“I’ll walk you.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
I shoot a quick text to both Harper and Lucky and head down the street sullen with Grant Jones’s best friend by my side. Sure wish I were walking home with Rush Knight’s best friend instead.
Just act natural!
I smirk at Daisy’s text. She’s fully in support of Lucky and Harper’s newest scheme to pick my heart up off the floor—by way of taking me to a basketball game.
Lucky leans over and glances down. “Hate to say it, but she’s right.” Lucky has warmed up to Daisy ever since she’s shown extra care with me these last couple of weeks. Heck, I’ve even let Piper tag along on our coffee klatches at Hollowed Grounds. In a weird way, Daisy and Piper really are feeling a lot like a couple of big sisters—a couple of big sisters that we actually don’t mind having around.
Harper slings her arm over my shoulder as we head into the Mustang Dome for the game. “Just remember, you’re a badass and no one has the power to steal your joy.”
“Wow,” I muse. “You should seriously consider penning a self-help book.” As lackluster as that might sound, I actually meant it. Harper has been a radical cheerleader in the face of my latest, perhaps greatest adversity.
And give me some details once in a while! Suspense isn’t my strong suit.
Will do,I shoot right back.
I’m not sure I’m really going to give Daisy a play-by-play of my evening. Watching Grant run up and down the court will be hard enough without having to document it on a quasi-public level.
Piper says hi, and she’s rooting for you, too! Go Ava!
“Great,” I mutter as we snake our way through the crowd. “It’s like they think I’m on the opposing team.”
“He’s on the opposing team.” Harper looks good and pissed like she could get on board if I wanted to go ape on him. “He’s the one shutting you out.”
“Not really true. He did break things off. There’s nothing to shut out once it’s over.”
Lucky points to our usual seats about five rows back, and I stop short once I spot a familiar blonde seated a few rows down.
“Is that what’s-her-face?” Lucky’s mouth contorts as if she’s about to be sick. I may have colored Lucky and Harper’s perception of Grant’s ex. I wouldn’t say I have a disdain for Darcy, just that—I have a disdain for her.
We make our way over, and I land in the seat closest to the girl. No point in fighting it. I really have nothing against her.
A brief visual of Grant rushing over and planting a wet one on her bounces through my mind, and my blood boils at the thought. Just the thought of him with someone else makes my stomach churn, but the thought of him withDarcymakes my blood turn to lava. I’ve never been one to hate anybody, but for a brief second that’s a very real emotion for me.
Her blonde hair is perfectly slicked back into a perky little ponytail, coiled in one stingy curl. Her perfect French manicure forces me to glance at my own chipped nail polish, and suddenly I feel motivated to sit on my hands.
The team jogs out onto the court, and the crowd lights up with howls while stomping their feet until the entire dome thunders. Lawson and Rush jog side by side, and it’s not until they part ways do I see him.
Grant Jones nods over to Darcy with a grin. His gaze rides up a notch and hooks to mine, and I watch as that grin melts right off his face. Those serious eyes widen a notch before he heads over to the huddle with the rest of the team.
Darcy turns around and sweeps her gaze right past me before backtracking.
“Oh, hey! You’re Grant’s little sister, right?” Her warm, friendly smile looks infectious. No wonder Grant came out grinning at her. Who could help but be happy around that level of perky?
“That’s me.” I shrug, trying to muster even a smidgen of her enthusiasm. “But that whole big-brother-little-sister thing is kind of over now.”
The crowd lights up again, drowning out the last of my words.
Darcy places her hand over her ear and leans in. “What was that?”
“I said it’s over!” I shout with a vengeance just as the crowd dies down, and every head in the gym turns to get a look at me.
I glance up and spot both Rush and Grant slack-jawed at my strange profession—to his ex-girlfriend no less.
