She lifts a dark, well-sculpted brow over her brown eyes.
Kory coughs.
I give them both ashut uplook, and that simple motion pulls my lower back, because apparently, I don’t handle getting tossed off a horse as well as I used to.
If fifty is the new thirty, and I’m in my actual thirties, shouldn’t I feel like I’m about twenty-one?
“What are the Demons?” June asks.
“High school mascot, but in Flint’s shirt’s case, it’s the soccer team,” Regina answers. “He’s the coach. Started practices this week, didn’t you? Come straight from there?”
I clear my throat. “Yep.”
“We missed tryouts?” June whispers.
All the color drains from Maisey’s face. “Oh God, we missed tryouts?” Her gaze flickers to June, then to me, back to June, and finally lands on me. “But it’s not too late to sign up to play on the team for new kids, is it?”
I hate being a dick.
Hateit.
Especially when it ruins a teenager’s day. “Don’t get kids moving to Hell’s Bells very often. There’ll be sign-ups for spring ball tryouts posted in March.”
“But—” Maisey sputters. “But I told her she could play soccer. Can’t she—can’t she try out late?”
“Roster’s full, and rules are rules. I add someone, I have to take someone else off. Not exactly fair to them, is it?”
“Got room for a cheerleader on the bench?” Kory asks me.
“Cheerleader?”June gapes at him, then points to the phone lying on the table between us. “I amnotcheerleader material. I amsoccermaterial.”
“Junie—” Maisey starts.
“You told me I could play,” she interrupts. “And now I can’t play, and I don’t have any friends, and we’re surrounded by bears and dead cows, and the soccer team probably sucks anyway.”
“It’s coed, so there aresomebenefits.” Regina winks at her.
June makes a noise that sounds more feral than Earl was this morning and shoves up from the table.
Maisey jumps to her feet too. “Junie—”
“I have my phone, and I want to be alone. Just—just leave me alone, okay?”
“I’ll come with you.”
“I want to bealone, Mom. That meanswithout you.”
Hurt flashes through Maisey’s blue eyes, and it’s hard to not feel for her.
For both of them, honestly.
“Okay,” she says quietly. “Don’t go far, and if you lose signal, come right back. I’ll get you before it’s dark. Don’t do anything to make the bears think you’re dinner. Do you have cash?”
June rolls her eyes and stomps out the door without answering.
“She’d be really good at drama,” Kory says. “I’m heavily involved with the Hell’s Bells Players. I could get her a tryout, even if it’s late.”
I give him a look.
