Page 20 of Scoring Eden

“Yeah, so…I need a favor.”

"THE BROTHERHOOD" GROUP CHAT

Alex: If anyone asks, I am in a serious, committed relationship.

Leo: Sorry, what?

Roman: Can you hear me laughing right now?

Alex: I’m serious. If Coach, or ANYONE, asks, please just tell them I have a girlfriend.

Roman: Dude, no one will believe that.

Leo: You want us to lie to Coach?

Alex: Yes.

Leo: Why would we do that?

Alex: Because if you don’t, I lose my captain badge. And my place on the team.

Roman: Shit.

Leo: Okay.

Alex: Okay…you’ll do it?

Leo: I’ll do it.

Roman: We both will.

SIX

ALEX

Karma is a fickle bitch.

Sometimes, I swear she has a personal vendetta against me. Like that time I left my cleats at Leo’s house and ended up overhearing him violating my little sister when I dropped by to pick them up. And though I’m sure Karma found it funny, I invariably did not. In fact, I’ve spent multiple sessions with Dr. Sharma, trying to work through the trauma of it all.

But on occasion, there are little glimmers of kindness that could easily be mistaken for luck or coincidence. I see them for what they are, though: evidence that Karma, in spite of her roguery, might be on my side.

And now she’s presented me with the perfect solution to my predicament—and, it seems, the solution to Eden’s as well. Though, clearly Eden hasn’t realized this yet, since she’s rocking back and forth in her chair with tearful eyes and a mortified flush to her cheeks.

“So…your ex is a bit of a prick, huh?” I say to break the ice.

If I’d thought her boss was an asshole, he has nothing on the man she married. A patronizing, self-important bastard with a stick shoved so far up his ass he walks with a slight tilt.

She offers me a sad laugh. “To put it mildly.”

“And you married him?”

I can’t make sense of them together. He’s so stiff, with his briefcase and pressed suit, his nose so steep he’s perpetually looking down at everyone. The finance-bro, I’m-better-than-everyone type.

But she’s so…untamed. A wild, shimmering blur of chaos who spills ink all over herself and throws insults like a seasoned javelineer.

“Not willingly,” she mutters.

Well, that’s worth unpacking. My mind nosedives into thoughts of the worst-case scenario, my instincts flaring to life as I begin plotting vengeance on her behalf. My nostrils flare with the rush of anger, and Eden’s eyes flick to them.