Dean (Face-Off 6)

Theo clicks a few buttons on his cell phone and types out a message. “She said she didn’t feel good and wanted to sit this one out.”

Of course, she did.

Our friendship isn’t important enough for her to pick me up? To say I’m disappointed with her would be an understatement. I’m fucking floored. Adrenaline courses through my veins, flooding my body so hard and fast my pulse is racing. Sucking in a deep breath, I blow it out, hoping this will quell my nerves. I use breathing exercises to help regulate my breathing when I’m playing hockey. But right now, I feel like I need a damn oxygen tank to pump the air back into my lungs. Kat has me so unnerved I want to put my fist through the window and shatter the glass into a million pieces.

“Is she having problems with her stomach again?” I ask, wondering if she fed her brothers a line of bullshit to get out of coming.

Theo nods. “Yeah, she hasn’t eaten much since she got home. She kinda mopes around the house all day. We tried to get her to hang out with us at the pool or play a few games with us, but she wasn’t having it. I think she’s sick or something.”

Kat’s been moping? That’s a surprise. Here, I was convinced she was out making new friends and finding another guy to replace me. We never had sex. The night she slept over we got close before we both crashed hard. If we had taken that step, I imagine this would be even worse for both of us. Kat doesn’t get depressed enough to sit in bed all day. She especially wouldn’t avoid her brothers, not when she looks forward to her summer with them. Which tells me one thing. I still have a fighting chance.

Once we reach the Baldwin Estate, we park in the circular driveway that has a fountain at the center. A massive garage overflowing with exotic cars is off to our left. It must be nice to have an entire fleet of cars at your disposal. And the best part… Kat’s not even leaving this damn house. She could do anything she wants with all of this money, and instead, she’s acting like a giant pain in everyone’s ass.

“Your room is down the hall from ours,” Travis says. “Right next to our game room.”

“I thought that was in the basement.”

He shakes his head. “The movie room and bowling alley are in the basement.”

“Drop your shit off upstairs,” Travis says, “and then we can chill in the basement. You like bowling?”

I shrug. “It’s okay.”

“We don’t play like most people,” Theo says with a wicked smirk. “You’ll see.”

We walk through the front door and step into the entryway titled in white marble. A huge chandelier made of glass and beads hangs between two cascading staircases that lead to the bedrooms. After Theo and Travis show me to my room on the second floor, they lead me into the basement. Kat is still nowhere to be found. Is she purposely avoiding me, or is she really sick? Where the hell is she hiding?

Unlike a normal basement, the Baldwins have a five lane bowling alley, complete with a movie room large enough to seat twenty people. Four guest bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, are in the back of the house. Closer to the mini bowling alley, there’s a full kitchen and bathroom. They even have a concession stand with movie popcorn machines and everything you would expect to see at a local theater. Kat’s house is like something from MTV Cribs.

Theo flicks a switch on the wall, and the lanes roar to life, the bright lights illuminating the pins. Air blows out from the ball returns that have several balls of varying weights and grips. Theo slips behind the concession stand that overlooks the bowling alley. He fills three chilled mugs with beer from the tap. Man, if I lived here, I would never want to leave. This place is like a fucking palace.

Theo hands me a mug that sends a chill up my arm. “You guys do it right around here.”

Trav takes a sip and nods. “Dad only likes freezing cold beer.”

“Austin will only drink it at room temp because he think he’s a legit German.”

Theo sets his beer on the table attached to his chair and looks over at me. “You ready to get your ass handed to you?”

I snicker. “Yeah, right.”

“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Kat says from a distance.

”Would you look at that?” I say with every ounce of irritation I feel in my tone. “The queen has finally graced us with her presence.”

She rolls her eyes as she approaches us. “Sorry, I should’ve been there to pick up you. My bad.”

I raise my eyebrow. “Your bad? That’s the best you can do after all this time?”

The twins are too busy arguing about how to score the game we’re about to play to overhear our conversation. I walk away from them, closing the distance with Kat. She stops in front of me, her eyes red and somewhat puffy.

I inspect her face, wondering is she’s sick or upset, or maybe a little bit of both. “Were you crying?”

She shakes her head. “No, I told you don’t feel good. I ate bad fish last night. My stomach didn’t like the sea bass, I guess.”

I reach for her hand and she pulls away.

“What the fuck, Kat? You’re killing me right now. What is going on with you?”