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“What’s going on here?” I poke one on his collarbone. “You got a girlfriend you haven’t told me about?” I frown at the marks on his stomach. He’s not even eighteen yet.
He ducks his head, and his cheeks flush. “Ah, no. No girlfriend. Just uh…fooled around with a girl at a party.”
I was probably doing the same thing when I was his age, or worse. “She go to your school?”
He shakes his head. “She and her friends come to a lot of our games, and they end up at our parties sometimes.”
“So it was a one-time thing?” I prod. It’s unsettling to think he’s already into meaningless hookups.
He shrugs. “Probably. I, uh…I kinda liked one of her friends, but uh…this girl started chatting me up. Some of them have had sex with, like, half the team. It’s like…” He runs a hand down his face, and his knee bounces a few times. “I don’t know. Kinda fucked up, I guess. But you know what that’s like. Girls are always after you.”
“It can be overwhelming.” And exhausting. Especially with a best friend like Flip.
Brody nods, chewing his bottom lip. “Everyone was hooking up, and she was all over me ’cause my stats are high this year. Plus, she knows you’re my brother. So, yeah. She was kinda pushy and aggressive.” He runs his hands over the bite marks on his abs. “But I got a BJ out of it, so I guess that’s cool, right?”
I don’t know if he’s seeking my approval or what. We have a different relationship. I’m his brother, but I’ve always sort of functioned like a second parent, too, so I feel compelled to keep asking questions. “Were you into her?”
He shrugs again, removing the rest of his gear, apart from his boxer briefs. “She was all right. She just wanted to fuck around.”
“Did you want to fuck around with her?” There’s something off. Maybe it’s the way he can’t quite make eye contact.
“Like I said, I was kinda into her friend, but that’s not gonna happen now, so it’s whatever.” He slaps his thighs. “Anyway, if this can stay between us, that’d be great.”
“Yeah, it can stay between us. You’re being safe, though, right? Using condoms, making sure you have consent?”
“I didn’t have sex with her. She wanted to, but I said I didn’t have a condom, so she blew me instead. I got her off first, though.” He pushes off the bench. “I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
He disappears into a stall and pulls the curtain closed. I’m glad he feels comfortable talking to me. It’s a hard balance, keeping his confidence as his brother, but wanting to make sure our dad isn’t totally out of the loop.
I offer to take him out for lunch, but he has plans to meet a couple of his teammates, so we do drive-thru and I drop him off at home.
“Thanks for hanging out with me this morning, Tris.”
I squeeze his shoulder. “No problem, Brod.”
“I’ll see you next week at my game?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there.”
He hops out of the passenger seat and grabs his gear from the trunk. He raps on the window and waves, turning toward the house.
I roll the window down as he crosses the lawn. “Hey, Brody.”
He pauses. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
He gives me a questioning look. “Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Just making sure. Have a good week.”
All the way home, I think about the conversation with my brother. I remember what it was like to be his age, all hormones and testosterone. Someone always wanted to fool around. If I wanted action, I could get it. And even if I didn’t, it was still available. I consider all the times Flip and I have gone to the bar. He buys me a shot and cajoles me into taking someone home. A few times I’ve pawned the girl off on him, if she seemed like she didn’t care who she ended up under. Or if I thought my brand of sex wouldn’t be her jam. Flip is always down for multiple partners.
His antics have been splashed across the internet for everyone to see, including my brother. And I’ve been directly involved since we’ve been playing on the same team, so I’m sure Brody’s seen me doing body shots and who the hell knows what else. He looks up to me. Was he seeking my approval? I really fucking hope not. I’ve never brought anyone home to meet my dad or my brothers because they’ve never lasted long enough. Three months is my cap. I get bored easily, so I always bow out before things get serious.
Later that day, I hit the gym to work out with Dallas and Roman. Flip is with one of his semi-regular hookups. He told me he was pretty sure he could get her to bring a friend along, if I was interested. But I wasn’t. When we’re done, I just want to go home. Huff Beat’s shampoo. Maybe push her buttons if she’s around. Getting a rise out of her is my favorite thing. Though seeing her cry is still shredding me.
