I can’t bring myself to ask him about it. I shake my head again. “Matt claims they’ve got a new QB this year who has a cannon for an arm.” I derail my dad with talk of football, a subject that is guaranteed to suck him in faster than a spider web catching a mosquito.
“Olivia, what’s got you looking into things?” Dad asks.
“Seriously, it’s nothing.”
Dad nods, then slowly resumes chewing his gum. “Oh, and Matt is going to be eating his words next season, served on a cold bed of wishful thinking.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “But if you go watch a practice while you’re down there, take some video for your old man, and don’t mention it to anyone.”
I elbow him. “I refuse to participate in your cheating.”
“Cheating? No. Strictly research purposes.”
“I heard you talking to one of your assistant coaches about Arlo,” I tell him, unable to keep my curiosity at bay.
“Kostas?” he asks, his eyebrows dancing with question as his arm falls from my shoulders to pull open the fridge. He grabs a pitcher of iced tea and holds it up with the silent question if I’d like a glass.
I shake my head, grabbing my glass of cold brew coffee.
“How do you know Kostas?”
“He and Rose are friends.”
“You guys don’t want to be friends with a guy like Kostas. He’s all smooth talk and good intentions gone wrong. Nice kid, but the only thing he cares about is football.”
“Isn’t that your favorite kind of player?”
He dumps two sugar cubes into his tea. “But not the kind of guy I want my daughter to be friends with. Is Matt okay with this?”
I ignore his comment and question. “Arlo might lose his scholarship?”
“Probably not, but there’s a chance. There’s always a chance when a player is injured. He was one of my starting players. Him, Lincoln Beckett, and Paxton Lawson have been leading my offense and have been impressing the fans and the entire college football community—if I’m being honest. It’s a shame he got hurt, especially on such a bullshit game.”
“You owe a dollar to the swear jar!” Ross yells, swiveling to face Dad as he passes through the kitchen, stopping at the stove where he starts opening the lids of different pots. “Why do we always have barbecue when Olivia comes over? Doesn’t she like normal food like pizza or burgers?”
“Ross,” Whitney interjects. “Be kind.”
“She’s our guest, yeah, yeah,” Ross mutters.
Dad swats the back of his head as he passes, barely touching his hair. “She’s your sister, not a guest.” He turns his attention back to me. “Don’t worry about Kostas. Chances are, nothing will happen to the kid, but if it does, it will be because we need eligible players. The college relies on our program to bring in money, and unless we’re winning, we’re not bringing in the money.”
“That sounds awfully political.”
“Welcome to adulthood, sweetheart.”
16
Arlo
“Hey, look at you walking on your own two feet!” Rose says as I fill the seat next to her.
“What’s up, player?” I ask, taking a seat beside her in Bio.
She smiles, tossing a piece of candy into her mouth. “We’ll get to those details later. First, I need to know how your outing with Olivia went. Did you have fun? Are you convinced the curse doesn’t exist?”
I shrug. “I haven’t had any bad luck all week,” I knock on my desk. “And the game was insane. Did she tell you we sat courtside? Not just courtside, they touched my hand. I swear, I’m not washing my hands for the next year. Let all that good mojo sink in.”
She laughs. “Don’t lead with that next time you hit on a girl.” She sobers quickly. “Hey, um … did something happen while you guys were out?”
“Happen?” The word sparks confusion, and then immediately I think about me pulling Liv close, and of her falling asleep in my Tahoe on the way home, and how we’d shared an awkward hug after I woke her up. “No, I mean … no.” I shake my head. “Why? Does she think I was hitting on her? Because it was just a friendly hug.”
Rose’s face puckers. “No, not like that. I mean, did something come up? She seems bothered by something. She’s been quiet and hanging out in her room a lot, which isn’t like her.”
“Not that I can think of.”
Rose sighs. “It’s probably just her homesickness. She gets like this every time she gets ready to go, and then after she gets back