Page 86 of Forbidden Puck
“Bullshit. You've known each other forthree days.You don't love him, you're just high on emotions. And he only told you he loves you so he could get in your pants, just like I did with Qu—” For the second time, Lance failed to finish his sentence.
“Excuse me?” I laughed, but it wasn't a funnyha-halaugh. “You were about to say, just like you did with Quinn. Weren't you?”
He swallowed. “Well, uh. I mean,ifthat was true in the first place, then maybe that's what I did.”
“You'resucha liar, Lance. For once in your life, just be honest with me.”
“Ugh. Okay, yeah, I said it. Happy? That's what guys like usdo, Ella. We lie to get what we want. And that's why I'm trying to protect you from Radar. He'sjustlike me.”
“Thanks, but I don't need your protection. And no, he's not like you at all.”
“You don't even know him, though. And you definitely don't know him like I do. I told you he's a player, but I didn't tell you the sort of thing he's into. Ella, I could tell you something about him that would make you sick to your stomach.”
“Like what?”
“He's into some weird shit. He asks for something very specific from every girl he gets with.”
“You're talking about his panty collection?”
Lance's jaw dropped. “He—he told you about that?”
“Yeah.”
“How? Why?”
“He showed it to me, Lance, because he wanted me to know why I didn't deserve to be with a guy like him.”
Lance was speechless. He hemmed and hawed and scratched at his head. “That's … surprising, actually … I only found out about it because I snooped in his room and found it … he got so pissed at me … even more pissed when I told our teammates …”
“Well, that doesn't surprise me, Lance. He seems pretty ashamed about it.”
“Then why the hell did he do it in the first place?”
I huffed. “I don't know why he did it, Lance. People are complicated. Life is hard and it makes people do strange things. The point is, he told me about it, thinking it'd scare me off forever.”
“And?”
“It didn't, obviously. It just made me like him more. He's honest with me, Lance. More honest than any guy I've ever known.”
“But just last night, you were saying he made you lie …”
“Yep. But then he felt horrible about it and came clean to you to set things right with me. He didn't have to do that, you know. He could've gone on with his life and you never would've found out that we'd done anything. And before you even start to think it: he didn't set things rightjustto try to get with me, because he kept saying he didn't deserve me.”
Lance clutched his head between his hands. “I'm so confused. This isn't like Radar at all.”
“Maybe you've never seen this side of him before. Maybe he means it when he says he loves me, Lance.”
His brow furrowed. “But it's only been three days?”
“I know. And when I think about it, believe me, I think it's a little crazy, too. But sometimes, Lance, you meet someone, and the heart justknows. From the second I met Ryan, I felt a pull to him—even if I didn't want it to be there.” I paused. “It's like how you feel with Lindsay, right?”
That love-struck, dopey grin that he reserved for any mention of Lindsay returned. “I mean … the first time I saw that round,thickfuckin' ass? Yeah. I knew.”
I slapped my forehead. “Nevermind …”
“It's the same thing!” Lance protested.
“Listen, Lance,” I said seriously, “let's put everything else aside for the moment. I don't know what's going on with this trade stuff, but if you have any part in it, I'm asking you to try, justtryto work this through with Ryan before you do something crazy. Please? Just talk to him? Remember, he's your best friend. I know you're angry now but if you cut him off forever, you're not going to realize how much you miss him until it's too late.”
