Scoring Wilder(56)

"I think you should tell Liam because he has the right to know about what’s going on."

"Yes, god, I know that. I just don't want to get him involved if I don't have to. He has enough on his plate without adding this, too."

"What about you?" Becca pointed out. "You have just as much on your plate.”

She had a point, but then I glanced at my clock. 11:00 P.M. Too late for a phone call considering I had practice at 6:00 A.M. the next day, right? That's what I told myself.



Kinsley: Yes, but we shouldn't meet before practice. Don't want to be suspicious.

Liam: What about after?

Kinsley: I have that interview.



He didn’t bother texting back. A moment later, his number illuminated my screen and I panicked. I swiped my finger across the screen and flew into my closet, shutting the door behind me. I felt like a secret agent. Albeit a very amateur one.

"Hello?" I asked, not even bothering to turn the closet light on.

"Kinsley, tell me what's going on. How did Tara find out?" He sounded tired.

I sank down onto the carpet and pushed back behind the clothes so that they fell in front of me like a curtain.

"She and a few other people saw us go into your room at one of your parties and she said it was clear we'd just had sex. Coach Davis told me to stay away from you and I didn't listen."

Liam didn't speak right away. I could hear his steady breathing and then he finally groaned. "I've dealt with *s before, but she's cunning."

"Yeah, well you can tell her how ‘cunning’ she is when we're both kicked off our teams."

"I won't let that happen, Kinsley. Tara is the not the end-all be-all. She can’t do shit to me, and I won’t let her touch your career. Let's just cover our bases at practice. Act normal and try to deal with Tara's shit for a few more days. I'll get everything figured out."

I nodded in the darkness.

“Sounds good, Coach.”

He laughed. “I’m sorry our relationship is such a f*cked-up mess.”

“Hey! It’s our f*cked-up mess, okay?” I joked.

“Do you remember when I asked if you regretted us?” he asked.

I smiled at the memory. “Yes. I said I’d let you know in a few weeks.”

“Have you made your mind up?”

Of course, I’d made up my mind. I didn’t regret us for a single moment— not even when my hand had slipped into some questionable fluids in the field house bathroom that morning.

“Nah. I think I need a few more weeks to think about it still.”

“You’re just stringing me along, Kins.”

I laughed. “Gotta keep you on your toes.” Then I thought of something that had been bothering me all day.

“You know, I don’t really understand what Tara has to gain from all of this. I’d understand if I was vying for her position or something, but I’m not. She made Emily cry today.”

He sighed. “She hit on me last year at a party. Well, she did it a few times, but she finally came straight out and laid her invitation on the table. Obviously, I turned her down. I don't know if she's still pissed about that or not."

"Ew. Ew. Ew. I do not want to picture you and Tara together."

"There was no together.”

“She’s like the villain in a Disney movie.”

He laughed. “Worse.”

I smiled for the fiftieth time since I’d answered his phone call, which brought my grand total of smiles for the day to fifty-one, because I was smiling then thinking about smiling.

"Can we talk about something else before I go to bed? I don't want to dream about her."

"My mom is visiting in a few weeks," he said.

"Oh really? Where does she live?"

"England. My dad relocated for work when I was young.”

“Ah.”

“She is coming in for one of my games. I'd like you to meet her."

I sucked in a breath of air. "Oh god, that was your way of calming me down before bed? Casually dropping the fact that I'll have to impress your mom in a few weeks?" I laughed.

"My mom is awesome and laid-back. You don't have to earn her approval. You'll already have it if I like you."

"Ooohh, so you like, like me?"

"I like you, like you."

"Do you like me more than M&Ms?"

"How do you know I like M&Ms?"

I laughed, thinking back to the drive-in movie. "Last night you inhaled the entire bag before I could even take some."

He chuckled into the phone. "Ah, my M&M blinders were on. Excuse my poor manners."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Kinsley, I've never liked any girl more than I like M&Ms."

I laughed and let my head fall back against the wall. "Am I getting close?" I joked.

"I'd say I like you more than regular M&Ms, but you're going to have to really step it up if you want to beat out peanut M&Ms."

"I have a tough road ahead of me."

"I think you can do it," he joked, and I smiled against the phone.

"Challenge accepted."