The guys started gathering, so she scooted out of the way. She felt awkward and out of place as they slapped each other on the back and shouted some chant she’d never heard.
“Edgewood is going to crush Crosswell!” Cort yelled, throwing both hands up and sloshing beer all over himself. A cheer of approval rang out. The Edgewood-Crosswell rivalry was legendary. No one knew how it started or why, but it didn’t matter. The biggest event of the year was the annual football face-off between the schools.
“Did I hear something about crushing Crosswell?” A smiling Randy strutted into the kitchen with Allison. “Because I’ll drink to that.” His smile faded when he caught sight of Keeley. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
He’d been a little preoccupied, Keeley thought.
“I’m here because Zach called. Does anyone know where he is?” Keeley asked.
Allison smiled sheepishly. “He’s with Gavin.”
“Who?”
Cort looked down at her. “His little buddy. You know, the freshman he got paired with.” It was tradition that freshman football players were assigned to a senior teammate. It was supposed to be a mentoring program, but the football players used it as a way to get their cars clean and have someone fetch them lunch.
“Keels! There you are,” Zach said with a goofy grin. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes red. Then he picked her up and spun around. It was the nicest he’d been since their fight.
She forced him to put her down when she became dizzy. “You ready to go?”
“Not till you meet my little guy.” Zach snapped his fingers in the air and motioned for a boy with sandy hair to come forward. He was the same height as her brother, but without the muscle and weight. He looked more like a long-distance runner than a football player. “Keels, this is Gavin. Gavin, my twin sister, Keeley.”
“Hey, there,” she said, noticing his hunched shoulders and averted eyes.
He mumbled something that barely resembled a “hello” and then backed away. Zach shook his head and then gave a long, drawn-out sigh that had Gavin turning red. Keeley felt a wave of sympathy for him. Poor kid was going to get murdered on the field if he couldn’t even handle her brother.
As they headed out, a thought occurred to her. “Does Gavin need a ride?”
Zach scrunched up his eyes and swayed. “I’m sure he’s good. There are plenty of people he can hitch a ride with.”
“Then why didn’t you do the same?” She could still be asleep in bed.
“You’re here ...”
“Yeah, but I shouldn’t be,” Keeley muttered to herself, sliding into the car. As she drove home, she turned on a radio station they both liked. But when Zach’s favorite song started playing and he didn’t sing along, she knew something was up. Turning the volume down, she said, “All right. What’s wrong?” Had he overheard her comment? She didn’t want to fight again.
He sent her a furtive look. “Nothing.”
Her worry lifted. If he were mad at her, he would have said so. “Tell me. I want to know.”
“I can’t. I don’t want you to be mad. Promise you won’t be mad.”
“I’ll try not to be,” she said, growing wary. Had he done something when he was too drunk to know any better?
He swallowed, then confessed. “I got you an interview and tour of Barnett next week.” Barnett University was known for three things: beautiful beaches, high SAT scores and football. None of which interested Keeley. Why on earth would he do this? “This is why I kept it a secret!” he said, motioning to her face.
Was he really that surprised? He went behind her back! She felt her blood racing. Why did he think he knew what was best for her?
Zach rushed on. “I know you don’t want to go there, but listen. I was talking to one of their football recruiters, and he said they have great programs for incoming freshmen who don’t know what they want to major in. They set you up with a bunch of different courses so you can see what you like.”
“I have no clue where I want to go,” said Keeley. Barnett wasn’t on her list. It wasn’t off her list either, but she wanted to be the one making the decision. Not her brother.
“You could at least visit and take the tour. You never know. You might really like the place,” he coaxed.
She remembered the relief in her dad’s face when Zach mentioned his potential scholarship. A California college would be cheaper: in-state tuition.
“Come on, Keels. I put in a lot of effort to get this. They were all booked but I begged the recruiter. And I even got you an extra spot so you could take someone with you —”
“Like Nicky,” she suggested. He’d meant himself, but that wasn’t happening. Besides, he’d already toured Barnett. He didn’t need to go again.
“Of course,” he said, scowling. For some reason, he wasn’t Nicky’s biggest fan.
“What’s your deal with her?”
“Nothing. So you’ll go to Barnett? Take a look around?” he pressed.
“Fine. I’ll go.” If it would make him stop bugging her about colleges. She needed this to end, now.
Zach pointed out his window. “Burgers! Let’s stop. I’m starving.”
“I hate going here. The car reeks afterward.”
“But I’m hungry. And you don’t use the car that much anyway.” Zach tapped her shoulder. “Come on, come on. Let’s go!”
Keeley turned off the street toward the parking lot. Then she realized there could be room for ... negotiation. “How’s this — I’ll pull over for burgers if you give me the car for the rest of the month.” August was almost over but it didn’t matter. She was realizing she couldn’t let Zach push her around all the time. He was taking her willingness to say yes for granted. Much as she hated to admit it, Talon — a complete stranger — had been right.
“No. Hell no. I need it for football practice,” said Zach.
“Get Cort or one of your buddies to take you. There’s no reason you can’t bum a ride off them.”
“How would it look if the captain of the team had to beg for a ride?”
“I doubt you would have to beg.” Zach had more friends than he knew what to do with.
“These kids look up to me. I need to be a good leader and show them —”
“You left Gavin to fend for himself!”
Changing tactics, he softened. “You know how important football is to me, Keels. I’ve worked hard get where I am.”
“Then I guess you’re not getting any food.” She rolled down a window and let the smell of salty fries waft in.
He clutched his stomach as it growled. “Fine. You can have the car. Since when did you become so underhanded and mean?”
She considered for a moment. “Since I started talking to a dog.”
“Huh?”
She just smiled and pulled into the drive-through.
The house was quiet as Keeley finished up her English paper. She felt good about what she’d accomplished, but then she saw the stack of assignments she still had left. She could ask Zach for help, but he was still sleeping. She took a quick break to grab some water and check her texts.
Did you get your brother home safe and sound last night? Tuck him in and read a bedtime story?
Your comments are so not appreciated.