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My heart races as I wait for Tucker to answer my question. It’s the longest two seconds of my life, wondering if The Queen knows anything about me. For my sake, and that of my crew, I hope not. She could ruin everything for us.
Instead of Tucker, Jamie responds, “She went after me this time.”
Pointing a finger at him, my eyes widen. “You? Seriously? What did you do?”
He sucks in a deep breath and blows it out. “Technically, nothing, but it’s how it looks that’s the problem. The Queen posted a pic of Cece kissing me at the gaming convention I went to with my dad over the Christmas break.”
“She kissed you, though,” I shoot back.
He sighs. “I know. But that’s not how it looks to Shan. She fucking hates me,” he says, handing me his cell phone.
Jamie had told me about what happened at the convention, and he looked more than sorry.
Was he wrong to keep it from Shannon? Yes, probably, but I can’t judge him.
Out of fear of hurting Jade’s feelings, I probably would have debated whether or not to tell her if the situation were reversed. But still, I would have told her eventually. Jade knows almost everything about me, even the parts I keep hidden from the world.
There would be no point in concealing the truth from her. Jamie was wrong to keep it from Shannon because it only makes him look guilty. But Shannon will forgive him. I know she will. I can tell by the way she talks about him that she’s in love with him, though he may have to work his ass off to get her back.
I’m actually surprised to see Taylor Bradshaw, one of the starters for the women’s basketball team, sitting at our table with Drake. The Queen ousted him last month over his obsession with his dick. He’s literally sent pictures of it to almost every girl on campus at this point. I know Taylor from classes we’ve taken together, and she’s a no-bullshit type of girl. She must really like Drake to ignore the fact that he’s a total manwhore.
“She’ll get over it,” Taylor says, her eyes fixed on Drake. “If I can forgive this idiot…” she says, pointing at him, “… then Shannon will forgive you, too,” she tells Jamie.
Drake hooks his arm around her back and smacks a kiss on the top of her head. She smiles at him, resting her head on his shoulder. He must like her a lot more than he led on. Drake always pretends he can have any girl, and he probably can, but Taylor is the one he hasn’t stopped talking about since they met. He never mentions girls other than in passing. But with Taylor, he hasn’t shut up about her. Even the guys give him shit over her in the locker room.
“How’s it going with the tutor?” Preston asks Tucker with a mouth full of food. “You gonna pass?”
He takes a few bites of the wrap in his hand, glancing down the table at Preston. “I think so.”
“Don’t think,” Preston says. “You need to know.”
Every time Preston scolds one of my teammates, I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a family fight. Our dynamic is different from other teams because of their close personal relationships. It’s also the reason we’re so dangerous on the ice. We play like a unit, like a family, and for that reason, I have no doubt we will win another Frozen Four.
“I got it under control,” Tucker says to assure him. He’s sitting on the other side of Jamie, who he nudges in the side to gain his attention. “Any new leads on The Queen?”
Jamie shakes his head. “She’s always one step ahead of me.” He scratches the stubble along his jaw, looking more tired than I’ve ever seen him. I know he’s been up late at night on his computer, most likely searching for The Queen. I can hear him in the middle of the night cracking open cans of soda and hammering away at his keyboard. “There’s something familiar about her code,” he continues, his voice distant as if deep in thought. “I know it from somewhere, but I can’t remember how I know.”
“Dude, I don’t even know what that means. Way over my head.” Tucker snorts, holding his hand above his spiky blond hair.
“Every time I break through one of her firewalls, I get shut out again.” Jamie shakes his head, annoyed. “The bitch even wrote a virus into one of the patches.”
Jamie is so desperate to find The Queen that he’s even asked me to help him over the last few months. But I have no idea how to find her. He’s a far better hacker than me. I learned everything I know from him. I was no help, though I did point him in the direction of Maverick, a hacker we both met at a gaming convention when we were younger. I’ve sold my soul to him on several occasions to help my crew out of jams.
