“You need to get that stick out of your ass somehow, let’s go out and get you relaxed.” Brooker moved over to throw an arm around Kean’s shoulder. “It’ll be good for you. Just one drink, some nachos or shit, then in bed by … eleven? That’s early enough, right?”
“In what world is eleven early?”
“Okay, fine, you can leave at ten.”
“That’s still late.”
“Oh, come on,” Brooker muttered. The group was silent for a moment, Kean’s disinterest in going out acting like a wet blanket. I looked over to him, noticing how his frown deepened. It made me curious if Kean didn’t like being the Debbie Downer, but it was just his knee-jerk reaction to everything.
“I think you should go,” I suggested and everyone’s heads snapped up.
“Really?” Kean said, while Brooker pumped his fist and said, “Fuck, yeah.”
“Yeah. Maybe not stay out as late as Brooker would. But … I don’t know, bonding with your teammates before a game is good for you.”
“Then what about you?” Kean asked and everything went blank; my thoughts, the ambient noise in the room, everything.
“What?”
“You’re a part of the team, too. So are you gonna go?”
“Oh, well … I don’t know if that’s …” I stammered, caught off guard by the invitation. An invitation fromKeanof all people.
“I’ll only go if you go,” he said, shrugging.
Brooker immediately stepped up to me, hands clasped together. “You’ve gotta come out, Kodi. This is the closest he’s ever gotten to going out with us, unless Cap forces him. I wanna see drunk Kean so bad. Please, please,please.”
“I’m not going to get drunk,” Kean reminded him, but Brooker waved him off, focusing his big, puppy-dog eyes at me.
“Come on, Kodi. Please.”
Kean let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Kodi. I didn’t mean to —”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll go.”
“Yes! Guys, we’re going out with Kean!” Brooker said, running over to the rest of the boys, who exploded in cheers.
“So fucking dramatic,” Kean muttered under his breath, before turning to me. “I didn’t think he was gonna pressure you that much. If you don’t wanna go, that’s fine. But …” Kean paused, chewing at his lip. “But I’d like it if you did.”
Oh. That was … different.Verydifferent for Kean.
And it made my heart skip a beat.
“It’s not a problem. I’m sure it’ll be fun,” I said, even as nerves made everything buzz.
A New Game
Olli
“I’m proud of you,” Booker said, looping his arm around my neck when I stepped out of the taxi van.
“Shut up,” I grumbled, shoving him off me and looking over my shoulder to see if the second taxi was here yet. But they’d gotten stuck at a red light a few blocks away, so it’d likely be a few minutes.
“Don’t be bashful. You basically asked her to come out tonight. That’s a big deal.”
“I still don’t believe that’s how it went,” Gallagher said. “He doesn’t know that many words.”
I didn’t dignify that with a response, just leveled him with a glare.
