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Back Unnecessary Drama
Chapters (49)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. TEXT LOGO PAGE
  3. ABOUT THE BOOK
  4. DEDICATION
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  46. ALSO BY NINA KENWOOD
  47. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  48. PRAISE
  49. NEW MARKETING PAGE

‘Well, I might ruin it. Or you might get sick of me. Leave me. All the stuff I was talking about before. It’s a big risk.’ I hate how insecure I sound. But it’s better he knows now, before he truly commits to loving me, the fear that can rise up in me.

His eyes rove over me for a few seconds before he speaks. ‘Brooke. I need you to listen to me, okay?’

I nod, and put down my food.

‘I know I ruined it before, but I’m not going to ruin it this time. I’m never going to cheat on you. I’m not going to get sick of the sight of you. We’ll probably argue sometimes, and we’ll figure out how to deal with that when it happens. I know everyone says living together is a mistake. I know we’re moving very fast. Maybe the worst-case scenario is in our future. But right now, it doesn’t feel like that. Right now, I’ve never been happier. Have you?’

I pause.

‘No. I haven’t,’ I say. And I can, I can feel it, a wonderful warm happiness, bubbling up from deep inside me.

‘So,’ he says, giving me his cutest dimple smile, ‘Let’s just be happy together.’

40

40

I put my hands on my hips, and try not to shout. ‘It’s not basketball. You can’t move once you’ve caught the ball,’ I say.

‘I’m not moving!’ Henry says.

‘You are,’ Penny, Harper and I all say at once.

We’re warming up for our first game as a mixed netball team. Harper, Penny, me, Jesse, Henry, Tristan and Kendra. Penny is going to get a couple she knows to come along in future to be our substitutes, both tall girls who know how to play, but for today, it’s just the seven of us. We spent a long time in our group chat talking about what our team name could be and deciding who would play in what position, and now I realise we should have spent some of that time going over the rules. Henry and Kendra have never played before.

We’re five minutes until game time, and it’s not looking good. I am mentally preparing myself to accept that we won’t win our first game. Maybe we won’t even win our second game. I will have a strategy in place by the third game, to head off any further loss.

Jesse jogs over to me.

‘You look stressed,’ he says, grinning.

‘This team is a disaster,’ I say.

He laughs. ‘Don’t worry, you’ve got me. We can’t lose.’

‘There’s that cute little ego,’ I say, squishing his face. ‘But I’m not convinced you actually know the rules either.’

‘Did you see me intercept that pass before? I’ve got this,’ he says.