Page 48 of My Heart to Keep
Oh my God!If Sloane got ahold of this, I would definitely die.
“Truth, wild one?”
I clenched my fists in my lap, puffing out my cheeks. “Stop calling me that.”
“I’m trying to make friends, not enemies.” His tone didn’t have one threat or an ounce of sarcasm in it. He sounded serious, which was odd since he’d given off the bully vibe.
I laughed loudly, mainly from nerves. The librarian gave me the evil eye from her desk in the distance.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Well, a tiny part of me did, but I needed more convincing.
“Quinn,” he said in a sweet, husky tone. “I like you. I like you even better since you punched Sloane at your party. I have no ulterior motives here. I’m a guy, and I like porn.”
The word “porn” scraped across my arm, and I shivered. Nevertheless, I studied him hard as he held my gaze, steady, unwavering, wanting me to believe him.
Maybe he was an expert liar. There was only one way to test the waters and find out how truthful he was.
I crossed my arms over my chest, willing the contents of my stomach to stay put. “So you’ll delete the video, then.”
He handed me his phone. “You delete it. That way, you know it’s gone, and we start with trusting one another. I’ve seen better porn anyway.”
My jaw hit the table. Maybe I had him pegged all wrong. Still, I wasted no time in wiping that baby off his phone. I deleted it from the trash as well. Once I did, I sighed so darn heavily that the building probably shook.
“Now that we got that out of the way, will you tutor me?” he asked. “Or do I have to tell Coach Dean you said no?”
I shook my head. “Fine. But on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“We never speak of that video ever again.” I couldn’t even tell Maiken. Not that I was embarrassed with Maiken, but he might do something stupid as in beat Trevor to a pulp. Then he might ruin his chances of a scholarship or get kicked out of the academy. He might not be as rebellious Marcus, but all the Maxwells had that protective nature when it came to their loved ones.
“What video?” Trevor asked playfully.
That knot in my stomach loosened. I dodged a bullet. Maybe my senior year was looking up after all.
Ihad been having Quinn withdrawals for weeks. We’d FaceTimed a few nights ago. That had been the best day ever. I kept touching the screen, hoping by some miracle I could actually put my hand through it and feel her soft skin or kiss her sweet lips.
“What are you doing?” she’d asked.
“Trying to touch you,” I’d responded.
Then she would giggle.
We’d spent two hours talking and staring at each other. In the end, we’d kissed the screen. That was sort of weird, but I didn’t care.
The team had filed out a minute ago while I took a breath and laced up my basketball shoes. My stomach was flipping like a well-practiced gymnast performing her floor routine. The scrimmage game was turning out to be more than practice. The stands were packed. Electricity was in the air, and I felt like I was about to play my first game ever. In part, I was. It would be my first game at the academy. It would also be one where I had to do more than my very best.
Coach Green had invited his good friend Richard Patrick, a scout from Boston College, to the game. He’d sprung that news on the team an hour ago. Between my excitement to see Quinn and now the scout, I was ready to lose my lunch, literally.
Boston College wasn’t my first choice, but it was a Division I school. Plus, it was in the NCAA and the ACC conferences, which meant that if I did play for BC, I would go up against Liam at NC State. It would be weird since Liam and I were practically best buds, but it would be fun and cool just the same.
Once my shoes were tied, I opened and closed my fists, trying to keep my hands from shaking. The scout wasn’t just in the stands to watch me. Our point guard, Wade, was a great player and graduating with me. He too was interested in a full ride to a Division I school.
I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer, when the door to the locker room squeaked open.
“Maxwell, are you in here?” Coach Green asked before he emerged from behind a bank of lockers. “How come you’re not out on the court?” He was dressed in a blue suit and maroon shirt. His suit jacket had the Greenridge Academy’s gold insignia stitched on the upper left breast. “Is there a problem?”
I pushed to my feet, tossed my bag in my locker, and closed it. “Not really. Just taking a moment to quiet my nerves.”
