Page 29 of Trick Shot

And me, the fucking idiot I am, pictured some suburban Pennsylvanian house in the middle of nowhere. Her brother just some normal guy with a golden retriever and a lawnmower.

Not Dominic fucking Moreal. Not my best friend and captain. Worst part is that he knows about the girl I’ve been texting. Hell, he’s seen some of our chats, completely unaware that his baby sister’s on the other side. He’d break my teeth if he knew what I’ve been doing with her over text.

I stop sanding and drop the tool, staring at the rocking chair. I thought knowing who she is would finally give me some relief. If she were anyone else, it definitely would. But this? It’s like getting your wish granted with a knife to the throat.

I pick up my phone, fingers twitching. I know she’s still awake. She always texts me goodnight before she disappears for thenight. Her last messages stare back at me from the screen, letting me know she’ll be having dinner with her brother. I still haven’t replied.

But because I can’t help myself, I text.

ME:Where did you say your brother lives?

I drop my phone onto the workbench and grab my carving tools. The need to push the truth out of her itches under my skin, stronger than ever.

It takes five minutes for her reply to come through.

BUNNY:Why? You planning on kidnapping me?

My lips twitch upwards. God. Even now, through this, she still makes me fucking smile.

ME:That obvious?

Her reply lands like a jab to the ribs.

BUNNY:You’ll actually be doing me a favor by getting me away from my brother’s teammate.

I stare at the screen, trying to process that she’s talking about me… to me.

And the fact that she wants to get away from me.

But I play along, trying to see what information I can get out of her.

ME:Teammate? What exactly does your brother do?

The dots appear.

Pause.

Disappear.

Reappear again.

Then… nothing.

I wait, pulse kicking harder. She’s hesitating. Then it finally comes.

BUNNY:He’s a football player. Nothing big, he just does it as a hobby.

I blink a slow, stunned blink.

Oh.

So we’re lying now. We’re blatantly fucking lying. A football player as a hobby?

Dominic has more trophies than most people have fucking teeth. He’s on a billboard near the fucking arena. Her brother’s the team captain for a reason.

Jesus.

What else has she lied about?