Playing to Win

“Bobby wouldn’t pound anyone,” I defended my brother. “At least not off the ice.” On the ice was a completely different story, and that’s how he earned his reputation. In real life, Bobby was a big ole teddy bear.

“Hey, what’s up?” Kelly caught up as we entered the hall where all the senior classes were located. Kelly swam for the swim team and had early morning practice. The scent of chlorine followed her around from September through the end of October. Natalie played volleyball.

Yeah, I rounded out two sets of tomboy trios.

“Some douche parked in Jord’s spot,” Natalie said.

Kelly’s eyes widened. “Must be someone new. Who was it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before. He had a fancy car, though. And a guitar case.” No one carried a guitar case. We had the usual band geeks who lugged around tubas and piccolos, but no guitars. Did school bands even have guitars?

“What did he look like?” Natalie asked.

I knew she’d ask and I knew my face would turn beet red when she did.

Natalie grinned. “That good, huh? Do you see him now?”

I’d been keeping an eye out. No sign of him. “Nope. And I hope I never see him again.”

“It’s just a parking spot, Jordan.” Leave it to Kelly to be the voice of reason.

“I know. It’s just-” That parking spot represented a piece of my brothers and I missed them. I thought I’d be overjoyed about the boys moving out, but in truth, I hated them being gone. Parking in Bobby’s spot made me feel like he was still around looking out for me. And if not him, then Joe. For the last two years I’d pulled into the parking lot and held onto my identity as Bobby and Joe Parks little sister. Nobody messed with them, nobody messed with me.

But like Kelly said, it was a parking spot. Anyone had a right to park there. I needed to get over it. Didn’t mean I would. And Mr. Parking Spot Thief had just earned himself a spot on my list.

Asher

The sound of a lunch tray clattering down on the table yanked me out of a gripping description of Newton’s Laws. Which wouldn’t have been so bad except when I glanced up it was her again.

The hot blonde from the parking lot.

And she was not happy.

“Let me guess. This is your table.”

What was with this school? Couldn’t they make it easy on the new guy and post a sign with all the insider information about assigned parking spaces and lunch tables?

Blondie’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

I blinked. “Eating?”

She stared daggers.

Two other girls, a brunette and a redhead, flanked her on either side.

The brunette plopped down. “You’ll have to excuse her. She’s had a bad-” her eyes widened as she glanced between her friend and me. “Morning.”

Blondie shot her friend a look as she took the seat directly across from me.

“You’re the one who took Jordan’s spot,” the red head asked, studying me just a little too closely. I was used to girls checking me out, but this one looked like she wanted to take a bite out of me.

The dark haired girl rolled her eyes. “He obviously didn’t know it was Jordan’s spot, Natalie.” She faced me. “You’re new, right? I’m Kelly Harris. That’s Natalie Chance. And I think you’ve already met Jordan.”

Jordan. A fitting name while everything else seemed such a contradiction. Her clothes tagged her a tomboy, but her face and body were decidedly feminine. The combination worked for her. I liked looking at her more than I wanted to.

“Parks,” Jordan added before taking a bite out of an apple.

Parks.

Parks?

Could it be a coincidence? Somehow, I didn’t think so.

“Whats’s your name?” Natalie asked still staring a little dreamily.

“Um.” I cleared my throat, avoiding her gaze by doing some staring of my own. At Jordan. “Asher. Asher Sloane.”

“And you’re new?” Kelly asked.

I nodded, and because I didn’t want to come across creepy like Natalie, I turned my attention to my food. “Yeah, I just moved from Minnesota.”

“Really? How do you like Chicago?”

Lakeview wasn’t really Chicago, but I noticed everyone lumped the suburb in with the larger city.