the door and Bri and the girl disappeared out into the hallway. I set a timer on my phone. This was one meeting I wasn’t going to miss.
CHAPTER SIX
Bri
Bri barely registered the few minutes’ walk with Max to the front entrance of the building. Thankfully Max was too nose-deep in her chemistry book to notice how distracted Bri was. Had she hallucinated the last ten minutes? The random run-in with Kael had completely fled her mind when she met Sloane.
Bri checked her phone and saw a missed call from an unknown number. Unless her imagination really had been on overdrive she knew she hadn’t made it up.
Max looked up from her book. “Sorry I left the locker room. Chloe was getting on my nerves. I waited for you in the hallway.”
“It’s okay—”
“How did you end up in the boys’ bathroom?”
Bri searched her brain for an excuse. The terror she’d felt before came back with a vengeance. She fought to keep her voice steady. “I forgot my cap by the pool. I went out that way.”
“Hey.”
Bri stopped inches from Jake. His hands gripped her shoulders and she sucked in a deep breath as their eyes met. His head cocked to the side.
Max shoved her book back into her bag. “Sorry we took so long. Coach wanted to talk with Bri.”
Jake accepted a high-five from one his teammates leaving the building before returning his attention to Bri. “What did she say?”
Bri’s gaze wandered to the windows. Outside, the rain had stopped, leaving a grayish sky in its wake. A hooded person slipped past the influx of basketball players leaving the building. Bri noticed Sloane’s dark hair peeking from under the hood. She shivered, weighing the options of telling Max and Jake. The intrigue in her otherwise boring life in Willows Lake held her back.
“Earth to Bri.” Max nudged her arm. “She’s been like this since practice,” she directed at Jake.
Bri tore her eyes from Sloane and shook her head. “She wants to work with me one-on-one. She thinks I have a good chance at a scholarship.”
“That’s great!” Jake gently squeezed her arm.
Anytime Jake touched her she always experienced a flurry in her stomach. This time cold dread weighted her insides. She knew she should tell her friends about Sloane. She hated to lie to them. Instead, Bri offered a small smile and started for the exit. Jake’s fingers twined with hers and she paused, staring down at their hands. He led the way and she followed, prodded on by a secret thumbs-up from Max.
***
After Jake dropped Max off, all conversation ceased. Max had gone on about one of her teachers and Jake had interacted appropriately. Bri stayed silent while contemplating her day. The only sound was the radio, set on an AM talk show that Jake’s dad liked. She played with the hem of her shirt.
Jake broke the silence as they pulled off Max’s street. “Sorry about earlier today.”
She pulled her eyes away from the road. “Hmm?”
“Before lunch.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “I’m not mad. If you’re not ready I can wait.”
If she hadn’t met Sloane, she might have pushed him. Her stomach turned. Not in the good way it had that morning when she saw him. Anticipation about meeting Sloane again had riddled its way through her body. Once she found out what Sloane was doing in Willows Lake she could resume her life. She didn’t want Jake to move on. As sure as she’d been that morning that she wanted this conversation, she didn’t want it while she was so distracted. “You’re going to be late for work.”
His eyes moved to the dashboard clock and he nodded and pressed on the gas. He turned up the volume on the radio and they sat in silence the rest of the ride home.
***
Guilt pressed on Bri’s chest as if she’d been holding her breath underwater for far too long. She watched Jake pull out of her driveway and waited until he was out of sight before she entered the condo. She threw her keys into the basket on the table in the hallway
CHAPTER SIX
Bri
Bri barely registered the few minutes’ walk with Max to the front entrance of the building. Thankfully Max was too nose-deep in her chemistry book to notice how distracted Bri was. Had she hallucinated the last ten minutes? The random run-in with Kael had completely fled her mind when she met Sloane.
Bri checked her phone and saw a missed call from an unknown number. Unless her imagination really had been on overdrive she knew she hadn’t made it up.
Max looked up from her book. “Sorry I left the locker room. Chloe was getting on my nerves. I waited for you in the hallway.”
“It’s okay—”
“How did you end up in the boys’ bathroom?”
Bri searched her brain for an excuse. The terror she’d felt before came back with a vengeance. She fought to keep her voice steady. “I forgot my cap by the pool. I went out that way.”
“Hey.”
Bri stopped inches from Jake. His hands gripped her shoulders and she sucked in a deep breath as their eyes met. His head cocked to the side.
Max shoved her book back into her bag. “Sorry we took so long. Coach wanted to talk with Bri.”
Jake accepted a high-five from one his teammates leaving the building before returning his attention to Bri. “What did she say?”
Bri’s gaze wandered to the windows. Outside, the rain had stopped, leaving a grayish sky in its wake. A hooded person slipped past the influx of basketball players leaving the building. Bri noticed Sloane’s dark hair peeking from under the hood. She shivered, weighing the options of telling Max and Jake. The intrigue in her otherwise boring life in Willows Lake held her back.
“Earth to Bri.” Max nudged her arm. “She’s been like this since practice,” she directed at Jake.
Bri tore her eyes from Sloane and shook her head. “She wants to work with me one-on-one. She thinks I have a good chance at a scholarship.”
“That’s great!” Jake gently squeezed her arm.
Anytime Jake touched her she always experienced a flurry in her stomach. This time cold dread weighted her insides. She knew she should tell her friends about Sloane. She hated to lie to them. Instead, Bri offered a small smile and started for the exit. Jake’s fingers twined with hers and she paused, staring down at their hands. He led the way and she followed, prodded on by a secret thumbs-up from Max.
***
After Jake dropped Max off, all conversation ceased. Max had gone on about one of her teachers and Jake had interacted appropriately. Bri stayed silent while contemplating her day. The only sound was the radio, set on an AM talk show that Jake’s dad liked. She played with the hem of her shirt.
Jake broke the silence as they pulled off Max’s street. “Sorry about earlier today.”
She pulled her eyes away from the road. “Hmm?”
“Before lunch.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “I’m not mad. If you’re not ready I can wait.”
If she hadn’t met Sloane, she might have pushed him. Her stomach turned. Not in the good way it had that morning when she saw him. Anticipation about meeting Sloane again had riddled its way through her body. Once she found out what Sloane was doing in Willows Lake she could resume her life. She didn’t want Jake to move on. As sure as she’d been that morning that she wanted this conversation, she didn’t want it while she was so distracted. “You’re going to be late for work.”
His eyes moved to the dashboard clock and he nodded and pressed on the gas. He turned up the volume on the radio and they sat in silence the rest of the ride home.
***
Guilt pressed on Bri’s chest as if she’d been holding her breath underwater for far too long. She watched Jake pull out of her driveway and waited until he was out of sight before she entered the condo. She threw her keys into the basket on the table in the hallway
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