Midnight by Kayla Parent

Author:Kayla Parent [Parent, Kayla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kayla Parent

16

Summer Before Junior Year

“Nina, you and Graham are up!”

I wave to Leanne, then stand up from where I’m sitting on Marcus’s deck.

“Our turn for beer pong,” I say, turning to Graham with a smile.

He doesn’t respond, and when I look over, he’s staring across the yard at something. I shake him a bit to get his attention.

“Hey, did you hear me?”

After a moment, he turns to me and smiles. “Yeah. Sorry. Are we up?”

“Yup. And we’d better bring our A-game. Leanne and Marcus have won four times in a row. Must be her birthday luck.”

“Psh, we’ll beat ’em.”

Graham and I make our way across the yard, but as we get closer, my eyes narrow. Theo is setting up cups with Leanne, and Marcus is nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Marcus?” I ask, unable to keep the annoyance from my voice.

Theo looks up at the question, then smirks. “Nice. Easy win,” he says to Leanne, loud enough for me to hear.

“Don’t start,” she says. She looks at me, her face apologetic. “Marcus got challenged to a bench-pressing competition so he’s in the basement. Theo offered to take his place.”

“I’m not playing against him,” I announce, grabbing Graham’s arm and starting to drag him off.

“Why not?” Theo asks, raising a brow.

“Because you get on my nerves, that’s why.”

“I think you’re scared.”

“Excuse me?”

Theo flexes his bicep. “I’m a world-class athlete, baby. I don’t lose.”

I don’t know if it’s my competitive spirit, or the smug look on his face, but I grab the cups on my side and start setting them up.

When I’m done, I look up at Theo. “You’re not the only athlete here, you know. You’re going down.”

He makes a strangled noise. “Excuse me, but prancing around on your toes is not a sport.”

“And hitting things with a stick is?”

“Well, that stick up your butt—”

Leanne claps her hands and whistles. “That’s enough, you two. Let’s just play, okay?”

Graham puts a comforting hand on my back and leans down to whisper in my ear. “We’ll beat him, okay? That will shut him up.”

“We have to,” I whisper back. “I cannot lose to him.”

Leanne and Theo go first, and both of them make their shot. I glare at Theo and toss both balls back to their side.

Theo lines up his second shot and sinks it again, and I barely contain my growl of frustration. Leanne misses hers, however, so it’s finally our turn.

Thankfully I sink my cup, but Graham misses his.

The game goes on much of the same. Theo only misses one shot, and even though I’ve only missed three, Graham hasn’t made a single one. For the fifth time, I have to nudge him to pay attention.

“Sorry,” he says, then throws the ball and, of course, misses.

“Take a little time to set up your shot,” I suggest, now annoyed. “You’re just tossing it.”

I make my shot, but unfortunately Theo and Leanne only have one cup left. Theo sets up his shot, then winks at me before throwing his ball.

It sinks into the cup with a very final-sounding swoosh.

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