Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 131789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
“RJ,” Coach shouts. “Let’s go. You can sign autographs later.”
He’s a man of few words and doesn’t spend much time stroking our egos with “atta boys” in the locker room. Our transitions were sloppy, and our times were seconds off last week’s best. Basically, don’t go getting too full of ourselves. Still, the guys are mostly riding the high of victory while we get dressed to leave.
“Alright, assholes.” Lawson jumps up on a bench. “Some of you owe me money. Empty those wallets.”
Silas rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to do it right in front of his face.”
“He’s a big boy.” Lawson happily collects wads of cash from most of our teammates. “He can handle the truth.”
I eye his winnings in amusement. “Taking bets on me?”
“One hundred to puke in the pool. Five hundred if it came out of both ends.” He hops down and stuffs the cash in his bag without an ounce of remorse. “Thanks for keeping your shit together.”
“Better put him in a diaper for his fight,” taunts a snide voice.
Carter. Fucking Carter. He has a mouth like an over-caffeinated Pomeranian. He could suffocate a room the way he never shuts the hell up. And because he’s obsessed with kissing Duke’s ass, his favorite thing to talk about these days is me.
“Wouldn’t be the first time Duke hit someone so hard they shit themselves,” he says, slamming his locker shut. “I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you.” Smirking, he walks up and rips my name tape off my lockers. “You’ll be packing your bags and heading back to whatever trailer park you crawled out of.”
“We’re on the same team, man.” Silas shoves him off. “Let it go.”
Carter departs with a cocky grin and two middle fingers in the air.
“I can’t take that guy seriously,” I say dryly. He’s so pathetic I’d almost pity him if he weren’t also such an insufferable jackass.
“Carter’s a pussycat,” Lawson says.
“It’s like he lives off sniffing Duke’s farts.”
“True. But he makes up for it by giving a serviceable blowjob.” Lawson throws his bag over his shoulder and slides his sunglasses on the top of his head.
My mouth falls open. “What, seriously?” I didn’t see that coming.
“Sure. After almost every practice. On his knees in the broken handicap bathroom stall. But you didn’t hear that from me.”
Well, isn’t Carter just full of surprises.
“Don’t sweat the fight,” he tells me. “You’ve got it in the bag.”
I don’t believe Lawson is being entirely sincere, but I appreciate the gesture. Frankly, I’m considering exit strategies. Because as much as I hate to admit it, this time I might have gotten in over my head.
Chapter 37
Fenn
Running into Sloane at the swim meet was an accident. She’s avoided my texts all week. I tried a few times to get five minutes with her, but she had track practice and homework and kept brushing me off. So finding her outside presented the uncomfortable option of pretending we don’t know each other or reluctantly agreeing to sit together.
“Sorry I didn’t get back to you,” she says, still watching the locker room door for RJ to emerge while we wait on the bleachers. “I really wasn’t ignoring you. Just busy.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
Except with this RJ thing and her not-at-all-subtle warning to respect a five-hundred-foot perimeter around her sister, I’ve been getting the impression Sloane is not keen on me these days.
“So…” She taps out a rhythm with her feet. “Was there something you needed, or…?”
“A couple things, actually. I have a favor to ask.”
“Let me guess—it has to do with my sister.”
I nod, unhappiness rising inside me. “I was hoping maybe you could talk with your dad. Put in a good word for me.”
Her gaze narrows on me. Sloane has mastered the ability to pin a guy with her eyes and put the fear of death deep in his soul. “And why would I do that?”
“Because you care about Casey and like seeing her smile?” I offer a wry shrug. “I know you’re not my biggest fan, but you can’t deny I’m good for her. I make her laugh. And she’s not as depressed when I’m around. You know that, Sloane.”
Reluctance creases her features before her head jerks in a nod. “Yeah. I know.”
“I’m tired of only getting to see her for like an hour on the weekend. So I figured, it’s either I keep convincing her to sneak out to meet me, or you help us out with your father.”
She stares at me again. “What do you want with Case? Honestly.”
Good fucking question. If I understood that, I wouldn’t be tormenting myself by dancing around the edges like a virgin at prom.
“I don’t know,” I say. “Right now, we’re friends. And maybe if you remind the headmaster of that, he’ll let me spend more time with her.”
Her hard gaze cuts through me like a knife. “Still waiting for a good reason why I should help you sleaze on Casey.”