Page 75 of Stealing for Keeps
“You have plans?” Rowan asks. “We were going to grab pizza.”
“Oh.” My brows scrunch together. “Right now?”
“Yeah. Immediately.” Rowan’s expression is pained. “I’m starving, and the only cure for one of Coach’s hell workouts is greasy pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni.”
Vaughn has his keys in hand. “There’s a place a few miles from school. I’ll drive.”
“I can’t,” I say, checking the time on my phone, then hurriedly grabbing a clean T-shirt. Practice went twenty minutes long, which means I’m already late to meet Claire.
I invited her over for my second favorite hobby: video games. Wyatt is almost as stoked as me that she’s coming. She’s good with him, and he adores her.
“Got a hot date?” Rowan asks with a smirk.
“Did you finally ask Jenn out?” One side of Vaughn’s mouth lifts. He and the rest of my teammates in my English lit class seem to think I have it bad for Jenn. I haven’t corrected them. Jenn is great, but my obsession with Claire has made it hard to focus on anyone else.
They’re both already grinning and hooting without waiting for my answer.
“We’re not together,” I say finally. “I didn’t ask her out.”
They both continue to stare at me like they expect more of an explanation.
I consider telling them the truth: I’m meeting up with Claire because I’m helping her find a new hobby to fill the void of skating. But something stops me.
Maybe it’s the thrum of anticipation that’s been pulsing under my skin all day when I think of spending more time with Claire. Or maybe it’s that I don’t want Vaughn to get the wrong idea. I like Claire. I like being with her, watching her try new things. She’s tough and determined, and she really hates losing. But that’s all it is. As much as I havethought about what it’d be like to kiss her again, I’ve not acted on it.
And then there’s Vaughn. Things are good between us, but I have a feeling that my growing friendship with him balances on a thin wire that would easily be broken if he knew I was into his ex.
“I have family stuff tonight,” I lie.
“Ah.” Rowan lifts his chin and then lets it fall into a nod slowly.
“Next time,” Vaughn says, stepping over to his locker. “And, uh, you better get on it with Jenn. She’s not going to wait around for you forever.”
I chuckle, gut twisting with guilt. If he knew the only girl I was waiting around for was Claire Crawford, I don’t think he’d have the same advice.
Chapter Twenty-One
Claire
I go over to Austin’s house to work on our art project and then play video games for our daily activity. He pickedMario Kart, which was actually in my favor, because Ruby loves it and it’s one of the few Nintendo games I’m good at.
I beat him three times in a row before he lets out a little grunt of frustration.
“Again?” he asks, but he’s already cueing up the game for another race.
“No thanks. I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead.” I set the controller on the couch next to me. “I don’t dislike video games, but I get bored with them fast.”
“Not Austin,” Wyatt says. “He once playedLegend of Zeldafor ten hours straight. He smelled so bad.”
“Okay.” He tosses a pillow at his little brother. “Enough secret sharing between you two.”
Laughing, I stand. “I need to get home anyway.”
“You’re not staying for dinner?” Austin asks. He always invites me to stay, and I love watching the way his family interacts with one another. His sister doesn’t say much,and what little she does say is clipped and moody, but his mom asks about their days, and Wyatt provides comic relief, and when his dad is in town, they all joke and smile more. It’s nice.
“I can’t tonight. It’s my sister’s birthday, so we’re going out.”
“It is?!” Wyatt stands on top of the chair cushion he was just sitting on. “I didn’t get her anything.”
