Page 42 of The Locker Room

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without.

Basketball: A requirement as well.

He figured that, since Christian and basketball went hand in hand,

that was one thing he didn"t have to worry about, right?

THEY lost their virginity to each other the summer between high school

and college, when Christian"s parents took Penny to visit Chris"s

grandparents. Chris had been planning to go with them, but then Andi"s

parents had showed up for graduation, and given him a car as a

combination graduation/eighteenth-birthday present, and then told Chris

to enjoy. Chris had taken them at their word (and had, with Xander"s

help, written the mother of all thank-you letters, because he was a good

boy and that was only good manners) and begged off the trip.

Jed and Andi had told them no parties, but they had done it

laughingly. Andi had kissed her son"s forehead as they left and said,

“You two are so good it"s almost frightening. Don"t let any of that

change, okay?”

Penny had eyed the two of them almost sadly as they left. “So,

guys, any plans?” she asked, swinging her blonde braid behind her with a

little bit of attitude. She was a very female version of Chris—small face,

dark round eyes, curling blonde hair. She"d been the perfect little sister

in the past two years—snotty, teasing, and not ever, once, showing any

affection unless it was forced out of her. The last time Xander could

remember her giving either of them a soft word was when Xander had

played ball with a fever of 104. She"d stayed up by the couch that night,

taking shifts with Chris and her parents, making sure he was going to be

okay. He remembered the delirium, and her small hand on his forehead,

and her voice, sounding sad, saying, “It"s okay, Xander. Chris is here. He

just needed to sleep for a bit, okay?”

That same sound was in her voice this time, and before her parents

knew what she was doing, she suddenly turned around from the door

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