“It does matter,” Kordie said lightly, trailing behind her. “I’ll cut it for you, but over my dead body will you do it yourself with kitchen scissors.” She was anAlchemistwith an esteemed salon, and if her best friend walked around with whacked-off hair, Rory knew she’d be mortified.
“Thank you. We can do it later,” she said gratefully.
Kordie breathed a dramatic sigh of relief. “Come to my salon tomorrow. How short do you want it?”
“I don’t want it easy to grab,” Rory replied automatically and winced at her answer. She didn’t know why she said that, but it was true. The sense that she was missing a piece of the puzzle ran down her spine, and she wanted to break something.
Kordie slid in front of her. “We’ll start out small and cut it to here.” She touched just below her shoulder. “Not too short, in case you change your mind.”
“If I change my mind, can’t you use a potion to grow it back?”
TheAlchemist’smouth twisted to the side. “I can, but I’d still like to err on the side of caution in case you have to keep it for a few days.”
Rory put her hair in a ponytail and donned her cap. “Alright. Are you ready to watch us kick ass?”
Kordie rolled her eyes. “You and Keith are too competitive for your own good.” Rory grinned, and her friend added, “But wait until you see Sera in action. Don’t be fooled by her small stature. She’s tough.”
A hint of jealousy wormed its way into Rory’s chest.Did they replace her with Sera when she was gone?
Shaking off the notion, she scooted around Kordie into the hall and bounded down the stairs. “We’ll be late if we don’t leave now.”
They loaded into the car with Sam, who had changed into athletic clothes and tied his hair back. Rory spotted the edge of a book peeking out from under the backseat and picked it up, remembering she had it in her lap the day they brought her home.
Flipping it over, she scanned the title, wondering why she had one of Cora’s favorite books from when they were kids. Rory set it under her purse on the seat so she wouldn’t forget to take it inside when they returned.
When they arrived at the rec center, Rory pulled her hat lower to cover as much of her face as possible as they approached the field.
Dume met them halfway and handed Rory a glove. He was the most responsible of the group and always kept their equipment until they needed it.
“The team we’re playing seems tense,” he warned the two girls and Sam. “They aren’t speaking much and keep glaring at us.”
“Why?” Kordie wondered and peeked around Dume at the other team. “Have we played them before?”
“That’s the thing,” he replied, leading them to the dugout. “We have, and they were friendly.”
Sera waved with a broad smile when they approached the field and held up a travel cooler. “I brought you three drinks.”
“Thanks,” Rory said with a grateful smile.
Keith stepped forward and hooked his arm around Kordie’s waist, planting a loud kiss on her cheek. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show,” he teased.
“We’re batting first,” Sera said and clapped her hands together, rubbing them back and forth.
Rory chuckled at her enthusiasm. She liked her, but the thought of her with Rory’s friends while she was gone stung.
Sam sat on the bench, and Rory felt the tension radiating from him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
He was staring at the other team. “Be careful when you’re out on the field.”
The other team glared at them, and he glared right back. “What is their problem?” she muttered.
Keith stood next to Sam and crossed his arms as he stared down the other team. “They know we’re going to beat them again.”
That wasn’t it, and they all knew it.
“Kordie, we need you to play today,” Keith said apologetically and handed her a glove.
She stared at it like it would bite her. “Why?”
