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Farrow and the rest of the Rebels scowl in our direction, but I just chuckle, pulling her arms back down. “I think that’s sufficient.”
“I would cheer for the Rebels if they were on the field too.”
Yeah, it’s a bye week for us. No game till next Friday.
Half the stadium cheers, players congratulating each other on the field, and people start to leave the stands, heading for their cars.
My brother will talk to our parents outside, shower, and go out with friends. Rivertown and High Street will be swarming with activity. They’ll all be looking for him.
“Is it okay if you catch a ride with Farrow?” I ask her. “I have something I need to do.”
She holds my eyes for a moment, and I can tell she’s suspicious. But then she just says, “Okay.”
I hop off the hood, and she slides off, stepping toward Farrow and only releasing my hand when she has to.
They all leave, but I stand there for a while longer, waiting for the traffic to dissipate. Maybe Kade will come back out. After his shower, alone. Without his friends.
He doesn’t.
Everyone leaves, the stadium nearly empty, and the long stream of taillights slowly disappear down the road.
When the night is quiet again, I get in my car and drive home. Past High Street and the party on the sidewalks, and down the dark highway to the mansions on the northwest end.
One of the garage doors is open—the one my father uses—and I see my grandpa’s Audi, his driver sitting inside, tapping away on his phone.
I park and walk up to the front door, turning the knob. It opens, and I step inside, smelling food instantly.
Portraits and paintings decorate the walls, all the same ones I remember from the last time I was here. The black and white one of Kade and me covered in mud when wewere five after playing in the rain sits on the foyer table. His arm is around me, both of us with our silly grins, having lost our first teeth.
I stroll past the staircase, hearing talking and laughter in the kitchen as my grandfather, mom, dad, and A.J. come into view.
I lean in the doorway arch. “Hi.”
Everyone pops their heads up, A.J. gasping. “Hunter!”
She races toward me, and I barely have time to catch her before she crashes into my stomach. My mom and dad smile, my dad shrugging out of his jacket.
I tug my little sister’s ponytail, seeing that she’s dressed in my old Pirate jersey, probably because she was just at the game. “Hey, Captain,” I say, gesturing to the family. “Everyone’s still alive, I see. Good job.”
She’s the one in charge. We’ve all known it since her birth.
She takes my hand and pulls me toward the kitchen island. “You have so much college mail.”
“Everyone wants me, huh?”
I look at the stack of envelopes she digs out of a cupboard underneath.
“Or your tuition money,” she tells me.
Everyone laughs, my dad snorting.
My grandpa simply tips his chin at me. He sees me pretty regularly.
My mom hugs me tightly. “Please tell me you’re staying.”
I pull back, looking down at her. “A couple of hours.”
She drops her eyes, hesitating before she turns away and gets busy filling a bowl with something savory.
