“What if Pecan goes to LA and Zach’s in New York.”
“Firstly, that’ll never happen if his dad’s still a coach for the Stars. Secondly, it would suck and my carbonfootprint would explode.”
“You have it all figured out.”
“Callan, I have nothing figured out. This is on a wing and a prayer and I’m two years away, max, from losing one of them to another city. But that’s two-years-older Denny’s problem.
“For now, I’m going to watch my buds fuck up, we’re going to enjoy college, and then we’ll deal with adulthood as it comes, all while my new study buddy keeps me from flunking and I show him that there’s more to college than the library.”
He holds out his fist for me to bump. This time, we actually bump fists. “You and me both. I was kinda feeling a little insecure back there.”
“Ha. None of us know what we’re doing. Even Zach. You don’t haveanyplans?”
“I plan to expose myself to the city long enough for my older brothers to stop treating me like a noob.”
“Why do they do that?”
“I’m a small-town guy who’s very happy in his small-town world.”
“Hate to break it to you, kiddo, but this isn’t exactly NYC.”
He shudders. “It’s city enough for me. You know college is a rite of passage. Which is bullshit the media and the government sold us to indebt?—”
“You a conspiracy nut, Callan?” I interrupt, eyes gleaming.
“I’m a truth nut.”
“I already knew that I liked you, but this just rams it home.” I offer him some more popcorn. “Here, tell me what you think about President Devere and his latest immigration bullshit.”
“Well…”
TEN
BRING THE PAIN
“Where wasyour head at during that last period, Zach?”
I pause in the act of scrubbing my hair dry. “I scored a hat trick and you’re bitching about myheadafter you spent more time twiddling your thumbs in their zone when you should have been in ours?”
“You weren’t focusing. I need you focused.”
“Yo, Alec, back off, man,” Pecan butts in.
I don’t need him to fight my battles, but fuck if I don’t need him tostopme from fighting this asswipe.
Bewildered doesn’t cut it.
“Have you done that video yet?”
Ahhhh. That’s his beef.
Pecan punches him in the shoulder and shoots me a warning look. “Alec, dude, what’s with you?”
“Tell you what’s with him,” Derek Dyers, impossibly a bigger asshole than Alec, drawls. “He sucked tonight so he’s casting blame.”
Our captain glares at him but doesn’t take the bait. Which either means Dyers cut close to the bone or he doesn’t want to get into it with our forward.
“I already told you. I’m not filming that video with Denver. Why won’t you let it go? I already did it with Pecan, for fuck’s sake!”
