End Game (Bellevue Bullies 4)

“Good.”

I hold her gaze. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

She rolls her eyes, letting her arms drop as she leans back. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s something,”

She toes the ground with her sneaker, tucking her hands into her apron once more as she chews on her lips. “I’ve been talking to Drew again.”

I knew that, but I play dumb. “Oh?”

“Yeah, and he wants me to come see him for winter break.”

“He does? Are you going to go?”

“I think so, which is why I’m working, ’cause I know my mom won’t pay for me to go. She wasn’t a fan of Drew.”

“Oh. Why? She seems to love everyone.”

“He wanted me to go with him, and she wanted me to stay here.”

“Oh,” I say softly, and she shrugs, annoyance coming off her in waves.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m gonna talk to Shelli about it.”

I’m confused. “What do you mean?”

She lets out a long sigh. “You tell Ryan any of this, and I’ll never talk to you again,” she warns.

I hold my hands up. “Never.”

Her foot taps the ground and she looks very nervous, but that isn’t Amelia. “He wants me to move to Philly with him. He just got a spot on the Flyers, and he wants me there with him. He wants to marry me.”

I gasp in a sharp breath, my eyes widening. “No way.”

“Yeah, I know it’s stupid. But I still love him, and a part of me wants to do it—”

“But you have a full ride here! The team, me… You can’t go, Amelia. Not yet, at least.”

“But I love him,” she stresses. “What you’re feeling right now with Ryan, that’s what I’ve felt since I met Drew. He is so important to me. I really do love him.”

“And if he loved you, he’d want you to achieve your dreams. It’s your dream to be here, competing and getting a great education, right?”

She shrugs, noncommittal. “Yeah, but I don’t want to lose him.”

My heart is pounding in my chest. I don’t know what she is thinking. This is her career, her goals. Giving it up for a guy is ludicrous. I couldn’t do that, but then I know damn well Ryan would never ask me to. I’m with her mom; I don’t like this Drew guy.

“I don’t know. I told you, I have to talk to Shelli. And then there is my mom and Ryan. They’re gonna freak if I decide to do it.”

“Which you shouldn’t,” I remind her, and she looks over at me. “If he loved you, he wouldn’t ask you to.”

“He’s there, though. He wants to be with me.”

“But you’re here, doing big things.”

She shrugs. “There is no reason to get upset. I don’t know if I’ll do it.”

“Well, I vote no,” I say definitively. I realize I don’t have a horse in this race, but this is insane to me. Surely, Shelli can talk some sense in her. They all seem pretty driven, and I don’t see this going well for Amelia.

I exhale heavily just as my phone sounds with a text message. I hold it up, and soon my annoyance is gone and a grin is on my face.

Ryan: I just wanted to tell you, I’ve been thinking about you nonstop. I think it’s awesome you’re working, even though you don’t have to, to get your mom here. You amaze me. I also think you’re pretty damn beautiful.

Breathless. He leaves me completely breathless.

Me: I can’t with you.

Ryan: Good, that’s what I wanted.

Ryan: But I’m taking a nap, so don’t text me back.

I snort, ignoring the looks from Amelia. I want to tell Ryan so bad, and I know he’d agree with me, but I promised I wouldn’t say anything.

So I won’t.

Me: Fine, but one thing.

Ryan: Yeah?

Me: What would you say if I said I think I just want to get it over with?

Ryan: ???

Me: I think we should just have sex and get my virginity out of the way.

Ryan: Well, there goes my nap.

He makes my day.

Most of all, I adore him even more because I know damn well he’d never ask me to leave my dreams behind to follow him.

And I’d never ask him.