Page 20 of End Game

“Yeah?”

“Give me five minutes,” she says, hurrying into action. She leaps off the couch and disappears into her room, the door slamming shut behind her.

The sacrifices we make for friendship.

She reappears a few minutes later, now wearing short shorts and a Newton Athletics t-shirt. Her hair is pulled back into a jaunty, glossy ponytail. She’s effortlessly gorgeous, and I hate that about her.

“Ready,” she says, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

We’ve never been alone together. Since we got off to a rocky start, I’ve been giving her as wide a berth as possible, which is difficult considering we live in the same house, practice for the same team, and eat dinner together most nights.

I don’t know what to say to her. You have the hots for my best friend, but back off, he’s mine? I can’t call dibs. He’s a person, not a toy.

The walk to the arena is silent. Neither of us makes the first move to break the fragile peace. The parking lot is crowded with people tailgating. Bypassing all of them, we pay for our discounted tickets in the student section.

I presume Sam and Mason are here. Neither of them mentioned getting together, which—fine. They don’t have to include me. I’m not Barrett’s girlfriend. They have their own friends, their own lives. I don’t think they’re purposely excluding me. It probably didn’t even occur to them that I would want to sit with either of them, the only people I know aside from the soccer team.

We pick seats right on the forty yard line, halfway back in the student section. It’s breezy. I’m glad I brought that jacket with me.

“Dee! Diana!” I turn to find Mason sitting two rows behind us with her friends. “Come sit with me!”

Without looking at my companion, I dutifully get up and move, and Johanna follows me. Mason lets out a cheer and throws her arms around me. “You made it!”

“Hey, girl,” I say with an easy smile. “Thanks for finding me.”

Johanna frowns.

I clear my throat. “This is Johanna. She’s on the team with me.”

“I’m the captain,” she announces unnecessarily.

Mason’s smile is tight. “How great for you.”

“This is Mason. She’s dating Tucker—I don’t even know his last name?”

She turns around and I catch sight of the name Kingsley on her back.

“This is my first game as a WAG,” she admits, like she’s afraid to let us know.

Johanna blinks. “What’s a WAG?”

“Wife and girlfriend,” I answer. “There’s a certain… status that comes with being the partner of a college football star like Tuck.”

Mason gives a self-conscious laugh. “I was the high school girlfriend. Being the college girlfriend is different.”

“You’ve got this,” I tell her. “Tuck loves you.”

“Oh, I know, I know,” she assures me quickly. “It’s just… it’s weird. Everything’s the same, and yet it’s so different at the same time.”

“I know what you mean. I haven’t been to any of Barrett’s college games. And now it’s his senior season.”

Mason’s eyes are bright. “He could use someone on his side. From what King’s said, his parents are…”

“Not coming,” I finish tightly.

They never came to his high school games. They didn’t go to Dougie’s hockey games, either. The Zhang’s were delightfully uninvolved in their sons’ lives. It’s one of the reasons Barrett and I had so many sleepovers in high school. If it wasn’t academic or related to their social calendar, they didn’t care. Athletics were beneath their radar.

Mason inclines her head. “Yeah, from what I’ve heard… yikes.”