Page 6 of Foul Line

“Oh.” He looks a little taken aback after that. “Alright.” He reaches into his pocket, takes out his cell phone to look at the screen, then places it back where it was.

The door squeaks behind us again. Dad looks over my head, and I turn around.

Alec Christopoulos walks in. I clench my hands together, the set of keys to my cabin digging into my palm. Sometimes I just look at him and ask myself why I let him touch me so intimately. Then again, there’s a good reason for that. Ilikedhim. I didn’t know he was going to turn on me and be a douche. So, then I just wonder how he can even stand himself after what he’s done. Doing that with me and then pretending as if it didn’t matter. It mattered to him. I know it did.

When he sees me, he stops. A voice whines behind him. “Alec.” I look down at his feet and notice his little sister Roberta has run into the backs of his legs. “Ugh.” She picks up the pillow she had in her hands that fell to the ground and then comes around the side of him. When she doesn’t have the large obstruction of her brother’s frame in front of her, she sees me and then she doesn’t even care about the pillow anymore. She drops it to the ground and comes running forward. “Tessa!” She wraps her little arms around my legs, and I bend over to pat her back. When she pulls away, she says, “Alec’s been working on free throws with me. I’m getting better. I want to show you. I keep asking him to invite you over, but he tells me you’re too busy. What are you doing all the time that you’re so busy?”

“Roberta,” Alec says, a warning to his tone.

Just then, his mom walks in behind him. She searches the area and when she sees Roberta with me, she relaxes. “Jeez. I don’t remember you being that fast, Alec. Your sister’s going to give me a heart attack before I turn forty.”

I crouch down next to Roberta. “That’s great. I’m happy to hear that.” I look past Roberta to Alec who’s looking on in interest at our exchange. “And I think what your brother means is that he’s too busy to invite me over…”Because he’s an asshole.Of course, I leave that part out.

“Yeah, baseball takes a lot out of him. He talks about it constantly. But he did specifically say that you’re too busy.”

I tug on her hair. “Why don’t you just call me next time you want me to come over? I’ll tell you if I’m too busy or not.”

She beams. “Really? Okay.”

I look up. Alec’s walking to the folding table now. He looks at me from the corner of his eye. There’s no doubt in my mind he heard everything I just said. He keeps his face neutral though.

His mom’s right beside him, making small talk with my dad and signing papers. Roberta is chirping in my ear, but it’s hard for me to stop looking at Alec. With his build and looks, it’s difficult not to notice him or have my gaze drawn his way. The guy is perpetually in top shape because there’s only a few weeks out of the year he’s not playing sports or training for sports.

Roberta tugs on my jeans. “Why does my brother get mad at me when I talk about you?”

I look back down at her. “You’ll have to ask him that.”

“I have. He just yells at me more.”

I shrug, feeling sad that she’s caught in the crossfire. I lean closer to her like I’m telling her a secret. “Boys are dumb, Roberta.”

She seems to take that into serious consideration. She looks away, her eyes intent, and then she nods once, finally accepting the answer I’ve given her.

When I stand, Alec is staring at the both of us. There’s something in his green eyes, but it’s nothing for me to dwell on. All I have to do is be his teammate. Though, the harder he stares, I can’t keep my body from blushing. Even with his mother and his sister here, I remember how my body responded to his confident, expert fingers. Just thinking about it makes my throat go dry.

As I make that observation, Alec turns to my dad. “Ryan, Sloan, and Hayes are going to be late. They had to make other arrangements.”

Inwardly, I laugh. Outwardly, I place a pout over my lips. “That’s too bad. Hopefully there’s nothing serious wrong with the Jeep.”

Alec’s gaze cuts to mine. My frown turns into a smile. The nerve of them to even ask me to help them out. Though, I do feel badly about leaving Hayes out to dry. It’s irrational, but I just keep picturing his bike parked outside my house. If he doesn’t find a ride with Ryan and Sloan, how the hell is he even going to get here?

Again, the rational part of my brain jumps in.Not your problem.And you know what? That little voice is right. They wouldn’t think twice about me if the reverse had happened. They’d laugh their way to fucking camp, and that’s all I need to know.

The door squeaks again, and Lake and River O’Brien walk in with their father. I’ve met him a handful of times and he’s just as assholish as they are. I take that as my cue to leave so I can set up my cabin for the next six weeks.

“And here’s all my shooting guards,” Dad announces as we pass one another.

I wave to him over my head, not bothering to even look at the O’Briens as they approach my father. “See you later, Dad.”

Roberta and Alec’s mom follow me out of the main building. The three of us make the trek back to the parking lot where I notice they’re parked right next to me. I pull my bag out from the car as Roberta rattles along next to me. She’s telling me all about how she fixed her free throws, then tells me Alec is going to work with her on her dribbling next. “Your brother’s so nice,” I tell her, and I can even almost get it out without feeling like I’m choking on the words. For everything else Alec is, he is a really good brother.

I drop the bag next to my feet. Alec’s mom looks at it then back toward the path. “Alec,” she calls out. “Why don’t you help Tessa with her bags?”

“Oh no,” I tell her, immediately hiking the first one up on my shoulder. “I’m absolutely fine. I’m sure Alec has his own stuff to carry.”

Alec comes around the side of the car by himself. His dark hair is a little shorter than it was during the school year. The cropped length makes his green eyes pop even more. “I can help.”

I shake my head. “My cabin isn’t anywhere near yours. Trust me. I got it.”

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