Chapter 24
Izzy
I bounce on the balls of my feet as I dribble the volleyball, waiting for Coach Alexis’s whistle.
We’re doing a scrimmage, half the team against the other, and I’ve been playing setter the entire time. One more point, and
my team will win. She didn’t say it explicitly, but if I can prove to her I know all the current plays and their signals,
she’ll give me a spin at setter during our next match, after the break in the schedule.
It also happens to be a match that Mom and Dad are attending, which explains the nerves zinging through me right now. They
came to one of my other matches, a few weeks ago, and Dad made a face when he realized I was playing opposite hitter. It was
brief, but I saw it.
Alexis nods at me. I jump into action to serve, since it’s my turn in the rotation. The ball stings my palm just right as
I hit it, sending it over the net in a perfect arc. I run into position, setting up Shona’s pass for Ellie, who spikes it
down onto the opposite side of the court with an authoritative smack. Too easy. Alexis’s whistle blows, punctuating the point.
“Yes!” Ellie says, clapping me on the back.
I spin in a circle, my heart sprinting with a heady mixture of excitement and satisfaction. It wasn’t a real game, fine, but
it was something , and I know I totally rocked it.
“Excellent way to end practice,” Alexis says as she walks onto the court. Her pullover is white today, with gold jewelry accenting her look. “This was pretty successful for both sides, regardless of the score. And nice job calling those plays, Izzy.”
I beam as Victoria gives me a sweaty hug. “Thank you.”
If I get to show that off during an actual match, I’ll be thrilled. I smile as I shake my hair out of its ponytail, wrapping
my headband around my wrist.
Alexis looks around the group. “We’ve got tape, so let’s break it down now, and I’ll let you go after that. Grab some water
and change first. Good work, ladies.”
While everyone heads into the locker room to take a breather, I hang back, hoping to catch her eye.
“Yes, Izzy?” she says.
I swipe my headband-turned-wristband over my frizzy hair. “Was it... enough?”
She glances at her clipboard, making a note, before replying. “We’ll try it out for at least a couple sets at the next match
and go from there.”
“Wait, really?” I nearly hug her, but manage to contain myself.
“Really,” she says, quirking an eyebrow as if she can’t believe I just asked that. “You’ve been putting in a lot of work and
improving. Wasn’t sure you had it in you, Callahan.”
A backhanded compliment if I ever heard one, but I don’t care. Not right now, at least. Mom and Dad will see me play setter
again. Suddenly, I feel lighter.
An hour and a half later, I walk up the porch steps to my front door, keys in hand. I run my fingers through my shower-damp
hair. Sebastian has work tonight, but at least Cooper’s home, judging by his truck in the driveway. He’s going to be pumped
when he hears about practice.
I open the door and do a double take.
I haven’t spoken to Nik since the ice cream disaster a couple days ago, and now he’s in my house.
Sitting on the couch.
Laughing with Cooper as they play something on the Xbox.
I freeze like a rabbit in an open field. They’ve clearly been at this for a while; a half-eaten bowl of popcorn sits on the
coffee table alongside seltzers. Tangerine, curled on the armchair, blinks her orange eyes at me as if to say, weird, right?
“—just get dinner or something, for the team formal,” Cooper is saying. He glances over casually. “Hey, Iz. How was practice?”
“Good,” I say automatically. “What...”
Nik looks over too, his fingers continuing to move on the game controller. “Your sister, Coop?”
“Dude.” Cooper nudges his side in a bro-ish manner that makes me blink like Tangerine.
“What? I’ve never met her. Isabelle, right?”
He’s just acting right now, because for some reason he’s in my house, hanging out with my brother , and I know that, but still, my pulse races. I shouldn’t draw attention to us by staring, but I can’t make myself move.
“Yeah,” I finally say, even though I want to scream. “I usually go by Izzy, though.”
“Izzy,” he repeats. “I’m Nikolai.”
My nickname sounds wrong in his mouth.
He’s wearing a neutral expression, but I see the emotion in his eyes. It’s something, but it’s definitely not enough after
days of missing him. I pushed too hard, asked too many questions about too sore a topic, but that doesn’t mean I want whatever
we are to fall apart. I’ll take good friends over my brother’s stranger of a teammate any day.
Even if he’s in my living room, getting to know my brother like he didn’t know me first. Like I’m not the one who deserves to know him better. I almost throw my lanyard, but ball it in my fist instead.
His messenger bag is behind the couch, slumped next to Cooper’s backpack. His own lanyard hangs out of a side pocket. I wait
until they’re both looking at the television again before leaning down and carefully swiping it.
“Cool,” I say with as much casualness as I can muster. “Well, have fun. I’m going out.”
“What?” Cooper says. “You just got home.”
“I’m going out,” I repeat, heading for the stairs. I take them two at a time, yanking my door open and shutting it loudly
enough, I know they can hear.
When Nik walked me home the other night, he kissed me on the street corner. That’s as far as we went, because I didn’t want
to risk anyone walking outside at the exact moment he left me on the front porch. I was especially glad to have the privacy
when he backed me against a tree and framed my face with his hands, staring at me with wide, unreadable eyes before he leaned
in and finally, finally kissed me.
Did he feel as desperate as I did? Did something spark in his heart when we touched? I could have imagined it; his eyes were
nearly silver in the moonlight. But I didn’t imagine the way his body felt pressed against mine, or the sugary taste of his
lips, or the way he whispered my name—my full name, as always—before leaving me to walk the last half block on my own, still
wearing his jacket.
I wish he could have walked me to the door.
No. I wish he wanted to walk me to the door.
I stride to my closet and pull it open.
My most delicate lingerie. A dress that hugs my curves in all the right places. Fresh makeup, a comb through my hair, and
diamond teardrops to match my necklace and tennis bracelet.
I make sure he gets a good look at me as I walk downstairs.
“You have a date or something?” Cooper asks. “You’ve been going out a lot lately.”
“Something like that,” I say as I pull my jacket out of the hall closet. “Don’t wait up.”
He frowns. “Call me or Sebastian if you need someone.”
The look Nik is giving me could burn this house down.
I wave on my way out the door, and watch him fight a snarl.
This is a gamble—but I feel good about my odds.