The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Chapter 76

ZANE

The drive to school was quiet, but not the usual kind..

Astra sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window like the world outside was miles away. She wasn’t fidgeting or nervously tugging at her clothes like she normally did when she was trapped in my car. She wasn’t blushing or avoiding my

eyes.

She was just… gone.

Her shoulders were tense, her hands clenched tightly in her lap, and her eyes looked hollow like she hadn’t slept and something heavy was crushing her.

It pissed me off.

I didn’t like it when her mind was somewhere else. Not on me. That was unacceptable.

Today was Black & Gold Day for Spirit Week. Students would be flooding the halls in gold shirts, black jackets, and jerseys. hyped for tomorrow’s Homecoming game. Astra was wearing my jersey again – the oversized navy and gold fabric swallowing her small frame. It looked too good on her.

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But even that didn’t pull her out of whatever hole she was in.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, jaw clenched.

“What’s wrong with you?” I finally asked.

She blinked, as if she’d forgotten I was there, then shook her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

Liar.

I could see it in her twisting fingers, shallow breaths, and haunted eyes. Something had happened after she left my room last night.

I didn’t push. Not yet.

But I filed it away. Whatever it was, I would find out. And if it involved Jason or anyone else, I’d handle it.

My way.

When we pulled into the school parking lot, Astra got out quickly, mumbling a soft “thanks” before hurrying toward the entrance. I watched her go, eyes narrowed.

She was hiding something.

I didn’t follow her inside. I couldn’t, thanks to the three-day suspension Principal Mollins had slapped me with yesterday. I was banned from school grounds until Monday, except for the Homecoming game on Friday night because I was the star quarterback.

I sat in the car for a long moment after she disappeared through the doors, staring at the big white “ASHTON 1” on her back until it vanished into the crowd of black and gold.

The monster in my chest growled.

Three days.

12:00 Fri, Jul 3 D

Chapter 76

Three full days where I wouldn’t be there to watch her every move.

Three days where she could talk to Jason. Hide whatever the fuck was eating at her. Think she had any real freedom.

I slammed the car door and peeled out of the parking lot, tires screaming.

The drive home was silent except for the low growl of the engine.

I gripped the wheel tighter than necessary, knuckles still split and bruised from yesterday. Every mile away from the school made the anger inside me twist harder.

I pulled into the estate, parked, and went straight inside.

But I didn’t go to my room.

I went to hers.

The door was unlocked, of course it was. She still hadn’t learned to lock me out.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

Her scent hit me first.

Sweet strawberry, soft lavender, the feminine smell that was purely Astra. It wrapped around me like a drug and my cock twitched instantly.

The room was neat, everything in its place. Her bed was made, the sheets tucked perfectly. A small brown teddy bear sat against the pillows, looking well-loved and worn. I picked it up and brought it to my face, inhaling deeply. It smelled like her. Like her hair. Like her skin. Like the way she curled up when she thought no one was watching.

Fuck.

I was painfully hard already.

I lay down on her bed, still holding the bear, pressing my face into her pillow. The scent was stronger here. I groaned low in my throat, grinding my hips against the mattress once, imagining her underneath me.

My eyes drifted to her small desk.

There was a calendar.

A simple wall calendar with handwritten notes. I stood up and walked over, flipping through the pages.

This month, early October, first term of senior year.

Dates were circled in different colors. Some had “Mom’s hospital follow-up,” “Diner shift,” “Tutoring payment due.” Small, neat handwriting.

Then one date caught my eye.

October 18th circled in red, underlined twice.

Written on top in small, shaky letters:

DEBT, $4,800

My jaw tightened.

Debt.

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12:00 Fri, Jul 3

Chapter 76

She had debt.

Big enough that she was marking it like a fucking death sentence.

I stared at the date, mind spinning.

Family debt? Hospital bills she was hiding?

I put the calendar back exactly how I found it, then sat on the edge of her bed again, staring at the door.

She would come home eventually.

I lay back on her bed, pressing my face into her pillow again, breathing her in while my hand slid into my sweatpants.

I stroked myself slowly, imagining her walking in and finding me here, in her space, surrounded by her scent, hard and waiting.

Then I buried my face back in the pillow, breathing her in while my hand stroked my cock slowly.

But it wasn’t enough.

I needed more of her.

I got up, still hard as fuck, and walked to her small walk-in closet.

And Inside, her scent was even stronger. Clean clothes, soft fabric, and that faint trace of her body that drove me insane.

I rifled through her drawers until I found what I was looking for.

Her panties.

A small pile of simple cotton ones, soft pink, white, a couple with little bows. Innocent. Just like her.

I picked up a pale pink pair, the ones that looked like they’d been worn recently. I brought them to my face and inhaled deeply.

Fuck.

They smelled like her pussy. Sweet, warm, a little musky from the day before.

My cock throbbed painfully in my hand.

I wrapped the soft fabric around my length and started stroking, slow at first, then faster, rougher. The cotton felt so fucking good against my skin. I imagined it was her tight little cunt squeezing me instead.

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