Page 13 of The Perfect Steal

“Who’s we?” I asked. The palm of my glove snapped as I caught the throw from Colt. How would I even get there? Being grounded from my vehicle was something that hit me hard. My parents still hadn’t given me a date for when I’d be ungrounded, which was worse. Not to mention that being dropped off at the fields by my mother wasn’t my idea of awesome.

Colt cleared his throat and then said, “It’s at Hazel’s house. She’s got games, food, movies. It’s chill but should be fun.”

“What about the game?” I said, gesturing to the field. It was only four in the afternoon, but after the extra-inning game last night, anything could happen.

“We’ll be done before then. That’s why everything was scheduled earlier, spaz. And there’s no set time for when the party will start, so we’ll be good to go.”

That was the last thing I wanted to do. I was already an extra wheel for the older guys with all their girlfriends, and now Colt was starting to ditch me for his crush, the new girl from New York. Well, she wasn’t exactly new. She’d lived in Pecan Flatts before her dad got a job back east, and they’d just moved back over the summer.

“I got grounded from my Hummer.” It sounded like the lamest excuse ever, but Colt would keep badgering me if I had a way to get there.

“No problem. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Colt, really. I’ll just hang out at home tonight. Probably pass out candy.”

With a laugh, Colt said, “I thought that was your mom’s favorite thing to do.”

Dang. He knew me too well.

When I didn’t say anything, he said, “Come on, Nate. This will be fun. We can play some video games or something. And already-made food is a bonus.”

I closed my eyes, debating the pros and cons of going in my mind. If they were inviting Hazel’s friends, I probably wouldn’t know many of them, so that could be weird.

“Who else is going?” I finally asked, tossing the ball again.

“Hazel said she’s inviting her cousin, Brynn. And then a bunch of people from her drama department.”

My mind only registered that Brynn would be there. At least, I hoped she would. Because hanging out with her would be more fun than trying to understand all the show tunes Hazel and her friends were obsessed with.

And why did I suddenly care? Brynn and I were completely different people, in more ways than I cared to count. But there was something about her that made me curious, and attraction pulled at me every time I saw her.

Okay, so maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t thrown herself at me to get stuff from me. She treated me like I was just like everyone else at the school. She reminded me of Serena more than I’d thought, not caring about social status and trying to get something from everyone. I’d have to ask Serena what the story was behind Brynn’s life.

None of the other girls had ever mentioned Brynn dating anyone, and the way all the boyfriends and girlfriends got together so often, I would think I’d have at least seen her with someone from time to time, if she were dating someone.

She’d invited Garrett Park to the Harvest dance, and now that I thought about it, it drove me crazy. Did that mean she had a crush on him?

A ball Colt had thrown brought me back to the present, and I jerked my glove up in time to save my face from another injury.

“What do you say?” Colt asked as he walked closer to me. The field was ready, and we were heading out to take grounders and fly balls.

“I’ll find a way to get there,” I told Colt. It would be hard enough being at the party and seeing my best friend pining for a girl who monopolized his time but didn’t return the sentiment. And if he brought her to pick me up, I’d be confined to watch the train wreck in a small space.

Jogging out to center field, I focused on a plan. If Brynn was there, I could call it homework and maybe drive the Hummer. I’d just have to see if my mother bought that idea.

9

Brynn

I’d barely been able to focus on biology after the conversation with my mother. I’d had to read over the same few pages three times and still didn’t remember the material like I usually did, analyzing every bit of our conversation.

It got so bad that I’d gone out to shoot hoops at the side of the house. So much for showering that morning. Thank you, Texas humidity.

Towel-drying my hair, I contemplated which set of sweats-and-t-shirt combo I was going with that night. I didn’t have any plans, and my body was kind of ready for a no-thinking, mindless evening of binge-watching television. I’d leave my homework for later. Every girl was allowed one night off, right?

After slipping on a pair of long shorts and a t-shirt that saidBasketball is my superpower, I stumbled down the stairs, hoping to find something edible in the fridge. I’d forgotten about lunch, and now my stomach was making enough sounds to remind me that it still needed food.

“There’s some alfredo in the fridge,” John said, sitting at the bar. Peeking over his shoulder, it looked like he’d helped himself to some as well.

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