Alex snickered. “Or that you got beat by a bunch of girls?”
Noah’s nostrils flared and his friends exchanged looks. “You know the trouble with tomboys?”
“No, please tell us,” Alex said in a flat tone that made Hannah and Jordan snort with laughter.
“You’re a bunch of freaks,” he said. “Good luck finding a guy to date you.”
Eye rolls all around.
“Thanks for the advice,” Alex said. “But if you’re referring to guys like you then I think I can speak for my friends here when I say we’re better off single.”
Noah huffed. “You couldn’t get a date if your life depended on it.”
“That’s an interesting theory,” Hannah said, her eyes narrowed as if giving it some serious thought. “I’ll have to ask my boyfriend what he thinks about that.”
Noah looked disgusted by their amusement, but at least he and his friends were backing away. He sneered at Hannah. “As if we’d believe any guy would be into that. You look like my little brother.”
Hannah didn’t seem to mind the insult, but Jordan stiffened at her side.
Alex narrowed her eyes on him. “Get out of here, losers.”
Noah scoffed as he turned to go. “Whatever. We all know we handed you that win.”
Jordan surprised them all by speaking up. “Then I guess you wouldn’t mind a rematch?”
Noah turned back, staring at her as if she’d just sprouted another head. “What?”
She took a step forward, her arms crossed over her chest. “I said, if you’re so sure we didn’t win fair and square, maybe we should have another go. The three of us versus the three of you.”
Noah’s brows drew together and he stared at her like she was nuts, but he didn’t respond.
Alex arched her brows. “What’s the matter, boys? You scared you’ll lose again?”
They laughed until the boys were gone. They didn’t stop laughing until they’d put away the rest of the equipment and were heading back to the girls’ dorm to shower.
“Thanks for having my back,” Hannah said.
“What are fellow tomboys for?” Alex said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
Jordan dropped her voice in a terrible impression. “You know the trouble with tomboys . . .”
They all cracked up.
“What a moron,” Hannah said.
“I’m so glad you stood up to him, Alex,” Jordan added.
Alex hitched her hip to bump Jordan, who was walking on her other side. “And you. I can’t believe you outright challenged him to a rematch.”
Hannah leaned forward to grin at the blonde. “Seriously. Mad props, girl.”
Jordan clapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head. When she dropped her hand, she said, “Honestly? I can’t believe I did that either.” She turned to Hannah. “But what about you? ‘I'll have to ask my boyfriend . . .!’”
Alex laughed. “That was awesome. His face was priceless.” She looked down at Hannah. “Were you making that up?"
Hannah shook her head. "No, I really do have a boyfriend. We’ve been together since middle school."
“Wow,” Alex said. “Since middle school?”
“He’s on my intramural soccer team,” Hannah said, as though that explained anything.
“He plays for your team?” Jordan sounded alarmed. “Aren't you worried about messing up the team if something happens?”
Hannah shook her head. “Not really. I mean, we’ve been friends forever, and we're not one of the dramatic couples who are into PDA or big fights or anything. We just . . . get along well."
Alex feigned a yawn. "Wow, that sounds really . . . romantic.”
Jordan laughed as Hannah shrugged again. “It works for us. What about you guys? Any boyfriends? Crushes?”
The answer was a unanimous ‘nah.’ Neither seemed terribly put out about it.
“What a dumb insult,” Alex said. She tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “As if I couldn’t get a boyfriend if I wanted one.”
“Seriously,” Hannah agreed. “As if any of us are desperate for a guy.”
Jordan laughed. “I mean, we’ve got more important things to worry about, like school and our teams. Who even has time for a relationship?”