Page 99 of The Baller

“What?”

She leaned closer, I assume so she could lower her voice in the presence of my dad and two brothers, but we had to be in the smallest room in the White House. She’d need to mime if she didn’t want to be heard. “Please tell me you’re being safe.”

“Oh my God!”

Where was a balcony to throw myself off when I needed one? It was one thing for my mom to talk to me about sex, it was another with Ben and Henry sitting behind me. Though as much as I hated it, it wasn’t like they didn’t already know I’d had sex or that my life hadn’t been turned upside down by it.

All in all, yet another reminder that no one had gone unaffected by my actions.

Except it soon became clear that the sex part of my relationship with Lux was what concerned my brothers the least.

“Radley…” Henry pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. I did, but only because my mom was still standing way too close. Henry leaned forward, so I shifted my chair back six inches. “Radley, come on. Lux Weston plays for The Lions. He’s a douche. He’s a baseball player. Abaseball player, Radley.”

“I know he’s a baseball player, Henry. I’ve seen him play.”

It was Ben’s turn next, spinning his chair around and straddling it like he’d been watching way too many cop dramas. It was probably a law school thing. “Is this because you want to start dating again? Because if so, Hen and I can introduce you to some decent guys. Good guys who’ll treat you well…”

“I’m not dating one of your friends,” I scoffed. I’d met their friends.

“Does it need to be sports then, is that it? Because we can find you sports guys. Mom can set you up with one of the Phillies, even the Nats, but not the Lions, Radley, we’re begging you.”

“It’s not sports…” I began, only to be interrupted.

“Remember Opening Day? It was so bad.”

“Yeah, for them,” snorted Ben.

Now probably wasn’t the time to explain why Ace had tanked on Opening Day, though since Lux, I now understood how one person could drive you to so much distraction.

I tried again. “It’s not sports, it’s Lux.”

My mom went next, using the same calming tone she had when I was younger. “Radley, do you really think a baseball player is the best way to step into the dating pool again? You wanted to go to Columbia and take things easy.”

“I wanted to go to Columbia and get my life back,” I corrected.

“And dating a New York Lion is the way to do that?” The smirk on Ben’s face made me want to kick him in the shin again, but harder. “I guess you’re going to date someone.”

“Not a New York Lion!” snapped Henry.

I ate my banana in silence, watching them argue amongst themselves about my dating life. It was still hard to tell whether they were more concerned I was dating a Lion or dating, period.

Now was as good a time as any to make an announcement. “I want him to come over during the holidays. I’d like you to meet him.”

My mom didn’t even pause for a breath “Radley, I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetheart.”

My chair screeched loudly against the floorboards as I pushed back, the sound perfectly summing up the frustration and annoyance bubbling inside me. It was another example of how Ben and Henry got to do what they wanted, while I towed the line.

Not this time.

“Might I remind you Ben brought a girl here the first month we moved in, and he wasn’t even dating her, to paraphrase him, they were ‘only fucking’.”

“Radley!” My dad barked, which was the first thing he’d said during this entire conversation.

“What?” I snapped back. “I’m not a kid. Henry brought a girl back here for the Fourth of July barbecue, as did Millie’s brothers. It seems like there’s one rule for the boys and another for me. I’m dating Lux, we’ve been together for two months, and I’d like my family to meet him, though God knows why.”

Henry rolled his eyes, Ben sat in his chair looking far too pleased with himself, and my parents said nothing but glanced at each other in the way that parents do; silently communicating but speaking volumes.

“Radley, let’s think about it,” my mom said eventually.

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