Page 21 of Let the Game Begin

Logan’s fear became more comprehensible when I noticed the purpling bruise on the upper part of Neil’s cheekbone. It seemed obvious that he’d been punched in the face.

“What happened to your eye?” Logan asked, alarmed. I got up from the couch and approached the two of them.

“Nothing.” Neil tossed his car keys onto a stand in the entryway and shrugged off his leather jacket with utter indifference.

“Tell me what the hell happened!” Logan yelled, making me flinch, but his brother didn’t seem at all fazed by this display of anger. Neil just looked at him with a serious, almost irritated frown.

“Some asshole pissed me off…that’s it,” he said shortly.

“That’s it?” Logan put his hands on his hips and moved to block Neil’s way so he couldn’t leave and evade his questions.

“Yes. He provoked me so I left him in the dirt to rot, which is exactly where a piece of shit like him belongs.”

Oh. Cool. And he was proud of this? To think, for a moment there I’d been glad he hadn’t broken any bones.

“W… What?” Logan managed. “Fuck’s sake, Neil! Are you trying to catch another charge or what?” He pointed a finger at his brother, who just stared back at him emotionless. It was inhuman coldness. He looked like a young man who had been disappointed and defeated by life to the point where he was incapable of feeling sorrow. Or, maybe, he felt so much of it that he had to put up a wall of steel to protect himself from everyone else.

Neil remained a mystery to me. I knew next to nothing about him or his past. I’d seen only what he’d shown me, the most superficial part of him, brash and a bit perverse. Now, as he stood in front of his brother, his dark clothing seeming somehow like an extension of the shadow that encompassed him, and he provided no further clues about the enigma that he was.

“He’ll be fine,” Neil said in a cynical, impassive tone. Then, he brushed past both of us and walked upstairs, leaving us behind in a whirlwind of questions and doubts.

“He’ll never change,” Logan announced, looking battle weary. He shook his head and sighed, staring at an indeterminate point on the floor. I didn’t know what to tell him, so I just rested a hand on his shoulder.

“I thought he was making an effort, but I was wrong,” he continued before vanishing wearily up the stairs himself.

I holed up in my own room at that point and just studied until eight o’clock. I should have been getting ready to go out, but doubts preyed on my mind. I wondered why Neil behaved the way he did, what he was rebellingagainst and why he seemed so angry at the whole world. I would never get the answers to those questions unless I got to know him better, which I was too afraid to do because the attraction that pulled me toward him was too perilous. It was palpable between us…that kiss had only confirmed what I already knew.

Even worse, when he had showed up this afternoon looking all handsome and shadowy—even with that purple bruise marking his manly face—my heart had leaped in my chest. It was almost painful. It was insane the way my body reacted to his nearness, and it wasn’t just because I wanted to be touched again by those lips. I wanted so much more than that, and admitting it even to myself made me squeeze my eyes shut and curse my own weakness.

When I realized I was about to be late to Bryan Nelson’s party because I’d been so lost in my thoughts, I quickly got myself ready for the evening, opting for a black blouse and simple skinny jeans under my long coat.

Logan and I drove to a house almost as sprawling as Matt and Mia’s. I had resisted the urge to ask him any more questions on the trip there. Neither of us said anything about what had happened with Neil that afternoon. But I couldn’t help but break the uncomfortable silence.

“So, who is this Bryan guy anyway?” I asked Logan as we got out of the car.

Logan chuckled and more of the tension dissipated. “Oh, you’ll see. Wait until he meets you.” With no further explanation, he gestured for me to follow him to find his friends, who were waiting for us in the yard.

“There you are! Finally! We’ve been waiting for you,” exclaimed Alyssa when she met us in front of the house. She was wearing an incredible white floral dress, and I didn’t miss the long, slow look that Logan gave her legs. I got the vibe that the two of them liked each other but hadn’t quite gotten up the courage to confess their mutual interest.

“C’mon, c’mon, let’s get in there before the good booze runs out,” Cory urged us. I grabbed Julie, who was standing around looking bewildered, and we all walked inside.

When we walked into the party, I was immediately hit with the combined smells of booze and smoke, which made me cough. I glanced aroundand saw some guys on the sofa drinking intently while other people were dancing, already half-drunk or stoned.

“Everything okay?” Logan noticed my bewilderment, and I gave him a reassuring smile. This wasn’t exactly my scene, but I was going to make an exception, just for one night. We walked over to the table where alcohol of all varieties was available, and a tall, muscular man with deep blue eyes approached us.

“Hey, Miller.” He turned to Logan and shook his hand. I remained on the sidelines, observing them.

“Hey Bryan,” Logan answered. From the way Bryan immediately started leering at me, I knew he was a jackass to be avoided. I sized him up warily. He was wearing a basketball jersey with the logo of a team I didn’t know and tight jeans that showed off his thick legs, undoubtedly the result of the same obsessive workout routine that had shaped his body into a mountain of muscles and hormones.

“Wow, and who is this angel?” He looked me straight in the eyes and gave me a seductive smile, as though that was going to have me falling at his feet.

“May I present Selene Anderson. She’s the daughter of my mom’s boyfriend, Matt,” Logan said, apparently not registering that his friend was obviously undressing me with his eyes while I tried to avoid his persistent gaze.

“Mmm…enchanted. I’m Bryan Nelson, master of the house.” He gave me a sly look and winked before grabbing my hand to kiss it gallantly. “If you like, I can give you a full tour later, angel. What do you think about that?” he asked, clearly assuming I was just another chick in his hen house. I was never moved by guys like that. I could always tell what was on their minds right away, and I usually managed to avoid them.

“Sorry, not interested,” I answered flatly and walked away from the creep. I grabbed a drink to ease some of the tension I could feel seeping into my body. I emptied the cup in one gulp, put it back on the table, and then I started wandering around the house in search of an exit. I needed some fresh air. But the partiers kept jostling me around, and I frequently tripped over my own feet because my heels were too high.

“I’m willing to show you an escape route, if you’ll indulge me in one quick dance?”