He hit play on a movie, filling the room with the opening scene spooky music. We drank, he ordered pizza, and as we watched the movie, I strategically asked a million questions, digging up any information I could get on the Elite. Fynn was easy to talk to. The best way to decipher what it was Brock wanted from me was to learn everything I could about him, including his friends.
Fynn told me about his family and how tough his dad was on him to be perfect—the best wide receiver, the obedient son, the ideal student. It all seemed like too much pressure for one person, and impossible to live up to.
Was I feeling sorry for him?
I began to understand more about the Elite. They weren’t just football gods on and off the field. Two years ago, they had gotten into some trouble. Fynn’s mom had to call in some favors, use her lawyer connections to bail them out of the mess, but it had come close to ruining their lives. “We were lucky the four of us didn’t land our asses in jail or juvie,” Fynn said, helping himself to another slice of sausage pizza.
That one mistake had changed them, hardened their outlook on life and who they trusted. I could see that now. It was the four of them against the world and that was what made the bond between them so strong.
I wanted to press him for details, but the hard set of his jaw and haunted shadows in his eyes stopped me. Whatever happened still troubled him, even two years later, which only piqued my interest more. There were other ways to learn what had happened, and I knew just where to start.
Mads.
I learned stuff about Fynn’s family, but the other guys as well. Some I knew from Mads, like how Micah hated his father and suspected he was cheating on his mom, who Micah was very protective of.
A classic case of money doesn’t buy happiness… unless you were my mom.
It seemed they each had their roles. Micah the playboy. Fynn the all-star. Grayson the aloof asshole. And Brock the leader.
Halfway through the movie, his sister, Avery, burst into the house at full speed. Her little feet padded down the hall, followed by fingers wrestling with the doorknob until it sprang open. “Fynn!” a cute and excited voice cried as she bounded into the room and jumped onto the couch beside him. She had the same mocha skin coloring as Fynn and those same sparkling green eyes. Her hair was a shade or two lighter than his.
“Hey, Bitsy. How was school?” he asked, tugging on the end of a braided pigtails.
She gave me a toothless grin, plopping down beside Fynn. “There’s a girl here,” she whispered to him, too interested in me to answer his question.
Avery was so adorable, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“Where? Are you sure there is a girl here?” he teased her, looking around the room.
If there hadn’t been a little person in the room, I would have flipped him off. “I’m Josie,” I said to Avery, ignoring Fynn’s chuckle.
“You’re pretty,” she stated, kicking her shoes off.
“So are you,” I told her. She was as cute as a button, and that old familiar longing for a little sister snuck up on me.
Fynn flicked the end of her nose, and Avery swatted at his hand. A girl after my own heart. “Why don’t you go to the kitchen and get started on your homework,” he suggested.
“Will you help me?” she asked. I didn’t think there was a person alive with a heart who could have resisted her request.
“In a little bit,” he assured. And just like that, the little ball of energy hopped out of the room, but not before sneaking me another toothless grin.
I waited until I heard her skipping down the hall before I asked, “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?” If Avery was home, that meant at least one of his parents was as well. I wasn’t sure how he felt about that, and since Fynn was more or less being nice to me, I didn’t want to overstep.
The dramatic lighting from the movie flashed over his face. “Honestly, my parents will be thrilled. Don’t be surprised if my mom gets you to stay for dinner. You don’t have any siblings?”
I adjusted the ice pack on my ankle, which was pretty numb at the moment. “No. I always wanted a little sister.”
He frowned slightly. “What about a brother?”
Shrugging, I replied, “I would have been happy with either. It would have been nice to have someone there to talk to. Guess I’ll just have to steal yours for the day. If you ever need a babysitter, call me. Seriously.”
Fynn gave me a polite smile. “Don’t let my mom hear you say that. Your parents never wanted more kids?”
I snorted. “My mother isn’t the maternal type.”
“Does she hurt you?” he asked, suddenly serious. His eyes had darkened, and with the eerie music playing in the movie, he looked kind of frightening.
I swallowed. “Depends on your definition of hurt.” I couldn’t believe I was opening up to him. This could come back and bite me in the ass. They could use this information against me, and yet, something about Fynn told me I could trust him. He didn’t mess with family.