Page 54 of Game On

I nod in agreement.

Alec pulls the Mustang away from the curb gently. Shawn only lives a few blocks from the school, so we’re there in no time. When we pull in and I start to move, Sloan’s arms tighten around me. I pat his hand. “It’s okay. We’re at the school.”

His eyes open, then he pulls his hands away from me to wipe down his face. “Do you understand how comfortable you are, Dale?”

Alec laughs.

“I’m confident enough to let that slide, Christopoulos.”

Alec opens the door and gets out. I unfold myself from the car, too, and move around to the front. Sloan starts to go toward his Jeep, but Alec stops him. “You’re riding with Tessa. I’m driving your car to your house. You’re following me.”

“I can drive,” Sloan says.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”

I place my hand on Sloan’s back. His muscles tighten in response. “It’s better this way,” I tell him.

He groans. “No fair sending the sexy girl to talk me down.”

Alec winks. “See you at the house.” He holds his hand out for Sloan’s keys.

Sloan digs around in his pocket for them and tosses them at his friend. “Thanks for letting me spend more time with our girl.”

“Wait ‘till we drop you off,” Alec calls out over his shoulder.

Sloan freezes. “I don’t think I’ve ever hated him more,” he says, but his tone is teasing.

“Get in the car,” I tell him, giving him a slight push.

I follow Sloan’s Jeep until we pull up to a house on the very outskirts of town. It’s weird because all the houses are close together except for his. It’s like the town just stopped, and then it’s suddenly country with a huge house. The house is old, not new like mine, but it has tons of character and charm. “It’s so pretty,” I tell him.

“It’s a facade,” Sloan says without skipping a beat. He pushes his car door open and steps out. I’m right behind him, meeting him and Alec on the sidewalk that leads up to the house.

“Do you want us to come in?” Alec asks.

Sloan peeks at me. “Not a good time. But Friday,” he says to me. “Friday you can see inside the place.”

Sloan leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek after bro hugging Alec. Then, he walks up the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.

Alec and I get in my car, and I turn it around. Alec lives on the complete opposite side of town. “You know why he didn’t want you to come in, right?”

I shake my head.

Alec sighs and drops his head back on the seat. “His parents hate each other. I’m guessing Friday is some sort of dinner party he’s invited you to?”

I lick my lips and nod.

“They’ll be putting on a show that day. Trust me, any other day and it can get ugly. He mostly hangs out in his room with his music on.”

I swallow, emotion trying to crawl its way up my throat. I’d hate to have grown up like that. I can’t stand it now that my parents don’t like to be in the same room with one another. I can’t imagine that being my normal.

27

Even though Alec and his baseball team won the first game at home, they lose the next three games straight. Every day we run drills during lunch and go to Alec’s games in the evening to watch. It’s a mandatory thing the Ballers make us do, but it’s something I would do anyway now. Every morning, I meet Matt at the track and run sprints. Shawn hasn’t showed since the first day when Sloan went off on him, so I guess I’m not surprised at that. A little annoyed maybe, but in some weird way the way Sloan went all caveman on him because of me makes me…happy. It’s so lame. Trust me, I already know. Here I am pushing for more women’s right with the basketball stuff. We should be created equal and all that, and then one guy makes a scene because he doesn’t want another hitting on me, and I’m a pile of goo at his feet. Hormones, man. I don’t know what else to say about that.

Over those days, Sloan looks better rested, or he’s just good at hiding it. We don’t have to sleep in my car anymore even though he texts me good night now. I don’t know if it’s to reassure me that he’s getting some sleep, or if it’s because he actually wants to text me good night, but it’s another win for me. It’s like I’m finally being accepted.

Alec? Well, since his team stopped winning, he’s been pretty intent on baseball. The Ballers even let him skip out on recruit things during lunch so he can go into the batting cages, almost as if he could singlehandedly bring them back from losing the playoff games. Alec took it really hard when they lost the last game. Really hard. A part of me thought he would be relieved knowing it wouldn’t interfere with basketball, but it was the opposite. I’m chalking it up to someone who’s just so driven he doesn’t ever want to lose, even during a season that doesn’t officially count.

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