Page 102 of Player Problems

“As long as it’s not your bare ass again,” I say under my breath, thankful my grandma and siblings are currently distracted by James.

He scoffs. “I know you sleep with that one under your pillow.”

I roll my eyes, but don’t respond to him when Kanyon calls my attention. “Baylor and Wells said you and Isla go to their games?”

“I’ve been to one,” I tell him. I knew it would be hard for me to take many nights off, but I do feel a little bad I haven’t made it back to any other ones. Thankfully, Isla has become pretty close with Emery and Colby and they’ve been to all the home games together.

“He invited us to come watch one,” he continues in a rush of excitement. “He even said he can get us on the ice before the game.”

I arch a brow at Baylor who gives me a sheepish grin. “Coach allows it if you get permission.” The other guys nod and Wells tells us about how his little sister came out last year.

I meet my grandma’s eyes and at her nod I say, “Grandma and I will plan a date, okay?”

Rayne and Kanyon both cheer, making the guys join in. I catch sight of my grandma wiping under her eyes as she smiles, looking at them. They need more of this. The laughter, the chaos, the affection. Maybe my grandma does too. I can’t imagine how lonely it is to lose your soulmate and be raising kids alone.

I need to be better about making the trip home.

Once they settle down, Kanyon clears his throat, looking at Baylor for permission. At his nod, Kanyon looks back at me, a slight blush on his cheeks. “Baylor also promised he’d come to one of my games this season.”

“What?” Beau demands. “I want to come too.”

Kanyon can’t help the shy smile or look of surprise when he asks, “You do?”

Beau widens his eyes. “Of course! Your sister is a badass, I bet you’re a beast on the field.”

“I’m not bad.” Ah, yes a good old humble brag. It’s good to see Kanyon getting acknowledged. It’s hard when you love a sport as much as he does and the people you want to share it with most can’t always be there.

My grandma’s eyes shine with pride. “He’s the varsity starting quarterback of an undefeated team.” There’s nothing humble about her brag. “And at only fifteen too.” If Kanyon wasn’t blushing before, he damn sure is now.

All of the guys sans Baylor stare at him with their mouths hanging open. “Not bad, huh?” Baylor teases and Kanyon looks at him with surprise.

“You already knew?”

This time it’s my cheeks that begin to heat. “I meant it when I said your sister talks a lot about you. I’ve even seen some of your footage. I sent some of it to my dad and brothers. One of my older brothers played at Alabama and we all agree. You’re the real deal, kid.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” James stammers. “Do you go to Dayton High?” When Kanyon nods, he curses. “Damn, dude. I’ve seen some of your highlights on ESPN.” The guys trade incredulous looks as they realize they’ve all heard of my brother before.

“Oh, we have to take him to a football game,” Beau says excitedly. “Are you going to come to Westbrook?”

He shrugs, glancing at me but not for help, rather as if checking my reaction. “It depends, I guess. I’m only a sophomore.”

“Damn,” Wells curses. “We’ll all be graduated before you play for the Wolves. We’ll come watch you play wherever you end up though.”

Isla stares at her boyfriend and I swear, if I didn’t already know she was head over heels in love with him, I would have just watched it happen in that second. This is exactly what my grandma meant when she said friends like these become family.

thirty-three

DINNER WITH NUDES

We just might be in trouble tomorrow.

The food was so damn good and I ate way too much of it. By the amount of groaning and hands on stomachs, I’m not the only one. The only hope we have left is that the opposing team also pigged out today.

I wasn’t expecting for the food to be that damn good. Now I know where Torryn learned her skills in the kitchen. She’s practically fast food compared to her grandma. An observation I’m choosing not to share with her out of fear she’ll punish all of us by never cooking again.

Resting my arm over the back of Torryn’s chair, I play with a piece of her hair while Rayne talks excitedly about the classes she’s been taking. Torryn is completely enamored by each and every story, even when some of them take so many twists and turns that it becomes slightly nonsensical.

I took several pictures throughout dinner, and her grandma took one of me and her. The collection on her walls has been growing with each passing day. My own personal stash of favorites has also been steadily growing, and I’m starting to wonder at what point it treads into creepy territory.

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