I wasn’t able to see her eyes behind her huge glasses, but her tone was enough to show she disapproved.
“Trip, we’re trying to fix your reputation not ruin it.”
“She’s my friend, Gwen. You should be thanking her. It’s because of her I haven’t been getting into trouble. She’s a good friend and she’s good for me.”
“We’ll talk about this later. I have an idea that will pull you out of the mess you made so fast it polishes you as you go.”
Gwen sniffed and turned awkwardly, making her way back to the bleachers.
“Do you want to stay in the dugout?” Trip asked.
“No, I’ll be fine.” My words sounded hollow.
“McKenna, I want you here. Don’t listen to her. She’s paid to be a bitch.”
“Trip, I’ll be fine. I’m mad at you, though.”
“Why?”
“How could you not tell me your sister’s name is Harley and you have a nephew named Bruce? It’s like you’re living in Gotham.”
Trip laughed loudly just as the team came running up to him. He jiggled the bill of my hat and turned away, trying to get his team in order.
I made my way toward the bleachers, looking for a spot far away from Gwen. An arm snaked its way through mine and I stopped.
“Just keep walking. Please don’t make me sit with the pretties.”
A woman’s southern accent I’d never heard before whispered next to me. Her arm tightened even more around mine.
“Harley?” I asked, cutting my eyes to the side so I could see her profile.
I’d stalked Trip enough in the past to know what his whole family looked like. It bugged me that I never knew her name until now, but I guess it didn’t matter until I knew what Trip’s was.
“Yep, and if you just play along I’ll love you forever.”
“I’ll keep you away from the pretties if you keep me away from Trip’s new PR lady, Gwen.”
“I haven’t met her yet, but you have a deal. My parents are running late, and if I was alone they’d descend on me like the last piece of gluten free cake.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but what constitutes a pretty?”
Harley nodded her head over to a set of bleachers and I instantly knew who she was talking about. Four women dressed in the same fashion as Gwen lined the bleachers. Every one of them had their eyes set on Trip.
“A pretty is a woman who only signed her kid up so they could try and get a hold of my brother. I have a feeling a couple of them may have been able to get their claws into him for one night, before the accident. I’m assuming that’s why he brought you along.”
“As kind of a skank away?”
Harley laughed and settled us down on a set of bleachers far away from the pretties.
“I’m McKenna, by the way.”
Harley shot me a weird look before putting her sunglasses over her eyes. “I know who you are, McKenna.”
“You do?”
A tiny thrill went through me as I thought of Trip telling his family about me.
“Of course. I’ve been watching your games online ever since my brother started coaching.”
