Page 100 of Bad Teammate
“I don’tthinkhe stayed with you. I’m sure of it. You’ve been lying to me this whole trip. When are you going to be honest with me?”
I drew in a deep and conflicted breath. I wanted Derek to break the news to his teammate first, but I couldn’t keep lying to my brother’s face.
“You’re right,” I said at last. “Derek and I were together last night. He stayed with me in my hotel room.”
“Wow.” He gasped sarcastically. “You finally,finallyadmit you’re hooking up with him. Thank you. This calls for a celebration.”
Without lifting his head, Sasha scrounged through the trash on the floor surrounding him. He found what he was looking for—a bottle of tequila—and clenched his hand around it. There wasn’t much liquor left, but I snatched it away before he could finish it off.
“That’senough,” I said. “You’ve got a problem, Sasha—a big one! Look at the mess you’ve made of your life, your career, and your friend’s home.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. He’s no friend of mine.”
“No. Not whatever. You’re drinking just like Papa did. You’reactinglike him, too—a big dumb brute. An awful, drunken bully.”
He ignored what I was telling him. “You realize Derek’s just using you for your pussy, right?”
I shook my head. “No, actually, he’s not.”
He laughed out loud. “Wrong. See, this is why I was trying to protect you, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re in over your head, aren’t you? You actually like him, don’t you?”
“I do like him,” I said. “In fact, I love him. And he loves me. We told each other so.”
“Oh, wow,” he said, snickering. “You’re really in for it now, Katya. Do you seriously believe you’re going to manage a long-distance relationship while you’re in Russia, and Derek is fucking club thots left and right? You’re a fool.”
I frowned. I hated to think that might happen … but I also knew it was the risk of opening my heart to Derek in the first place. I still had no idea how we were going to try to make things work—we hadn’t even talked about that yet.
“Maybe I am a fool,” I said. “But he poured his heart out to me last night. He told me everything, Sasha, and I believe him. The last thing he ever wanted to do was betray a teammate. He didn’twantto be with me because he knew how much it would upset you. He cares about you. And so do I. That’s why I came here in the first place.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ve heard enough lies for now.” He waved his hand as if he wanted to shoo me away. “You can go now.”
“No, Sasha. I’m not going anywhere. I came to America for a reason.”
“So you could fuck my teammate?”
A blisteringcrackrang out as my palm struck his cheek.
“You won’t talk to me like that anymore,” I said. “I’m sick of it. You owe me respect. I’ve given up so much of myself to help you and further your career, and yet you talk down to me. It’s bullshit and you know it, Sasha.”
He fell silent.
“Sorry,” he finally mumbled after a long pause.
“I came here because of a promise.”
“Yes, I know,” he said. “I promised Papa I’d never touch a drop of alcohol in my life. I get it. But I already broke that promise long ago. So what? I was just akidwhen I made that promise, Katya. What was I supposed to do? Not tell him what he wanted to hear as he laid on his deathbed?”
“I didn’t come here because ofyourpromise to Papa. I came because of my own promise.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Your promise?”
“Yes, mine. I promised Papa that I’d look after you. That, when you inevitably slipped up, I’d be there to pick you up and get you set on the right path again—no matter what.”
“What …?” Sasha lifted his head. “He thought I’d break my promise?”
I nodded. “Papa knew it was a lot to ask a young boy to never drink—especiallywith the drinking culture in Russia, and the lousy example he’d set for us. He knew perfectly well you’d be tempted to drink in your life. He knew you’d inherited his addictive personality, too. He knew you could never keep that promise.”
Sasha’s eyes softened. “Then … why? Why would he want me to promise something I couldn’t live up to?”
