What had gotten into me? Was I sick? Had the possibility of getting kicked off the team made me delusional? Whatever it was, I needed to squash it. There was no way I’d ever crush on Wren. We had too much history and not the kind that anyone wanted to relive.
She scowled.
“It’s not going to be that bad.” I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Plus, that punishment offer still stands.”
“Punishment offer? You mean like how Zack Denver punished you on the court last year? He scored on you what, seven times before the first half of the season opener?” She didn’t blink as she threw the statistic at me like nothing. “Or, punish as in when Nathan Dixon beat your free throw percentage by twenty-five points in the Sportsplex Summer Tournament?”
My eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Seriously?”
“Did I stutter?” She drummed her fingers on her opposite arm.
Heat blasted up my neck. I wish I’d had some stats to throw back at her, but I didn’t know anything about cross-country, and they certainly didn’t hand out percentages for the number of books read in one sitting.
“Let’s head to the library and get this over with,” Wren said, spinning on her heel and leaving me in the middle of the hallway.
I stood there watching her stomp away in disgust.
“Dude, what was that?”
I spun around, making eye contact with Marc. His shirt was still stained from the mashed potatoes Wren had launched at him during lunch.
“Did you get called into Principal Davis’s office?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
Marc chuckled. “Yeah, two days’ detention. I get to serve them during lunch, though, so I don’t have to miss practice. He showed me the video. I totally nailed that freshman with applesauce. Seriously, I wanted to ask him to email me a copy.” He glanced over my shoulder, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Anyways, why are you talking to Wren Carter? That girl hates you.”
I turned around as Wren yanked open the large wooden library doors and stormed inside.
“I’m not talking to her,” I said defensively. Coach’s words echoed in my ears, reminding me I needed to keep this a secret.
Marc jutted his chin out. “I totally heard you tell her she could punish you. Look, I know you and Marissa are on the outs, but how did you go from Haleigh and Lyla to Wrentainer?”
Before I could say anything, the library door flew back open and Wren stuck her head out and snapped, “Are you coming or—” She stopped talking when her eyes landed on Marc. Without another word, she disappeared back into the library.
“Ah, yeah. One second.” My heart slammed in my chest as Marc’s eyes narrowed in on mine. I hated lying to my teammate and one of my best friends.
“For real, are you seriously trying to hook up with her?” Marc asked, his left eyebrow raised. “Because she sounds like she wants to rip you a new one.”
“She’s totally into me,” I lied. “And she’s kinda hot.” At least that part is true. The words tumbled out with ease.
“What?” Marc asked. “Who are you and what did you do with Fuller James? You do know that we’re talking about Wrentainer, right? The same girl who spit her retainer at me in seventh grade?”
While I didn’t correct him, I never had to lie about hooking up with girls before. In fact, I never had to even try when it came to the opposite sex. Well, except with Wren. But it wasn’t like I’d ever tried to win her over.
“Hello?” Marc asked, waving his hands in front of my face. “Earth to Fuller.”
Straightening up, I pushed back my shoulders and cracked my neck. “My bad, I’m, ah, thinking about practice.”
“Okay, but don’t change the subject,” he persisted. “What’s the deal with you and Wren?”
I shrugged, trying to make what I was about to say as nonchalant as possible. “We have study hall together, so I figured after she did my math homework, I’d give her some one-on-one Fuller time. Maybe break in that AV room in the back. Come on, she’s a hot nerd who’s never even had a boyfriend.” I clicked my tongue and winked. “We’ll be making those stacks shake in no time.” The words came out before I could stop myself, and I immediately regretted them. Even though I was being a complete dick, I desperately needed Marc to buy my excuse to hang out with Wren.
“You are so full of it,” Marc responded.
Puffing out my chest, I stood my ground. “What, you don’t believe me?”
“Nope,” my teammate responded, shaking his head. “There’s no way you’d go after a girl like Wren. Plus, she literally hates you.”
I could feel my heartbeat ringing in my ears. “All right then, I’ll prove it.”
“Prove that Wren Carter actually likes you?” Marc asked. “How?”
“I bet you that by our first game, Wren Carter will be in the stands cheering for me.”
No, no, no. Stop it! What are you doing?
Marc rolled his eyes. “She’s always in the stands. That girl loves basketball more than ninety-nine percent of the kids at this school.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, realizing how deep I’d dug this hole. “I bet she’ll show up at the first game as my girlfriend.” Girlfriend? Why was I making things impossible for myself? “I’ll dump her in the parking lot afterward. Your consequence for losing the bet is to pick up the pieces and convince her to go to the Fall Harvest Dance with you.”
My chest tightened as the words left my mouth. Sure, I could be a cocky jerk, but I’d never do something like that to her—or anyone. Then why the heck did you just say it?
“You’re brutal,” Marc said with a chuckle.
I laughed, trying not to let my friend in on the fact that I was lying. “And you have to give me your Deadpool comic book collection.”
Marc tilted his head to the side. “Now you’re bringing Hudson into this?”
“He loves Deadpool and you know it.” Even though the bet was a terrible idea, I thought about the massive smile the comic books would bring to my little brother’s face. He always wanted to be like the superhero who could withstand any type of injury. With his diagnosis, it made sense.
“Are you chickening out?” I asked, desperate for him to back off. He loved his comic book collection. There’s no way he’d risk it and go through with this stupid bet.
“No way; this bet is too easy to walk away from. It is so on,” Marc said.
My chest constricted so tight I could barely breathe.