There are several staged family portraits and a few candid shots. One in particular catches my attention, and I study it closely. A sixteen-year-old Beck stands between his two parents, beaming. I know he’s sixteen because of the stadium in the background, the German flag draped across his shoulders. It’s a snapshot of the moment following his breakout performance that allowed Germany to win a championship.

“Do your parents play?” Sophia asks me, following my gaze.

“No,” I reply, laughing a little at the thought. “I don’t think either of them have even seen a game.”

“Not even yours?” Sophia asks, sounding surprised.

“Nope,” I respond, keeping my tone light. “Have you ever played?”

Sophia scoffs. “Definitely not. They’re a hard act to follow.” She nods to the photo of her parents and brother.

“Did you want to?” I ask, curious to hear her perspective after what Beck had to say about Sophia enjoying the perks without the pressure.

“Not really. I still remember the first time we played football in school. My parents had retired already, Adler was only at the academy, but everyone still expected me to play, to be good. It was exhausting. I don’t know how Adler does it, to be honest.”

“Do you guys get along?” I ask curiously. “It seemed like I was walking into some pretty thick tension earlier. Not that I understood anything.”

Sophia laughs. “Yeah, we do. For the most part, anyway. It was mostly because of—well, you.”

“Me?” I say, surprised.

“Not you, specifically. Just that he brough home another girl.”

“So…. he brings a lot of girls home?” I ask. Not that it matters.

Sophia nods. “He promised to cut it out, but then, well…”

“He brought me,” I surmise.

She nods again. “I was just annoyed. But I didn’t mean to make you feel unwelcome.”

“You didn’t,” I assure her, even though she sort of did.

She studies me speculatively. “You’re different,” she admits. “Most girls are too busy making heart eyes at Adler to so much as talk to the rest of us.”

“Sounds awkward,” I note. “But I’m leaving in a few weeks. I already know my heart eyes are numbered.”

She eyes me. “Maybe that’s why you’re different. The rest of them never did.”

Sophia leads me through the entryway to the opposite side of the house, which I learn contains a library, sitting room, two bathrooms, and an honest-to-God conservatory.

“I feel like I’m in a game of Clue,” I confess to Sophia as I glance around the glass-paneled room that juts off the east side of the mansion.

She laughs. “Oh my God, I haven’t played that in forever.”

“It’s my favorite board game,” I admit. “I get sort of competitive. None of my housemates back home will play with me anymore.”

“We’re totally playing after brunch,” Sophia decides, grinning.