Spiked by Love (Bellevue Bullies #6) - Toni Aleo Page 0,1
tall and can knock the hell out of the ball.
We are even roommates in our dorm—my doing since her mom, Lucy Paxton, wouldn’t let her stay on campus unless she roomed with someone she knew. Apparently, Lucy knows the trouble her brothers got into when they all went to Bellevue. They’re legendary around here, the Sinclair brothers. All of them went to Bellevue, and all went first round in the draft. They all still play, though the middle one, Jayden Sinclair, who is also the captain of the Assassins, is out with an injury.
I don’t know if Angie will stay here for long. She only wants to go to school here until she can get into this program that is opening up in South Carolina. Don’t get me wrong. I love nerdy shit, especially stuff that deals with my major, but the shit she’s into is way nerdier than my cup of tea. She starts to talk about it, to try to convince me to go with her to the program, but I’m pretty sure I mirror how my best friend looks when I start talking about my major. With that glazed look and wanting to die from boredom. I have no clue what she is talking about, but it has to do with something about alcoholics or something. It’s complicated, but to her, it’s awesome and she’s excited.
“Great set,” Angie throws my way, and I smack her hand.
“Couldn’t do it without you.”
She beams at me, her deep green eyes blazing as she brushes back her highlighted brown hair. We set up again, and I want to groan when I see my coach is serving. I hate his serves. They’re rough to set because he puts a weird spin on the ball. It’s my job to stop the spin so that Angie can knock the hell out of it. As we set up, I crouch down, watching him, and a wave of emotion washes over me.
I can’t believe I almost gave this up.
I almost chased a guy to Texas for a life of uncertainty. Yes, the appeal was there and it would have been fun, but I have it all right now. I can do all the impulsive and crazy things when I finish my job here. I can have love later, even though I so desperately want to be in love. It is not that I can’t be alone, that’s fine, but watching my mom and dad and how much they love each other… I want that. I want that die-for-you kind of love. I wanted it so bad with my ex, but I knew from the jump I didn’t have it. I was trying to shine a turd, and no matter how many people told me so, I wouldn’t listen.
I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my best friend was engaged. He’s only twenty, and I’m twenty-four, and it bugged me that he was getting married and I wasn’t. So, I tried to make something out of nothing. Yet now, Asher is coming home, newly single. It’s a good thing I didn’t follow Taco, my ex. If I had, I wouldn’t be where I am. I would have disappointed a lot of people, and I see that now. Before, I didn’t.
Because of this, I have a new plan. Hang with Asher a lot since I haven’t lived in the same state as him for three and a half years, and I’ll more than likely move when I graduate. Help my team win, graduate, and then find a job in my field of sports psychology. It’s the same field Angie is in, but her focus is geared more toward addiction, while mine is more about anxiety and depression. Our specialties tie in since addiction usually arises for people with anxiety and depression, but I have no desire to go to the program she is pursuing. That would add two more years to my study, and I’m ready to work. I’m ready to help people because it can be rough on athletes. We both know this. Not only are we Assassins kids, but both our dads suffered from addiction. My dad’s was from being injured and getting hooked on pills, and her dad’s was alcohol. It’s hard being a professional athlete and coming from where we do. It only makes sense that we want to help athletes like our fathers.