The basketball echoes loudly against the pavement, directly into my brain. It's the only thing I hear while I stare at Judah's truck still parked in the driveway. Oliver waves his hands in front of my face, catching my attention.

"Dude, you gonna shoot that ball or what?" he cries.

I grit my teeth and launch the ball toward the basket. It circles fast around the rim and bounces back at Oliver, and he laughs. "You fucking suck, man." He chuckles to himself while he jogs over to retrieve it. "You know, Hunter. For someone who used to play a lot of sports, you're pretty bad at them lately."

He dribbles past me and goes in for a perfect lay-up. "I didn't play basketball. I played soccer, asshole."

He smirks, passing the ball back to me. "That's your problem. Soccer is for pussies."

I narrow my eyes, attempting to dribble around him, but he blocks me. "Come on, tough guy. Show me what you got." He moves quickly back and forth on his feet, taunting me. Competitive motherfucker.

I let out a growl, darting around him and shoot from the three-point line. I release a string of profanities when it bounces off the backboard and down the driveway. Oliver shakes his head before chasing after it.

My chest begins to burn again, and I can feel my cheeks getting redder as the heat rises up my neck.

"Calm down, man. It's just a game," Oliver remarks nonchalantly as he shoots another one, making it of course.

I run both hands through my hair, taking a calming breath. "I'm just off today."

"It's cool. Normal people have off days all the time." He winks at me before sinking another perfect three-point shot. "Not everyone can be awesome like me."

"Dude?"

"What?" he says with a laugh. He points his finger at me while he continues to dribble with the other hand. "That's your problem. You lack confidence."

"Fuck you, Ollie. I do not."

He nods his head mockingly. "Yeah, you do. You're too inside your head all the time. You need to relax and just let things happen." He proceeds to dribble the ball in and out of his legs in a figure eight. Now he's just showing off.

I glance down the driveway again and my nostrils flare. "What's he still fucking doing here, anyway?"

Oliver's eyebrows pull in, and he begins to dribble a little slower. "Who? Judah?"

My stomach drops when I realize my mistake. The wave of emotions I've been feeling since last night are becoming increasingly harder to control.

He eyes me carefully. "Why do you care if he's still here?"

I attempt to shrug casually. "I don't. I just—he was such a dick last night I can't believe she let him stay here."

"Eh, he's always like that. Pretty sure she's used to it by now."

"Why do girls think that shit is acceptable? Like it's supposed to be normal or something."

Oliver smiles. "That's how girls are. It's like a twisted game that they get off on trying to tame you." He launches the ball to my chest, and I catch it. "Trust me, I should know."

I scoff. "Don't you ever want an actual relationship or are you just going to slut yourself through life?"

"Aw, Hunter. Are you jealous of all the mad game I have?" He steals the ball from me, and I let out a frustrated grunt. He dribbles it just out of my reach as he speaks. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret my friend. The way to set yourself up for a stress-free life."

His ego is about the explode. "Enlighten me."

"Glad you asked." He pulls his free hand into his chest. "Take my job for instance. I'm a physical education teacher. I'm talking dodgeball and shit." He leans into me. "It doesn't get any easier than that."

I nod. "Okay, so far I'll give you that."

He holds up a finger. "Second, I coach track. Running is like the easiest sport ever. A complete idiot couldn't fuck that up."

I actually laugh. He's beyond ridiculous right now. But once again, he has me laughing instead of breaking everything in the guest house, so I'm happy to have him.

He tosses the ball into the grass and grips my shoulder. "You need to get laid. I'm taking you out tonight."

I shake my head. "No, I'm not up for that."

He cocks his head. "Haven't you been listening to me at all. I'm trying to help you." He throws his arm over my shoulder and begins to lead us back to the house. "And if I'm going to help you, you need to do what I tell you." He releases me with a shove, and I glare at him.

"Maybe it doesn't work that way for me."

His face falls a little, and I know exactly what he's thinking about. He grips the back of his neck. "Listen, man. I know you've got your shit to deal with still, and I want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk about it." He holds his hands up and gives a crooked smile. "I won't call you a pussy or anything, I promise."

My jaw tenses. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, I get it. But I also know I'm the only one here who knows what you're going through." He pauses. "So, if you ever do want to talk about it. I'm here."

I nod slowly as my hand grasps the doorknob. I'm about to push it open when it's pulled forward for me.

Judah stumbles slightly and gives a lazy grin back at me. "Hey, sorry man. Rough night."

His bloodshot eyes still have a slight twinkle to them, and I struggle not to break his jaw. "It's cool," I say tersely.

He nods to Oliver. "Sorry about last night. You know how it is."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how much longer Elle is going to put up with your shit. You're treading water my friend."

I close my eyes for a moment as the pounding inside my brain intensifies. It makes me incredibly angry that Oliver is so chill with him. If he only knew what I was thinking right now.

Judah shrugs. "We fight, we make up, typical Elliot. She'll be over it soon and on to the next fucking thing to bitch about."

God, I want to kill him right now. I bite the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste begins to fill my mouth.

"I'll see you next week, brother," Judah says patting Oliver on the back on his way past.

Oliver raises an eyebrow. "You coming back so soon? Gonna be racking the miles at this rate."

Judah laughs. "Yeah, but it's for Fall Festival. Gotta see my girl be crowned queen one last time."

I breathe forcefully through my nose and keep my jaw clamped shut. So, she is going to take him? Although, I worry it's not part of the game anymore. Maybe I pushed her too far, and she decided to give him a second chance? That thought alone makes my blood boil.

Judah finally pulls down the driveway, and I nudge Oliver. "Why do you let him talk about her like that?"

Oliver looks confused. Not a surprise, but it still pisses me off how oblivious he is sometimes. He shrugs. "He talks shit. Most of the time I think it's for other people's benefit to keep up some tough guy image or whatnot."

"It's still bullshit."

"Yeah," he says. "It is, but they're not serious. It's high school puppy love that's already starting to fade. A couple more months and I'll bet he won't even bother to come home anymore."

Oliver may seem confident about that, but I'm not so sure. He seems determined to prevent her from moving on with anyone, and I'll bet he's a couple of months away from coming home for good. Maybe I'm just fighting the inevitable. For all I know Elliot could be thinking the exact same thing. Judah might be end game for her and everyone else is disposable.

"Second thought," I say suddenly. "You're right. Let's go out tonight, I need to let off some steam."

He smiles. "I'll knew you'd come around."

***

The harsh morning light glares through my window and I roll over to shield my eyes. My face lands in something soft—and it's not a pillow. A seductive smile peers back at me from a blonde-haired stranger.

I roll onto my back and pinch the bridge of my nose as the events of last night come flooding back to me in a rush. The bar, doing shots with Oliver, making out with this blonde, more shots with Oliver, the Uber ride home— My stomach lurches when I spy the condom wrapper at the foot of the bed. Fuck!

"Sorry I stayed," she says and then she sits up and stretches her arms above her head. "Shit got pretty crazy last night, and I passed out." She turns and runs a finger down my chest. "You're something else, Hunter Graham. Surprising coming from you. You seem so gentle outside of the bedroom."

I laugh once. "I guess I'm full of surprises."

She leans down and kisses my cheek before pushing off the bed. "You sure are. Call me if you want to do it again sometime."

I watch her get dressed, resting my hands behind my head. I'm not going to call her. I can't even believe I let myself sleep with her in the first place. I promised myself that no matter what Elliot did, I wouldn't stoop to her level. And here I am, no better than she is. Maybe we deserve each other after all?

My new friend leaves a few minutes later, and I stumble my way through a shower. I'm thankful it's Sunday and I don't have to be subjected to seeing Elliot if I don't want to. I'll just avoid her at all costs until I have to face it tomorrow morning. My plan is out the window when I enter the living room in only a pair of sweatpants. Elliot is sitting on my couch, eyeing me with suspicion.

I swallow hard, taking in the anger in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

She keeps glaring at me with a hatred so harsh her hazel eyes look like they're on fire. "When I heard you were going out with Ollie, I assumed you'd be back quick. Ollie usually finds a distraction and bails on his wingman—but I never thought the one who needed the distraction would be you."

Instantly I feel like the biggest dick ever, but I'm pretty sure she's a fucking hypocrite right now.

I smile. "So, you can sleep with Judah and that's perfectly fine, but I'm to remain celibate for some reason."

She stands up to face me and crosses her arms. "First of all, I did not sleep with Judah. I slept next to him, there's a difference."

When I roll my eyes, she continues holding up a finger. "Second, you're the one always preaching about treating girls the way that they should be treated and yet you're perfectly okay with having a one-night stand with a girl you don't even know."

I shrug. "Your brother does it all the time."

Elliot laughs. "Oh, he's your hero, eh? You wanna be like Ollie?" She takes a step closer. "How many actual relationships has he been in?"

I pause, trying to think of just one. When it goes too long, she laughs again.

"There isn't any. He can't commit to anyone, and that's okay, but it's certainly not how I want to live my life anymore."

I reach for her, but she pulls back. "Elle, I'm sorry."

She shakes her head, tears pooling in her eyes that I know she won't let fall.

"It doesn't matter. This whole thing was a mistake." She grabs her bag and heads for the door quickly. I move to stand in front of her.

I place my hands gently on her waist. "Elle, what was a mistake?"

"Being friends with you. I can't anymore."

It feels like I just got punched in the balls. "You can't be serious. We were always friends."

She takes a step back, out of my arms. "Not anymore. From now on when you see me, you look the other way. Talk to me in class if you have to, but that's it."

I lower my voice. "You don't mean that."

Her breath hitches in her throat and she hurries toward the door again. Hurting Elliot is something I never wanted to do. Playing games and acting irrational is dangerous. Especially when you might be in love with the person you're trying to beat.