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His words hit me like a sucker punch to the face. More like a jab to the kidney.
Kevin joins my father on the stage embracing my father like an old friend as they announce the merger of Foxy Developers, my dad’s company, with 10X Games.
My mouth falls open in shock.
I try to speak, unable to form words when I tap my brother on the arm. Mike’s eyes meet mine, and I can see the fear in them. Mine must mirror his because his expression says it all.
How is my dad smiling as he makes this ridiculous announcement?
Why is he merging with 10X?
I have a choice to make—hockey or video games. The decision’s just become clear. Until I understand why our world is collapsing around us, why my dad would do this to our family, I can’t tether my future to his company.
Cameramen appear on my left snapping pictures of our family. Cece taps me on the arm, and I ignore her. She does it a second and third time before I turn to tell her to stop. Before I can push her away, she grabs the side of my face and kisses me. I don’t kiss her back. A camera flash blinds me, forcing my eyes closed. Then, another flash followed by a few more.
Why did she do it?
What did I just do?
I push her away in a subtle manner, careful not to make a scene and grumble, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Cece?”
“I’m claiming what’s mine.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jamie
During the Christmas break, my relationship with Shannon suffers. Right after Cece kissed me I avoided Shannon because I didn’t know what to say or if I should tell her the truth. But now, she’s the one avoiding me. No matter how much I push, she pulls away. We haven’t spent much time alone. Even when I stop by her chapter house, she talks to me for a few minutes and then makes an excuse that she has to go.
Has she seen the pictures of Cece and me? Does she hate my guts over something I can’t control? She hasn’t said a word… at least she hasn’t yet.
I run across campus after stopping to see Shannon. Tucker waits for me outside the auditorium.
“How did it go?” he asks.
“Not great,” I mutter. “She’s acting weird.”
“She knows,” he shoots back.
“Yeah. I think she wants to break up, but she hasn’t outright said it.”
“She probably wants you to make the first move.”
“But I want to be with her. I don’t want Cece.”
“She doesn’t know that,” Tucker points out.
“Maybe I should say something.”
Tucker shrugs as we enter the classroom. “I’m not having much luck with women lately, so I might not be the best person to ask for relationship advice.”
I laugh at his comment. “You’re the last person I would ask.”
Instead of taking our usual seats in the back row, he strolls down the center aisle toward the professor. He never interacts with professors unless he’s begging for a handout. It’s the first day of class, so he has no reason to grovel so soon.
Tuck barely passes his classes. Somehow he has managed to con enough girls and professors to help him out over the years. Last semester, he roped Trent into his mess and got both of them suspended for two games. I’m sure this semester he thinks he’ll cheat off me… if I let him.
Tucker exchanges a few words with the pretty blonde who must be the teaching assistant. She looks familiar. I think I’ve seen her on campus before. After she hands him our syllabus, he passes one of the papers to me, and we head back to our usual row.
Once we’re seated, I elbow him in the side. “Do you know the TA?”
Uncrossing his arms from my chest, he lowers his legs to the floor and snaps his head in my direction. “Yeah, she’s the girl who wouldn’t tutor me last semester.”
I laugh. “You fucked your teacher.”
“Teaching assistant,” he corrects.
“Same difference. She’s the one who’s grading our tests and assignments. You better hope she doesn’t take her anger out on you.”
His nose wrinkles in disgust. “I doubt she’ll do that.”
My cell phone dings with a message from Shannon. Staring down at the screen, I type back a response. “I hope not.”
I’m in the middle of talking to Shannon when a few cell phones in the room beep at the same time. I know the sound all too well. Everyone knows what it means.
The Queen is back.
Tucker removes his phone from his pocket and sucks in a deep breath. He’s been the prime target of The Queen. Last month, she called out Drake for sending dick pics to girls on campus which took the focus off the rest of us. But with January comes a new month and a new year of humiliation.
