Page 17 of The Change Up
“You know I can’t do that.”
“How much longer until Leah’s out of that house?”
“Too long.” Leah is my younger sister. She’s a senior this year, but any time left in that house is too long. I’ve tried my best to keep the attention off her and focused on me, but it’s hard when my dad is a massive control freak.
Niko and Ty both come walking into the kitchen. The four of us get along great, but we’re all so different. I think that’s why we can live together. None of us are slobs. Although Ty is the worst at picking up after himself, he’s not as bad as it could be. Niko just transferred in this year. He’s a moody sonuvabitch who keeps to himself. When he does talk, it’s usually something important. Otherwise, Niko is the quiet one who sits around listening and observing everyone.
Ty grabs two sports drinks and tosses one to Niko. The two sit next to Hudson at the bar while I wash my dishes.
“The vibe is all off in here,” Ty says. I shake my head at his words. He’s all about the vibes and harmony. That peace and love bullshit.
Niko stares me down. “Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
My eyes bounce around my roommates. They all stare me down. No one has mentioned my sudden disappearance Thursday night. We’ve all been busy dealing with the aftermath of the burst pipe and being pieces of shits who don’t move from in front of the Xbox. And I’ve been busy reliving my night at Chloe’s and the things I discovered.
Not only did seeing that purple rabbit surprise me, but I kept reading that MMA romance she gave me way later than I should have. When I left Friday morning, I kept her iPad and finished reading. I was going to just buy the ebook, but I was enjoying reading the story along with the parts she highlighted.
What really surprised me was all the steamy scenes she had annotated. Is she into all the things she highlights in her books? Has she done these things before?
My mind immediately flashes to one of the scenes I just read. A girl on her knees in the bedroom. Waiting on the main guy to return. Submitting to him.
The things he said and the things they did have me quickly picturing Chloe in that same situation, and I feel the blood start to rush south. Before I have a chance to really enjoy the thought of Chloe on her knees before me, I hear Niko’s voice interrupting.
“What elephant?” I ask, playing dumb.
Niko’s eyes shrink into slivers as he glares at me while Hudson shakes his head.
“Where’d you disappear to Thursday?” Ty prompts.
“Don’t worry about it,” I answer, shrugging.
Hudson has his famous shit-eating grin on his face. I swear he can read my every move. “Were you at a pretty blonde’s house?”
The timer on the oven goes off. Slipping on a pair of oven mitts, I reach inside and pull out the pan of egg bites, setting them on a cooling rack. Turning toward him, I glare back at him, but it only spurs the guys on. “Monica’s? You two back to fucking?” Ty asks.
“Hell no. That ship has sailed. Baseball season is here, and I don’t need any distractions.”
“Brynn’s?” Ty guesses again. Technically, he isn’t wrong. I nod, ending the line of questions. No one will think anything of it since it’s not uncommon for me to stop by her house. And for all they know Quinton was there too.
Niko eyes me skeptically. He’s always observing everything and keeping his comments to himself. No doubt he knows I’m full of shit, but he won’t say anything.
“Oh, that’s not unusual. So why’s the energy off in here?” Ty questions, leaning back in his chair.
Reaching for the glass storage container, I quickly toss the egg bites inside. Placing the lid on top, I walk them over to the fridge and place them on an empty shelf. I don’t even care that there will be condensation on inside.
“My dad called and started shit. What else is new? But I’m done talking about it. See you guys at practice.” And with that, I grab my water bottle and leave the guys sitting at the counter.
“Listen up!” Coach Weber shouts across the indoor facility. “No one could have predicted we’d be canceling our first tournament with an ice storm. But we head on the road in two days, and we need to get focused.”
We spent most of the practice running drills to make sure everyone was loose and ready for the game. Once drills were over, the training staff walked us through deep stretching exercises. My body has never felt as loose as it does now. Coach can do this after every practice, and I’d be down for it.
“As I previously mentioned, this season we will have a new reporter from the newspaper staff traveling with us. Answer her questions, don’t give her any shit, and if I find out anyone is treating her with any less respect than you’d give one of us coaches, you’ll have me to deal with.”
“Who do you think it is?” Hud asks from beside me. All of us are resting on one knee in a semi-circle while Coach talks to us.
Shrugging, I keep my attention trained on Weber. I watch as Coach’s attention focuses past where the team is gathered in front of him. Hudson turns to follow Coach’s gaze, while I couldn’t care less about who is joining the staff. I’ll do what I’m told and not make a big deal about it.
“Holy shit,” Hudson whispers, but not quietly enough, as Weber glares at him while I laugh under my breath. Heads whip to the right as murmurs spark and elbows nudge others. Curiosity finally gets the best of me, and my eyes follow the direction that everyone is staring.
