Chapter 8 Parker
I stood in the shower, allowing the warm water to run down my face, hoping it might wash away memories of the game.
Mackenzie must have by left now—if my attitude hadn’t driven her away, my terrible singing should have done the trick.
I didn’t want to see anyone after such an embarrassing loss, let alone Mackenzie.
Though, I had to admit, teasing her was a lot of fun, and it took my mind off the game, if only for a little while.
Soon, of course, I was replaying every missed shot, every failed pass, every defensive error over and over again.
I might have scored two goals, but it wasn’t enough to make up for our wide-eyed rookie goalie.
Could I have done more? Maybe. Or maybe I just wasn’t good enough to inspire this team to victory without my brothers.
That was what troubled me most. We never would have lost a game that way if Reed and Grayson were still on the team.
I shut off the water. There was no point hiding in here forever.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for my towel.
But the hook I’d placed it on was empty.
Frowning, I opened the door and glanced around.
The towel was nowhere to be seen. What the hell had I done with it?
Could I have left it in the locker room?
A wave of cool air rippled over my skin as I stepped out of the shower. But when I got to the locker room I stopped in my tracks. The bench was totally bare.
I gaped for half a breath and then started swearing. Loudly.
This was Mackenzie Foster’s doing. Apparently, I could despise that girl more than I already did.
If it weren’t me this was happening to, I might have laughed.
I might even have appreciated her revenge tactics.
But it was me standing naked in the locker room, and I was livid. I’d get her back for this.
First, I had to figure a way out of this situation. I scanned the locker room for something to wear. But for once, my teammates had actually taken all their stuff home. All I could find was some stick tape, a plastic bottle, and a stray glove that had fallen on the floor.
What the hell was I going to do? My phone was in my bag, along with my truck keys.
Walking home wasn’t an option. I’d either get frostbite or thrown in jail.
I just needed to find someone with spare clothes or a phone I could borrow to call for help.
Hopefully, I’d find the clothes first; the only phone number I knew by heart was my mom’s.
My gaze landed back on the lone glove that lay on the floor… better than nothing.
Grumbling and muttering curses, I picked up the glove and did my best to cover up. With a deep breath, I prayed the arena was mostly empty and pushed open the door.
The corridor was deserted, which was both a relief and a disappointment. I didn’t want to see anyone, but I would need to find another person eventually.
I glanced at the office door. I had no idea whether Coach Foster was in there, but I couldn’t risk him catching me wandering around naked. I was going to have to search a little further afield.
My heart was racing as I stepped from the safety of the locker room. It was much colder out here, especially with water droplets still clinging to my skin. I repressed a shiver and tried to ignore the icy air. Perhaps if I just acted like I didn’t mind being naked, no one else would care either.
I started toward the arena entrance. All I needed was to find someone from my team. Or maybe someone who worked here. Hell, even a Tigers player would do. I’d happily pull on one of their jerseys right now.
The girls’ locker room was up ahead, and I considered sneaking inside. Maybe I’d find some discarded clothing in there.
As I approached the door, it burst open, almost hitting me in the face, and a group of girls skipped out.
They were all looking down at their phones or in close conversation with each other as they walked, totally oblivious to the naked boy they’d almost collided with.
Still, I edged away from the door and hid behind a tall pot plant against the wall.
Although it had plenty of height, the plant did little to shield me.
Its stupid fronds were far too thin. Thankfully, the girls continued in the opposite direction without looking back.
Just as I was about to try the locker room door again, it opened once more. This time, a familiar face stepped out. My sister Cammie. The prospect of asking her for help was almost as bad as facing Coach Foster. She would never let me hear the end of this. But I was running out of options.
I leaned out from behind the plant. “Psst, Cammie.”
She paused and glanced around her.
“Cammie,” I repeated. “Over here.”
She turned, and when her gaze landed on me, her eyes widened with horror.
“Parker, what the hell?” she gasped, approaching me warily. “Are you naked? Oh. My. God. Are you trying to embarrass me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yep. You got me. I decided to walk around the arena naked just to embarrass you.”
She folded her arms. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”
“Funnily enough, Cam, my nakedness is not about you.”
“Well, what is it about?” she demanded. “Wait, are you doing some kind of post-game punishment? Like how Reed used to run home after a loss? I know I’m superstitious, but I think walking home naked might be taking it too far. Even though you guys were terrible today.”
“My clothes were stolen!”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
She tilted her head. “Why would someone steal your clothes?”
“Because I pissed them off.”
Her expression cracked and she let out a laugh. “Brilliant.”
It was probably a good thing Cammie and Mackenzie didn’t know each other. I could only imagine the kind of torture those two would inflict on me if they ever teamed up.
“Do you have something I can wear?” I asked.
“No,” she replied, still laughing. “Oh, wait, actually…” I felt a wave of relief as Cammie opened her bag, but it quickly disappeared when she pulled out a bright pink scarf. I didn’t even know my sister owned anything pink. Her entire wardrobe was black, grey, and more black.
“Gabby left it at our house,” she said. “She’s always telling me how hot you are, so I’m sure she won’t mind if you borrow it.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”
“I mean, if I were you, I’d tie it around my waist as soon as possible.”
“I thought you had some actual clothes for me.”
“Sorry.” She shrugged. “This is the best I can do.”
I cursed under my breath but gestured for the scarf. “Okay, fine, just give it here.”
She passed it to me, and I retreated behind the plant. The scarf was just wide enough to reach around my waist like a flimsy miniskirt.
“I think I preferred my glove,” I grumbled. “At least Reed and Grayson aren’t here to see this.”
“Hmm, lucky,” she agreed with a smirk.
“I can’t get to the car looking like this. There are too many people around.”
“I already said that’s all I’ve got.”
“What about in the locker room?”
“There’re still girls in there.”
“Well, maybe they have something?”
Cammie huffed as if me being stranded naked in public was more of an inconvenience to her than me. “I have a meeting with my coach now.”
“Please?”
“Okay, fine. Just go back to the boys’ locker room before someone sees you. I’ll find you something.”
“Thank you! Have I told you you’re my favorite sister?”
“I’m your only sister.”
“Still.” I grinned. “Also, maybe call Mom and see if she can drop off my spare keys? They’re gone too.”
Cammie lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “Don’t worry, I’ll find you a ride.”
Sorting out a ride wasn’t the same as getting me my keys. My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
She just waved me off and headed back into the girls’ locker room. I couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Cammie rarely went out of her way to help me. But this wasn’t exactly a common scenario.
Slowly and strategically, I started back to the boys’ locker room. Hopefully, now I had Cammie’s help, I could keep this whole thing between just me and her. No one else would ever have to know.
But just as I was nearing safety, the door to the coach’s office opened, and out stepped Coach Foster.
I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t think. I turned and started running in the opposite direction as fast as I could without causing my little pink skirt to fly off.
As I turned a corner, I risked a glance over my shoulder, almost expecting to see Foster stalking after me like the Terminator, silently and relentlessly pursuing with one objective in mind: elimination.
Much to my relief, he hadn’t followed, but in my panic, I hadn’t considered where I was going. And when I finally faced forward again, I skidded to a halt.
I’d found my way to the foyer. And it was full of people. Lining up at the concession stands. Milling around the front desk. Making their way out of the building, while more hovered near the entrance. And every single one of them turned to look at me.
As I stood rooted to the spot, scanning the horrified faces gazing back at me, my eyes found Cammie. And she wasn’t alone.
Reed frowned at me and shook his head. Grayson was standing next to him, his mouth hanging open as he held a chip frozen in place in front of it. He looked like he was questioning what he’d done to deserve a brother like me. Probably not for the first time. Or the last.
I stood tall, lifted my head high, and started toward them, acting every bit like I didn’t care about the countless sets of eyes, and more than a few phones, tracking my every move.
“You couldn’t wait in the locker room for five minutes?” Cammie hissed.
“Me? I thought you were supposed to be finding something for me to wear. How’s that going?”
“We’ve been gone for one week.” Reed had finally shaken off his shock. “One week. Did you lose a bet?”
“He must have,” Grayson agreed.
“Nope, no bet, I just like to keep life interesting.” I grinned, trying to convince myself a cold breeze from the entrance wasn’t getting playful with the back of my scarf.
“He pissed someone off,” Cammie corrected me without missing a beat. “They stole his clothes. I can’t believe this is why I’m going to be late to my meeting. He’s your problem now, Reed. If anyone asks, I’m not related to him.”
“I’ve been telling people that for years,” I replied as she stalked away.
“Something like this was going to happen eventually,” Reed murmured as he rubbed a hand across his creased forehead.
“To be honest, I’m shocked it hasn’t happened before,” Grayson added.
“What are you two even doing here?” I could still feel the eyes of everyone in the foyer on me. The urge to run and hide was pretty strong right now. But, unfortunately, for both me and my onlookers, I had a reputation to uphold. Running and hiding in embarrassment wasn’t something I would do.
“We thought we’d surprise you by coming to your first game,” Reed said.
“Yep,” Grayson continued. “Although, kind of feels like we’re the ones getting the surprise.”
It seemed like they were starting to see the funny side of all this. I was still looking for it myself.
“Tough loss,” Reed said. “What happened out there?”
“Can we talk about this on the way home, please?” I asked.
“No time like the present,” Grayson replied, the corner of his lip twitching.
“I always say the best time to analyze a game is immediately after it’s finished.” Reed was smirking now too. “Why don’t we get a drink and debrief.”
“I’m already debriefed,” I grumbled, glancing down at my improvised skirt. “Let’s go.”
My brothers laughed but then nodded. “Fine, let’s get you home.”
As they started to move away, something caught my eye behind them. Mackenzie was leaning against a pillar, just a few feet away, watching us. She held a large soda, the straw pressed against her grinning lips.
Her green eyes trailed down my body, studied my bright pink scarf, sparkled with joy, and then flicked back up to my face.
“Nice outfit,” she said.
Maybe I’d met my match with this girl. She’d pulled off the perfect revenge for splashing her at school. But as I stared at her, I got an idea that was too good to pass up.
Without giving myself a chance to second-guess it, I plastered on my most mischievous smile and stepped toward her.
With one swift movement, I pulled the scarf from around my waist and handed it to her.
Gasps filled the foyer and Mackenzie’s eyes grew wide, her mouth dropped open, and her cheeks went as pink as the scarf she was now holding.
“If you wanted to see me naked,” I whispered, “all you had to do was ask.” Then I turned and strolled toward the arena entrance, walking as if I had all the time in the world.
When I got outside, I was instantly struck by a freezing wind. Still, it had been totally worth it to see Mackenzie blush.
My brothers hurried out the doors behind me.
“What the hell was that?” they both asked at the same time.
“Just tell me where the car is,” I said. “I’m ready to get out of here.”
“Same.” Reed laughed. “Come on, it’s this way.”
“We should have known this had something to do with a girl,” Grayson muttered, finally handing me his sweatshirt.
“Yep, there’s always a girl,” Reed agreed.
I couldn’t really argue with them. But as I followed them through the parking lot, my bare feet crunching on the snow, it occurred to me: Mackenzie Foster wasn’t just any girl.