Page 13 of Stone Promises

Next, I try to trip her up with a left-handed shot, but I miss it myself. “Back to you,” I say, handing her the ball.

She walks beyond the driveway crack that was our unofficial three-point mark. She throws the ball in the air, swooshing it into the basket. I walk up the driveway to retrieve the ball and then plant myself in her spot and attempt the shot. I miss. “Shit. That’s an ‘H’ for me.”

I give her back the ball and she bites her lip in thought. Then she moves up four steps and says, “Bank swish.” And just as she intended, the ball hits the backboard and falls through the basket touching nothing but net.

I’m mildly impressed. She smirks as she hands over the ball. I shoot and miss. Well, I don’t miss, but it touches the rim so it doesn’t count. “Crap!” I shout. “There’s my ‘O.’ Where the hell is Julian when I need someone to look like more of a loser than me?”

She laughs. “Julian used to kick your ass, too,” she says. “I think all the fame has gone to your head and you’re having delusions of childhood grandeur.”

“Julian used to beat me, too?” That I don’t remember. Maybe because I was always so focused onher.

She raises her eyebrows, nodding.

“Oh, hell. I really was a loser, wasn’t I?”

“You weren’t a loser, Chad,” she says, right before shooting an easy jump shot, probably to take pity on me.

“So, do you still keep in touch with him?” I ask, taking and making the jump shot.

“Who?” she asks.

“Julian. Do you still talk to him at all?”

I see something flicker across her face. Guilt? She quickly turns away from me and walks over to retrieve the ball.

“What is it, Mal?”

“Yeah, we still talk,” she says, running up to the garage from the other side of the driveway to do a lay-up. “He’s one of my best friends, in fact.”

She throws the ball to me but doesn’t make eye contact. I hold the ball and stare her down, trying not to be jealous that Julian has remained in her life all these years. “You’re not telling me something. What is it?”

“You’re stalling the game, Chad. Take the shot,” she says.

I narrow my eyes at her and then turn away, focusing on the basket as I run up to it. Halfway into my lay-up, something dawns on me and I trip myself up, missing horribly as I fall to the ground, landing on my ass.

“Are you okay?” Mallory asks, running over to me when I don’t get up right away.

“I’m fine.” I drape my arms across my knees, looking up at her. “He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?” When she doesn’t deny it, I shake my head in anger. “That little shit. He promised.”

She looks surprised by my outburst. “What do you mean he promised?”

I stand up and walk over to sit on the bench next to the driveway. “He never told you?”

“Told me what?” she asks, sitting down on the other end of the bench.

“That we made a pact before he went to Brazil.”

“You made a pact? About what?”

I sigh. Then I laugh at myself. We were sixteen back then. Of course he didn’t keep his promise. Plus, I guess I gave him an out by moving across the country. I’d never know if he broke it and there wasn’t anything I could do about it if he did. “I think Julian was afraid I’d make a move on you back then. He was getting ready to leave for Brazil for the summer and he made me promise I wouldn’t touch you.”

Mallory guffaws. “Why would he say such a thing? That’s silly. We were all best friends.”

I stare her down. “Oh, come on. You must know both of us had a major crush on you.”

“W-what?” she asks, looking at me like I’m ten cards shy of a full deck.

“Seriously? You didn’t know?” I ask.

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