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I shifted, feeling my dick harden just from thinking about it. Fuck me. I needed to get my mind off her. But apparently her pussy was my kryptonite. Because any time I attempted to get with another girl, nothing fucking happened. Nothing. My dick wanted nothing to do with any girl that wasn’t her. It was a problem I’d never had before, and it was driving me absolutely insane.
“Good afternoon.” The dean of the college greeted everyone. He held the microphone and paused, waiting for silence. “You all know why we’re here, so I’m not going to waste time on a speech. Let’s give a round of applause for Coach Adams.”
Everyone started cheering when my Uncle Jack strode across the stage and took the mic from the dean. In other schools, girls’ sports might not be as big a deal as boys. But here in Braidwood, both the basketball teams were held in the same regard. It was the reason we did everything together. Our teams might play separate games, but we were seen as one. Their games were always as crowded as ours.
“We are very excited about this season,” my uncle said. “We have some amazing seniors returning from last year, and some new talent that joined our team this year. First, I’d like to welcome our team captain and point guard, Briella Howard.”
The cheering increased when Bri stepped onto the stage and took a seat behind Jack. He continued to call the next three girls who would be starting in the games. I leaned forward in my seat when he hesitated before calling the next name. My uncle was never one to get nervous when it came to anything about basketball.
“Next is our new shooting guard.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “She is new to this school but not this town.”
Eli glanced at me as River straightened in his seat. Was Jack about to out Kat’s real name? Maybe our parents figured out she had been going by her fake name. I knew it wouldn’t last all year, but I figured they wouldn’t have found out for a few more weeks. Kat had been enjoying the anonymity. She was going to hate this.
“Kat started the year wanting to get to know her teammates without the pressure of what her last name offers.” Jack glanced at me. “But no matter what the back of her jersey says, she is an exceptional player and teammate. Please welcome Katalina Whitman.”
The gym erupted in quiet murmurs as everyone watched Kat walk to the stage. I didn’t know if half the campus even knew about Kat. She’d been gone so long that most probably had no idea the Whitman family had a daughter our age. But her last name was everywhere on campus and in this town. They knew what the name meant.
My heart hammered as I waited for her to turn around so I could see her expression. She slowly climbed the steps before going to sit next to Bri. Her hair hid her face until she brushed it back. Shock hit me when I saw her wide smile. Her teammates began clapping and shooting her supportive grins.
River relaxed, slumping back in his chair as he chuckled. “Smart girl. She took it into her own hands and revealed herself before you two could fuck it up.”
He was right. Her team obviously already knew, and everyone else in the auditorium followed the team’s lead and started clapping. Although there were more curious stares than excitement. Kat glanced at us, and her smile became mocking before she turned her attention back to Bri.
Eli and I had no immediate plans to out her real name. It had made it easier for us. Messing with a girl on campus was no big deal. But messing with another founding family would make us the center of attention. The families were known to be a tight-knit community. Kat just ensured that we couldn’t touch her in public.
And the stunt Eli pulled in practice the other day made him look like a bigger dick now that everyone knew who she was. I turned to see Eli glaring at her with his jaw clenched. He knew it too. And if it got back to Richard, he was going to get bitched at for it.
Jack called out the rest of the team, and once they were all seated on the stage, our coach took the microphone. Eli was called first, followed by me. I gritted my teeth when River came next. I knew he would be starting games. He was an ass, but he was great at basketball. Once both teams had been called, our coach made a little speech before the cheerleaders ran onto the stage. The energy was contagious as everyone cheered.
Even with everything going on, I was still excited about the season. It would be our last one before real life started, and I was going to try to enjoy it. The rally ended and everyone began flooding the exits, half of them probably heading to the bonfire even though the sun hadn’t even set yet.
We filed off the stage, and Kat kept herself between Bri and Abigail as they headed out of the gym. I frowned, seeing two men in suits waiting near the back of the stage. Once Eli got close to them, they got his attention. I strode to them, my guard rising. This was feeling oddly familiar and not in a fucking good way.
“Sorry, this is private.” One of the men tried shooing me away.
“He stays,” Eli snapped, looking as tense as I felt. “What’s this about?”
The man glanced at his partner before pulling out a badge. My heart sank, realizing this wasn’t the Braidwood police. No, these men were from the state. We had connections there too, but not like we did in our own town. These two men were seasoned. Both had to be in their sixties. The one who pulled out a badge had white hair with a matching mustache. His skin was peppered with age marks, but his blue eyes were still laser sharp.
“We have a warrant to search your basketball locker,” he said, his voice stern. “There was a reliable tip that you’re selling drugs.”
Eli’s eyes darkened as his lips pressed into a thin line. Dread lined my gut as I stood next to him. A few of our teammates were lingering behind us, trying to hear what was going on.
“I don’t sell shit.” Eli’s voice was barely controlled.
“From your record, this isn’t the first time you’ve been accused of this,” the detective stated, all business. “We know who you are, Mr. Perry. Your name can only protect you so much.”
“Then you know I won’t be saying anything until I see my lawyer.”
“Of course. But we still have a warrant to search your locker. Right now. You can wait for your lawyer if you’d like, but we aren’t waiting. And if you don’t open it for us, we’ll cut off the lock.”
Memories flooded me as Eli stiffly began walking toward the gym. I kept his pace, staying right next to him.
“You’re fine,” I muttered in a low voice. “They couldn’t do shit last year. They can’t now.”
“She’s fucking done,” Eli hissed, his eyes meeting mine. “She got away with it when she wasn’t here, but she’s back now. I can’t believe she’d pull this shit again.”
I couldn’t believe it either. She was able to do it when we had no idea where she was. But for her to do this now…it was stupid. She was smarter than that. I took a deep breath as the detectives followed us into the locker room. Eli spun the combo on his locker and didn’t hesitate before he stepped back once it clicked open.
