Page 22 of The Player

To hear my sister swear at me reminds me of our mother. Kaylee has never been the volatile one, but here she is, acting like Father and Mother rolled into one.

“In the clouds. I’ve had a lot of shit going on. You’ve seen the press.” God, the fake ass stories are killing me. The latest one is that I’m dating a Brazilian model. It’s a joke to think I’d even allow the woman near me. Besides, where would I have met her? The college campus or getting a coffee at the local coffee shop?

“Yeah, I saw it. Aaron, about the ball…” Kaylee trails off, and I squint my eyes.

“What about it?” The back of my neck tingles as I recall all the things I did to Julie. Fuck, I should be doing those things right now. Instead, I’m now sitting in a room full of sweaty men, getting our asses chewed out because we are losing.

“You swear you never went?”

I told my sister I never went to the ball. That I wanted Julie to go and have fun. To spread her wings. Lying seems to have become second nature to me since I can’t seem to tell the truth. Not even to my sister.

“I swear, Kaylee. Why?”

“Well…” There’s shuffling going on, but Kaylee clears her throat. “Well, someone showed Julie a good time and he has her in knots.”

“Really? Isn’t that a good thing?” It is for me. Not so much for Julie. I’ve disappeared from her life both as Aaron and James.

“No. Julie is… Well, you know how she is. Once again, someone has left her abandoned. She already has self-esteem issues. This is making it worse.”

The guilt claws at me, making my body buzz with anger. I tamper it down and control my voice. “She’ll be fine. You told me Julie is coming home for Thanksgiving, and this will give you time to make her feel better. It will give her a focus for her emotions.”

Kaylee snorts. “You are such an asshole. Come home and see her. I think it would do you both good to get over this bullshit.”

“What’s with your language nowadays? Huh?” I try to chastise my twin, but I’m proud of her. She’s single-handedly made the bed and breakfast a success, and now she’s working on the farm.

“Considering I have to put up with your snot-nosed ass, Bryson, and Mom, I think I’ve earned my right to cuss like a sailor.”

Her tone is full of laughter, and it’s the one thing I love most about my sister. She knows when I’m teasing her and she can give as good as she gets. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t expect me home. I’ve got to take care of some things, and I’ve got the game right after the holidays. There’s no way I can miss it.”

Kaylee huffs, but she eventually tells me it’s fine that I’m not coming home. Hanging up, I listen to Coach rant. And rant some more. My mind goes back to the professor.

“Don’t, I’ll leave Ms. Bright alone. We can all go our separate ways.” The man who dared to try to hurt my Sugar Plum pleads with me as I strip him naked.

“Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit,” I growl at him and push him toward the desk.

I disabled all the cameras and security features of his lab so I could get in here; however, it’s only good for the next twenty minutes. The idea of not seeing Julie hurts me, but I’m here to take care of her problem.

“Please.”

I’m tired of hearing his bullshit. Ramming the stick I carved specifically for his ass deep into him, he howls.

“That’s right, you fucker. This is for the children I’ve found that you’ve been fucking around with. You sick bastard.”

Twisting his neck, I break it. The sickening thud of bones crunching force me to back off. Damn, I didn’t know I had this violent streak in me, but I’ve never explored it before.

Taking the machete I brought with me, I whack his head off and throw it into the bag. It’s my trophy until I can get his eyes out of their sockets. I’ll send them one by one to Julie as my way of saying she’s safe.

“Johannsen.”

Looking up, I see Coach and all the players looking at me. “Yeah, Coach?”

“You ready to go in, or what?”

He’s letting me in? Fuck yes. “Hell ya.”

Everyone hoots and hollers. “Keep your head in the game then, son. No matter what, this is your make-it-or-break-it game. You hear me?”

I know he’s trying to make sure I don’t screw up, but he could have done that without saying it in front of everyone.

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