Page 81 of Trick Play

Kilpatrick and Piper seem to actually like each other. Or they did, anyway. And knowing what happened in California, him coming back here to look out for her makes a lot of sense. He saw an opportunity that helped him and put him in a position to be there for his sister.

If I’d been in his shoes, I probably would’ve taken it for the guaranteed starter spotdespiteit being closer to my sister, notbecauseit was closer to her.

Suddenly I have a lot more respect for him. I don’tlikehim. But I understand him.

And knowing his sister hates his guts right now, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.

“You pissed her off,” I finally answer with a shrug. “I don’t honestly have a lot of experience with a pissed off Piper, because this is new for me too. But based on what she told me about what happened last year and what happened over Thanksgiving, I think she feels like everyone’s just waiting for her to screw up. If you’re equating me to that”— I have to stop and think of the most appropriate word for that … guy—“that predator, you made her feel like you don’t trust her. And she’s nothing if not independent.” Crossing my arms, I can’t help giving him a quizzical look and saying, “Given that you’ve known her forever, I can’t believe you don’t realize that.”

He seethes, his shoulders rising and falling as he takes a deep breath, his eyes narrowing like he wants nothing more than to punch me in the face.

Shaking my head, I hold up my hands again. “Hey, man. You asked. I might understand you a little better now, but it’s not like we’re friends.” I make a circle in the air. “Everyone knows I’m a bitchy asshole. Don’t be surprised that it gets turned on you when you say something stupid.”

Surprisingly, that provokes a bark of laughter. “Fair enough.” His face turns thoughtful, and he gives me an appraising look. “You actually care about her, don’t you?”

“Yes. I do.”

He looks me up and down again. “Huh.” He shakes his head and looks away. “Don’t think this means I think you’re good enough for her.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Coach Miles’s annoyed voice reaches us. “Kilpatrick! This isn’t social hour. Get Sanders and get your ass back over here.”

I turn away before Kilpatrick gets in any more trouble, all this talk of Piper making my longing for her rise up something fierce. It’s an ever-present thing, but I usually manage to ignore it and distract myself. The fact that I know Ellie has seen and spoken with her but won’t tell me anything doesn’t help me at all. In fact, I’m pretty sure they had plans this evening. But even when I try to corner Ellie at my house afterward, she just gives me a smug smile and deflects until Simon tells me to leave his girlfriend alone and whisks her into his room.

Our early agreement that they’d only have sex when I’m not around fell by the wayside weeks ago. About the time I started bringing Piper around while they were home. I guess I only have myself to blame for that too, since I broke the rule first.

And any argument that it’s not the same since she’s not anyone in our house’s sister would be quickly laughed out of the room. So I keep my complaints to myself.

But if Gray, who has a much better history with his sister, can’t even overcome one fight, how’m I ever going to get Ellie on my side?

And without Ellie’s help, what hope do I have of ever winning Piper back?

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Piper

I spend Christmas Break trying to distract myself and not get bored. Because when I’m bored, just sitting around with nothing to occupy me, my thoughts inevitably drift to Cal. And that’s not where my brain needs to be spending time.

Ellie is surprisingly a lifesaver in that regard. While she does have to spend part of her time with her parents, the rest of the time she’s in town. And whenever Simon is working out or in practice or watching game tapes, she’s hanging out with me. At my house, of course, at least most of the time. We go out, getting in our last minute Christmas shopping and catching a movie now and then, but mostly we hang out at my parents’.

Things with my parents are … stable. They’re no longer threatening to police my whereabouts or try to force me to move home from the dorms. But the fact that I’m not seeing Cal anymore probably has more to do with that than some newfound trust in me or my decision making skills.

When I came home after my last final on Friday, my mom and I had an extremely brief conversation about that.

“Piper,” she said, her voice almost hesitant, but mostly firm. “About this boy—”

“There is no boy,” I cut in with a forced smile. “It’s over. No need to worry about it anymore.”

Mom looked me over, examining the bland face I presented her with. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Peachy. It’s better this way.” Another forced smile, and I picked up my things and took them up to my room, effectively ending the conversation.

And my mom took the hint and left it alone. I’m sure she told my dad, because they watched me carefully for a few days, but when I invited Ellie over—see? I can make smart choices, because they finally saw that Ellie is a real person and an actual friend, not someone I made up to cover for time spent with Cal—they relaxed.

The only sore point is Gray. He’s stayed away for most of break, but as Christmas Day approaches, I know that reprieve is soon to end.

“Gray’s coming over for Christmas Eve,” Mom tells me the day before. “I know you two are still at odds, but I do expect you both to be civil to each other.”

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