Page 88 of Untouchable Player

“Please stop talking like that, I’m your brother.”

“Stop being lame, if I can’t talk to my brother like that, who the fuck can I?”

“Your hockey bros.”But not Jesse, because I’m the one he’s… nope, not saying it.

Harrison snorts, “hockey bros, what are you, ten?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“You’re looking in the mirror.”

“You’re so stupid,” I say, trying to keep the smile out of my voice.

Harrison leans over and rubs my head roughly until my hair is all fucked up.

He drops me at the library and just as I’m about to get out of the car, he asks if I’m going to the game later.

“Who are you playing?”

“What difference does it make?”

I shrug.

“We’re playing Quinnipiac.”

“Do you usually beat them?”

Harrison laughs, “why? Do you only wanna be seen with me if I win?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck you, puck drops at seven.”

Harrison slams the door and pulls out onto the street, obnoxiously loud.

I find a table in the reading room and lay my books out in front of me. I have a study plan and a reading list, and though I’ve tried to cut down on studying and be less pedantic about it, I still have to study and I’m still going to be organised. It’s just who I am.

I take my mom’s advice and put a pomodoro timer on my phone with my earphones in so I don’t disturb anybody else.

When the little buzzer goes off, telling me to take a break, I’m tempted to just work through, but I listen to the little voice in my head that sounds like a mixture of my mom and Professor Russell and take a break.

When I’ve been studying for an hour, the pomodoro timer tells me to take a break again. I take my earphones out and text Katie.

‘Meet me at Bean There, needed a change of scene.’

I put my books away and walk over to the coffee shop. Katie’s sitting at a corner table with her books and ring binders openaround her. Her hair is being held up by a couple of pens and she has dark rings around her eyes.

“How long have you been studying?” I ask.

She looks up like she doesn’t understand.

“Could you repeat that in German please, I think I broke my brain.”

“You need to take a break.”

“You’re right, I need more coffee.”

There are already three empty coffee cups amidst the mess of her books and folders.

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