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Pulling off my tank, I wiped the sweat off mybody and threw it on the floor. “I’m just making sure I’m ready.I’m pissed I wasn’t with Jade when she was shot at and Brand isgetting the brunt of my abuse because it was his advice I followedwhen I stayed behind.”

Dad came in and started stretching. “I see.Stephan, you can’t be everywhere. You can’t put Jade in a bubbleeither. We have had people shooting at us before. I’d love to sayit will never happen again but when you have the money andconnections we have, it’s going to happen. You can’t beat yourselfup about it. You have to live your life the best you can. Speakingof that, shouldn’t you be at rugby practice?”

I shrugged. My dad was right, but I feltbetter to be doing something that could help in the future. “Yeah,but I stopped going weeks ago when Jade almost got beaten todeath.”

Dad got on the treadmill. “Oh, I see. Doesthe team not want you anymore?”

“No. They want me there. The guys are kindapissed I haven’t been going.”

“Really, and you haven’t because?” Dad pickedup his pace going from a brisk walk to a jog.

“Okay, okay, I’m going. When you see Mum willyou tell her and Jade where I am.”

“Jade’s not with your mum, son. Jade’s withyour brother.”

“What?” I didn’t wait for his reply, runningout to the garage. The little minx. I knew she was up to somethingwhen she was talking to Cassie, but I thought I foiled her bytelling Derick, obviously my brother’s loyalties have changed.

Chapter Ten

Jade

I sat with the girls. We wolf-whistled andfooled around. I didn’t care I was having so much fun. Derick haddriven me to practice, but what he didn’t know is I’d arranged tostay at Cassie’s with all the other girls. We were having a girlynight.

“Thank God my brother was shirts this week.I’m telling you I couldn’t be like this if he wasn’t. It is sowrong to wolf-whistle and blatantly glorifying the male specimensin front of you when your brother is half naked too.”

I laughed at Cassie and decided she neededsome payback for the help she’d been with Stephan…not. “Yourbrother is pretty hot, Cassie. He’s super sweet too. I meanredheads are in and he definitely has the bod—”

Cassie stuck her fingers in her ears. “La,la, la. Stacy, nudge me when she stops traumatizing me. Thebitch.”

We all cracked up laughing and Stacy nudgedCassie and stuck into her too. “Oh, Cassie, Jade’s right. I lovecoming over your house now.”

“Oh me too,” Renee said.

“Yeah, pool weekends are always the best,”Patricia piped in. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Tonight is gonna befun.”

We all held our stomachs as our laughterdeepened when Cassie turned bright red. “You guys are so cruel andhere I thought you were all my friends.”

I was having so much fun I missed a newaddition to the field. We all giggled and mucked about that it tookme a while to see a new body joined the shirtless team. A body Iknew very well because I’d slept on it for the last week. I smiledwhen I saw him and waved. Good, I was glad Stephan was here. Heshould have been here when it started twenty minutes ago. I didn’twant him to give up anything he loved for me and I knew without himtelling me he loved rugby. I remembered him telling me he lovedplaying sports.

Cassie wrapped her arms around me and I didthe same. “I’m glad he’s here. He needs to get out more and havefun with his friends. Just because we have each other now doesn’tmean he has to devote every second to me.”

“You need to tell him.” Cassie squeezed meand I squeezed her back.

“You’re right. When did you become sowise?”

“Oh when I started being friends withyou.”

“Argh, bitch.” I pinched her and she did itback until we both were laughing so hard we couldn’t move.

*****

Stephan

It was hard concentrating on practice when myfavorite thing in the world was going on…Jade laughing, gigglingand smiling. I’d driven over to the oval furious Jade had leftwithout telling me. What I came upon on the field made my angerdisappear in an instant. Jade was on the seats with hergirlfriends, they were cat-calling and basically being crudeteenage girls. I chuckled when Jade yelled, “Tackle Brad again, andthat was a pansy grab.”

I should be annoyed Jade was so blatantlychecking out other guys, but she was laughing, giggling, andpushing and shoving her friends and having so much fun. Jade happywas my favorite thing to see.

“I think you all need cooling off,” Renee,one of Jade’s friends, yelled.

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