“We’re going to kick ass. There’s no doubt. That other team sucks.”

“We go into every game as if there’s a possibility of losing. Because there always is. I don’t want a loss on our record. Do you?”

Dixon comes over, slapping my ass and answering for me. “Hell no! We don’t even know the meaning of the word.”

I can’t keep the smile from my face because Dixon is a year younger, and boy, is he hungry to play. Every single game. This is his heaven. “Hell no,” I repeat his words right at Camden.

He still doesn’t look pleased, but honestly, that’s also kind of his resting face. And he’s in full game-mode now, which can be kind of intense. It’s what makes him such a great quarterback—hell, it’s what makes him so good at everything—his intense focus on every detail. “Good.”

“Party after?” I ask, hopeful. I mean, I like hanging out with Lucy, but I really feel like partying tonight, teenage-style.

He nods. “Yeah. Mom’s home with Luce.”

“Hell yeah,” I say, excitement lighting me up.

“Game. First,” he says, pulling me back down from the high, but it’s a good thing he does.

Camden always keeps me grounded.

5. Camden

FIVE

CAMDEN

I hiss at the sting of whiskey hitting my throat as I stare at the flames flickering in the fire. My irritation only grows with each sip.

We lost. We shouldn’t have lost, but we did.

It was a close game, but it never should have been close at all. We should have clenched it right from the first quarter. But mistake after stupid mistake left us down three points. They took home the win, and we went home with our tails tucked between our legs.

Kingston is dancing with Kennedy, beer in hand and a smile on his face. Not a damn care in the world as he holds her by the waist and sings off-key to the song blasting from someone’s truck.

A flicker of irritation hits me for an entirely new reason when Kennedy leans in and steals his lips, whispering something in his ear after he swallows her tongue. He shakes his head, though, and she huffs with an obnoxious pout.

Great. They’ll be in a full-blown fight by the end of the night. I’m sure of it.

But it’s not my place. I can’t get in-between them for so many reasons. Reasons I try to drown with the whiskey, but I make sure to keep each sip small. I can’t get blackout drunk, no matter how much I want to.

What if someone needs me?

Which is entirely possible in my life. I keep my phone turned up, just in case something happens with Mom, and she needs me to watch Lucy. Or if something happens with Lucy and my mom needs my help.