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ight. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll go home and face the music. It’s not like he can see the pic again. He can’t study it and try and figure out who you are.”
“Thank Christ.” Anger boils beneath the surface, and I try to remain calm. “When you say protective—”
“He’s unreasonable. What happened years ago broke his heart. It was humiliating for the whole family.”
“Can’t you delete it?”
She swallows. “No, you can only delete text, not pictures.”
“It’s dark in here, maybe he won’t be able to make out much.”
“Except I took the picture with flash. I’m so sorry.” She gathers her bag from the floor. “I screwed up. I’ll own it. I’ll make it so you’re nowhere near this.”
I bite the inside of my cheek so hard my eyes water.
“Lance, I’m sorry.”
“Just go, Harper.”
“Please don’t hate me.”
“I don’t, but you need to go. This could ruin my whole season and all of my plans.”
“I meant to tell you…”
“But you fucking didn’t,” I seethe and see the hurt in her eyes. I’m seconds from an explosion and don’t trust myself.
“No,” she wipes a tear off her cheek and sniffles. “I didn’t. I wanted to keep you to myself a little longer.”
“Didn’t keep you from bragging about it, huh? I know it wasn’t your intention to broadcast, but it doesn’t make you much better than the others.”
Her eyes flare. “Don’t you dare.”
“You need to go before I say something else I know I’ll regret.”
She shakes her head, her eyes refilling. “I’m sorry, Lance.”
“Just go.”
“Don’t do anything, okay? I’m going to go feel them out, maybe I can get to their phones before they view it and then it will be like nothing ever happened.”
“Except I just deflowered my coach’s daughter.”
Tears stream down her cheeks. “You want to erase that too?”
“Harper, you purposefully deceived me. What do you want me to say?”
“I want you not to have meant that. But you did. Don’t worry,” her voice cracks along with my chest at the devastation on her face, but I’m too angry to stop her from leaving. “I’ll make it disappear on my side. I’m sorry,” she whispers one last time before closing the door.
Harper
Creeping down the stairs of the house Lance rents with two other guys, I’m safely at the front door and nearly sigh in relief.
“Hey.”
Jumping back, I turn towards the source and see Troy fucking Jenner, the wide receiver for TGU sitting at the kitchen table. He’s kicked back in his seat, playing with a beer cap, a bottle in one hand, his eyes on the deck just outside the door. The moon lights up his face clearly, though I know I’m safely shrouded in the dark. Troy is devastatingly handsome and for some reason I know if he were to look my way, he would see right through me. He’s lost in his own head. I don’t bother replying, but haul ass out of there. Once safely on the other side of the door, I sprint to my car parked on the other side of the street, praying I don’t hit any other landmines. In the driver’s seat, I start up my Toyota and glance up at Lance’s window. He’s standing there, watching me. He’d thrown me out, not with malicious intent. I know I deserved it. I’d kept my identity from him in a way. I wonder if he would have entertained me at all if he had known. Then again, with how pissed he is, I guess I got my answer.
When it comes to women and ball, the alphabet wins. The B always comes first. And for once, I let myself get lost in the moment, and this game already cost us both. He disappears from the window as I drive away.
