“Good. You have no business reading anything of that. This is a lesson when you’re famous one day, too, kid. You must be wary of everyone. Keep your circle small.”
I knewthatnow. I would never again trust anyone outside my friends or family. I was scorned.Having my life flash before my eyes fucked with me enough to change my path.“I know, sir.”
“Now, this is awkward. But hell, I’ve seen it all in my career. I need to know. Are there any more naked pictures of you going around?”
“No,” I replied with full confidence. “My high school coach scared the shit out of me. He told me, no dick pics ever. He specifically told me dick pics were for gross lonely men. Not for athletes.”
He clapped his hands, his body shaking with laughter. “Good. I like that.”
“I don’t know if I should tell you this or not—” I began, but he held up his hand.
“You can tell me anything, Hilly. However, if you’re doing something illegal, I don’t want to know.” His sparkling eyes winked at me.What the fuck does that mean?
“Coach,” I tried again, wanting to get his take on having a hacker take down the picture. Zade and I were heading to his sister’s place the next weekend to see what Naomi could do. I prayed she could hack it.
“Nope. I trust you. You do what you need to do.” He pointed to the door. “Now get out of here. Our week-long tourney starts in two days. Enjoy the time off.”
“Yes, sir.” I walked out, feeling more confused than before. Tanner was waiting for me against the white wall, an expectant look on his face. “It wasn’t anything. He wanted to check on me.”
“He’s turning into a softie.” He chuckled. “Want to hit up the Lion? Jeff and Zade are heading there, too.”
“Sure.” Seeing Greta sounded nice. Plus, I never turned down a pitcher for a penny. “I can drive us.”
“I was counting on it.” He rambled on about the teams we were going to face in two days. I listened, his voice not as entertaining as Greta’s. The drive to the bar didn’t take long and soon enough, we headed into the seedy local favorite to find Zade and Jeff in a back booth.
I waved at Clyde, his shiny bald head practically glowing in the dark. Greta wasn’t on stage or behind the bar. I scanned the room for her blonde hair and spied her leaning against a booth opposite where our friends sat. She threw her head back, laughing at something a customer said. The sound hit me in my chest. She always complained her cackle sounded like a goose. I loved it. Being the creeper I was, I watched her. Her expressive brown eyes widened, her hand covering up her mouth when she laughed again. The guy sitting at the booth put his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into it. She lifted her long arm and gave the guy a side hug.
My eye twitched.
A wave of protectiveness hit me. My jaw tensed. My back stood straighter.
“Aaron, I got you a pitcher. You’re welcome.” Tanner reappeared next to me and forced me to stop watching her. I thanked him and reluctantly followed him to the other side. “Dude, look at the sign!”
I followed the direction of his finger and saw a sign advertising Greta. Her official debut was the Saturday before school started. Pride filled my chest, my heart rate picking up as I glanced back over at her. She waltzed back to the bar with such ease and happiness my chest tightened.
“We gotta go. Fuck yeah, Greta!” Tanner yelled. Greta turned, flashed a huge, bright smile flashed in our direction and Tanner hopped onto the bar. He gripped her around the shoulders and held her against him. “You’re going to be famous.”
“Get off me, you goon.” She pushed him away, but not with real force. Her cheeks tinged red while Tanner kept his grip on her. Suddenly, an entire pitcher of beer sounded awesome.
“I’m proud of you, G,” he said, planting a kiss on her head. She closed her eyes for the second it lasted, and my throat hurt. I took a large swig of beer instead of punching a table.
“Thanks, Johnson. Now get off the bar before Clyde fires me.” Her gaze went to Clyde and she shrugged. “Sorry, C-Man, I can’t control these barbarians.”
“I know,” he said in resignation. “At least they bring a crowd.”
And we did. Once one of us posted a picture or status, girls followed. When girls came, guys came. And within an hour, the bar would be filled. Tanner continued to smile at Greta even after she pushed him off and only then shifted her gaze to mine. Her light brown eyes looked nervous.
I approached the bar, setting my pitcher down on the counter. “Tanner stole the show.”
“Johnson does that sometimes.” She bit her lip, glancing around the bar every other second. “Should we kiss again? There are lots of people here.”
I gulped, remembering her taste.Will she taste like heaven again? Do I want her to?“Maybe later. I wanted to congratulate you.”
“Well, I like cake and coffee and chocolate.” She crossed her arms, the motion pushing up her boobs. I glanced down, an odd feeling sweeping through my body. Her uniform consisted of skintight jeans that hung low on her trim hips. Her shirt, or half of her shirt, readLIONin big red letters and left her bellybutton on display.Shit.I liked it. She cleared her throat and I met her eyes again. They crinkled on the sides, sign of a smartass reply soon to come. “Well, congratulate me, pookie.”
I ran a hand down my face, then held out my hand for a high-five. “Nice job, Pita.”
She shook her head with a half-smile. “Thanks, big guy.”
