Page 50 of Foul Line

“I say you and Lake make a bet.”

“Not just Lake,” my dad intervenes. “All of them.” He starts naming them off while bending his fingers down. “Linc, Christopoulos, Ivy, and Irving, too.”

“Dad, they’re not—”

“No, it’s okay,” Jacquin says. “This will work for all of them.” He turns toward me. “If you take Shooting Guard MVP, O’Brien has to leave you alone for all of next year.”

I tilt my head at him. I search their gazes to make sure they’re serious. “That’s great. I’ve tried to get Lake to make sure this is handled on the court. That’s why I was willing to ride the bench until I proved myself, but we, apparently, all know how that worked out.”

“He won’t be able to resist this offer. He thinks he can’t lose.”

“Yet, he’ll say that it’s rigged. If I win, he’ll just say my dad gave it to me. He’ll never follow through. He won’t even take the bet.”

My dad leans forward. “Tess, Pumpkin, this is a way out. Trust me as a basketball player when I say that we’ll all take bets, especially if it’s one we think we can’t lose. Then, all you have to do is win MVP. You’ve done it before. I know you can do it again. If you win, they have to leave you alone next ball season. They can’t use any of their influence to have you ride the bench. It’ll be fair this year.”

“That doesn’t mean the girls will stop, Dad,” I tell him, reminding him of the fact that the problem wasn’t just the Ballers. It was their bitches, too. If my plan works, and I walk into RHS with all of the Ballers, minus Lake, at the start of the school year, there’s no way they’re going to let me get off easy. They’ll hate me even more, for sure. They thought they won, and if I come out on top again, all bets are off. I can just see it now.

“But we can talk to the school about that. You know I handled that badly last year. I won’t again. The school will need to step up and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

He seems so hopeful that it’s difficult to tell him that I don’t think it will work. I mean, it could, but I highly doubt Lake will take the bet. He thinks that everything I have has been given to me by my dad. He won’t risk it. I’ve tried to tell him to keep it on the court before, and he didn’t listen.

Jacquin shrugs. “I’m with your dad. My friends and I are always betting one another. In fact, one of them owes me big time for getting into the draft this year.” He smirks, and he’s so sure of himself. In the Ballers, I find that hot as sin. In him, it’s just a turnoff.

“I’ll think about it,” I tell them. “But Lake and I are far from friends. He doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him.”

My dad shakes his head. “It’s just a shame. The six of you on that team could be something. Even Ryan says so.”

I almost choke on a bite of chicken. My gaze lifts to my dad, but he’s not even looking at me anymore. Ryan thinks that? Why does that make my heart beat faster?

I know the answer; I just don’t want to admit it to myself. Ever since that year at camp, I’ve been searching for his approval one way or another. I didn’t want to believe that he’d do that to me. Maybe that’s why everyone assumes I like Ryan the most. I just have the most to prove to him.

“Some people just can’t get out of their own way,” Jacquin says. “It’s sad when you think about it.”

The door to the cafeteria opens and we all look up. Ryan Linc walks in, rubbing his eyes. When he sees just the three of us there, he’s taken aback for a moment before he catches my eye, then quickly moves on to my dad’s. “I’m glad you two are here. Go get your food, Ryan, then come sit with us.”

I stare back at my chicken, only I feel the heat of someone’s gaze on me. Glancing up, I find Jacquin’s eyes set on mine. I look away immediately because he makes me feel uneasy. When Ryan sits down beside Jacquin, Jacquin excuses himself, saying he has to go call his grandma. My dad’s the only one to tell him goodbye. Ryan and I are just staring at one another. If I keep this up, my food is going to get cold.

“Alright, so,” my dad starts. “Ryan, your mom’s coming up tomorrow. The two of us thought it would be a good idea to all go out to dinner tomorrow night.”

Ryan and I still haven’t talked much about what happened between my parents and how it directly affects his mom. He’s the first one to say it sounds good to him, so my dad turns toward me now. He looks hopeful, and there’s really no way I can get out of going anyway. “Sounds good, Dad.” Maybe it won’t be as bad as I think it will be.

“Excellent. I hope the storms have passed. I wouldn’t want your mom driving up in that.”

“Yeah, it was intense,” Ryan agrees.

He picks at his macaroni and cheese the same way I’m picking at my chicken. My dad doesn’t stick around too long. He tells us he’ll text us both later with more information on the dinner. When he leaves, I look up at Ryan. “I don’t think my dad even remembers the year that I liked you at camp.”

“Liked?” he asks. He raises an eyebrow in a challenge.

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m kind of glad he doesn’t, to be honest.”

“Really?” I ask doubtfully. “I thought you didn’t like this whole situation either.”

He sighs. “It’s not ideal. But my mom deserves someone like your dad.”

I can’t help but narrow my gaze at him. He just freaking cheated on her yesterday for crying out loud.

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