“Will you at least wish him good luck for me? And tell him I’m rooting for him?”
He gave a sharp nod and walked away.
Keeley went to the girls’ bathroom to wash her hands and splash some water on her face. By the time she got out, the gym had cleared so she stepped outside, hoping to find Nicky for lunch. Instead, she saw Gavin sneaking around the side of the building. What was he doing over here? Wasn’t he supposed to be with the football players? A tall, hooded figure crept behind him. Wait ... she recognized that hoodie. Talon? What was he doing here? And why was he with Gavin?
She followed as they tiptoed past the gym to the far end of campus. They were huddled behind the weight room, whispering to each other. Coming up behind them, she asked, “What are you two doing?”
Talon whipped around. He had a paint can and a brush. Was he crazy? He had to get off campus before anyone spotted him. Especially Zach.
She pushed him into a corner, looking around to make sure no one saw. “Are you pulling a prank right now?”
“Baby doll —”
“Don’t baby doll me. Are you nuts? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you could get in?”
“It’s a harmless prank,” Talon explained, but Keeley wasn’t having it.
“And you,” — she turned on Gavin — “why are you involved in this?”
Gavin glanced helplessly at Talon. “He’s ... uh, he’s my cousin.”
The revelation blindsided her. There was little resemblance between the two except for their blue eyes. “And you’re letting him into our school?” She hated the pranking that went on between Crosswell and Edgewood, but she did feel some loyalty to her school. And her brother.
“Don’t be mad at him. It’s my fault. I guilted him into it,” Talon confessed. “I wanted to get back at Zach for painting my truck blue.”
That had been just a prank. Petty, yes, but harmless. But Talon sneaking onto school grounds? That was a different matter. “Can’t you just let it go?”
“Everyone expects us to pull something.”
That was his reasoning? Suddenly, Talon seemed very much like the teenager he was. But, Keeley didn’t want to argue about it now. She had more important questions on her mind. “Talon, why didn’t you tell me it was Zach that Claire cheated with?”
His mouth dropped a little. “How did you find out?”
“That doesn’t matter.” She turned to Gavin, who was eyeing them like they were in a soap opera. “I need to talk to Talon alone. Can you leave?” She knew she was being direct but she needed to be. If she was going to find out the truth, she had to become that girl on the phone who didn’t overanalyze, but went straight to the point. She waited till Gavin was out of earshot. “Talon, why didn’t you tell me it was Zach?”
Talon swallowed. Hard. “Because I know how bad it looks for me. What happened with Claire has nothing to do with us.”
How did Claire and Zach’s cheating look bad for him? If anything, wouldn’t he come out better? “So you’re not dating me to get back at him?”
“No! In fact, I wish you weren’t his sister. That’s why I left at Java Hut. I knew it would get complicated. I thought it’d be easier to put a stop to it then. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t get you out of my head.”
A sharp whistle caught her attention. She turned and angled around Talon. Two boys she didn’t recognize stood off to the side. The shorter of the two wore a dark-blue cap and a gray hoodie. She guessed he was the one who whistled because he kept tapping his watch impatiently. The other was his complete opposite. Twirling a set of car keys on his finger, he appeared almost bored with the whole situation.
“Wrap it up. We gotta go,” the one in the cap said.
Talon looked at his watch and swore. “We’ll talk more later. After the game. I’ll text you.” He leaned down to kiss her, but she turned and gave him her cheek. She didn’t feel right about kissing him. Not while she was processing what happened and certainly not on campus where her brother was.
As Talon drew away, she saw his pained expression. She squeezed his hand. “We’ll talk tonight. Promise.”
Talon squeezed back, then the three boys hurried past the weight room and out of sight.
After school ended, Keeley fished out her books from the locker and went to the parking lot to wait for Nicky. The game didn’t start till seven so they planned on hanging out at the pier before heading back to campus. She was almost at Nicky’s car when she saw a gathering of students near the back of the lot. Interested, she veered toward the crowd. On her tiptoes, she strained to see what was so fascinating, but there were too many people.
Through the throng of people, she could see Cort’s car. It was plastic wrapped and painted exactly like Talon’s had been. But Talon had taken it one step further. He’d drawn a middle finger on the hood.
“Oh, crap,” Keeley murmured.
The crowd hushed as her brother and his friends pushed their way through the masses. Everyone stared, waiting for his reaction. If they were expecting an outburst of anger, though, they were sorely mistaken. Instead, Zach’s spine went ramrod straight. His expression frosted over, his face a mask of cold, hard ice. The only sign of emotion was in his eyes, and Keeley was the only one who knew what it meant. This was a declaration of war. Zach was out for blood and he would be gunning for one person on that field tonight — her boyfriend.
“The game hasn’t even started yet. Calm down,” Nicky said, putting a hand on Keeley’s knee. “You keep twitching like that and people are going to think you’re on something.”
“I can’t help it.” She jiggled her other leg, expelling some of the energy building up inside her. Every minute that passed increased her anxiety. It didn’t help that the football stands were jam-packed. She couldn’t move without getting trampled.
She watched as people passed by, proudly wearing their school colors. And it wasn’t just the students either — parents and teachers were outfitted in Edgewood’s blue and white; hell, even the mayor was there. There was everything from T-shirts to bandanas to face paint. It looked like the whole town had shown up for this game, ready to cheer their hearts out.
Her eyes traveled to the opposite side. The Crosswell fans were packed into the visitor bleachers, every bit as enthusiastic, their side a sea of green and gold. This rivalry went back as far as anyone could remember.
At the far end of the field near the goalpost, Keeley could make out the Crosswell players. They were warming up — stretching and passing the ball. She looked for Talon’s number, but his team was too far away.
“I don’t see why you’re so nervous. It’s just a game,” Nicky commented.
Normally, she’d agree, but not this time. “You saw Zach. He’s itching for a fight.” When Zach got angry, all reason flew out the window. If he were angry enough, he could get physical.