Page 25 of The Interception (Southern Sports Sweethearts #2)

“Oh, that happened way later. We were in high school by then. Asher and I were connected at the hip twenty-four-seven. We played football together and everything. Asher and Sarah Beth were friends, too, but never anything more than that. There was this guy who kept trailing her along. He stood her up a couple of times, and I tried to convince her to ditch him. She wouldn’t, so this one day Asher was picking up dinner for us from a local pizza joint.

Sarah Beth was sitting in a booth crying, and when Asher found out what happened, he lost it. ”

Layne tenses. “Am I allowed to ask what happened?”

“You can guess. The guy wanted more than my sister was willing to give him, and he dumped her.”

“Oh. Ew. What did Asher do?”

“Well, he wanted to call me, hunt the guy down, and give him a piece of his mind. Instead, he sat with my sister for two hours while she cried it out. She came home, forgot about the guy, and that was that.”

“That was that? What?” Her tone is skeptical, but I haven’t gotten to the best part yet.

“Oh, then began what I like to call the Sarah Beth and Asher thought Ender was an idiot summer break.”

“Oh, I know where this is going.” She shifts to look at me rather than the stars. “They dated in secret?”

“Ha! No. Nothing like that. They schemed all summer long, then played the biggest practical joke on the guy imaginable. I knew all along, but I didn’t say anything because my sister was happy.

She was smiling and having fun, and I knew Asher would take care of her.

He always did, you know? He was just…that kind of person. ”

“What was the joke?”

“They covered his car with shaving cream and plastered it with toilet paper. It dried like one of those papier-maché statues and it took him two days to get it all off. When he finally did, it released the two-day-old stench of sour milk.”

Layne giggles and covers her mouth. “My goodness. That’s disgusting. Good for them.”

I glance down at her. “You’re not supposed to support bad behavior, Layne. At least, that’s what the principal told me when I laughed like a hyena at the family meeting.”

“The family meeting? They called your whole family in?”

“Yep. Big to-do when you papier-maché the mayor’s son’s car.”

Layne squeals and rolls off my chest, filled to bursting with laughter.

“That’s when Asher and Sarah Beth started dating. Took all summer for both of them to figure out the prank wasn’t what bonded them. Asher couldn’t flirt to save his life, and my sister was so oblivious. Still, they figured it out and the rest is history.”

“And you were okay with all of it?”

“I encouraged it, actually. I knew he’d always take care of her, and what better way to have him as an actual brother? Lula has his eyes.”

Layne rolls back to snuggle up to me. “I know. She showed me a picture of him. They seemed so happy.”

“They were, then he died and now…I don’t know. I feel lost. I never knew what a beacon he was for both of us until he was gone.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that is. I’ve never been that close to anyone, not until my brother married Charlotte. Now thinking about life without her in it seems awful, and I haven’t known her nearly as long as you knew Asher.”

“The past few months have been torture. I can’t lie about that, not to you. Thank you for being so open and accepting. It feels like I’ve known you for years, not weeks.”

I expect her to tense at my statement, but she doesn’t. Maybe she’s used to people opening to her this way. Or maye it’s more? I’m too lost to know anymore.

It’s quiet for a while, at least fifteen minutes, while I stare at the stars and think about my best friend.

He’d kick me in the pants for giving up a chance with Layne, but I can’t exactly push her either.

What I want isn’t the only thing that matters.

She has to want it too, or all that will come of me chasing her is a broken heart and frustration.

“Let me make you something to eat.” Her soft and gentle tone brings light to the fact that, yes, I am hungry, and the rumble I keep hearing is my stomach. She pushes up to a seated position, robbing me of her warmth and comfort.

“You don’t have to do that. I busted up your night with my drama. You don’t have to cook for me too.” I sit beside her and catch the glisten on her cheeks. She’s crying. I don’t know what to say or do in this moment, not knowing what exactly pushed her to tears.

She shakes her head slowly and wipes her cheeks.

“You didn’t bust up my night with drama, Ender.

I invited you. I wanted you to come. I wanted…

” She fades and swallows, then averts her gaze.

“Let me make you something to eat, and we can still talk more if you want. You’re hungry.

You probably didn’t eat anything today but that measly snack at breakfast.”

She’s right. I haven’t eaten, which is unusual for me since I need to pack on calories between games. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

Layne moves close and kisses my cheek. “I’m sure.”