Page 68 of Game On

Shane would wager his last jock strap Carly hadn’t given Matt Richardson specifics about their affair. But a guy like Richardson didn’t need to be told anything. His instincts on and off the field were legendary. “Clear,” Shane said through clenched teeth before turning to jog after Troy. If he didn’t hurry, boy and dog would be halfway to New Jersey by now.

The mid-morning sun made the sand hot beneath Troy’s feet. He walked over to the shoreline, joining Beckett as the dog romped through the water. Man, he was glad to see Beckett. Panting, the dog trotted along faithfully beside Troy as he walked away from the beach house.

His butthead brother was a different story. Carly must have known he was coming because she took off for New York earlier that morning. With a fierce hug for Troy, she’d told him to call her every day, and they’d both cried as she left. But now he was mad at her because she’d left him alone to face the butthead.

Man, it was hot. He should have grabbed a bottle of water before he’d taken off. Or some money, he realized as he passed a vendor selling ice cream from a cart he pushed down the beach. Beckett gave a happy woof and Troy looked behind him. The butthead was gaining on them with his stupid long legs. Shane stopped to buy a bottle of water from the ice cream cart. Troy’s mouth got drier as he waded further into the surf.

“You gonna try and swim away from me?” Shane called from behind him. Beckett galloped off to run in circles around Shane’s legs. Gulping from a bottle of water, he held one up to Troy. “It’s hot out here. Aren’t you thirsty?”

Yeah, he was thirsty. But he would die before giving his brother the satisfaction.

“Come on, Troy, are you going to walk all the way to the Delaware Bridge?”

“Maybe,” Troy said as he turned on his brother. “She left because you were coming!” he yelled at him.

That stopped Shane in his tracks. “Who?” he asked.

“Carly,” Troy said, storming in his brother’s direction. Beckett danced between the two as if it were a game. “She went to New York this morning. Probably so she wouldn’t have to see you!”

Shane looked out across the ocean, his lips drawn in a grim line. Troy couldn’t make out the look in eyes behind his sunglasses.

“I’m sorry about that,” Shane said softly.

“Are you?” Troy yelled, running forward and grabbing the second bottle of water from Shane’s hand. “You were mean to her. You can be mean to me all you want, but you shouldn’t be mean to Carly.” The bottle’s cap was stuck and Troy couldn’t get the water open. Shane took the bottle, setting his on the sand and opening Troy’s with the hem of his shirt. Snatching the open bottle back, Troy guzzled the water.

“Easy,” Shane said. They both stood with their feet in the surf facing each other. Beckett wandered off to chase a seagull.

“I picked a school,” Troy said, wiping his face with the cool water bottle.

“Did you?” His brother actually sounded interested. Butthead.

“Yeah, it’s in Switzerland. C.J. said the girls would be really nice there.”

The butthead smiled behind his sunglasses. “Ahh. I hadn’t figured girls into the prerequisites for a decent school. But that’s really good thinking.”

“Carly promised to take me there. She’s going to Italy for the fall to work with her designer friend, so she’ll be close.”

“She’s left the team?”

“Yep. I heard her tell Coach and Lisa last night. She said it was just a courtesy position anyway. Now that Lisa is better, she didn’t need to be in Baltimore taking up an unnecessary job. So, she’s going to Italy.”

Troy watched as Shane turned to the ocean, running his hand over his jaw . Beckett dropped a piece of driftwood at his feet and Shane threw it for the dog. “Well, if this school in Switzerland is a safe place and a good school, I guess you can go there. But I have another option for you to consider.”

“I thought you said I could make my own choices?” he said accusingly. Troy wanted to be near Carly and now his butthead brother was going to ruin that, too.

“You can. I just have another option to put on the table.” Shane turned to face him. “I spoke with the headmaster at the school in Baltimore where C.J. and Emma go. He said there’s a spot in the sixth grade. But you’ll have to meet with them tomorrow to interview and take some tests.”

“Is it a boarding school?” Troy wasn’t going to allow himself to get his hopes up.

“No. That’s the one drawback. You’d have to live with me. I wouldn’t want you to come home to an empty house, so you might have to go to the Richardsons’ and stay with Penny some days. At least until Consuelo’s retirement papers come through from the university and she can live with us.”

Troy tried to gulp in some air. He bit his lip to stop it from quivering. “Consuelo would live with us?”

“Yeah, except I do the cooking when I’m home. She’ll be retired, after all.”

Troy hurled himself at his brother. Shane caught him as Beckett jumped at them, nearly forcing them both into the surf.

“You really want me to live with you?” Troy cried into Shane’s shoulder.

---