Page 48 of Cheap Shot

“And the charm and intelligence,” she added.

Jake put his hand over his heart. “I think I love you.”

“Simmer down, Romeo.” I pushed him out of the way. “Go put your bag down, then you can tell me what you’re doing here.”

Haley smiled. “I’ll let you guys catch up.”

“I’ll walk you back,” Ethan offered.

She nodded, and I stepped in front of her. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” She hesitated before opening her arms and sliding them around my waist. It took me a half-second to react, and by the time I was hugging her back, she stepped back. “I’ll see you later.”

I watched them walk out before turning to Jake. “What’s going on?”

His brows rose. “With me? What about that?” He waved his finger in my general area. “Are you hooking up with Ethan’s sister?”

I almost punched him. “No. I’m not.”

His eyes narrowed. “But you want to.”

Just one dead arm. It would be worth it.

“What are you doing here?” I repeated.

He sighed and sat on my bed. “I needed to get away.”

I dropped my head and rubbed at my temples. “Please tell me Mom and Dad know where you are.”

“Not exactly.”

I sighed. Of course not. “Where do they think you are?”

“My friend Liam’s house.”

I crossed the room and sat at Ethan’s desk. “What’s going on?”

“I just needed a break.”

“It’s a nine-hour drive, Jake. You can’t just take off like that.”

“It’s only a two-hour flight,” he muttered.

“You flew?”

He stared down at his hands in his lap. “It was only like two hundred dollars for the weekend.”

I didn’t want to know anything else. I felt like I was harboring a fugitive, and after last night, I was over my mental limit of rule-breaking.

“It’s the middle of the season. You can’t be here.”

“My flight leaves tomorrow morning. I’ll be back in time for practice.”

“What about school?” I countered.

He shrugged. “I’ll miss the first couple, but what does it even really matter at this point? I have five top universities looking at me. As long as I pass my classes, I’ll get to have my pick of where to go.”

Again, the humility of this kid was astounding. This was what happened when you grew up knowing you were the superstar, golden child, wonder boy. It went straight to your head, and you didn’t think you had to really work for anything.