Page 24 of Foul Line

My phone buzzes. I pull it out of my pocket and stare down. It’s Chase telling me he hopes I still plan on coming over to the lacrosse section tonight to hang out. I screwed that up, I think. I shouldn’t have let him get that close.

“If that’s the lacrosse boy, I think you need to tell him you don’t like him like that.”

I glance up. “I already did.”

“He’s not getting it.”

“Yeah, well, he’s worried you guys are going to break me.”

Hayes’s jaw hardens at that. I’m still not completely sure he’ll keep his hands off Chase, so I don’t say anything else. Whatever is going on, this whole fucked up mess has nothing to do with Chase.

And what a mess it is.

“My mom wants to send me to Springs next year.”

His eyes widen. “What?”

I nod. “She, obviously, didn’t like what was happening this last year. She thinks it’s too much.”

“You’re staying at Rockport,” Hayes says, his voice even.

I chuckle.Yeah, sounds great. Is that what I’m supposed to say to her? I can’t leave Rockport because Hayes “Ice Man” Irving says I can’t.

“Things will be different next year.”

“I tried to tell her.”

“What about your dad?”

I glare at him. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that my dad is playing house with Ryan and his mom, so I’m not sure he actually gets a say.”

I can tell Hayes feels sorry for me, but he’s interrupted by his phone. He takes it out of his pocket, glances at the screen, and then puts it away.

He continues to look at me like nothing else happened, but I can’t keep myself from asking, “What was that about?”

“It’s Ryan. He wants me to come talk to Lake.”

“Are you going to?”

“Eventually. But you know I don’t like talking.”

“If you plan on punching him again, can I come watch?”

He snickers. “I’m not going to punch him again unless he asks for it. I just meant I’m not much for conversations in general.”

He’s not wrong. This is the most he’s ever talked in my presence. Ever. Then again, it’s just the two of us. “He is one of your friends. You should probably go talk it out.”

His brows lower over his eyes. “You’re a mystery.”

“So I’ve been told.”

He runs his hands through his hair. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”

No wonder why he used to stand outside my house. “If you’re going to be with Lake, I have nothing to worry about. He’ll be too preoccupied to start things with me.”

“He’s not the only one I’m worried about.”

“River?”

---