Page 31 of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove

She finally spots Liam on the opposite sideline and jogs towards him.

“Good game,” he says with a somewhat-fake smile. She scoffs.

“Liar.”

His smile becomes real. Encouraged, she jumps up for a hug.He catches her easily, so she can wrap her legs around his waist. She leans her head on his shoulder. “Hey.”

His hands are on her thighs, brushing up against her leg hair. “Hey.” NoHey, beautiful.

She can’t remember the last time he called her beautiful.

TJ slides down from the hug, struck with a bitter realization. In the end, it doesn’t matter if Rajan was lying, if Liam said something in the locker room or not. What matters is something she’s been wondering for weeks but has never had the bravery to ask straight-out.

“Liam,” she says quietly now, as they walk off the field together. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, what?”

She steels herself. “Do you have a problem with my hair?”

He’s silent for a second. Then he looks at her long ponytail, the ombre highlights freshly done. “Your hair is beautiful.”

“I’m not talking aboutthathair.”

There’s a silence. His expression is blank. She takes a breath.

“It’s not going away, Liam. So I have to ask. Do you have a problem with it?”

He looks up at the sky for a long second. Then he stops in his tracks, making her stop, too, and says all in a rush: “Is this because of what I said before Winter Break? Because if it is, I said I’m sorry, okay? What else do I have to do to get you to start shaving again?”

She blinks. Wait, wait, wait. That’s what he thinks this is—punishment? “I’m not doing this to get back at you.”

“Then why?”

Because I need to prove you still want me like this. I need to prove my life wouldn’t be different if I looked more like Simran. She doesn’t say that, though. “Why does it matter?”

He exhales, dragging a hand down his face. “Because it’s hygiene, TJ! You can’t just stop doing it and expect your boyfriend not to care.”

That hits her like a physical blow, but TJ takes a measured breath. The debater part of her wants to convince him. Then he’ll apologize, the way he always does, and they can move on. “What does hair have to do with hygiene? Am I going to get sick from my body hair? And if that’s true, shouldn’t you be shavingyourarmpits, too?”

He doesn’t answer right away. “That’s not the same.”

“Whynot?” She reaches up to adjust her ponytail, and his eyes drop to—well, her underarms. She knows what they look like. They haven’t seen a razor or wax in two months.

Liam looks revolted. He actually takes a step backwards.

TJ drops her arms, struggling not to cry. “You’re looking at me like I’m disgusting.”

Liam holds up his hands, heat entering his voice. “Don’t try to make me feel bad about not being attracted tothat. It’s not going to happen. So if you’re going to keep doing it, then maybe we should just end this now.”

TJ’s jaw drops. “What?”

“Just answer me, okay, TJ?” He drops his hands. “Are you going to shave, or not?”

She stares. An ultimatum? He’s got to be bluffing. There’s no way he’d... he’d...

She can’t finish the thought. Instead, she braces herself to tell the truth.

“No.”