Page 116 of Inferno

Chapter 29

After Uncle Sterling demolished everyone at poker, the boys headed outside to take out their frustration on the football field, which doubled as the front yard. Manning had just caught Marcus’s deep spiral when he saw Taylor riding toward the house on her brother’s old bicycle.

He froze, so shocked to see her that he didn’t notice Magnum bearing down on him until it was too late.

“Oof!” he grunted as Magnum plowed into him, knocking him to the ground hard enough to make his teeth snap together and remind him why his brother’s football teammates had nicknamed him “Bruiser.” Manning had four years, thirty pounds and six inches on his younger brother, so at any given time he could beat the shit out of Magnum without breaking a sweat. But on the football field—which was Magnum’s turf—the kid was a force to be reckoned with. So was Mason, for that matter.

Manning groaned hoarsely, clutching the ball to his chest.

“You okay, Manny?” Magnum asked worriedly. “I didn’t mean to tackle you so hard. Well, okay, maybe I did. But I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I swear. How come you were just standing there?”

Slowly opening his eyes, Manning saw seven—or was it eight?—concerned faces peering down at him.

“You okay, Manny?” Michael asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

“Man, you gothammered,” Mason observed sympathetically.

“Shut up, Mason,” Marcus snapped.

“Well, he did!”

“Nice going, Bruiser,” Monty grumbled to Magnum. “If Manny has a concussion, we won’t be able to go on our trip. If that happens, Ma’s gonnakillyou.”

“She’ll have to get in line behind me,” Quentin retorted.

“And me,” Maddox added.

Suddenly Taylor was shoving her way through the crowd to kneel downbesideManning. “Are you okay?” she asked, peering anxiously into his face.

He smiled dreamily. “Taylor?”

She nodded quickly. “I’m so sorry. It’sall myfault. I didn’t mean to distract you.”

“It’s okay.” His eyes slowly roamed over her face, cataloguing her windswept dark hair and small, rimless eyeglasses. “Hey. You have new glasses.”

She smiled shyly.“Yeah.I got them yesterday.”

“I like them. They’re nice.”

A pretty flush stole across her cheeks. “Thank you, Manning.”

“You’re welcome.”

She reached down and gently removed a clump of grass from his hair.

He smiled at her. “Thank you.”

She smiled back. “You’re welcome.”

“Aw, he’s okay,” the younger ones muttered, sounding both relieved and disgusted as they moved back.

Taylor helped Manning sit up. As Michael pulled him to his feet, Quentin slung an arm around his neck and murmured in his ear, “Yo, dawg, she’s kinda cute. She got a sister?”

Manning snorted, shoving him away. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Then you’d better watch your back.” Quentin winked.

Manning just shook his head and laughed, because everyone knew Quentin Reddick’s cardinal rules when it came to girls. No leftovers. No poaching.