Guilt churns my stomach. I hate lying to him. And if he knew what I was hiding, he wouldn’t be so quick to praise me.
“It was good. We’re going to meet up after practice Wednesday to make a game plan.” My voice comes out solid, deceptively strong.
“Excellent. I’ll let you get to it. Welcome back. Hope you had a good holiday.”
“It was fine.” Coach is a decent guy, but I know he’s not going to dig any deeper.
“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ve got our morning planning session to get ready for the new semester. I know I don’t need to remind you.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Relief floods my body as we part ways, and I head for the dressing room to grab my stuff and straighten myself out before I go help Cole. The task has given me a renewed purpose and helps chase away the remnants of anxiety.
I’m surprised the beaten-up old door is solid enough to hold Cole’s weight as he leans against it, arms crossed over his chest. Only a sliver of his face is visible between the thick winter coat pulled up almost to his nose and the black beanie.
“You could have waited inside.”
“I’m good.” He pushes up off the car, strolling around to pop the hood. It groans in protest.
“You think it’s the battery?” I know nothing about cars, but I am capable of a jump-start.
“Hopefully. Anything else will be more expensive than I care to think about.”
“Let me grab my car, and we’ll give it a shot.”
My big black SUV lets out a double chirp as I walk across the quiet lot. Only a handful of cars linger, waiting for their owners to finish up for the day.
Our cars couldn’t be any different. Mine is only a couple of years old, top of the line package, shiny and showy, where his has seen things. Probably good things. There are positive memories etched in the paint.
The jump-start is a dismal failure.
“Come on, Mabel, please.” He pleads with the car, but she won’t budge, won’t rumble to life.
“Shit!” he says, hopping on one foot after his foot slams into the tire. His head whips toward me. “Don’t tell Jacks.”
I shake my head. “Secret’s safe.”
“I guess I need a lift.”
“No problem. Want me to call for a tow?”
“Nah. I’ll look a few things up, see if I can tinker with her to get her going tomorrow.”
I nod. If he can’t figure it out tomorrow, I’ll see about getting it fixed for him. If he’ll let me. What’s the point of having family money if you can’t help a friend?
Last year I never would have thought he’d be someone I’d count as a friend, but after he moved in with us, we connected. And after I found out about Dev and my sister sneaking around behind my back, I kind of lost it. We’re easing back into our former friendship, but things are different now. I think I’m closer to Cole than anyone else on the team at this point.
He’s a good guy, and he deserves all the success he’s worked so hard for when he goes pro. There’s a streak of jealousy trying to corrode that goodwill, but I won’t let it. We’ve all got our roles to play. Mine just happens to be one I didn’t get to choose for myself.
We huck our bags into the trunk, then swing ourselves up into the vehicle. I slam the door shut a little harder than necessary, instantly regretting it as the sound slices through my already oversensitive head.
“How was your meeting?”
“It was fine.” I twist toward him as I’m doing up my seatbelt, catching his raised eyebrow.
“Fine? Sure. I know she made a shitty first impression, but I’ve seen her stuff. She’s a fantastic player and a positive role model. The kind of influencer I’d be happy to see my sister watching.”
“You’ve been watching her too?” I crane my neck to do a shoulder check as I back up. “Am I the only one not on that app?”
