Page 161 of The Rookie

Griffin shakes his head, his voice dropping a notch. “No. Just one.”

The entire skybox goes silent, the words hanging in the air like a bomb waiting to detonate.

Cassie gasps, turning to me, her eyes wide. “What? Griffin has a girlfriend, and he didn’t tell me? I can’t believe him!”

Beside her, Brielle’s face falls, her disappointment almost theatrical. “Wish it was me,” she sighs, swirling the champagne in her glass. She glances at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Don’t you, Avery?”

My stomach twists, a thousand responses tangling on my tongue.

“Uh, I mean…” I stammer, feeling the weight of both their gazes on me.

Cassie leans closer, her curiosity practically vibrating off her. “Did he say anything to you? You’ve known him forever—do you know who it is?”

I laugh awkwardly, grabbing my drink and taking a long sip to avoid answering.

“I have no idea,” I finally manage, my voice coming out higher than I’d like.

Cassie frowns, looking back at the screen. “I’m going to call him. He better pick up.”

Oh God.

As Cassie pulls out her phone, I glance back at the field where Griffin is still grinning like he owns the place.

We need to tell everyone.

And stat.

But before Cassie can hit dial, her phone buzzes with a reminder, and she glances at the screen.

“Shoot, we better go,” she says, standing and grabbing her coat. “We’re going to miss our flight to Tahoe. I think Griffin’s catching a later flight. We can talk to him about this there.”

My heart stops.

Tahoe.

One big house.

No escape.

I force a smile, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Right. Wouldn’t want to miss the flight.”

Cassie gives me a look as she grabs her bag. “You’re acting weird.”

“What? No, I’m not.”

“You totally are.” She narrows her eyes, and for a second, I think she’s pieced it all together. But then she shrugs, turning toward the exit. “Let’s go. Brielle, you coming?”

Brielle sighs dramatically, tossing her empty champagne flute onto the table. “As much as I’d love to stay and watch Griffin’s post-game interviews… I guess so.”

I trail behind them, my mind racing.

Tahoe isn’t just a ticking time bomb anymore.

It’s a grenade with the pin already pulled.

And Griffin and I?

We’re going to have to figure out how to survive it—together.

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