âYou sure about this?â I asked Mara as she was waiting to help the guys to their car. Labrowski, who was sober, drove it to our house and she was taking it to the Alpha Mu house. From there, the plan was to get Miles into his car and she would drive back to their place.
âMiles will wake up enough to transfer cars and weâll all be good.â She moved a little closer to me, looking up at me. âWhen does your bus leave tomorrow?â
âWe need to be at the arena by ten.â
âThought you guys usually fly in the night before a game?â
âWe do. This timeâs the exception.â
She nodded, taking me in, lingering on my mouth.
Things had changed with us, but things had been changing for a while. I wasnât really sure where to go, but I was going to let Mara take the lead, at least for a bit. Her face flickered before clearing up and she stepped backwards, away from me. âSounds good. Get some rest. Gotta make sure you win tomorrow.â
Right. Win tomorrow. Thatâs how she was doing this?
âYeah. Thanks.â
The guys were ready, waving from the car, so Mara took off. Atwater stepped up behind me, eating another slice of pizza before pointing at the car with it. âThought sheâd be staying tonight?â
Yeahâ¦
I knew too much.
I knew about her mom. Had met her mom. Now I knew her friends. Saw her ex in person. Her old life and this life were together, and I saw it all. She was all the way exposed.
Was that right? Was I getting that right?
Most girls would eat this shit up, but Mara was different. She told me earlier sheâd usually run from situations like this.
I sighed. âNo, man. Not tonight.â
He grunted.
Labrowski had shut down the kitchen. All the lights were off. It was just Atwater waiting for me, and he started up the stairs. Everything was locked up.
It was after I came back from the bathroom before the text came through.
I dropped to my bed, expelling a ragged breath.
Her text came in ten minutes later.
We were both lying. We wouldnât be talking later, and both of us knew it.