Page 14 of The Trophy

Bay? I suppress a snort as I look at my sister lying on her back, with her manicured hands crossed under her chest. Her long blonde hair is fanned around her on the pillow, her expression serene in slumber.

She looks like a motherfucking Disney Princess even in her sleep.

If Bay wasn’t the sweetest person in the world, I could be jealous of how perfect she is, but I can’t.

Of course we bicker like every pair of siblings, but deep down we both know that we will always have each other’s backs no matter what.

There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for each other. To the point that she spent a ridiculous amount of money to buy me those three dates at that charity auction.

It dawns on me that I haven’t really thanked her yet. I was too busy fighting her about going on those dates and too stubborn to admit that she knows me better than anyone else; sometimes even better than I know myself.

“Stop staring at me while I sleep,” Bay grumbles, flipping onto her stomach and hiding her head under the pillow. “It’s creepy.”

She’s so grumpy in the morning, I’m way more personable when I first wake up, even before coffee.

“I’m sorry,” I say, sitting on the side of the bed and playing with the silky strands of her tresses. “I’m about to head out to an early morning class. I’m going to brew some coffee for you before I head out, ok?”

“I don’t want coffee,” she whines, sitting up. “I want you to be more quiet and to not wake me up. But time machines haven’t been invented yet, so it looks like I’m SOL—wait, are you going to class like that?”

I push my glasses up my nose. “Yeah, sorry. I fell asleep with my contacts on and my eyes hurt like hell. Hopefully I can put contacts on later tonight.”

Bay gives me an appraising look. “The glasses aren’t so bad. Even though if you want to wear them, we should shop for a frame that suits the shape of your face a little better. Those are way too big. Let me do your makeup, we can still make those work for now.”

“Sorry, I don’t have time. My class starts soon and I have to run.”

Bay opens her mouth to object but I shut her down.

“I’m not planning to see the guys until after the game. They all have classes after their morning skate.”

She looks skeptical. “But what if you bump into them at lunch or they come to the library?”

“Bay,” I sigh. “Sooner or later, they’ll have to see me without makeup. If they want more than a few dates and hot hookups, they’ll have to deal with how I look first thing in the morning.”

My sister tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Hey, I didn’t mean it that way, Lake. You’re pretty even without any makeup. It’s just that things with each of them are so new and it’s nice to maintain some mystery, you know? Men are visual creatures.”

I understand what she means. To be honest, I don’t mind the tasteful but subtle makeup Bay has been doing for me. It doesn’t hide or change my features, it just enhances them.

“I really have to go,” I sigh. “But can you come to get ready together before the game?”

She smiles. “I thought you’d never ask. Of course. And I’m proud of you for trying,” she says, pointing to my lipgloss and the swipe of mascara I applied in the bathroom.

I raise from the mattress. “I really need to go. You can go back to sleep if you want. Just use your spare key to lock up when you leave.”

Bay doesn’t let me say it twice, she makes herself comfortable and I flick on the coffee maker like I promised. There’s no time for me to get a cup, but thankfully there’s a coffee cart just in front of the building where my class is. I should have enough time to grab some before class.

I start walking at a brisk pace. I never brought my car with me, I left it back home. Bay offered to buy me one countless times, but I keep turning her down. The truth is that I don’t really enjoy driving and since I don’t go to the gym like my twin, I walk as much as I can to stay in shape.

“Lake, wait!”

I’m glad I didn’t have time to get a travel mug of coffee, because the abrupt voice that comes from nowhere causes me to jump, dropping my bag. Giving myself a first degree burn with hot coffee would be the last thing I need today.

I groan, looking at my books, keys and my phone as they skitter out of my bag. By the sound of it, there’s some damage. “Fuck,” I mutter, picking up my phone and contemplating the spider net that has appeared on my screen as it cracked when it fell face down on the pavement.

“Lake!”

My ex-boyfriend appears in front of me and I can’t help but snap. “Jon, what are you doing here? And why were you hiding in the bushes?”

“I wasn’t hiding in the bushes and I got you coffee,” he hands me a styrofoam cup. “Hazelnut coffee with just a splash of cream, no sugar. Just the way you like it. Or did your coffee order change?” he frowns when I hesitate to take the cup from him.

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