The Halo Effect

02 | triple

Trip nearly tripped.

Impressed by the impact of my impromptu ambush, my lips twitched up into a coy smirk. If someone like Grayson Kirby had witnessed it, he'd have cracked the obvious joke that I assumed Trip had heard countless times.

However, I was infinitely classier than Grayson, and held my tongue.

After catching himself with one hand on the wall, Trip's brown eyes landed on me and his mouth curved into an almost-smile. "Missed you? More than I should've."

The hint of affection in his otherwise sarcastic response persuaded my heart to skip a beat.

"Your footwork could use some work," I quipped, pointing the head of my lacrosse stick at Trip's Adidas sneakers. Unlike the other lacrosse boys in the field house, he wore a black pullover bearing the Cannondale crest and khakis. "Unless I'm just that distracting."

Casual sass was one of the best weapons in my arsenal. It rarely let me down.

Trip scoffed and shook his head before turning to Delaney. "How was Shanghai?"

As Delaney exhaled a wistful sigh, I recalled her most recent Instagram post. It contained photos of classical gardens, teahouses, and the silhouette of the city's stunning skyline. I'd visited with Mom a few years ago when she'd filmed there.

"Amazing as always," she answered. "We got back two days ago, but I'm still pretty jet-lagged."  

Before Trip could issue a reply, Vale appeared in the doorway. He directed his steely gaze at the Duke-bound lacrosse captain.

"I'll forward you and Kirby the AM weight-room schedule when it's finalized," he informed Trip without acknowledging our presence. Delaney shifted subtly beside me, rolling her shoulders back. "I'm still coordinating with D'Marco for baseball's preferred times, but you had the initiative to stop by first. I won't forget that."

"Awesome," Trip smiled. "Thanks again."

An air of athletic prestige buzzed around Trip, but it was that boyish yet charming smile that drew people in. Myself included, apparently.

Hooking his thumbs under the straps of his backpack, Trip offered us a courteous nod before retreating down the hallway. I allowed my gaze to follow him for a moment before begrudgingly focusing on Cannondale's athletic director.

"Ladies," Vale finally greeted, his smile tight. "Welcome back to Cannondale."

"It's good to be back," Delaney said, tucking a lock of glossy black hair behind her ear. "Is now still a good time to meet?"

"Sure is," Vale replied, stepping away from the door to let us in. "Glad to see you brought Chandler along too."

While Vale certainly had respect for Delaney as the girls' lacrosse captain, he shamelessly favored me and she knew it. There wasn't any bad blood between us since we never competed against each other for playing time, but rather an unspoken understanding and mutual admiration that defined our relationship as teammates.

I forced a smile as I entered Vale's office. "I ran into my captain on my way back from the turf, and thought I'd tag along."

Vale's office reeked of expensive cologne and disinfectant that tickled the back of my throat when I inhaled. There was only one chair situated in front of his L-shaped mahogany desk, which I nodded for Delaney to take. She was the captain, after all. As I leaned back against the wall, careful to avoid the old-school team photos, Vale settled into his high-backed desk chair.

Vale nodded with slightly narrowed eyes as he read off his MacBook's screen. "And your email said you had a question about school-funded team gear?"