Page 99 of How to Score Off Field

Relax, I remind myself. Drake texted him to see if everything was okay. That’s probably what this is about.

Granted, he did reply and tell Drake to piss off, but that’s how they’ve always been.

I answer the call, trying to sound casual even though my damn heart is pounding.

"Hey, Grady, what's up?"

"Don't 'hey, Grady, what's up?' me," he practically growls through the phone. "I just got an earful from Tess about what happened during that damn bachelor party weekend. I had to drag the details out of her, though."

“Whoa. Back up. What do you mean?”

I know what he means. I’m just too chickenshit to admit it. I want to know what he knows first.

“You slept with my sister, motherfucker.”

My heart drops to my stomach, and I legit want to barf.

"Look, Grady, I can explain—"

"Explain?" he interrupts, his voice incredulous. He lets out a sardonic laugh. "I think the words you're looking for is 'Gee Grady, it must have slipped my mind that I forgot to tell you I slept with your sister.'” He pauses. “Yousleptwith my sister, Drew."

He doesn’t have to keep saying it.

It’s not like I don’t already know.

I was there.

"Yeah, I know, but—"

"How long has this been going on, huh?" he demands, cutting me off again. "How long have you been sneaking around with Tess behind my back?"

I take a deep breath. "It was just that one time, dude. The weekend of the bachelor party was the first and last, I swear."

If you don’t count phone sex where we jerked off at the same time?

Oops.

"Like hell it was just one time, there is no way," he snarls. "Tess is hurt, man. She’s been acting strange lately, and I finally got it out of her that the two of you… fucked.” He goes silent again. “Jesus, I can’t believe I’m saying those words. I want to puke.”

And I don’t?

"I understand, Grady, I really do. I’m sorry," I admit, my voice heavy with regret. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something stupid like, “I messed up,” and “I regret it,” but the truth is,I mostly don’t.

Sure, I regret ruining this friendship.

“I care about Tess, a lot. And I never meant for this to happen the way it did."

“Things guilty assholes say.”

“Dude. Why are you so mad? It was her choice. And it’s not like it was a random hookup, we care about each other.”

There. I said it.

I care about Tess.

Too bad the first person I’m admitting it to is her pitbull of a brother, who hadn’t even bothered to spend time with me over the weekend I was home.

Barely saw the dude.