Page 11 of The Locker Room

next to him, and the cool fall morning was clouded by the spatter of his

feet on the green-shaded sidewalk. Chris"s hand came down on his

shoulder and whirled him around, and Xander, who could face an

opponent on the court without flinching, cringed from that touch on his

arm like a child would cringe from a smacked bottom.

Xander found himself hunched and backing up toward the hedge

that separated the residences from the thoroughfare, and trying to escape

his best friend like a shy field spider would escape a screaming girl.

But Christian didn"t scream.

“What happened?” he asked quietly.

Xander shrugged. “Don"t want to talk about it,” he muttered.

“Too goddamned bad. You tell me, and tell me now, or I turn

around and go home and phone my dad, and hehasto report abuse, it"s

the goddamned law, and that"ll be a big fucking mess. Talk to me,

Xander.” Chris had fair skin—beautiful, star-pale skin that set off his

night-dark eyes—and now it was blotchy and red, and his chin was

quivering and his eyes were too bright and rimmed with pink. Xander

had an urge to just hold that quivering chin and smooth his thumb over

Chris"s plump lower lip, and tell him not to cry.

Don"t cry, Christian. I"m okay. I"m here with you.

“Mom"s boyfriend.” Xander didn"t even know this one"s name.

“He wanted my uniform money for basketball. I told him no.”

Chris"s eyes got really big then, and he looked around wildly.

“Where is he? Jesus, did he get that money? Xander, we"re playing

varsitythis year. You can"t not sign up for ball!” Sophomores in varsity,

it had been a big furry deal the year before and it loomed no less glorious

now. Varsity. Harder games, harder players—a chance for Xander to run

and run and run and pound out the pain of the everyday on the court with

more fierceness than ever. Varsity. It evensoundedsexy.

And then it hit Christian. Xander could see the moment that it hit