Page 13 of End Game

My mom, though? She’s got all the time in the world for me. Maybe too much time. Once my parents got divorced, she funneled all her energy into me and my football success. While I appreciate her and love that she’s so supportive and proud, sometimes she can smother me.

Gotta love her for it, though.

“So you’ve never lived with a woman before beyond your mother and your sister when you were basically an infant?” Cooper shakes his head. I don’t bother protesting the infant comment. He’s just being a jerk. “Trust me. It’s ... different.”

He has two sisters around our age, so he knows of what he speaks. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, it isn’t bad. It’s just like I said—it’s different. They girlify everything.”

“Girlify?”

“Yeah. They want things to look pretty and aesthetically pleasing.” He grimaces. I don’t even know whataesthetically pleasingmeans, and I think he hates himself for saying those words out loud. “Next thing you know we’ll have cute kitchen towels and a candle burning every night, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Just what I suspected about the candle-burning thing, only worse because she’s going to actually live here.

Not sure what we just opened ourselves up to, but hopefully it’ll work out fine.

It has to.

“And she might take a photo of us and hang it on the wall. She’ll put a wreath on the door for Christmas. She might even do that for Halloween, or some sort of fall thing that’s made out of fake leaves and shit. She’ll probably clean up around the house, which is always a bonus. Women hate it when shit is messy.”

“Then they’d hate you because you’re the messiest person I know,” I throw back at Cooper.

Now it’s his turn to toss a parmesan packet at me. I catch it with one hand and throw it back at him, laughing when it bounces off his big forehead.

The door suddenly swings open, and Dollar is leading a shaken-looking Everleigh into the house, his arm around her shoulders as he guides her toward the couch, settling her in. Coop and I watch from where we’re sitting at the table, sharing a quiet look before Coop finally speaks up.

“What happened? Everything okay?”

“Ever’s car got broken into,” Dollar says, sitting on the couch next to her and slipping his arm around her shoulders once more.

For whatever reason, I don’t like seeing that. This guy. He’s going to try to make something happen with her, and she hasn’t even moved in yet. Hopefully his behavior doesn’t send her running.

Coop leaps to his feet. “Her car got broken into? What do you mean?”

“Someone busted the driver’s side window, got into her car, and stole all of her stuff,” Dollar explains. “Now she’s got nothing.”

Everleigh remains quiet, bending her head so her dark hair falls around her face.

His words actually seep into my brain, and I stand, too, moving quietly so I’m in front of them in seconds.“Everything?”

She lifts her head, her glassy eyes meeting mine as she gives a little nod. “All I have left is what was in my backpack. I have my phone and laptop, thankfully. But everything else? Gone.”

“All of your clothes?” Coop asks.

“I have my favorite hoodie in here, but that’s it.” She pats the backpack that I only just now notice sitting at her feet.

“You have nothing else.” I’m not asking her a question. I’ve already concluded this is it.

“Like I already said, everything Ever owned is gone,” Dollar says to me, talking slowly like I’m an idiot.

I ignore him, hating how he calls her Ever. Like they’re already great friends. “Did you call the cops?”

“Yes. I already made a police report.” She presses her lips together, and I swear the lower one trembles a little bit. Like she might break down in tears at any moment. “I need to fix my window.”

“Where’s your car right now?” Coop asks.

“Parked down the street.”

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