Page 19 of Game On

“Deathly,” I say. “We’ve even had some players go straight pro.”

Even Dawn knows what that means. Her jaw drops. “You’re kidding?”

I shake my head.

“I’m going to have to brush up on basketball, especially if my best friend is going to play for the team!” She lets out a squeal that makes me laugh. “How good are you, anyway?”

I’m about to answer when I hear footsteps behind us. Multiple footsteps. Dawn notices it, too. She turns, and I see her face color. “Baller alert,” she says under her breath.

I close my eyes and swallow. I expected they would have something to say. Stopping, I turn to face them. Dawn does the same.

All five of their faces are a mask of anger. Four of them stop just a foot away from us, but Ryan charges on. “Are you trying to make RHS basketball a shitshow? Some freak sideshow people laugh at?”

I stand my ground, poising my shoulders back. “I just want to play ball.”

His chest is heaving. He’s lost his suit jacket somewhere, so it’s just his button-up shirt that’s strained over his wide chest now. He laughs. “You actually think you can make the team?”

Lake steps forward now, too. Ryan doesn’t back down though, so Lake is trying to squeeze in without Ryan giving him any room. “I don’t mind the challenge. She’ll never win.”

As if Ryan didn’t even hear the interruption, he says, “Don’t you get it? We don’t want you. Ineverwanted you. This attempt is fucking pathetic.”

I pull myself up. I wish I was taller, but I’m tall enough to get the point across. “It isn’t about you, Linc. It’s not about any of you.”

“Come on,” Dawn says. I feel a slight tug on my arm.

Out of the corner of my eye, Alec steps close to her. “Dawn, right?” She looks at him, but instead of her pooling into jelly because he talked to her, she just raises an eyebrow. It doesn’t deter him one bit though. “A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be hanging out with whores like her.”

My face burns. The past comes back to slap me. Images of Ryan and I kissing. So sweet and gentle, then the cruel, cruel reality.

“Whore?” Dawn says, her voice high and tight and laced in surprise. “I’m pretty sure we know who the whores are around here. I’ve seen almost every girl fall all over you guys since the beginning of the year.”

Alec’s lips turn into a cocky grin. “That just means I have experience. I’ll show you some time. You just have to drop her.”

I swallow, not daring to look at Dawn. This is her opportunity for Alec. Why do they want to take everything from me? They’ve already told the entire school to treat me as enemy number one, now they want to take my only friend away from me. Their aim must be for me to be alone. Humiliated and alone.

“Just that?” Dawn asks. She steps into Alec’s personal space, and I see his eyes light up.

He runs a hand down her arm and then grabs her hips, pulling them into his own. “Just that. I think I’d like to see your face as you scream—”

“No thanks,” Dawn says. She forcibly removes his hand and steps back. She reaches for me, and I grab her hand. I need her hand to keep me grounded. The look on Ryan and Sloan’s face is almost hurt. Sure, they’re both angry, but there’s so much more there I can’t decipher.

“Dyke,” Alex snaps.

A hand reaches out to snatch my own. “I warned you, Tessa. If you think what we’ve already done is bad, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Ryan’s cool words make me shiver.

“It must be real hard to ask Daddy for a spot on the team,” Sloan calls out after us. “Coach won’t let that happen. Your dad doesn’t have that much influence.”

I want to turn and tell him to fuck off so badly. Dawn, though, squeezes my hand. I know it’s not worth it. The only thing that will be worth it is when I make the team and get to shove it in all their faces. I am good. I’m as good as them.

“Watch yourself,” Lake says.

That has me walking faster to the car. The last thing I need is another piece of the male anatomy drawn on my face—or worse.

The drive to my house doesn’t take long. Neither Dawn nor I talk much other than me thanking her for sticking up for me. She tells me I should be thanking her because she just lost her one and only chance with Alec because of me. In the same breath, though, she says there’s such a thing as being too cocky. Whatever her reasons, I half-expected her to jump on his out. Everyone else at the school hates me because they say so, why not her?

I pull up the circular drive and see my father’s car in the place mine is normally parked. No wonder why he didn’t say bye to me, he’s probably trying to surprise me. I push the car door open with a smile only to be met with a string of curses yelled by my mother. I freeze. My dad answers and then something breakable shatters. Dawn whips her head toward me. I just slowly get back into the car and shut the door. Dawn’s door is still open though, so I can hear the remnants of their argument, my name being thrown out like a curse. Each scream of it makes me wince. Dawn clamors inside again and shuts her door, thankfully blocking all the noise out.

She looks over at me, but I can still hear my name ringing in my ears. My dad’s mad about what I did. My throat burns. The area behind my eyes ache, but I won’t give into the temptation to cry.

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