Page 3 of Players Keep Score

Okay, maybe that’s dramatic, even for me. But what excites both of us is the meeting she’ll get with his mom. Holy shit! Known by everyone in the sports world, Charlotte ‘Coach’ Coachman—now Parker—is the top sports agent in the country. She was the first woman to land deals for clients. Dante West, the best basketball player who ever played the game, was one of Coach’s clients before retiring.

Bex and I are major fans of his, and over the years, we’d gossip about how cool it is to see a woman standing alongside a player like Dante as he held up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, not once, but seven times during his NBA career.

I started playing basketball when I was five years old, like Bex. We instantly bonded over our favorite sport during our first year at Strickland University, and now we’re in our last season together. The chance to meet Coach is huge for Bex, considering she wants to become a sports agent after graduation.

“He’s just a hockey player,” Bex deadpans. “Stop acting like a girl.”

“Must I remind you I am a girl?” I counter with a hint of laughter in my tone. “And he’s the hottest guy on campus. Preston is taking you to meet his mom. Hello, that’s major. Wake up, Bex. You have a date with Preston Parker this weekend. I’m so jealous, I almost hate you.”

I hate to admit aloud that I’m jealous of Bex. She gets to meet Coach. That’s huge. I would kill to be in her shoes right now.

She nudges me in the arm with her elbow and laughs. “You’re not allowed to hate me over boys. It’s in the roommate agreement.”

Dodging her second attempt to elbow me, I snort. “Roommate agreement?”

“Yeah, it’s like unspoken rules we both have to follow. No fighting over boys is one of them.”

“But he’s Preston Parker,” I point out.

“Will you stop saying his name like he’s a big deal?”

I narrow my eyes at her. She’s lost her damn mind. “He is a big deal, silly. Did you fall and bump your head? Just because you have more of a crush on his mom than him doesn’t make him any less yummy. Hey, if you don’t want him, I’ll happily be your substitute.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Does all your fangirling have a point?”

“You have a shot with Preston. Take it, girl. This is your one chance. Girls like us don’t get opportunities to date guys like him. They usually go for cheerleaders or sorority girls.”

“My dad has rules about his team,” she hedges. “You know them well.”

“How can I forget? No talking to his players. No hanging out with his players. No dating his players.”

“Technically, I already broke one of them when I talked to Preston in the locker room.”

Yesterday, before she ran into Preston and his teammates at Gio’s Pizza, she ran head-first into Preston’s chest in the men’s locker room. I couldn’t believe she committed to walking to her dad’s office once she saw the players were still getting dressed in the locker room.

I would have died.

“Your dad broke his rules by introducing you to his players.”

She gives me a look that says she knows I have a point. Because of her past, hockey players are off-limits to Bex.

“It’s not just his rules,” Bex admits. “After what happened with Kellan, I have no interest in dating, let alone his players. I still don’t. Kellan left a lasting effect on my life, one I never want to repeat.”

In high school, Bex dated Kellan Lehane, her father’s star player, who attempted to ruin her life by posting naked pictures of her online. To this day, she still hasn’t been able to get all of them taken down. She’s constantly humiliated by what happened, even though it’s not her fault.

Her dad is overprotective because of Kellan, and since he plays hockey for Boston College, her dad still faces him on the ice every year. The reminder of Kellan never fades for Bex and her dad.

I frown at the thought of Kellan. “It’s been four years.”

“I can’t undo my mistakes.” She sniffs as if fighting back tears.

I get the urge to hug her, though I know Bex would push me away. My best friend has a rough exterior. She acts as though she needs no one. Sometimes, she confesses that Kellan still has a hold on her. For as long as I’ve known Bex, the memories of her past have messed with her head.

He controls her life when he’s no longer in it. But the scars are still there. That’s why I worry about her hanging out with Preston Parker. However, I am excited at the promise of Bex moving on with someone new. It’s about time she dates. She’s allowed Kellan to keep her from living her life for too long.

I cup her shoulder. “I’m sorry, babe.”

She sighs. “Kellan was?—”

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