Page 32 of Bending Under Pressure

My lungs stop working as I hold my breath, watching my stepdad shake my dad’s hand. He’s most likely introducing himself. I can spot the moment when Dad realizes who he is, when he spots Mom standing a few feet away with her stony glare. Dad straightens his posture. He glances my way, and I feel like a deer in the headlights, frozen under his gaze. He’s too far away for me to really read his face.

Then, he nods and walks back to his car with Carly in tow. Coach Spell dismisses us. I think I surprise everyone when I run over to wrap my arms around Walter’s neck and hug him. It wasn’t until I was faced with seeing Dad that I realized I’m so not ready to deal with what happened yet.

“Thanks.”

Walter chuckles. “You’re welcome.”

I pull away, feeling awkward now that the moment is over. When Mom comes over, her stony glare on me, I’m confused. What did I do?

“How did he know you were here, Haley?”

A touch of guilt washes over me, even though I’m certain it shouldn’t. “He texted me yesterday.” Mom perks an eyebrow, waiting for me to explain. I see Keelan from the corner of my eye, obviously waiting for me. “He said he was sorry and wanted to do dinner. I said I had a match. That’s it. Can we talk about this later? My friend is waiting.” I tilt my head toward Keelan, bouncing on my toes with eager excitement, even though I lost.

“We will be discussing this later,” Mom promises. She gives me a hug. “Good game. You have an hour before you are to be home for dinner.”

The moment they step away, I quickly walk over to Keelan with a ridiculous, goofy grin. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he says with a mega-watt smile. It drops as he continues, “Sorry about your matches, Hales.”

“Can’t win them all, right?”

Keelan nods. “Right.” An uncomfortable looks passes on his face as he rubs his hand over the top of his head a few times, from his forehead to the nape of his neck. “So, turns out, I met your dad.” When my shoulders sag, he wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads me to the bench. “Want to talk about it? He said he was here to surprise you.”

“Oh, he surprised me all right,” I mumble. “Maybe I’m not so ready to give him a second chance. I mean, did you see me hug my stepdad? I barely spoke to him before I found out what my dad did.” I pause. “He didn’t happen to say why he brought the girl, did he?”

Keelan shakes his head. “Sorry. Will it make you feel better to know that I’m supposed to meet Natalie again on Thursday?”

“How are you feeling about it?”

He shrugs. “Kind of excited, but mostly unsure.”

I bump his knee with mine. “I think you’re brave.”

“What? Why?” He frowns.

“Well, you don’t really know her, right? Just what you remember when you were a kid? You’re practically throwing yourself into an unfamiliar situation head on. Makes you brave.”

Keelan laughs. “I wouldn’t say I’m throwing myself into it head on, Hales.”

“You’re still doing it.” He shrugs and doesn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I move on with a smile. “You’re a lucky guy, you know.”

“Oh, yeah? How come?” He bumps his knee against mine and it sends a bolt of electricity through me. I wonder if he feels it when I do the same to him.

“You get to see me Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Seth invited me to his party.”

He gives me his perfect smile again. “I am very lucky. So, why does Jess want you to stay over?”

“She says we need girl time. Do you think I should be worried?” I joke.

“With Jess, you should always be a little worried.”

I laugh because I totally get what he means. Jess is a firecracker. My stomach rumbles, and I’m thankful he doesn’t seem to have heard it. “I should get home.”

Keelan nods, stands, and holds out his hand. I take it. He walks me to my car, opening the door for me once I’ve unlocked them. His gaze drops to my lips. Then, he quickly looks into my eyes before placing a hand on the back of my neck and bringing me to meet his lips. Oh, boy. I’m so not made for kissing hot guys who know how to kiss. My entire body slacks, my knees weaken, and each breath is stolen from me because he’s inhaling them all. But I seem to steal each one of his.

When he steps back, releasing his hold on me, I sigh dreamily like the crazy girl that I am. It just slips out!

“Had to make up for the hammock incident,” he says in a low voice.

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