Page 142 of Game Changer
There was a knock on his bedroom door. “Kip?”
“Yeah, Dad. Come in.”
The door opened and his father stepped in, holding an envelope. “This came from NYU,” he said with a little smile. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“Probably just asking for money,” Kip lied.Probably just rejecting my application.
“It’s from the admissions department.”
Oh god. Oh god. I can’t take bad news right now.
“Give it.” Kip’s hand trembled slightly as he reached for the envelope. Dad crossed his arms and leaned back against the doorframe.
Kip gave him a pointed look, but when it was clear that his father had no intention of leaving the room, he sighed and opened the envelope.
“Holy shit,” he said quietly to himself.
“Kip?”
Kip leaped to his feet. “I got in! I’m going to grad school!”
And suddenly the world felt a little less awful. He beamed and hugged his father.
“I’m proud of you. And very jealous,” Dad said.
Kip shook his head, bewildered. “I didn’t think I’d get in.”
“Why not? Your grades were excellent. You’re a fantastic writer, a hard worker. Any school would be happy to have you.”
“I just...” And Kip now had tears in his eyes. “Things haven’t been great, Dad.”
“I know.” Dad hugged him again. “I didn’t want to intrude, but...are you boys fighting?”
“Boys? Who are you—?”
Dad smiled at him knowingly, then his face sobered. “I know he must be busy right now, with the playoffs, but it seems like maybe something worse than that is going on.”
What the hell?
“What are you—?”
“Scott Hunter,” his dad said calmly. “You’ve been seeing him.”
“Dad, come on. There’s no way that Scott would ever—I mean, Scott Hunter isn’t—”
“I don’t know anything about Scott Hunter, but I know you. And I like to think I’d be able to tell when my son is in love.”
“I’m not—”God. Fuck it. Does it even matter anymore?“How did you know?”
“Remember when I broke my wrist slipping on the ice in our walkway?”
“Sure. Yeah...” Kip had no idea where he was going with this.
“The look on your mother’s face was the same as the look on yours when Hunter got hurt at that game we were at.”
Kip blushed. “Maybe I’m just a big fan?”
“Maybe. But I don’t think so. You also bolted out of the house that night after making a phone call that included the wordsX-rayandice pack. I’m good at picking up on subtle clues like that.”
