Page 87 of On the Breakaway

I reach for the handle before I can think too hard about it.

“Thanks again.”

My feet carry me inside as fast as humanly possible, while I try not to panic. I slam the door behind me, locking it as if it’s a physical barrier between me and whatever the hell that was.

I lean against the wall, sliding down to the floor.

This is bad.

The fighting was fine. The mutual annoyance was fine. Hell, the hooking up was fine.

Those things are predictable.

But tonight, sitting in his car having a genuine, nice conversation about love was not fine.

It was dangerous.

18

Grayson

We’re on the same fucking team, dude.” I shove Liam’s shoulder hard enough to knock him sideways on the couch as our characters sprint through another explosion on-screen.

“I was flanking,” he argues, shoving me back.

“You drove our Jeep directly into gunfire.”

“Yeah, well, you ran me over with it two minutes ago. It sounds like karma.”

On-screen, our entire squad gets wiped out in under six seconds because Liam launches a grenade that ricochets off a doorway and blows both of us to hell.

I stare at the screen in silence.

Beside me, Liam starts laughing so hard he drops his controller.

“What was the actual point of that?” I ask, letting my head fall back against the couch.

“To keep things interesting.”

Sloane snorts from somewhere behind us before vaulting over the back cushion and dropping dramatically next to me. “This game is trash anyway.”

Liam pauses mid-button mash. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Little Knox.”

“I’m serious,” she says, wrapping herself in the throw blanket. “The map design and weapon balancing sucks, and the only decent sniper rifle is impossible to get unless the lobby hits a fire sale.”

“Why do you know that?”

She shrugs. “Played with the guys across the street last semester.”

And because I am unable to stop myself from playing the protective older brother, I interrupt, “And who exactly were these guys?”

Sloane groans. “For fuck’s sake. Not you too. Wyatt already interrogates me every time a man breathes in my general direction.”

“I’m just saying maybe random college dudes aren’t–”

“I’m twenty-one,” she cuts in flatly. “I’ll do whatever I want, thank you very much.” She narrows her eyes before stealing my controller out of my hands. “And since you suck at this, I’ll take over.”

Liam doesn’t hesitate to restart the match. “Thank God. Maybe now we’ll survive longer than thirty seconds.”