Page 11 of What are the Risks
Stefan had never been in a relationship, so it was possible he’d misinterpreted things. Though if I was dating someone, I wouldn’t let another girl touch me, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be touching her back.
Cherie, Ruby’s mum, set down one dish and Doug, Ruby’s dad, set down another. One smelt suspiciously – and deliciously – like pecan pie.
“Ryker, honey,” Cherie cooed. “Get in here.”
Unlike Ruby who was anti-affection, her mum was like a human koala. While Ruby tolerated a quick hug hello, expecting anything more was like hoping for warmth from a cactus.
“You’re still growing,” Cherie said, patting my chest in the way she’d done ever since I was a kid.
“Or maybe you’re shrinking, Cherie.”
She playfully swatted my ear, but my height made it easy to dodge.
Across the room, I noticed my mum had Ruby in a death grip. Ruby caught my gaze over Mum’s shoulder and playfully feigned disgust, sticking out her tongue.
She was wearing her glasses today instead of contacts. When she’d been told in middle school that she needed prescriptions, I’d begged my mum for a pair too. I’d thought Ruby’s glasses were the coolest things. They gave off Clark Kent vibes, and I just so happened to be in my superhero era at the time.
“Have you been eating, Ruby?” Mum asked. “You’re skin and bones.”
Ruby laughed. “I’ve been eating, Nancy. Trust me. The McDonalds drive-thru and I are well acquainted.”
Mum shot a look of disapproval at Ruby. “That doesn’t sound healthy.”
“I’ve told her the same thing, Nancy,” Cherie exhaled.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “When you’re leaving the hospital at the random times I am, beggars can’t be choosers.”
The twins burst into the kitchen, making the already cramped space seem even more crowded. With countless people and hot plates, it was bound for disaster.
“Okay!” Mum shouted. “Everyone but Cherie scram. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”
One of the twins tugged on Ruby’s hand and dragged her into the living room. Knowing my aunts were in there and itching to show me the latest picture of their hairdresser’s cousin’s gardener’s banker’s single daughter, I retreated to the den with Dad and Doug instead to watch the football.
Though the instant I sat down, part of me regretted my decision. With the Draft just around the corner, Dad and Doug fired question after question at me, as though I knew more than they did about the league.
It blew my mind to think that by this time next year I could be a player for one of the teams competing today, or, at the very least, an opponent they would play against throughout the season.
I didn’t want to get ahead of myself given the Draft was still five months away and a lot could change between now and then, but the attention around me had undeniably amped up lately. There was more media at my games, more reporters requesting interviews, and my Instagram followers were climbing like rapid fire even though I hadn’t posted a photo since Ruby’s birthday shout out last year.
“Ruby mentioned you took a brutal sack in your game against Huntington,” Doug mentioned.
Dad mumbled his agreement. “I was watching on TV. It looked tough.”
I dismissively shrugged. “It was fine. All part of it.”
“When’s your next game?” Doug asked.
“Sunday.”
Hence the glass of water I was sipping, as opposed to Dad and Doug’s beers.
“Noah was around last night,” Doug mentioned. “Said his season is over.”
Hearing Noah’s name had my stomach churning, which wasn’t ideal with Cherie’s pecan pie waiting. I wished my brother hadn’t said anything, because now I was facing the dilemma of whether to mention it to Ruby.
Ruby and I always steered clear of talking about relationships, sex, or anything like that. She had her girls for that kind of stuff, and I had the guys – not that I’d ever had a relationship worth mentioning.
I was worried to bring it up with her, since it was completely out of left field for us. It wasn’t like I had concrete evidence to prove something was wrong either... but somethingdidfeel off about what Stefan had seen, and I wasn’t sure that I could ignore it.
