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My lips form a puckered smile as I hold in my laugh. She’s really adorable right now, and while I was a tad nervous about coming in here and doing this, I’m nowhere nearly as terrified as she is. But I can tell she wants it.
“I tell you what,” I say, leaning to one side and pulling my wallet from my front pocket. I crack it open and pull out the forty bucks I took off of Chuck playing pool tonight then set it on top of the old uniforms still inside the bin. “What if I pay for it? Make a donation. And maybe one day Pete, who we both know is the only person who knows these exist, will clean house and find himself a tip. Which we both know he deserves.”
She blinks a few times, I hope considering it. She gives one more glance over her shoulder, which sets my laugh free, and when she looks bat at me she flails her hand at the open bin and says, “Do it!”
I grin, proud of her for giving into something she wants, even when it means breaking a rule. I kind of hope she pieces that together a little and starts to apply it to other things in her life, like me.
I drop the cash under the lid and snap it closed. It’s a little harder to put it back in place and it takes me a few missed attempts before I balance it in my palm and step on the shelf to slip it back in place. I take the jacket from Laney and roll it up with the pants then tuck it under my jersey. Laney isn’t quite convinced it’s canceled enough so she convinces me to tuck in my jersey so it looks like I have a lumpy beer belly. If it makes her feel better, fine. But there’s no way this is less suspicious.
We slip back out of the room and I lock it up swiftly, stuffing my keys into my pocket and grabbing hold of Laney’s hand. She squeezes my palm and starts to pick up the pace, which again seems more suspicious to me, but I let her have this. We’re nearly free when one of the football players I shoot hoops with sometimes pops out of the men’s room and basically runs into us.
“Hey, Cutter. Good to see you. What’s up?” Darren and I lived on the same floor freshman year and he was one of the few guys who was willing to put in extra lifting time. We bonded.
“Nothing much, man. You know, start of the season and I’m exhausted.”
We both nod and his gaze drifts to Laney, who I know he knows becauseeverybodyknows Laney. She doesn’t realize just how big her star is around this place. But maybe I can show her otherwise if she gives me time.
“Hey, I’m Darren,” he says, and I sense his game shifting. He’s trying to be suave, and I admire his effort, but he doesn’t have a nineteen-ninety-five tracksuit stuffed in his shirt, so he can game all he wants, I still win this round.
“Nice to meet you. Laney,” she says, taking his hand.
“Yeah, I know. You’re pretty badass. How’s the shoulder?” Darren rolls his arm in a circle to emphasize his obvious question. He’s crashing and burning, and I can’t help but chuckle.
“What? She hurt her shoulder. I was just?—”
“Illustrating?” Laney adds.
Darren sucks his lips into a tight, straight line.
“I’m cleared to play. I’m at middle this year. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I’m starting Thursday.” Laney hugs my bicep when she breaks the news to me, and Darren’s eyes zero in on the intimate touch then nods.
“Nice, I don’t know what middle is but I know you hit the ball hard,” he responds, his eyes lingering on Laney’s connection to me for an extra beat before his gaze shifts back to her face.
“Well, I’ll catch you later. Maybe after the bowl games we can pick up some more hoops.” He moves past me and glances down at my gut. “You’re putting on a few.”
I shake with a nervous laugh then flatten my free hand on my contraband.
“Hey, in-season athletes have to eat.”
He points at me as he walks backward a few steps then turns to head back into the film meeting.
“Let’s go!” I whisper shout, suddenly a little less confident about this whole plan.
We speed walk the rest of the way and sprint when we hit the main doors, not stopping until we’re both tugging on the door handles and climbing into my Jeep. I rip the pants and jacket roll out from under my jersey and toss it on Laney’s lap.
“He thought that was your belly!” she teases.
“Yeah, well, he also thought you were into him for about ten seconds, so let’s not split hairs.” I roll my eyes and roar the engine to life, shifting into reverse then drive like I’m in an actual getaway situation. When I realize it’s been more than a minute of silence, I glance at Laney and catch her staring at me with a smug bend to her lips.
That sounded jealous. Because it was.
Rather than get into it, I flash my gaze to the rearview mirror then quickly adjust my hands to a perfect ten and two and sit up tall.
“Oh shit!” I say.
Laney twists in her seat and scans the road behind us, and after a few seconds I start to laugh. She turns her attention back to me, and that smug grin has been replaced with an I’m-about-to-punch-you glare.
“Just kidding,” I say, pulling up to the red light before our street. Laney smacks my arm with a little bit of muscle and I wince, even though it didn’t really hurt.
