Page 57 of The Illicit Play

With a soft sniff, I lower my hands and gape at him. “Call someone?”

“Yes.” He gives me a firm nod, and my insides flail.

Who the hell am I going to call?

This cannot be happening right now.

Fear claws at me, panic working right alongside it.

I’ve never been caught before.

You nearly got caught the other day, you idiot! If it weren’t for Grady, you’d be in this exact situation.

Shit. Where is he now?

Closing my eyes, I try to shake the question out of my head. Like he’d come and help me after the way I treated him.

I don’t deserve Grady Newman’s help.

But I have no idea who else I want right now.

He’s the only one who actually knows the truth. Unless he blabbed about it to Zander and Sienna.

But no, I don’t think he did.

Something tells me he’s kept my worst secret to himself.

And that’s why.

That’s why he’s the only person I can think of right now.

The only person I want walking through the door and saving me from…

Well, my own stupidity.

CHAPTER 16

GRADY

The sun is out today, promising a warm spring. Damn, bring it the fuck on. I’m not opposed to winter when the snow’s all pretty and shit, but I am definitely a summer man. I like heat and sun.

And I’m so over the rain.

This has been the first fine day we’ve had in over a week. Everything is still wet, recovering after the constant deluge. It has worked in my favor, though. Thanks to the saturated field, Coach Jones has switched things around. Rather than having to be back early for spring training, he’s giving us an extra couple of days so the fields have a chance to dry out. It does mean we’ll have to sacrifice the last weekend of our break, but I don’t mind. It means the boys and I can go hiking for five days now. That’s gonna be awesome.

Squinting up at the partially cloudy sky, I let the sunbeams soak into my skin and rejuvenate me after what has got to be one of the most boring lectures ever. Professor Cho talks in monotone. I don’t know how thefuck he got to where he is in the school. I guess it’s his smarts, because dynamic he is most definitely not.

“Hey.” Tyrell catches my attention, raising his chin as he jogs toward me and falls into step.

Our next class is together, and we wander toward the engineering building. Although he’s a senior and I’m a junior, he’s catching up on a class he missed last year, and I’m not complaining. I love studying with the guy. He and I vibe on a lot of the same shit, and he’s the best study partner in the house.

“’Sup, man?” I ask him.

“Nothin’ new.” He glances past me at a huddle of giggling freshmen. They wander past, two of them eyeing us up, then blushing fiercely.

I share a quick glance with my buddy and shake my head.

He snickers.