Honestly, I hadn’t really been paying much attention, but now that I am, I’m borderline horrified to see that Salem is … pretty damn good. He ambles around the court like he has nowhere in particular to be, but his ballhandling is surprisingly artful, thanks to those long fingers, and when he gets a clear shot, he’s got some killer aim. Plus, he’s like six foot thirty, so he gets some blocks in by default.

I’d planned to obnoxiously cheer Salem on through every dribble off his foot and wild airball, but as usual, he simply refuses to cooperate. Instead, Sabrina and I watch in stunned silence as Salem makes not one but two NBA-worthy steals, then crushes all the other guys in a free throw competition. “What the fuck?” she whispers, taking the words right out of my mouth. Just the fact of Salem having biceps is confusing and strange.

The only thing making his competence slightly more bearable is that Lucas is also trying out, and Salem is absolutely destroying him.

Finally, the coach blows the whistle and sends them for a water break. As a sweat-drenched Salem chugs an entire Nalgene’s worth in one go, I’m pretty sure he’s smirking at us.

I stomp down the bleachers until I’m sitting a couple of feet away. “Well aren’t you the little jock in hiding?”

He waggles his eyebrows and continues to drink, his gaze flickering over my cheerleading outfit without betraying a single emotion.

“Seriously, Salem, what the fuck?” Sabrina demands. “When did you learn how to shoot like that?”

He finally tears himself away from the water and wipes his face on his shirt. “When Mom and Dad said they’d add two hundred bucks to my car fund if I made the team.”

“Fucker!” Sabrina’s mouth drops open. “God, they’re not even hiding that you’re the favorite.”

“How could anyone possibly hide that I’m the favorite?”

Matt walks up and holds up his hand for a high five, which I’m pretty sure Salem only gives him to drown out Sabrina’s retort. “Way to go, Gray. There’s still one more round of guys, but Coach is already glowing about you.”

Salem just nods, his eyes on the floor, but he’s so obviously beaming on the inside, biting his usual pout so it won’t blossom into a proud smile. It would almost be cute, if it weren’t … Salem.

“So what’s next, brother dear?” Sabrina asks. “Gonna surprise us all with a hot cheerleader girlfriend?”

“Careful,” Matt warns, gesturing toward me. “You don’t wanna make this one jealous.”

God, so predictably annoying. “But … but I thought I was your girlfriend!” I say to Matt with just the right amount of lip wobble. “Are you telling me our love has been in my head this whole time?”

“See? I’m telling you,” Matt says knowingly to Salem. “Trouble.”