Songs for Cricket by Laine, E. (best books to read in your 20s TXT) 📗

to suck to stay on the team,” I told him.

“I’ll kill him.”

August made an abrupt turn. I snagged his arm with my right hand and used my left to slap the locker room door, shoving it open.

“Don’t,” I warned.

August stopped in the hall. “Wait a minute. You told me to keep my shit together with Billy. But then you go lights out on Bryant, and I can’t do shit?”

He had a point.

“Coach just dressed me down and all but told me I could lose my scholarship. And I’d be kicked off the team. Both of us don’t have to be in trouble. Besides, Devon’s learned his lesson.”

I kept walking, not sure where I was going but ended up near the escalators.

“And I’m just supposed to sit tight and not break every bone in Bryant’s body?”

“Exactly.”

“Good job,” Coop said, slapping my back after catching up to us. “I would have been more subtle, but it worked.”

Cooper was the last person to get into a fight; though he’d have our backs if we needed him. He was the kind to do shit like slit the bottom of your backpack so when you put it on, all your shit fell out.

“Bryant is a dead man walking,” August said.

Then I spotted Finley to the left and got on the escalator down to meet her. She wasn’t alone; though the girl hung back just out of earshot as we met midway. I noticed August perk up.

The girl was small but extremely pretty. It wasn’t hard to imagine why Cooper’s tongue nearly hung out of his mouth, which was a surprise. He was usually indifferent to everyone around.

“Are you okay?” I asked Finley.

August moved forward to hug his sister, but she held up a hand.

“I’m fine.” She pointed at the eldest of them. “I don’t need my big brother to embarrass me like I’m some delicate flower. Besides, I’m more worried about you.”

“Wait, you’re the hugger,” he said, pouting.

She ignored him and swung those big hazel eyes of hers up to me. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

Her concern weighed heavily in her gaze.

“The warning kind,” I said, not wanting to tell her all of it.

She nodded and turned to wave the girl over.

“Guys, this is Tori. She’s the Freshman ambassador. She came to see how things were going with me. I told her all is well.”

There was heavy emphasis in the last part of what she’d just said and in the look she targeted at each one of us.

August was the first with a hand out. “I’m August—”

“Farrow,” Tori finished.

She’d done her homework.

“Nice to meet you.” Their handshake was brief, and she turned to Cooper, who was a little pink in the cheeks from her attention. “You must be Cooper.”

Their greeting was a little longer, and Cooper seemed reluctant to let go of her hand. I extended mine as she faced me.

“I’m Shepard Connelly.”

“Yes, you lived with them.”

She had done her research.

“Yes,” I said.

Her light brown eyes held mine, and I detected interest. August must have picked up on it too because he groaned.

“Well, I should be going,” she began and reached in a folder, pulling out a small card. “You can give me a call if you need anything, or I’d be happy to give you all a tour if you haven’t already had one.”

Unlike Lacey, there was something about Tori. She wasn’t Finley, but maybe she was the answer to getting over a girl I couldn’t have.

I tapped the card in my palm. “Yeah, a tour would be cool.”

She nodded and said her goodbyes to Finley before exiting through the automated front doors.

When I turned my head forward again, everyone was staring at me.

“Tour, you lucky bastard,” August said with a huge smirk on his face.

My gaze landed on Finley. She just rolled her eyes without a hint of jealousy, only annoyance sparked there.

Move on, Shep. She doesn’t want you. She likes Billy. I clenched my jaw as I held my aggravation in. It was time to move on.

13

finley

A week had passed fast. It was a warm night. I stared up at the sky watching the stars as the melody of the night serenaded me.

I glanced over when the door opened, and Finn rolled out. I hadn’t seen much of him. He was busy preparing for his class and working on his research. He had more of a life than I did.

“Oh,” he said in surprise.

“You expected to be alone?” I teased.

“No, actually I thought you were Shepard.”

My forehead wrinkled. “Why Shep?”

“He comes out at night and plays.”

So that was where he’d been doing it. I’d missed his music.

“When I heard someone come out and didn’t hear notes, I thought maybe he’d want to talk,” he continued.

I wondered where Shep was on this Friday night. Then again, he was probably out with August finding girls or with Lacey. “Why are you out here this late?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” I admitted.

He gave me a thoughtful smile.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

I had a million I wanted to ask him. I envied how comfortable he was in his own skin. I felt like such a fish out of water in most situations where there was a confidence about him I wished he could bottle and give to me.

“How’s being on the football team going?”

The week had gone by in a blur. “Good.”

“No problems. None of the guys have given you any trouble?”

“No.” Then I corrected myself. “Not really. Most of the guys seem fine with me.”

It had been hard learning the routine of the morning workout. And no shocker, football practice was far more grueling than soccer practice. I’d thought I’d been in shape. But I had mad respect for the sport, especially with all the aches my muscles felt.

“Did you play on your high school team?” he asked.

“No. When I was little, Mom fought my dad to let me play flag football with my brothers. As we got older, when my brothers began playing tackle, Dad wouldn’t allow me to participate. Somehow Mom