Page 60 of The Game You Play (Rixon Raiders 2)

“Ssh,” I grabbed her hand, pulling her closer.

“Shit, my bad. So I’m right?” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “It is one of them. You know I heard Jason left the party in a hurry Saturday.” Her brows waggled.

Pressing my lips together, I kept walking, but Mya followed. “You can talk to me, you know?” she went on, “I know what it’s like to want someone... bad for you.”

My eyes darted to hers. “I don’t...”

“Girl, it’s written all over your face every time he enters the room.”

Oh God.

The color drained from my cheeks. “Is it that obvious?”

“Seriously?” Mya’s mouth lifted in a half-grin, not that anything about this was amusing. “You’re fooling nobody but yourself.”

“Crap. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to...” I stuffed down the words.

“Fall for him?”

“I’m not... it isn’t like that. I know it’s doomed. He’s Jason Ford for Christ’s sake. But there is something there.” Something that was proving pretty damn hard to ignore. Especially since he wasn’t making it easy to forget him.

My cell vibrated again, and Mya nudged me, urging me to look at it.

Jason: Dancing naked under the rain?

“That is Jason, right? The Jason Ford? Because damn girl, what did you do to him?”

“It’s silly really.” I didn’t return his text, giving Mya my full attention. “I created this list for senior year, kind of like a bucket list.”

“Neat.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I mean, life is for living, right? If having a list keeps you accountable, then why not, I say.” Mya slipped her arm through mine. “So what exactly is on this list, or is it a secret?”

“I don’t go around publicizing it, if that’s what you mean.”

“It’s something for you, I dig that. But Jason knows about the list?”

“Yeah, Asher let it slip.”

“Asher?” Something flashed in her eyes. “What’s his deal anyway?”

“What do you mean?” We reached the room where book club held their weekly meetings.

“Doesn’t matter,” she backtracked. “This your stop?”

“Yeah, I pushed myself to take up a new hobby this year.”

Mya glanced at the temporary sign on the window and frowned. “And you chose book club? That doesn’t sound very bucket list.”

“Hey, it’s a start.”

“Yeah, but come on, you can do better than book club.”

Her words sank into me, cracking open every insecurity I’d ever felt about myself. All my fears about becoming my parents.

Mya was right—book club was safe. It wasn’t pushing any limits or breaking any chains. It was something my mom would have done when she was at school.