Page 40 of On His Team

“For the master’s?”

I look at her. “What?”

“Do you want the degree or do you want another year of hockey?”

“Both,” I answer.

“Okay.”

She doesn’t sound convinced.

“What?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Nothing.”

“That wasn’t nothing.”

She taps her pen against the notebook. “I’m just saying those are different things.”

I stare at her.

She holds my eyes. Not challenging me. Just waiting.

I look back at the screen. Thirty-three credits. March first. That’s another year. Maybe two.

“I don’t know.”

Gianna nods once. That’s it. No advice. No speech.

“Your final report is really dry.”

I look at her. “You just interrogated my future and now you’re reviewing my report?”

“I can multitask.”

“You’ve read three paragraphs.”

“Three extremely dry paragraphs.”

“It got an A.”

She closes her eyes. “Rowan.”

I laugh.

She opens them and goes back to reading.

A minute later, Mara walks through the kitchen with a bag of chips.

She slows beside the table.

Looks at Gianna.

Then at me.

“Cute.”

Gianna doesn’t lift her head. “Die.”