Page 75 of Don't Go Faking My Heart

"I'd love to see it," she adds, "and I'm all hopped up on caffeine and adrenaline from watching you guys destroy the Badgers."

"You mean destroy Philip?" I ask, my hand itching for another punch. I can't believe what he said. I can't believe every comment and cheap shot and taunt. Not beating him down is the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm glad I had that much restraint, but it was hard-won.

It’s still a win, though. Something like pride rises in my chest.

"Who cares about Philip?” Ash asks. “He's a spoiled toddler trapped in a Ken body."

Who cares about Philip? In a week, Ash has gone from worrying her lips when she hears his name to laughing at his foibles, and now she doesn't care. Is that real?

"Isn't Ken the ideal man?" I ask.

"Oh, my sweet Westley," she teases. "Ken is made of plastic and guyliner."

"Exactly. Dreamy."

At that moment, the Ken Doll himself comes out of the arena. When he sees Ash, he hunches over, as if he's in pain.

Does this guy actually want sympathy points?

"How'd you like the game, Ashley?" he says.

Ash smiles at me. "It was a little more nerve-wracking than I expected, but I liked seeing Rusty dominate."

"How's your hand?" Philip asks me.

"Better than your head, I reckon. You took some big hits."

"Yeah, you sicced your attack dog on me."

Parker and Lou walk over to us, and when Philip sees them, he blanches.

"Well, if it isn't Captain Cheap Shot," Lou says.

"It was a game, Lucy."

I tense, thinking about how no one calls Lou Lucy. This snake could reveal her secret. In fact, why hasn't he?

"Good point. It was fun watching your butt hit the ground that many times," Parker says.

Just then, Philip's date walks up to where we're all congregated. "That was so intense!" the young woman says. Philip grabs her hand and shoots a look at Ash.

She's looking at his date.

Philip interprets this as Ash being jealous, but after hearing Lou and her talking earlier, I can see the worry in her big-eyed blink.

"I'm Ash. What's your name?"

"Heather. Do y'all know each other?" Her accent marks her as a local.

"Ashley and I used to date," Philip says.

"Oh," Heather says. "That's awkward."

Ash laughs. "Not for me, it isn't."

Heather looks up at Philip. "But is it for you?"

"No. We've both moved on. Ashley's with a farmer," Philip says. The emphasis on farmer is light enough that Heather misses it. The rest of us don't.

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