Page 84 of The Locker Room

shook it, grimacing with good nature, and Leo looked from one of them

to the other and then let out a low whistle.

“Who knows?” he asked, all of his flamboyance gone.

“I don"t know what you"re talking about,” Xander said, keeping his

face blank.

“Don"t bullshit me, kid. One of you gets busted with a

chickenhawk in the middle of the night, who do you think is going to be

the one to bail you out and cover to the press about drinking too much on

painkillers? Who knows about you two? I need to know names, and I

need to know now, or you"re going to have to get yourself an agent who

willnotget your particular needs, do you hear me?”

It was like a furnace opened up from Leo"s mouth and sucked all

the air out of the room. Chris was the one who managed to answer, and

Xander could only listen to him, half crazy with the mixture of hope and

despair.How many people really play ball after college, after all? Chris

is for the rest of your life.

“My parents and my little sister,” Chris said quietly. “But they

didn"t know for sure until last year.”

Leo"s mouth pinched in at the sides. “So what was your plan, guys?

See each other on the weekends for the occasional bang? Pretend to be

roommates on multimillion-dollar salaries? What in the hell did you have

in mind?”

“Giving up basketball so we could be together?” Xander asked

rhetorically, and Chris said, “Don"t even fucking mention it!” his voice

as angry as Xander had ever heard it.

“Chris!” Dammit, Xander was pretty sure it was a romantic

gesture, but Chris wasn"t looking flattered.

“Basketball makes you get up in the morning. When you"re on the

court, your face is as open as day, Xander. It"s the only time ever that the

whole world can see in you what you let me see all the time. I"m not