“Gray,” she stops me, tapping the table. “If you keep talking to me like I’m a child, I’m going to walk over there and bitch slap you with this paddle. Understood?”
Cade jumps out of his seat. “MalPal! What’s rule number one? No violence! Don’t make me get the timeout chair.”
Mallory’s eyes never leave mine, even as Cade screams about sportsmanship and respect.
My grip on the paddle tightens becausethisis why I play our game. When I’m with her, I feel free. No responsibilities. No family obligations. No stress. Only a bone-crushing want to win and compete with the most competitive person I know.
“You’re on, Eddie.”
She tosses the ball into the air and yanks her arm back. I’m prepared to return whatever wild smack she sends my way, but her confident smile wipes the smirk right off my face. With a swift flick of her wrist, a flash of white whizzes across the table, and the ball’s harsh smack against the back corner echoes.
“What the…” I trail off, my eyes following the ball as it rolls under the couch. Mallory could barely get the ball over the net last time we played, and her serves were true comedy. Sometimes they landed on the table. Most of the time they smacked the wall.
“Where did you learn that?” I ask.
She pulls a ball from her pocket, savoring every second of my confusion. “After getting my ass kicked freshman year, I decided I’d never let that happen again and joined the rec center’s table tennis league. Ruined my sleep schedule for a semester, but it clearly paid off.”
I glare at the gamekeepers. “Did you guys know about this?”
Shay nods, which I expected, and Cade shakes his head. “No way, Kent. I was expecting MalPal to get creamed by you.”
Mallory gags. “Phrasing.”
I set my feet. This time, I won’t focus on the ball. I’ll follow the movement of her body, which is angled just enough to give me a slighthint. I shift to my right, ready to return it, but when it hits the left side of the table, my mouth falls open.
“Kent, you’re getting creamed now. MalPal might actually win tonight!” Cade laughs, rushing over to give Mallory a high-five.
Glaring at him and pull a ball from my pocket. It’s my turn now, and I doubt her receiving improved as much as her serving.
I toss the ball into the air, aiming for the back right corner, and a flash of shock rocks me when she shuffles to the side and returns it with ease. It’s short, so I slam it back to her side.
Then everything goes dark, a shadow falling over me. When I lift my eyes, all I see is Mallory’s blinding grin, shifting from excitement to pure fear. Full lips shape into an ‘o’ as the ball smacks me right between the eyes, and the hollow plastic feels like a golf ball to the face.
“Shit!” Mallory bites down on her lip to keep from smiling, failing spectacularly. She lifts her hand and points to her forehead. “You’ve got a little something… right there.”
Cade stands and sighs. “I’m sure that was an accident. Just in case there’s any retaliation, I’m going to get the timeout chair.”
A bead of sweat drips from my brow as I smash the ball over the net. The ball is a blur of white as we volley back and forth.
“Wow, Gray,” Mallory chuckles. “I expected more from you. Looks like you may have underestimated me this time.”
“The game isn’t over, Edwards,” I bite out, spiking the ball toward the right corner.
Despite my best efforts, she only needs one more point to win the whole thing.
We’ve been at this for what feels like hours, and she’s right. I did underestimate her. After years of knowing exactly how smart, talented, and driven she is, I should have known better than to make that mistake.
I’ll never do it again.
With a small smile, Mallory pulls her arm back. The one plus to tonight is that I’ve gotten better at reading her, so I’m sure she’s going for a long shot. Adrenaline shoots through me as I take a half step back, but the professional she’s morphed into tricks me and barely nudges the ball over the net.
I leap forward to reach it, slamming my thighs against the table, but after the second bounce, I’ve officially been bested.
“Victory is mine! Suck it, Gray!” Mallory shouts.
Cade and Shay clap as she marches around the room, jabbing me in the chest with her paddle every time she passes me. The temptation to wrap my arms around her to stop the assault to my sternum is high. Instead, I swallow my need and head into the kitchen for a glass of cold water and a pity party.
My eyes wander into the dining room, spotting the unfinished puzzle scattered across the table. I’ll probably never finish it. My father’s negative energy and the confusion he brought ruined it.
