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Dean: I haven’t seen Jack yet. He’s still at the field. I’m home alone with the chick now.
Melissa: Shut up! What’s she like? Do you like her?
Dean: Fake. And NO.
Melissa: LOL. Good. Well, I just wanted to make sure you got there. And I might miss you.
Dean: I might miss you too.
Melissa: :) See you when you get back. Don’t forget to wear your shirt.
Dean: I have it right here.
I pulled the Team Cassie shirt from my bag, wondering how I was going to put it on without Jack seeing and getting pissed off. After deciding that I’d figure that out later, I tossed it onto the floor.
Whether I was truly tired, or maybe it was out of boredom, I wasn’t sure, but I eventually did fall asleep.
The squeal of a car peeling out of the garage startled me awake at one point. But when I pulled open my door and yelled for Jack, there was no response. I shouted for Chrystle too, but the house was quiet.
So I went back to bed and closed my eyes, wondering when the hell my brother would get home.
• • •
“Hey, little brother! Where are you?” Jack shouted from somewhere in the house, and he sounded happy.
Drowsy, I sat up and checked the time on my phone. It was late, and my room was dark.
I yawned as I stepped into the hallway to look for him, and called out, “What’s up?” Following the sound of his voice, I found him downstairs in the entryway.
Chrystle stood by his side as he tried to stow his equipment in the closet. She kept touching him, trying to get attention or affection from him, but he ignored her, pulled away without even looking at her. When she put her hand on his arm, he pulled back and leaned away from her. If she put her hand on his waist, he wriggled out of her touch and stepped to the side. If she reached for his hand, he balled it into a fist, unable to be held.
I watched this, amused, wondering if Jack even realized what he was doing. His reactions looked almost second nature, as if he always pulled away from her touch without thinking twice.
“Can I talk to you out back?” he asked me, ignoring her.
Chrystle faked a yawn and batted her eyelashes at him. “You won’t be long, will you, Jack?”
I realized in that moment that I really didn’t like this girl. She hadn’t done a damn thing to me, or given me a single reason to not like her, but that didn’t matter. Maybe I was being irrational, not really giving her a chance, but I didn’t care about logic. Deep down, I sensed that this girl was trouble, and I didn’t like it one bit. And my brother was going to marry her.
“Go to bed without me, Chrystle. I’ll be there soon,” Jack said, his tone clipped and rude, and my brows went up. He’d never talk to Cassie that way.
He pushed open the back door and stepped outside as I followed close behind. He walked over to one of two lawn chairs on the patio and sat down, gesturing for me to take the other.
“So,” I asked, “are you nervous about tomorrow?”
He glanced at me, his eyes hooded. “A little.” Then he turned in his seat and angled his body toward me. “Listen. Did you know Cassie’s here?”
I leaned back into my chair in shock, the weight of his words hitting me full force. “Excuse me? What do you mean, she’s here?”
“She was waiting for me in the parking lot after my game tonight.”
“Shit.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“You didn’t know? I was certain you knew.”
“I had no idea, Jack. I swear. I would have given you a heads-up or something if I knew.” I shook my head before it hit me. “Which is why, of course, they didn’t tell me.”
“They who?”
