Page 93 of Fair Play
“Keep them apart on the flight!” Coach yells after us.
“I’m sorry, man.” Marty walks out with me.
“Thanks for having my back.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to get involved until he started talking about assault. We all know that’s not true.”
“Yeah.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have no fucking idea.”
Chapter 35
Billie
A groupof us stay late at the diner to watch the Phantoms on the TV over the bar. A cheer goes up when they win and I’m grinning from ear to ear. Bodi played well and Rome had two assists. I’m disappointed I couldn’t be there but it was too complicated. Even putting the Bodi issue aside, I’m in the home stretch at school right now, and I don’t have time to travel back and forth to Vegas.
The drive home from the diner is relatively quick and I make my way up to Bodi’s room. The one nice thing about them being gone is that I have the place to myself. Not that they bother me, but when it’s all three of us, it’s a little crowded since I don’t get much privacy.
I take a shower and wrap myself in my bathrobe before I stretch out on the bed. Working at the diner is great but my body is tired. I need a massage. And a pedicure. I haven’t had a haircut in nearly six months and forget about exercise. But the school year is almost over, so that will free up some time.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I reach for it lazily, expecting to hear from Rome. What I’m not expecting is a one-sentence text that makes my blood run cold.
ROME: The shit hit the fan after the game.
That’s it.
No other texts, no context, just one damn sentence.
BILLIE: Seriously? That’s all you’re going to tell me? Call me!
He doesn’t respond, and it appears as though my text hasn’t been read.
A minute later my phone rings and it’s Bodi.
Uh oh.
I answer quickly, bracing myself. “Hello?”
“What did you do?” he demands.
“Excuse me?” My plan had always been to handle this gently, coax him into understanding, just like I had when I convinced him I needed forty-two-dollar mascara. Based on his tone of voice, this is going to be harder.
“What’s wrong with you, Billie? I’ve warned you about guys like him—are you seriously screwing a guy old enough to be our dad?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m notscrewinghim,” I say through clenched teeth. “We’re dating. It’s not the same thing. And don’t be an ass—he’s thirteen years older than me. How many thirteen-year-olds do you know who are parents?”
“That’s not the point! He’s been divorced twice. No one in the league likes him. He’s a fucking menace on the ice and?—”
“Yeah? The kind of menace who gets two assists… how many did you get?” That was a low blow, and I know it hurt him because he goes quiet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, but you can’t keep doing this, Bodi.”
“Doing what? Looking out for you?”
“There’s a difference between looking out for me and being overbearing and controlling.”
“I know what guys like him are capable of. The divorce rate. The number of guys on the team whocheat. This isn’t an easy life for a woman, especially not one as innocent as you.”
