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Would you want her to be a puppet?The question punches me in the face, similarly to how Eva did, because it knows the answer is no. I love the fire in Eva’s eyes as much as I want to be the one to snuff it out in order to make her family pay.

Before either of us can say anything, Mason’s phone rings. He grabs it, looking to see who’s calling. The crease in his forehead returns as he answers, “Hi, Nana.”

Groaning, my shoulders slump. I already know what this is about. Neither of us returned her calls from a few days ago, and that’s never acceptable.

“Yes, Liam informed me. It’s just been?—”

I don’t have to hear the conversation to know he’s being chewed out. I know she cut him off, lacing him with her disappointment in our failure to follow through.

“Nana,” Mason pleads. “We—it’s just been busy.”

My brother looks at me, then closes his eyes, and I know we’ve moved on to the guilt portion of the day.

“I’ll be escorting Lilly.”

While I feel bad for anyone who has to breathe the same air as anyone from the Langston family, I can’t pretend I’m not grateful that I’m not an option for this particular task.

Nodding, he says, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll let him know.” He’s quiet for another moment. “Love you too, Nana.”

“Yikes,” I laugh as he slips his cell phone back into his basketball shorts pocket.

Mason looks pained when our eyes meet. “I know.”

“Better you than me, though,” I quip, smirking when his teeth clench.

“I hope you keep that humor when you’re escorting Lilly’s best friend, Kayla,” Mason retorts, and I grimace.

Seeing my instant change in mood, he chuckles, waving as he jogs off.

Fuck my life.

I take off down the field, dodging players before spinning to catch the football. Then I turn, dart right, and run toward the red zone. My heart thumps in my chest—a cadence I use to focus. Someone’s approaching on my right flank just as another player charges me from the front.

After the scene yesterday outside of the art building with Mason and Eva, this is exactly what I need to clear my head. I barely slept last night. Mason’s warning is still riding me. I’m torn between what could be and what is. Eva from the party is a fever dream—I’ll never get her.

Pounding footsteps shake me from my thoughts, and I weave around out of reach of a tackler. Securing the football to my body, I raise my hand and push off the defensive tackle, causinghim to lose his balance and drop. I stutter-step around the defensive end, sliding back before running into the end zone.

Better luck next time.

“Bradley, you keep playing like that, and the NFL will snatch you up before you graduate,” Coach shouts.

I pull off my helmet and beam while jogging back to the sideline. “They aren’t ready for me yet,” I joke.

Coach Nicks shakes his head. “Bring your overinflated ego ass over here.”

Laughing, I run the last few feet and join the rest of the team.

“Good shit out there, Liam,” one of the Jacobi twins states. He’s facing me, so I can’t tell which one he is.

Fucking carbon copies. They even make the same facial expressions.

“Thanks, man,” I reply as I stand beside him. I swear I feel the brush of his hand against the back of mine, but it’s gone too quickly to be sure if it was him or my imagination. Both of the Jacobi twins are droolworthy, but Cooper is the one who always makes me do a double-take.

“Great hustle today, guys,” Coach praises, pulling me from my daydream. “Remember to go over the playbook and study the reels. We have a game this week against Michigan State, so make sure you’ve already spoken with any professors you’ll miss classes with.”

Coach Nicks rattles off some final announcements before ending practice.

We’re walking back to the locker room when someone taps my shoulder. “Do you want to watch game film at our spot again?”