Playing Defense (Corrigan Falls Raiders) by Cate Cameron

Author:Cate Cameron
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Tags: Teen, opposites attract, opposite, YA, forbidden, sports romance, sports, Crush, forbidden love, hockey, Cate Cameron, nerd, Entangled
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2016-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

My parents were waiting for me in the kitchen when I went downstairs the next morning. Like, literally waiting for me. They were reading the paper, technically, but that’s not their normal Saturday morning routine; they were just acting casual, getting ready to pounce on me.

I was tempted to just go get my cereal and pretend there was nothing weird going on, but one look at their faces told me that wasn’t going to fly. Then my stomach started churning like I was about to write a big exam, and I figured it probably wasn’t a good time to eat, anyway. So I slid into my chair and stared at the napkin holder in the middle of the table.

“Tell us about your night last night,” my mother said. She sounded tense, like she thought she already knew what I’d been up to and was ready to catch me in a lie.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I went to the game with Karen, and then we hung out for a while, and then she went to a party…or maybe to get something to eat, I’m not sure. She went off with her boyfriend, and Chris gave me a ride home.”

“And you came straight home?” she asked, her voice still tight.

“No. We went to McDonald’s, and we drove around a bit.” I sounded defensive already.

“With a boy.”

“Yes. Chris.”

“Whom we haven’t met.”

“Uh…no, I guess you haven’t.”

“And you thought that was acceptable?” She sounded like she was amazed by my stupidity. I’d seen her do this before. To my dad, sometimes, or to other people she disagreed with. But not to me. I was the smart one, the one who was like her. It had always been her and me, understanding each other and shaking our heads at everyone else. But now it was something different.

“I thought so,” I said. I didn’t like how small my voice sounded. Like a little girl who knew she’d been bad. But I didn’t know that! “I mean, I still think so, really. Is there a rule against that?”

“We can’t make up rules for everything, Claudia,” she said like she was working hard to sound patient. “We need to be able to rely on your judgment!”

“I don’t understand why this was bad judgment. I got a ride home from a friend. Why is that bad?” I’d moved from meek and apologetic to petulant and whiny. Sad world where being sulky was a step up.

“A male friend. Someone we don’t know. A hockey player.”

She said it like you might have said “mass murderer,” and I stared at her for a moment, then turned to look at my dad, hoping he might jump in and help. But he was just watching, chewing on his lip.

“Maybe you don’t really know about them,” she said, trying to sound understanding. “The hockey players in this town.” She shook her head. “It’s a savage system, pulling those boys away from their families during their formative years, letting them run wild. And the town treats them like they’re gods.

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