Pivot Point (Pivot Point, #1)(53)

“We will be infiltrating their student section in shifts,” Rowan continues. “So, Addie, work on your flirting, it’s lacking.”

“Hey,” I object, even though it’s true.

“Laila,” he continues, unfazed, “just walk over there, and any male with eyes will notice you.”

Laila laughs. “I like this one.” She takes his face in her hands and kisses his cheek. “He’s adorable.”

When she lets go, Rowan loses his balance and lands on his backside, a goofy grin on his face, and a red lip print on his cheek. “So we’ll start after kickoff.” Instead of taking a seat next to Laila, like I expect him to do at this point, he scurries off.

“Speaking of all bark and no bite,” Trevor says.

“Well, Laila is both, so he’d better watch out.”

The band starts to play, and I turn to Laila and say in her ear, “Rowan may want to do his infiltrate-the-student-section mission that we both know is going to result in nothing.…”

She nods.

“But I want to do some real digging. Later I’m going to sneak into the locker room and spy on some conversations. You think you can cover for me?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks.” The band’s tune changes to a marching beat, and the football team runs out.

Laila claps her hands and whispers, “Duke’s almost here.”

After our team runs through a banner and the tunnel of cheerleaders to loud cheers from the crowd, Lincoln High’s football players barrel out. Duke runs to midfield, points up at the stands like he’s some sort of rock star, and then bows. Bows!

“Oh, brother,” I mutter.

“Not a fan?” Trevor asks.

“Not at all.”

“He’s actually a pretty nice guy.”

My head whips toward Trevor. “You know him? I mean, off-the-field know him?”

“Yeah, we were both at this All-American awards banquet thing. They sat us at the same table. We spent like four hours together making fun of all the awards. To ourselves, of course.” He nods down to the field. The teams are now at their own benches, getting ready for the first play of the game. “He’s really good. I understand why he’d bow.”

No amount of greatness can make me understand that level of cockiness. “Did you ever bow?”

“I was never that good.”

“But you were at the same awards banquet. You must’ve been one of the best. Maybe this year you would’ve been better than him.”

He shrugs. “Doesn’t help to waste my time thinking about would’ve-beens.”

Laila whispers, “He says to the girl with a mind full of them.”





CHAPTER 23


in?com?PA?RA?ble: adj. unequaled in greatness My dad looks older than I remember him looking. Tired. Even his smile seems strained. “Hi, baby. I’ve missed you.” He gives me a hug.

“Is everything okay?”

“Work is just keeping me busy.”

I tilt my head, trying to decide if “busyness” is a good enough excuse for the stress he’s trying to hide with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re here.” He turns me sideways and grabs my blue strip of hair. “So this is what has your mom worried?”

“Yeah,” Laila says, coming up the walk with our bags, which my dad immediately takes from her. “Isn’t it awesome, Mr. C?”

“Awesome isn’t exactly the word I was thinking of, but it’s far from Future Crime Lord.”

“Exactly,” I say with a sigh. “She grounded me over it.”

“As she should’ve,” he says with a smirk, making me know he just has to say that as a responsible adult but doesn’t really mean it. I’ve missed him so much.

“We hate to show up and then run, but we’re going to catch the football game.”

“No worries. I know you came for the game. You’re all mine tomorrow though.”

“For sure.”

He shows me to a room that looks more sterile than a hospital and says, “I know it’s kind of plain, but it’s yours for whenever you visit, so feel free to put up your comics pictures and stuff.”

“Thanks, Dad. I will.” He starts to leave, and I stop him with, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

He chuckles. “I’m fine, Addie.”

As Laila and I get ready in front of the cramped bathroom mirror, she asks, “Did you and Duke do any more surveillance last night at Poison’s house?”

“No, we didn’t have time. Why, did you?”

“Yes. But it was nothing different from last time. Just druggies going in and out. Is it weird to you that half the druggies are teenagers?”

I go over my hair with a straightener, wondering if I should’ve reverted back to curls for the wetter air. It’s already a little frizzy. “I know. I found that odd as well. I don’t know why, but I guess I thought our classmates were smarter than that.”

She adds some black eyeliner under her eyes. “You know what it has confirmed to me, though?”

“What?”

“That we’ve been worried over nothing. Duke feels the same, right?”