“Laila told me you moved. Did you move here? To Dallas?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you’re missed.”
“I know what you’re doing,” I say evenly.
He lowers his head with a smile and kicks at the ground. “My flirting isn’t very subtle, is it?”
Flirting? “Not that. I’m talking about you and your friends using your abilities to get ahead.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “And?”
Anger surges through me. “And it’s wrong.”
“So you’re saying you’ve never used your ability to help yourself?”
“I don’t hurt people.”
“Neither do I,” he says.
“That’s right, you just stand back and let your friends do the dirty work while you reap the benefits. I don’t get it. What’s in it for them?”
Duke’s perfect eyebrows lower, and I’m distracted by the notion that he must pluck them. “What are you talking about?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’m talking about how one by one your competition is falling down around you and you’ll be the only good quarterback left standing. Congratulations, your plan is working. I hope your victory feels as hollow as your heart. But at least you’ll have your pick of colleges, right?”
Duke’s smile has fallen and has been replaced by a look of shock. “What?”
“Don’t try to deny it. I heard you telling your buddy that all he has to do is influence emotions a little.”
“Yeah, emotions are influenced, but not for the reasons you’re claiming. It just makes the competition less aggressive, a little more relaxed. It’s not meant to hurt anyone, just to keep me from getting sacked.” If my dad were here, I know he’d tell me that Duke is lying. “Listen. Let’s talk about this. Can I buy you a burger or something?”
All I want to do is punch Duke in the stomach on Trevor’s behalf, and he wants to buy me a burger? “No.”
“Addison?” I whirl around to see Trevor standing in the wide corridor. The guys stare at each other, and I panic. I walk quickly toward Trevor.
“Call me sometime, Addie,” Duke says from behind me. Now I want to punch him in the stomach for my own reasons. I keep walking, grab Trevor’s hand, and lead him away. His hand is warm and strong, and I don’t let it go even when we’re outside.
“What was that all about? Do you … know him?”
If I’m ever going to tell him the truth about where I’m from, now would be the perfect time. “No. I don’t. I was just trying to find stuff out, you know, spy. For Rowan.”
I’m trying to walk as fast as possible, but Trevor slows down, and I’m forced to slow down with him.
“And?”
“And what?”
He squeezes my hand. “Did you find out anything?”
Only that Rowan is right. You were injured on purpose. I want to say that so bad, but how can I when I’m not allowed to talk about abilities? I hate lying to him so much that my stomach is rebelling against me with painful cramps. “I know you said Duke is a nice guy, but I don’t see it.”
CHAPTER 25
dis-PAR-Age: v. to make someone feel stupid
Duke runs out of the locker room and picks me up in a hug. “It was so good to have you here at my game. Looking up in the stands and seeing you there made me play better.”
He is so full of crap, but it still makes me smile. “Really?”
“You’ll have to come see some of my college games next year.”
“Where will that be?”
“You tell me.”
“Funny.”
Two of Duke’s teammates come out of the locker room. One is a smaller guy whose name I don’t know, and the other is Duke’s best friend, Ray. He’s at least a head taller than Duke and twice as wide. He points at me, “Hey, Addie, you seen my future yet?”
I smile. “I haven’t been looking.”
Duke clears his throat and looks over my shoulder. I turn to see the Norm guy Laila and I had seen before—Trevor. He looks sad? Angry, maybe? “Hey, man,” Duke says. “Are you checking out my girlfriend?”
It’s dark outside, but Trevor’s face deepens a shade. “No, not at all.”
“Why not? She’s hot.”
“Stop it, Duke,” I say.
“I’m just messing with you, man.”
Trevor looks among the four of us, probably wishing he could disappear. I have a similar feeling. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Trevor says. “I just wanted to say great game tonight.”
Duke puts his hand on his own chest and says, “Thanks, man, that means a lot. How’s your shoulder doing?”
“It’s all right. Anyway, good to see you.”
When he leaves, Duke’s two teammates exchange a look and a laugh that I’m sure Trevor hears. “That wasn’t funny,” I say.
“It was a little funny,” Duke says.
They laugh again and the two of them start to walk away. “See you two later,” Ray says, over his shoulder.
“Bye, Ray,” Duke says. “See ya, Andrew.”
I stare off into the distance, where I can barely make out the dark shadow of Trevor’s retreating form. “How do you know that Trevor guy?” I ask Duke.
“Is that his name? I had completely forgotten. Was it obvious?”