But Jamie has yet to make the leap and do the same to find The Queen. I don’t blame him. Owing a favor to Maverick could mean anything. Whenever he calls on you, no matter the request, he expects you to pay the price. I found that out the hard way last year, and Jamie may learn the same lesson I did if he’s that desperate to meet The Queen in person.
“So, what does that mean?” Tucker asks Jamie.
“It means she knows I’m onto her. Her code is like poetry. It’s like art,” Jamie says, impressed by the girl who has ruined his relationship with Shannon.
He’s acted different since he started tracking The Queen. It’s almost as if Jamie has become obsessed with her like he wants to know her for real. She could be a man hiding behind a screen name for all he knows. Anyone can create a website and run a blog.
It wouldn’t take much to get some of the dirt The Queen has gotten on my teammates. They’re not the best at hiding their lives from the public. Tucker puts everything out there for anyone to see. Preston thinks he’s slick, but he’s not. Trent just goes with the flow, and Drake couldn’t give a single fuck. But Jamie, he’s the one who tries to stay under the radar.
“I still don’t understand,” Tucker says with a dazed look on his face.
He’s the pretty one on our team, the one guy who really has to rely on his looks and abilities on the ice to get through life. Not a whole lot is going on upstairs for Tucker, which is weird because Trent is an A student and always on the Dean’s List. The Kane twins could not be more different.
Preston laughs. “Jamie has a crush on The Queen.”
“No, I don’t,” Jamie yells, annoyed. “It’s just… I’ve never met anyone like her…” his words trail off, and all of us can see it in his eyes.
In some weird way, Jamie likes The Queen. He’s impressed or at least fascinated with her. I get it. I’ve read her code and can see the beauty in it. Whoever is behind the blog has skill. When Jamie showed it to me, I wondered if it was written for him. It seems as though she’s trying to bait him into a trap. If anyone can find out who and why, it’s Maverick, though I’m hoping Jamie doesn’t have to resort to that.
“Jamie’s in love,” Drake chimes.
“Fuck off,” Jamie says to Drake, his nostrils flared. “You guys don’t get what I’m saying anyway, so there’s no point in explaining myself.” He glances at me for a split second because he knows I understand, even though I don’t want to get into it with the guys.
Saved by the bell, my cell phone buzzes in my pocket. I sigh when I read the text from my younger brother, Finn. He missed his bus, and he can’t get a hold of my mom to pick him up from school. No surprise there. She’s probably passed out on the couch in a pill-induced coma.
Sliding off the bench, I tell my teammates I’ll see them later at the house and walk toward the exit of the cafeteria, typing a quick reply to let Finn know I’m on my way. I have to walk across campus first to get my car, so it will be a while before I can navigate the city at this hour to get to him.
On my way out of the cafeteria, I run into Jade. She’s with her sorority sisters, Shannon and Jordan, leaning against the wall by the game room. I raise my hand in the air, and her eyes illuminate when she sees me. She whispers something to her friends and then comes running over to my side.
“Hey,” she coos. “I didn’t think we were meeting until later.”
“We’re not, but if you want to come with me, you can.”
She presses her lips together, smudging her pink gloss. “Another race? You know last weekend was so much fun. I’ve been dying to do it again.”
I hold the door open for her and wink. “We’ll do everything we did last weekend again. But right now, I have to pick up my brother from school if you want to come with me.”
Her hand covers her heart. “You want me to meet your brother?”
“Yeah. You’re my girl. At some point, the two of you will meet. Why not today?” I hook my arm around her back and steer her past a group of students blowing around us on the crowded street. “Finn is a lot easier to win over than Chase and Rome. He’ll love you. So don’t worry about making a good impression.”
I can tell by the worried look on her face that she’s afraid to meet another person who might not like her. It’s not that my friends don’t like her because they do, it’s that she scares them. She knows too much about our operation, and that loose end is what produces fear in all of them.