Page 62 of Foul Line

“And if she loses?” Alec asks.

“If she loses, I won’t say a thing about Lake’s pill problem.”

“How does this help Lake? Either way, you won’t say a thing.”

“Trust me, I’ll talk if he decides he won’t do this. And he has to leave her alone from here on out, too, until the MVP is decided.”

“What do you care?” Sloan snaps. “Why are you trying to help Tessa?”

Here’s Sloan’s possessiveness that he hid away yesterday when he saw Hayes and I kissing. Maybe Hayes is right. I belong to them, so they don’t care about each other. Only the outsiders. I perk my ears up because I’m interested in Jacquin’s answer, too. Why does he care so much?

“Unlike you guys, I guess I don’t like to see innocent people being fucked with.”

After a pregnant pause, Sloan says, “We’ll talk to him.”

“Talk fast,” Jacquin says. “And either way, I’d get your buddy some help. Opioid addiction is no joke.”

Footsteps cross the floor and then I hear the telltale squeak of the door as it opens and then slams closed. I wait a few beats before I emerge. When I come out of my hiding place, both Sloan and Alec are looking my way. They visibly relax.

Hayes sits up. He eyes me, half looking away. “What’s up with that?”

I shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

It sucks that I automatically don’t trust people. There’s just this vibe I get off Jacquin that I don’t like. He’s actually trying to do something nice for me, something I didn’t want to instigate myself. It sounds a lot like a bribe and that’s not really my thing. Jacquin knew I probably would never do it, so he pulled strings his way.

How he found out about Lake, though, I have no idea.

30

After returning to my cabin shortly after that, I don’t see any of the guys until lunch. Alec texted me that they were already there if I wanted to meet them, so when I stroll in, I’m not surprised to see all of them in the cafeteria already, without Lake. River is there though. Without his brother, he isn’t as terrifying. He just looks like a little boy trying to be an adult. I almost feel bad for him. He probably looks up to his brother so much and has no idea what’s really going on with him. I’ll have to make a note to ask the guys if they should be getting Lake professional help.

Then again, none of this is actually my problem.

A few of the lacrosse guys wave at me. I wave and smile at them while Chase looks around. He smiles back, but it’s not a full-lipped smile. It’s soft and small, almost sad. Before I can think any more about it, a hand closes around my wrist. I look down to find Hayes’s eyes lock onto mine. I go to sit, but he moves his thigh in my way, so I end up sitting in his lap. He’s already done with his food, so he pushes his own tray out of the way and moves mine in front of him.

Alec smirks. “I never pictured you as a PDA type of guy.”

I almost laugh at that. That’s what the Ballers do. Even Hayes. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Though, I suppose when it came to Hayes it was that the girls were always hanging off of him. He never reciprocated. They were just like an extension of his body, like an awkward growth or something.

Though River leers at me, he keeps his mouth shut. Even though I’m dying to ask how Lake is, I don’t bother. I know I won’t get straight answers right now anyway. If anything bad happened, I’m sure I would’ve heard about it by now. He’s probably just sleeping away a massive hangover.

At River’s request, the guys regale them with stories about their bar fight, leaving out every detail regarding his brother. In fact, I can tell that Sloan and Alec at least are a little paler today than normal. Alec is downing water like the well’s going to dry up, and Sloan keeps rubbing his head. It serves them right. Hayes drank, too, I think, but he must not have had as much as the others. Then again, his drunk state might be similar to his everyday state. The only time I really feel anything from him is when his eyes are zeroed in on my own, and I’m captured by his sight. It’s like being in a warm embrace.

Ryan keeps checking the watch on his wrist, so I’m sure he intends on sticking close to Lake today. I wonder if Alec, Sloan, and Hayes told him—or even Lake—Jacquin’s proposition yet. He looks up at me after checking the time. I smile. “Is your mom still in town, or did she head back yet?”

“Speaking of,” Sloan says, twisting his head toward me. His hazel eyes are dull today, like muddy brown. I can tell he doesn’t feel good even though he’s trying to act like his normal self. “How come you didn’t tell us you and Ryan are going to be house buddies?”

Ryan shakes his head. “Fuck you, Ivy.”

Sloan laughs. For the first time today he sounds more like his normal self.

Ryan smirks. “I don’t know why you’re laughing. That just means I’m right down the hall from her. At all times of the night. Barely clothed.”

I gape at him. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping over much. I thought I made that clear yesterday during dinner.”

Leaning back, Ryan smoothes his hands down his shorts. “I think that was a denial,” Sloan singsongs. I can tell he’s loving every second of this.

“Trust me, she’ll be wanting to sleep over.”

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