Playing to Win

Not to mention he had a beautiful singing voice and had it out for my starting position on the hockey team. But I couldn’t reveal my secret, that I’d become an eavesdropper and a self-doubter. That kind of negativity didn’t deserve a voice.

“And he’s hawt!” Natalie sighed.

I threw up my hands. “I’m outta here. You two are hopeless. See you at lunch.” I walked away to the sounds of their snickers, couple of traitors!

We’d just see about them and their theories. Asher Sloane would never be interested a tomboy like me, although the thought did send a thrill of excitement through me so strong I shuddered. Parking in my spot for the second day in a row had to be his idea of mind games. That’s all there was to it.

Determined not to let Asher get to me, I pushed all thoughts of him to the back of my mind and tried to focus on school. Getting onto a college team wouldn’t be easy, even more so if I didn’t keep up with my grades.

By lunch I needed a break. Anxiety about running into Asher again threatened to choke me. Thankfully, Natalie and Kelly sat alone at our usual table. I heaved a sigh of relief. But where was Asher? I found him sitting with Jarom and a couple of his friends. They were in a band. It made sense Asher would make friends with them.

“I see Asher didn’t want to take his life in his own hands by crashing our table again today,” Kelly teased.

I set my tray down and scowled. “Can we please have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around Asher?” He’d been consuming my thoughts since the day before. I didn’t want to talk about him anymore.

Kelly shrugged. “Sure, what do you want to talk about?”

“Ooh, I know! Why don’t we talk about the transfer student from Lakes High?” Natalie grinned.

Kelly whirled on Natalie. “How did you hear about him?”

“How did I not hear about him? Who is he?” I asked.

“He’s not quite as good looking as your boy, Asher, but whew!” Natalie fanned herself with her hand. “He is fi-ine.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if you’re into arrogant jocks.”

“What’s this arrogant jock’s name?” I asked Natalie because Kelly’s poopy face put me off.

“Jared Oliver.”

Wait. “Haven’t I heard that name before?”

Natalie nodded excitedly, but Kelly’s expression gave me the real answer.

“Wasn’t he the guy-” I started to say.

“Yes,” Kelly cut me off. “Let’s talk about something else. How about this, Natalie kissed Finn over the summer and didn’t tell anyone.”

Natalie gasped, her face turning bright red. “How do you about that?”

“Wait. You did kiss Finn over the summer? Nat, what the heck? How could you not tell us?” Someone scrape me off the floor! This was big news. Big.

“No one was supposed to know.” Natalie looked close to tears. “How did you even find out?” she asked Kelly.

Kelly crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you keeping secrets, Nat? We’re best friends.”

Natalie jumped to her feet. “Are we, though?” she cried, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Because best friends don’t blab things they know nothing about!” Without another word, she stormed out of the cafeteria, leaving her lunch tray and Kelly and I both gaping after her.

“What in the world just happened?”

Kelly’s shoulders drooped. “I shouldn’t have brought it up like that. It’s my fault.”

She wasn’t wrong. She shouldn’t have, but I had a feeling I understood why she did. Natalie liked to tease us about boys and there must be something I didn’t understand going on with Kelly and this Jared dude that Natalie knew about.

“Did she really kiss Finn?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Finn was Natalie’s older brother, Charlie’s best friend. She’d had a crush on him since third grade, but Finn and Charlie graduated with Joe so they were older than us.

Kelly nodded. “Yeah, I heard about it from Angie. They were all at a party this summer. I don’t know the details. Angie didn’t, either. I just know it happened.” Angie was Kelly’s older sister, even older than Finn and Charlie, but they all went to school together in Champaign at the University of Illinois.