“Yeah.” A stream of smoke comes out the side of Mac’s mouth, and I wonder how long he’s been doing this. I wonder if he knows how bad it is for his brain. I wonder if Coach knows he’s doing it. The guy might be laid-back, but he won’t tolerate players being high on his court.
For a second, I consider whether I should say something, but I don’t think I’m close enough to the guy to get away with it.
Instead, I clear my throat and lean away from Mac, gripping the railing. “Is the whole team coming?”
“We invited everyone. Parker and Matty can’t make it.”
“What about Remi?”
“He’s coming for the party tomorrow night. Think he’ll crash here afterward.”
“Nice.” I bob my head, mentally checking off the rest of the team. “And Jimmy?”
Mac sighs, pulling his phone from the back pocket of his ripped jeans. “Still waiting to hear.” He clicks his tongue and mutters, “He better fucking make it. The guy needs to cut loose and live a little.”
5
JIMMY
Mac:Where the fuck are you man? Get your ass to Aspen.
I stare at the text and let out a slow breath. Of course he wants me to come. He’s always dragging me into stuff, forcing me out of my comfort zone at every turn.
But he doesn’t have my parents.
He’s got the opposite problem to me. His parents barely know he exists. Mine, on the other hand…
Swallowing, I brush my thumb over my phone screen and wonder how I’m supposed to reply. He’s been texting me all week. Ever since Darian called him and set this whole thing up.
A weekend at the lake with my team. Sounds kind of awesome, actually. Or a little crazy. Things will get out of control. I know they will.
I shouldn’t go.
But I kind of want to.
But I don’t.
It’s not my thing.
I’m not a party guy.
I’m the sensible one.
I’m at Nolan U to get the degree my parents want me to. Even though I’ll definitely end up working for my father’s company, he still wants that piece of paper hanging on my office wall. When I got recruited by the Nolan U basketball team, my parents decided it would be all right for me to study there. The school was offering to cover my tuition and housing, and even though my parents can afford to send me anywhere, they took the free offer. It helps that Nolan U has a reputable business school, and that’s where they want my focus to be.
Basketball is just a way for me to get educated for free, but I am not supposed to love it as much as I do. My parents would pull me out of Nolan quicker than I could blink if they knew how good I was. They don’t want scouts sniffing around and luring their son to the dark side.
My parents decided that I’m joining their real estate empire and taking over the world. It’s what I’ve been raised to do. There is no other option for me.
Too bad the only thing I want to do is play. There’s nothing like being on a court—the squeak of sneakers, that bounce of the ball, the sweat, the speed, the adrenaline pumping through me. But that’s not my future; it’s simply a way to stay physically healthy, which is important to them. That’s why they let me play in high school. When I got offered a place on the Nolan U team, they weren’t that happy about it and told Coach I wasn’t there to waste my time on sports. Thankfully, he convinced them that physical fitness made for better study and that most of the athletes at the school were top-of-the-class students. I don’t know if that’s actually true, but my parents bought it.
Although, it was the offer of the free ride that really clinched it. I guess they didn’t become multimillionaires by saying no to free lunches, right?
So I can play, just as long as my grades don’t slip and I don’t spend longer on the court and in the gym than I absolutely have to. The fact that Nolan U isn’t known for its basketball helps. Scouts don’t tend to linger at our games, and I never show anyone what I’m truly capable of, so I’m safe. The main thing is, I get to play. I have to make these last three years at college my best… before I get locked inside the Li Penitentiary, aka Li & Son Property Enterprises.
So maybe I should be making the most of my college summers too. Spending time with my teammates would be fun, right? We have to return to Nolan in a couple of weeks for basketball training. Thankfully, my parents were okay with that, because during the summer months, our hours are restricted, and I can use my spare time taking extra classes for summer school.
Oh joy.
