“Dad is fiercely protective of me because of what I told you.”
“I get it, but you’re twenty.”
“Doesn’t matter. It was a really serious deal.”
“Okay, so you don’t tell him who I am.”
“That was always the plan. I never thought I’d have to explain this and I-I didn’t tell you, didn’t think it was important. I didn’t know what was going to happen here.” She gestures between us.
“Out with it, woman.”
She hangs her head.
“My last name is Elliot.”
That wipes the smile off my face.
“Elliot?”
“Yes.”
“As in Coach Ryan Elliot’s daughter?”
Her eyes fill with fresh tears, and she nods.
I spring out of bed and glare down at her. “Your dad is my fucking coach!?”
She nods, her eyes tracking my movement as I slip on mesh shorts. “Let me get this straight. You woke up in the middle of the night and took a shot of my jersey and ass and sent them straight to my fucking coach!?”
“That’s, uh, that sounds creepy.”
“Yeah, well, sorry, maybe I don’t understand. I’ve never slept with a woman and Snapchatted her ass to my brother. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I was happy for five seconds and wanted to share it with my sister.” She pulls the hem of her shirt down. “I have to go.”
“Did you get my number in the picture?”
“No, I told you I made sure I got just the top of the front of it and snapped your ass on accident.”
“Dammnit, Harper.” I palm my face and shake my head. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“You know this was a spontaneous hookup.”
“The first time. The second time. Not today.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll go home and face the music. It’s not like he can see the pic again. He can’t study it and try and figure out who you are.”
“Thank Christ.” Anger boils beneath the surface, and I try to remain calm. “When you say protective—”
“He’s unreasonable. What happened years ago broke his heart. It was humiliating for the whole family.”
“Can’t you delete it?”
She swallows. “No, you can only delete text, not pictures.”
“It’s dark in here, maybe he won’t be able to make out much.”
“Except I took the picture with flash. I’m so sorry.” She gathers her bag from the floor. “I screwed up. I’ll own it. I’ll make it so you’re nowhere near this.”
I bite the inside of my cheek so hard my eyes water.
“Lance, I’m sorry.”
“Just go, Harper.”
“Please don’t hate me.”
“I don’t, but you need to go. This could ruin my whole season and all of my plans.”
“I meant to tell you…”
“But you fucking didn’t,” I seethe and see the hurt in her eyes. I’m seconds from an explosion and don’t trust myself.
“No,” she wipes a tear off her cheek and sniffles. “I didn’t. I wanted to keep you to myself a little longer.”
“Didn’t keep you from bragging about it, huh? I know it wasn’t your intention to broadcast, but it doesn’t make you much better than the others.”
Her eyes flare. “Don’t you dare.”
“You need to go before I say something else I know I’ll regret.”
She shakes her head, her eyes refilling. “I’m sorry, Lance.”
“Just go.”
“Don’t do anything, okay? I’m going to go feel them out, maybe I can get to their phones before they view it and then it will be like nothing ever happened.”
“Except I just deflowered my coach’s daughter.”
Tears stream down her cheeks. “You want to erase that too?”
“Harper, you purposefully deceived me. What do you want me to say?”
“I want you not to have meant that. But you did. Don’t worry,” her voice cracks along with my chest at the devastation on her face, but I’m too angry to stop her from leaving. “I’ll make it disappear on my side. I’m sorry,” she whispers one last time before closing the door.
Harper
Creeping down the stairs of the house Lance rents with two other guys, I’m safely at the front door and nearly sigh in relief.
“Hey.”
Jumping back, I turn towards the source and see Troy fucking Jenner, the wide receiver for TGU sitting at the kitchen table. He’s kicked back in his seat, playing with a beer cap, a bottle in one hand, his eyes on the deck just outside the door. The moon lights up his face clearly, though I know I’m safely shrouded in the dark. Troy is devastatingly handsome and for some reason I know if he were to look my way, he would see right through me. He’s lost in his own head. I don’t bother replying, but haul ass out of there. Once safely on the other side of the door, I sprint to my car parked on the other side of the street, praying I don’t hit any other landmines. In the driver’s seat, I start up my Toyota and glance up at Lance’s window. He’s standing there, watching me. He’d thrown me out, not with malicious intent. I know I deserved it. I’d kept my identity from him in a way. I wonder if he would have entertained me at all if he had known. Then again, with how pissed he is, I guess I got my answer.
When it comes to women and ball, the alphabet wins. The B always comes first. And for once, I let myself get lost in the moment, and this game already cost us both. He disappears from the window as I drive away.
Harper
“Twenty years old, and you’re hiding in your room because you had sex,” I mutter around my toothbrush. I’ve been waiting my parents out. My parents—who are early risers. I haven’t slept a wink and I got home too late to sneak into their room without being caught. Knowing them, there’s a good chance they won’t even open it today. They’re not exactly social media experts and only downloaded the app so my sister, Kandace, could snap them pics of my nephew. I send my twentieth text to Kandace praying she calls me back. Briefly, I consider running through the house, jumping in my SUV and hauling ass to Houston where she lives and is capable of having sex without announcing it to the whole damned family. Just as I curse her for not coming to my rescue, my phone lights up, and I see her name.
“Kan—”
“Oh, my God, you idiot. You just killed our father!”
“Shut up! Shut up! What do I do?”
“Get a fucking crash cart,” she yelps over the phone before she bursts into laughter. “Has he seen it?”
“No. Not yet.”
“You’ve got to get that phone. Steal it. Smash it. Both of their phones.”
“I will. Just…how?”
“I’ll tell you, but can we talk about that ass for four seconds. Jesus. Way to go big or go home.”
Panic courses through me. “Did you notice the jersey?”
“Yeah, seriously, what were you thinking?”