“Edgewood is going to crush Crosswell!” Cort yelled, throwing both hands up and sloshing beer all over himself. A cheer of approval rang out. The Edgewood-Crosswell rivalry was legendary. No one knew how it started or why, but it didn’t matter. The biggest event of the year was the annual football face-off between the schools.
“Did I hear something about crushing Crosswell?” A smiling Randy strutted into the kitchen with Allison. “Because I’ll drink to that.” His smile faded when he caught sight of Keeley. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
He’d been a little preoccupied, Keeley thought.
“I’m here because Zach called. Does anyone know where he is?” Keeley asked.
Allison smiled sheepishly. “He’s with Gavin.”
“Who?”
Cort looked down at her. “His little buddy. You know, the freshman he got paired with.” It was tradition that freshman football players were assigned to a senior teammate. It was supposed to be a mentoring program, but the football players used it as a way to get their cars clean and have someone fetch them lunch.
“Keels! There you are,” Zach said with a goofy grin. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes red. Then he picked her up and spun around. It was the nicest he’d been since their fight.
She forced him to put her down when she became dizzy. “You ready to go?”
“Not till you meet my little guy.” Zach snapped his fingers in the air and motioned for a boy with sandy hair to come forward. He was the same height as her brother, but without the muscle and weight. He looked more like a long-distance runner than a football player. “Keels, this is Gavin. Gavin, my twin sister, Keeley.”
“Hey, there,” she said, noticing his hunched shoulders and averted eyes.
He mumbled something that barely resembled a “hello” and then backed away. Zach shook his head and then gave a long, drawn-out sigh that had Gavin turning red. Keeley felt a wave of sympathy for him. Poor kid was going to get murdered on the field if he couldn’t even handle her brother.
As they headed out, a thought occurred to her. “Does Gavin need a ride?”
Zach scrunched up his eyes and swayed. “I’m sure he’s good. There are plenty of people he can hitch a ride with.”
“Then why didn’t you do the same?” She could still be asleep in bed.
“You’re here ...”
“Yeah, but I shouldn’t be,” Keeley muttered to herself, sliding into the car. As she drove home, she turned on a radio station they both liked. But when Zach’s favorite song started playing and he didn’t sing along, she knew something was up. Turning the volume down, she said, “All right. What’s wrong?” Had he overheard her comment? She didn’t want to fight again.
He sent her a furtive look. “Nothing.”
Her worry lifted. If he were mad at her, he would have said so. “Tell me. I want to know.”
“I can’t. I don’t want you to be mad. Promise you won’t be mad.”
“I’ll try not to be,” she said, growing wary. Had he done something when he was too drunk to know any better?
He swallowed, then confessed. “I got you an interview and tour of Barnett next week.” Barnett University was known for three things: beautiful beaches, high SAT scores and football. None of which interested Keeley. Why on earth would he do this? “This is why I kept it a secret!” he said, motioning to her face.
Was he really that surprised? He went behind her back! She felt her blood racing. Why did he think he knew what was best for her?
Zach rushed on. “I know you don’t want to go there, but listen. I was talking to one of their football recruiters, and he said they have great programs for incoming freshmen who don’t know what they want to major in. They set you up with a bunch of different courses so you can see what you like.”
“I have no clue where I want to go,” said Keeley. Barnett wasn’t on her list. It wasn’t off her list either, but she wanted to be the one making the decision. Not her brother.
“You could at least visit and take the tour. You never know. You might really like the place,” he coaxed.
She remembered the relief in her dad’s face when Zach mentioned his potential scholarship. A California college would be cheaper: in-state tuition.
“Come on, Keels. I put in a lot of effort to get this. They were all booked but I begged the recruiter. And I even got you an extra spot so you could take someone with you —”
“Like Nicky,” she suggested. He’d meant himself, but that wasn’t happening. Besides, he’d already toured Barnett. He didn’t need to go again.
“Of course,” he said, scowling. For some reason, he wasn’t Nicky’s biggest fan.
“What’s your deal with her?”
“Nothing. So you’ll go to Barnett? Take a look around?” he pressed.
“Fine. I’ll go.” If it would make him stop bugging her about colleges. She needed this to end, now.
Zach pointed out his window. “Burgers! Let’s stop. I’m starving.”
“I hate going here. The car reeks afterward.”
“But I’m hungry. And you don’t use the car that much anyway.” Zach tapped her shoulder. “Come on, come on. Let’s go!”
Keeley turned off the street toward the parking lot. Then she realized there could be room for ... negotiation. “How’s this — I’ll pull over for burgers if you give me the car for the rest of the month.” August was almost over but it didn’t matter. She was realizing she couldn’t let Zach push her around all the time. He was taking her willingness to say yes for granted. Much as she hated to admit it, Talon — a complete stranger — had been right.
“No. Hell no. I need it for football practice,” said Zach.
“Get Cort or one of your buddies to take you. There’s no reason you can’t bum a ride off them.”
“How would it look if the captain of the team had to beg for a ride?”
“I doubt you would have to beg.” Zach had more friends than he knew what to do with.
“These kids look up to me. I need to be a good leader and show them —”
“You left Gavin to fend for himself!”
Changing tactics, he softened. “You know how important football is to me, Keels. I’ve worked hard get where I am.”
“Then I guess you’re not getting any food.” She rolled down a window and let the smell of salty fries waft in.
He clutched his stomach as it growled. “Fine. You can have the car. Since when did you become so underhanded and mean?”
She considered for a moment. “Since I started talking to a dog.”
“Huh?”
She just smiled and pulled into the drive-through.
The house was quiet as Keeley finished up her English paper. She felt good about what she’d accomplished, but then she saw the stack of assignments she still had left. She could ask Zach for help, but he was still sleeping. She took a quick break to grab some water and check her texts.
Did you get your brother home safe and sound last night? Tuck him in and read a bedtime story?
Your comments are so not appreciated.
I’ll take that as a yes. If I call, will you tuck me into bed too?
Is there a reason you’re texting me?
I think all that pent-up jealousy is really getting to you but don’t worry, no other girl can compare to what I have with you.
That’s your first mistake — thinking other girls can compare.
She reread her text. Most people didn’t see this side of her. Normally, it took time for her to feel comfortable bantering back and forth, but with Talon, it was different. Texting had allowed them to sidestep the awkward getting-to-know-you phase.
And what’s my second?
Letting your ego do all the talking.
Ouch. At least you didn’t deny the jealousy.
She shook her head and put the phone down. Her gaze landed on the Barnett tickets Zach had given her last night. She hadn’t understood why she would need them for a campus tour, but after seeing them, she realized why they were special. They admitted her and a friend to an exclusive event with the faculty and, more importantly, the admissions office. It was a great way to see the place, for sure, but also to schmooze the staff.
Keeley picked up the phone and called Nicky. She was expecting voice mail, so she was shocked when Nicky answered.
“Zach got me this tour of Barnett and I was wondering if you wanted to come.” She told Nicky the dates. “It would be an overnight thing.”
“I wish you’d told me sooner! My mom booked us at a spa for next weekend. It’s my gift for studying so hard this summer.”
That was a shame. Keeley could go by herself, she figured, but it would be a lot less fun.
“When are you getting your phone back?” asked Nicky. “Because I was going to call you, but I wasn’t sure what number to use.”
“I won’t have it back for a few days.”
“That sucks. How are things with that guy — Tim or something? Is he still driving you nuts?”
“Talon. And doesn’t he always?” Keeley joked. “You won’t believe who I talked to the other day — his mother!” Keeley launched into the story, making Nicky crack up. “I can hold that photo over his head till the end of time.”
There was rustling in the background. Then Nicky said, “Listen, I have to go. I’m meeting my study group, but I promise I’ll text you when I get home.”
Keeley had heard that promise before, so she didn’t believe it. At this point, Talon talked to her more than Nicky. Maybe things would change when they finally went back to school. She hoped so. She was getting sick of leaving voice mails.
Keeley hit the books for the rest of the day, getting through all her history and economics homework. All that was left was math. She was in her room when Talon rang.
“Randy called you,” he told her.
Keeley froze. Her ex-boyfriend? “What does he want?”
Talon’s voice turned mocking. “I’m guessing you guys dated ...”
“For a while.”
“Well, he heard you were going to Barnett next week and was looking to score an invite.”
How did Randy know about her extra ticket? Oh right … Zach and his big mouth.
“I hope you two are over, baby doll. I told him he couldn’t have the ticket because you gave it to me.”
“You what?!” He lied to a complete stranger. Although she shouldn’t be surprised. He never missed a chance to mess with her.
“And I might have alluded that since meeting me, you’ve gained an unhealthy obsession with all things Talon.”
She should be furious, but his response was so ridiculous she couldn’t help but be amused. Besides, it was Randy. Not like they were going to get back together. However, Talon didn’t know that. “Why would you do that? For all you know, he was the love of my life.”
“No guy would back off that quickly if he was in love.”
Interesting. “So, if you were in love with a girl, you would have kept texting?”
There was a long pause. She’d surprised him. Good. Because she’d surprised herself. The idea of him in love … it seemed unfathomable.
“Never mind,” she said when the silence grew awkward.
“No, it’s okay. I had to think about it for a second.”
“I was just curious,” she rushed to explain.
“I just … I guess I’ve never thought of it before.”
“Because you can’t imagine falling in love?” The question popped out of nowhere.
“No, because I can’t imagine a girl turning me down.”
Of course he would take it as a joke.
There was noise in the background, then Talon said, “Hey, is your brother going to be calling in the middle of the night again?”
“Technically, he’s grounded so he shouldn’t call. Why?”
“My roommate was pissed when your brother called so late. I thought you could give him my number instead.”
She hadn’t even considered Talon’s situation. “I’m sorry. I feel like a jerk.”
“I bribed him with some sports drinks and cookies. It’s fine.” Talon changed the subject. “So you want to go to Barnett, huh?”
She looked down at the tickets. “Not really. I have my heart set on an East Coast school.”
“I’m applying to some East Coast colleges, too. Try something different. Although, I don’t know how I’d deal with those winters. Brrr!” he joked.
Finally, someone who got her! It was a relief to know she wasn’t the only one. “I know, right? But it’d be an adventure.”
“What schools are you thinking about? I have a couple in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.”
Her ears grew hot. She hadn’t even started researching. “I’m still working on my list.”
“You have time. Applications aren’t due till winter. So why visit Barnett then? Seems like a waste.”
“My brother got the tickets. He’s pressuring me to stay here so we can be close.”
“Dude, he sounds like a leech. Can’t he be without you for five minutes?”
“He’s not like that. I know it sounds bad, but you don’t know him like I do.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“He’s … well, he’s —” It was hard to put in words what her brother was. He was stubborn, yet loyal. He could also be spontaneous when he wanted to be, but that didn’t happen often. She blamed football. He was blind to everything else.
“Sounds like an exciting guy,” Talon commented.
Keeley couldn’t believe she was about to tell her story to a perfect stranger, but somehow Talon felt like more than that now. “It’s like this, okay? One day, when we were little, our dad took us to the fair. There was a Batman eraser Zach wanted at one of the booths. It was a prize, at that game where you try to knock over a pyramid of bottles? Anyway, Zach tried again and again but he kept losing. Our dad offered to win it for him, but Zach refused. He wanted to be the one.” He was so small, he could barely see over the booth. She remembered the frustration on his face, then the glint of determination when their dad said he should give up. “But he did it. He never gave up and he knocked down all the bottles and won.”
“All that over an eraser?”
“Don’t make fun of him,” she threatened. She admired her brother’s focus. And that eraser meant more to her than Talon could ever know. During their first day of kindergarten, she had been terrified because she was going to be separated from Zach for the first time. He gave her that eraser, claiming it had magical powers to protect her. “He isn’t perfect, but he’s my brother. No one, and I mean no one, gets to make fun of him.”
“I get it,” Talon said, his voice subdued. “I mean, I’m an only child so I don’t fully understand, but okay. I’m actually kind of jealous.”
Keeley was surprised he admitted that. “What about your parents? Are you close to them?”
There was a short pause. “We’re close but not like that.”
There was a stretch of silence. She didn’t want the conversation to end, so she said the first thing that popped in her mind. “I hate math. I think it was put on this earth to torture me. What’s the point, you know?”
If he was surprised by the change, he didn’t show it. “I think it’s pretty useful.”
“Really? I’m taking AP stats and the teacher assigned us a year’s worth of problems this summer. I don’t see how plotting a graph is going to help me in the future.”
“You’re taking AP classes?”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
She’d take all the help she could get. “Do you have time?”
“Yeah. The guys are watching a movie, but I’ve already seen it.”
She knew team bonding was important. Zach was adamant about it. “It’s fine. I don’t want you to miss out.”
“Nah. It’s a stupid movie. I planned to skip it anyway.”
“If you’re sure …”
“Baby doll, do I say stuff I don’t mean?”
She huffed out a laugh. “No.”
“There you go. Now, what’s the problem?”
For the next hour, he actually helped her through her problems. She kept expecting him to get bored and leave, but he didn’t. She couldn’t believe it when they were done. They’d completed the whole assignment. “We did it! I thought it’d take me days to finish.”
“I told you it wasn’t that hard.”
That wasn’t true, Keeley thought. Statistics was hard. He was the reason it was easy. “You explained it so I actually understood the steps. No one’s been able to do that before.”
“All in a day’s work,” he joked. “It was fun.”
“Let’s not go that far.”
“It couldn’t have been that awful. You were laughing.”
“Because you kept singing the formulas and made me sing along, too!”
“It helped you remember, didn’t it? There’s a method to my madness.”
Keeley knew this was crazy, maybe even dangerous, but she had an idea. “Do you want to go to Barnett with me?” If he could make math enjoyable, maybe he could make a college tour fun as well. And there was no pressure to pretend like she cared, because he wasn’t interested in Barnett either.
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