Page 107 of Home of the Brave

Erik let out a squeak of laughter.

I couldn’t stop staring at his head. How was it so vivid? Like Grinch green? I wasn’t a specialist, but I was pretty sure green on brown wasn’t supposed to look like that. Didn’t you have to bleach it first? That’s what Cambrie was telling me about getting her pink hair. You have to lift, then color.

“If there is a game five,” Coach muttered on his way out. Well, that was harsh. I must have missed something.

He disappeared, and I turned to Hartman. “That wasn’t super motivating.”

Erik shrugged. “If we lose today, the tournament is done.”

“Right, getting back to you.” I ignored the laughter and chatter around us about Bryce’s disaster, as I had far more pressing matters. “What was that?”

“Well, whoever it was, better hope I don’t figure it out, because payback is mine!” Bryce declared like some supervillain.

“It’s fine, Chambers! Move on,” I yelled, seriously annoyed by Erik’s smirking face.

“What is one of the best unifiers for a team?” he asked me.

“Camaraderie?” Hartman guessed.

“Money,” I narrowed my eyes. “Sometimes it’s the only reason I have to stay around you.”

Erik winked. “Funny, but no.”

“A common goal,” Hartman tried again.

“Closer,” Erik pointed at him. “But no.”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure I could gather enough guys with the common goal of tossing you from the rafters.” I glanced around, eyeing who’d be the most supportive.

“Violent,” Erik frowned.

“Eh, you’d live.”

“No, the best unifier is a common enemy.” That stupid grin was back.

Hartman burst out laughing. “So you guys did that on purpose?”

“Of course,” Erik put his hands on his waist. “Everything we said goes against what we stand for,” he scoffed. “Encouraging Victoria to give up her life?” He tsked. “We would never.”

Speaking of evil villains…

“And it worked.” He puffed out his chest.

“Not necessarily.” I needed to deflate that enormous ego before it took up the entire arena.

“You left together, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“And you had a good time.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’d be far more upset if that wasn’t the case.”

“I am upset.”

“But not angry, angry. Just annoyed angry.”