Page 37 of Foul Line

I know that he certainly deserves it that way. But, even if the Ballers like me, I doubt they would agree. That’s what years of friendship give you, a fierce protective instinct. I’m just starting to gather that now. Dawn would have to do some pretty fucked up shit in order for me to turn my back on her. She’s the only reason I even made it through Junior year with my dignity—and mentality—intact while everything else went to shit around me. Mom and Dad, basketball, the Ballers, she was there. She calmed me down, she made me laugh, and she pushed me through it.

I’m not sure there’s any way to repay her, but surely loyalty is one of those ways…even when someone is going through something major.

By the time I sink my last shot, I want to call Dawn again and tell her I appreciate her for everything she’s done. I also think I might’ve talked myself into feeling bad for Lake. Ridiculous, I know. At the same time I think it, I want to reject it. There’s got to be a fine line somewhere between someone worthy of being pulled out of the darkness, and someone who made their bed in the dark, and now just needs to lie in it—whatever the cause. I guess time will tell where Lake falls in that spectrum.

19

The next morning, I don’t show up at breakfast early enough to avoid everyone. I’m also not going to sit with Chase and his lacrosse teammates. I’m here at basketball camp, and it’s about time I start acting as if I belong, no matter what.

I go through the line, placing some French toast slices on my plate along with a banana and a fruit cup. When I turn around, I head right for the table that has the rest of the Ballers already sitting at it. Just as I sit, Lake looks up to snarl at me. “What the fuck? You lost?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so.” I take a bite out of my French toast as Sloan’s gaze lingers on me. It makes my skin heat. “Everyone ready for this morning’s run?”

Alec rolls his eyes. “I’ve never been a fan of running every day.”

Lake glares at him, but either Alec doesn’t notice because he’s too busy looking at me, or he’s trying not to notice the death glare sent his way. Either way, I just continue to eat my breakfast like normal. It’s probably the most intense meal I’ve ever sat through. I thought the one with Sloan’s parents at his house kept me on edge. This is worse in some ways. Wordlessly, Hayes’s arm wraps around my hips in a protective manner. It stays there the whole time while he eats his food with his opposite hand. He helps stifle the butterflies a bit, so that I can listen in on what the others are talking about instead of living in my head the whole time repeating my mantra, lest I forget I’m supposed to be a badass female basketball player.

With how humid it is in this cafeteria right now, I can already tell today is going to be a scorcher. After all the exercises today, I’m definitely jumping in that lake. “How come I never see you guys go swimming?” I ask.

“Because the only pair of tits around here are yours,” Lake says.

I shrug, looking at the other guys. I couldn’t care less if Lake and his brother showed up, but maybe I could get the other Ballers to come hang out with me. I need friends. “I’ll go with you, Daddy’s Girl. All you have to do is ask,” Sloan purrs. “I happen to like your—.”

A throat clears behind me. Hayes’s fingers press into my side while I slowly look around, just praying it isn’t my dad behind us. It didn’t sound like him, but you never know. I was too busy drooling over what Sloan was about to say.

It’s not my dad, thank God. It’s Chase. I smile up at him. “Hey, I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”

He takes in Hayes’s arm around my back, then slowly lifts his gaze to my eyes once more. “We decided to take the lacrosse thing a little more seriously.” I laugh but am interrupted right away. “I’d still like to show you some lacrosse moves sometime.”

Well, that sounded on the verge of being suggestive. Ryan thinks so, too, because he rises to his feet. “Back off, Fisher.”

Chase holds his hand up. “I know she doesn’t like me, so fucking chill, okay?”

“That actually sounds like fun,” I say right away, trying to keep the display of testosterone at a minimum. “I’m thinking of hanging out on the beach after our sessions today. Maybe meet me there?”

“Great,” he says, his smile widening. “Text me?”

“Sure.”

He walks back to the lacrosse table. I wave at the guys and then turn back around. Fewer faces are smiling at me now than were smiling at me only a minute ago. Sloan laughs darkly. “Oh, Tessa. Haven’t you learned yet that we don’t play well with others?”

I know I’m walking into pricker bush territory here, but I shrug anyway. “None of you seemed interested in swimming, so—.”

“I’ll be there,” Hayes says. His arm tightens around me, and he moves me closer to him by a good few inches. My thigh is against his, and I’m almost swaddled into his side.

Ryan watches Lake’s profile as if he’s looking for any sign this is affecting him, but he seems disinterested. It’s possible me sitting here threw him for a loop that he wasn’t ready for.

I just stare at them blankly, hoping it comes across as if they can come if they want…or don’t. Secretly, I’m hoping they all show up shirtless, so I can watch them from behind my sunglasses without getting caught.

I mean, it’s a terrible part to have to play, but someone has to do it.

Sloan is smirking at me. Alec has his gaze set on his plate, his fork moving his food around. He hasn’t said much this whole breakfast. I get up to put my tray away, so I can stretch, but Hayes puts his hand on my arm to stop me. He pulls the tray from my hands gently and puts it on top of his own before rising to his feet, taking them both with him to the tray return. I take the opportunity to slide down toward Alec while the rest of the Ballers get up to leave the building. “Hey,” I say. He looks up at me, his green eyes overflowing with unsaid words. “What’s going on?” I hedge.

He looks up at his friends who are now walking back out into the main part of the building. He watches them go and doesn’t relax until Hayes finally leaves us in here alone. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “My parents got a call from a college…about baseball.”

My mouth drops. “You’re kidding. That’s amazing, Alec.”

The only thing is, he doesn’t look like this is great news. “I don’t know what to do, Tessa. I’m expected to go to the same college as them. We’re supposed to play ball together. We’ve been talking about this since elementary school.”

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