carnival games, live music echoing from the speakers, and a massive stage set up right in the center for the charity auction.

Audrey stood near the front of the stage, adjusting her camera lens. She was technically on duty as the sports journalism intern, but she was also officially there as the football captain’s ”girlfriend.”

Mason arrived late. He jogged up to the stage just as the team was lining up, his hair still slightly damp from morning training on the pitch.

Leo immediately groaned.

”Captain!” Leo complained, pointing an accusing finger. ”You escaped!”

Mason smiled, crossing his arms comfortably. He leaned in close to Audrey and Leo. ”Benefits of being a taken man.”

Leo let out a loud, suffering sigh and walked away to join the rest of the team.

Audrey glared at Mason, lowering her voice so no one else could hear. ”Stop saying that so proudly. You are enjoying this fake relationship way too much.”

”It is literally the only benefit of this arrangement, Ellis,” Mason whispered back, leaning down slightly. ”I get to keep my dignity today. Let me have it.”

”Alright, settle down!” Coach Miller barked through the microphone on stage. He banged a wooden gavel against the podium. ”First up on the auction block, our starting midfielder, Jackson!”

Jackson stepped forward, looking incredibly uncomfortable under the bright lights.

The bidding started at fifty dollars. It quickly escalated into a chaotic shouting match between three different sororities.

Then, a clear, bored voice cut through the noise.

”Five hundred!”

The entire crowd went dead silent. Everyone turned around.

Audrey’s jaw actually dropped. She lowered her camera.

Standing near the back of the crowd, casually sipping an iced coffee, was Zoya.

”What in the world?” Audrey muttered to herself. Her roommates actively avoided sports. They didn’t even know what a midfielder was.

Jackson blinked against the stage lights. He leaned down toward the microphone. ”...Why?”

Zoya shrugged. ”I got bored.”

The entire football team lost it. Mason tipped his head back and laughed out loud, while Leo doubled over, clutching his stomach.

Jackson just sighed, rubbing his face. ”This is somehow worse than strangers.”

”Sold!” Coach Miller yelled, slamming the gavel.

”Next up!” Coach announced. ”Our loudest defender, Leo!”

Leo strutted up to the front of the stage, waving to the crowd like a celebrity. The bidding started fast, climbing up to three hundred dollars.

Then, a very familiar voice near the front shouted.

”Eight hundred!”

Leo completely froze. His arm dropped.

Audrey whipped her head around. Chloe was standing three feet away, waving her numbered bidding paddle in the air with a massive, terrifying grin on her face.

Audrey stared at her in pure shock. ”Chloe?! You hate the outdoors!”

”I love charity,” Chloe corrected without looking away from the stage. ”And I love having a personal assistant for the day.”

”...Absolutely not,” Leo said into the microphone.

”Absolutely yes,” Chloe yelled back.

”Sold for eight hundred!” Coach Miller banged the gavel.

Leo looked terrified. He slowly turned his head and locked eyes with Mason.

”Captain,” Leo pleaded. ”Help.”

Mason immediately looked away, staring very intensely at a nearby pretzel stand. ”You’re on your own, man.”

Audrey bit her lip, trying incredibly hard not to laugh at the absolute panic on Leo’s face.

Because Mason was exempt from the auction, Coach Miller found them near the edge of the stage and handed Audrey a laminated clipboard.

”Since Calloway isn’t being auctioned, the two of you will still represent the football team,” Coach said. ”Visit the sponsor booths. Take pictures. Smile. Look like a happy couple.”

Audrey stared at the clipboard. ”...We have an itinerary?”

”It’s for charity, Ellis,” Coach Miller said, turning around to yell at the lighting crew.

Audrey sighed and looked at Mason. ”Let’s go, Captain.”

Their outing was surprisingly easy. They visited the sponsor booths. They played mini-golf. They shot archery. They took pictures in the promotional photo booth.

The problem was that Mason kept accidentally winning everything.

He didn’t even try. He just casually threw a dart, hit a bullseye, took the prize, and handed it directly to Audrey without a second thought.

By hour two, Audrey was walking around carrying a stuffed teddy bear, a Westbridge keychain, and two boxes of expensive chocolates. Mason didn’t even realize he was exclusively collecting prizes for her. He just kept handing them over like it was her job to hold them.

Every thirty minutes, they ran into Leo and Chloe.

The first time, Leo was trailing behind Chloe near the food stalls.

”Save me,” Leo mouthed over Chloe’s shoulder.

”No,” Mason answered simply, taking a bite of his churro.

The second time, they ran into them near the carnival games. Leo was now carrying five different shopping bags. He looked completely defeated.

”She keeps buying things!” Leo complained loudly.

Chloe smiled, linking her arm through his. ”He’s useful.”

The third time they crossed paths, Leo was holding two large bubble teas, a bouquet of sponsor flowers, and a giant stuffed panda that was bigger than his torso.

Mason didn’t even stop walking. He simply walked past and patted Leo on the shoulder.

”Skill issue,” Mason said.

Meanwhile, near the live music stage, Audrey spotted Jackson and Zoya. They were sitting on a bench, sharing a plate of funnel cake.

Audrey stopped walking. As she got a little closer, she could actually hear them talking.

”You’re actually funny,” Jackson said, looking mildly surprised.

Zoya took a bite of funnel cake, her expression completely deadpan. ”Don’t tell anyone.”

They immediately went back to staring straight ahead, pretending they were miserable.

”Are they getting along?” Audrey whispered, bewildered.

”Jackson is easily intimidated,” Mason observed. ”Zoya is terrifying. It’s a perfect match.”

Near the end of the festival, the sky suddenly broke open.

There was no warning. It went from sunny to a torrential downpour in three seconds.

The crowd immediately shrieked and scattered, running for the nearest tents.

Audrey spun around to run toward the campus buildings, but her sneaker caught on the slick, wet grass. Her feet went right out from under her.

Before she could hit the ground, a strong arm caught her firmly around the waist.

Mason hauled her up against his side. Instead of letting go once she was balanced, he kept his arm securely wrapped around her waist, hauling her forward.

”Come on!” Mason yelled over the rain.

They ran together across the quad. Because she was shorter, the wind immediately plastered her wet, black Korean bob against her face, completely blocking her vision.

Mason instinctively tucked her closer to his side, his large frame shielding her from the worst of the downpour. He didn’t let go, just guided her blindly through the chaos.

”Watch the curb,” Mason ordered, his grip tightening to lift her slightly over the concrete edge.

”Step.”

”Door.”

They crashed through the heavy glass doors of a small, crowded campus café.

Inside, it was packed with soaking wet students.

They managed to squeeze into the very last empty booth in the back corner. They were both completely drenched.

A waitress rushed over and handed them a single dry towel.

Mason took it and immediately tossed it onto Audrey’s head.

”I only got a little wet,” Audrey argued, trying to hand it back. ”Your shirt is completely soaked.”

”Dry your hair, Ellis,” Mason said, completely ignoring her protest as he picked up a paper menu.

Audrey sighed and started aggressively drying her hair.

As they sat there, waiting for the rain to stop, Mason started talking about the upcoming fixture against East State. Audrey listened, leaning her elbows on the small wooden table.

A single, damp strand of her short black bob fell forward, sticking stubbornly to her wet cheek.

Without interrupting his own sentence, Mason reached across the table.

He casually brushed the wet strand of hair off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. His warm fingers lightly grazed her cold skin.

He kept talking for exactly five seconds.

Then, his brain finally caught up with his hand.

Mason completely froze mid-sentence. He looked at his own hand, then looked at Audrey’s wide eyes.

”...”

”...It kept sticking,” Mason finally muttered, leaning back in his booth. He looked exactly like a man trying to logically justify an unconscious reflex.

Audrey swallowed hard. Her heart was suddenly beating entirely too fast.

”...Okay,” Audrey said quietly.

Neither of them mentioned it again.

Thirty minutes later, the rain finally stopped.

They left the café, stepping out into the cool evening air. The pavement was slick and covered in puddles.

As they stepped off the curb to cross the busy street back toward the dorms, a car sped past, splashing water near their feet.

Without thinking, Mason reached out and grabbed Audrey’s hand.

He pulled her slightly closer to his side, his large hand wrapping completely around hers. He was looking down the street, watching the traffic. He wasn’t looking at her. It was pure, unfiltered instinct.

He held her hand the entire way across the street. He only let go once her sneakers safely hit the dry concrete of the opposite sidewalk.

Audrey stopped walking. She looked down at her right hand. The heat from his palm was still burning against her skin.

He didn’t even realize he held it.

”Captain.”

Mason turned around.

Leo was standing a few feet away. He was completely soaked, holding Chloe’s enormous shopping haul, looking absolutely exhausted.

Leo slowly looked at Mason. Then, he looked at Audrey’s hand. Then, he looked back at Mason.

Mason looked completely oblivious. ”What?”

Leo just stared at him for a long, painful second. He let out a deep, heavy sigh.

”Nothing,” Leo said, shaking his head.

Leo turned around to walk toward the athletic dorms, adjusting the giant panda bear under his arm.

As he walked away, Audrey clearly heard Leo muttering under his breath.

”He’s never beating the allegations.”