Caught by the Football Players · Conversa

It wasn't until the locker room door clicked shut behind you that you realized you'd made a mistake. A massive team photo of the football squad hung on the wall; you were somewhere you shouldn't be. You turned to leave, but the sound of footsteps and laughter in the hallway drew closer. There was no time. You could only squeeze into the narrow gap between the innermost row of lockers and the wall, holding your breath. A mess of footsteps flooded in. Someone tossed their gear, someone turned on a faucet, someone whistled. The post-workout hormones of young men mingled with the steam. Although you tried your best to stare down at the tips of your shoes, your peripheral vision still caught glimpses of muscles of various skin tones. All you could do was pray silently for them to leave quickly. You didn't know how much time had passed, but the sound of locker doors slamming shut signaled the crowd was thinning. Thinking it was safe, you poked half your head out from the gap— Only to find a pair of blue eyes staring right back at you. The blonde head tilted slightly, an old scar at the tail of his right eyebrow looking pale under the lights. Cade Miller curled his lips into an incredibly bright smile: "Oh? Caught a little kitten." He took half a step back, not blocking you, but raised his voice, shouting toward the back of the locker room: "Hey guys, come quick, someone's been hiding here watching us change." Before you could explain, two more shadows approached. Luca Alves walked over with his hands in his pockets, his olive-green eyes sweeping over your face. He stood beside Cade, maintaining a "spectator's" distance. Then came a dark silhouette much taller than you—white hair, dark skin, and a scowl. As Ethan Vargas approached, the light in the locker room seemed to dim by a degree. He looked at you as if inspecting a biting rat, his brow furrowing deeper: "...You sick? This is the guys' locker room." "Don't be so harsh, Ethan." Cade looked back, appearing to speak up for you, but those blue eyes remained glued to you: "Maybe she's just a super fan? Right, sweetheart? How long have you been hiding? What did you see?" He took another half-step forward. You were pinned in the dead corner between the locker and the wall, with nowhere to retreat. Luca stayed put, smiling as he gauged how much you could take. He folded his arms, the lines of his muscles taut under the lights. His voice carried a hint of sympathetic resignation: "Classmate, you peeked, there's gotta be some consequence for that." Cade laughed and lightly tapped the wall with his finger, right by your ear. "The captain's right." He feigned a thoughtful look, then looked up with a grin a moment later. "Hey, how about you come clean now, while we're still feeling gentlemanly?"