Page 7 of Trick Play
“You should come,” she says, grabbing her keys and phone and putting them in the kangaroo pocket of her sweatshirt.
I give her a dubious stare that only makes her shrug again. “Suit yourself,” she says, turning for the door.
“Wait.” I scramble off the couch, looking around for whatever I might need to bring with me to play video games at my roommate’s best friend’s house. “I’ll come.”
Dani smirks, her hand on the doorknob. “Great. Grab a sweatshirt and let’s go.”
Giving in, I grab my Marycliff sweatshirt, keys, and phone and follow her out the door.
When we park in front of Eli’s house, I take in the cars overflowing their driveway. “I thought you said it would be just Eli and Jackson.”
“Oh, well …” she hedges, giving me another sidelong glance. “Eli might be hosting a tournament of sorts, and the whole football team might be invited.”
“Dani!” I screech, whacking her arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugs, unfazed. “I didn’t think you’d come if you knew. But you need to unwind. What’s the big deal? You hang with your brother and half the football team anyway. I don’t understand why you’re suddenly avoiding him, and by extension everyone else you know here.”
I mumble something about giving my brother space, but Dani’s not buying it. “He’s never acted like having you around is bad, ever. In fact, the opposite is true. He always seems genuinely happy to see you.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I admit grudgingly.
“Okay, soooo …” She gestures at the front door. “Let’s go, get signed up on the roster, and have some fun.”
“You realize I’m going to be eliminated in the first round,” I tell her as we climb out of the car.
She beeps the lock and falls in step beside me. “Who cares? The point is to have fun. Do your best, have some fun, get some space from the constant grind of classes and everything.” She stops me and puts her hands on my shoulders, her chocolate brown eyes earnest as they meet mine. “You can do it. I believe in you.”
Laughing, I swat her hands away, and she grins at me. “See?” she says. “You’re on the right track already.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Cal
I load up my plate with the high protein snacks and sliced vegetables that Eli and Jackson have set out. Since this has somehow become a team activity and we all have tailored nutrition plans to follow, the food and drink choices are mostly designed to fit into that. Mostly.
I cast a longing glance at the bowls of chips they put out for the normals who were lucky enough to get an invite and the pan of brownies someone’s girlfriend made. Maybe I can have just a tiny square?
The front door opens and closes, bringing in a gust of cold November air, and I turn to see who’s arrived. All thoughts of calorie counts and wondering if it’s worth giving up a treat later for a brownie now fly out of my head when I see who’s arrived.
Piper’s here, shivering in nothing more than a Marycliff hoodie and a pair of dark gray leopard print leggings, her cheeks and the tip of her nose pink from the cold.
There’s a loud cry of greeting from various parts of the room, and something suspiciously like jealousy worms its way through me when I see Eli stand and bound to the door to greet her. Except he only nods at Piper while leaning in to hug the other girl I just noticed is with her.
Kilpatrick lifts his hand in a wave from his spot on the couch, but he’s next up to playMario Kart, so that’s the only greeting Piper gets.
Perfect.
Time to make my move.
I step away from the table, and like I hoped, the movement catches her eye so she looks at me. I lift my chin in a nod of greeting, and the pink in her cheeks deepens as she quickly looks away.
Now that’s an interesting reaction.
Putting on my most charming smile, I scoop up the clipboard from the couch that Eli’s using to coordinate this tournament and bring it over to Piper and her friend. “Here. Don’t forget to sign up,” I say as I hand the clipboard to Piper.
She looks between me and her friend, who wears an amused expression as she waits for Piper to take the clipboard from me.
“Yes!” Eli agrees, gesturing to the clipboard. “Find an empty slot and write your name. We’re just getting started, so you’ll have to wait a bit before it’s your turn.” He keeps going in his happy puppy dog way, filling the girls in on the rules for the tournament and the snack options for while they wait for their turn.
