Page 45 of My Brother's Best Friend

“I think so.”

“Nobody is pressuring you, are they?”

“Damn, you sound like my mom.”

“Sorry,” I whispered. “I just …”Care about you.

“Don’t be sorry,” he said quickly. “I know that you …”

We were the most awkward couple—were we a couple? I still wasn’t clear on that—in existence. We both stayed silent for a few moments until he cleared his throat.

“I, um, talked to my coach today.”

“You did?”

“He said that you … talked to the guys during practice yesterday.”

My cheeks warmed, my words catching in the back of my throat. “Oh, um, about that …” I chewed on the inside of my cheek, attempting to find an excuse that I could use to get me out of this one.

I mean, I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I couldn’t hold myself back last night. I was fuming with anger that every one of those assholes had laughed at him and taken a damnvideoof that shit, then leaked it!

“Listen, I didn’t mean to flip out on them,” I said, chest tightening. “I’m sorry if I got you in trouble. I just … God, I care about you so much, Alec. I don’t want anyone hurting you right now. It’s hard after … something like that happens.”

He stayed quiet for a long time, and then I couldhearthe smile on his face. “Why are you apologizing to me, Cupcake? That was … the most caring thing anyone has ever done for me. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“How to repay me?” I repeated. “You don’t have to do that.”

“What if I take you out on a date this weekend?”

“A date?” I whispered, heart racing at the thought.

“A date.”

CHAPTER27

MADDIE

“Three seconds left in overtime. Oliver Weber steals the puck. A pass to Alec Wolfe!”

The cheering crowd suddenly quieted down for the last three seconds of the game, excitingly watching Alec skate down the ice with the puck. He snapped his wrist, sending it flying across the ice and straight into the net.

“SCORE!”the announcer shouted over the intercom. “Alec Wolfe scores the winning goal for Redwood Academy!”

The mob of students roared in excitement, waving their arms and cheering for their favorite players. Even I screamed until my throat hurt, watching Alec from the stands and actually smiling genuinely for the first time since last Friday.

Once the game was over, Piper pulled Vera and me out of the stadium and into the hallway to wait for the team. “I don’t know how Alec does it,” Piper said. “But he always comes out on top.”

“He’s notthatgood,” I said.

Well, he was, but I didn’t want to boost his ego too much. That man knew he was a god, but if he thought thatI thoughthe was a god, then he would make me treat him like one in the bedroom.

“He literally scored every goal tonight,” Piper fired back.

Vera scoffed playfully at me and rolled her brown eyes. “You’re so full of it, Maddie. You love him, and we all know it.”

Love?

I did not love Alec. But … maybe I did like him a bit more than I’d been putting on.

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