Here to Win (Walker Boys Sequel)

Chap. 25

“Hello?” I called, walking into the kitchen. I dropped my track bag down in the hallway.

Eileen was handing Zoe a bowl of ice cream. Her face was red and puffy, like she’d been crying.

“Hey,” I said, leaning on the counter in front of her.

“Go away,” she said, without meeting my eyes.

“Was it monkey boy?” I demanded, straightening up. “Because I’ll kick his fucking-”

“Mason, out,” Eileen ordered.

“Are you at least going to tell me who it was?” I asked.

“We’re having girl talk.” She inclined her head towards the door. “That’s your cue to leave.”

I grabbed a Vitamin Water. “You will talk to me.” I headed upstairs and banged on Carson’s door until he answered.

He cracked the door open and stepped outside, closing it behind him. His clothes were disheveled, as well as his appearance.

“God Carson, it’s the middle of the day,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“What do you want?” he demanded.

“Why is Zoe crying her eyes out in the kitchen?”

“How the hell should I know? She went on a date, didn’t she? Maybe it didn’t work out.”

I couldn’t help the sense of happiness that bubbled up inside of me. “Thanks for nothing.” I looked at my phone. “Once you’re done with your chick, I need you to change my pod.”

“Do it yourself,” he growled, stepping back into his room.

“Someone needs to check his sugar,” I mumbled, stepping into my room.

“Heard that,” Carson shouted.

I laughed as I stepped into the shower, rinsing the sweat and grime off from my training session with Bill. We’d gotten my times close to my pre-injury times, but I still had a little over a second to make up.

“I need an ice pack,” I called over the intercom. I thought for a second. “Make that two ice packs.”

“Right up,” Mary-Anne called back.

I went to grab a diet coke out of my mini-fridge when I heard my door fly open.

“That was fast,” I said, turning around. But it wasn’t Mary-Anne standing at my door, it was Cody. And he was furious.

“What did you do?” he demanded.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, closing my mini-fridge. I popped open the diet coke and took a slurp.

“She’s bawling her eyes out in the kitchen, and you’re the only explanation.”

“You know she went on a date, right?”

“She wouldn’t cry over Chris Johnson,” Cody said. “Get real.”

“Well I can tell you I haven’t done anything to her. But it’s nice how you automatically blame me.”

“Well it seems you’re always the one to make her cry.”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I’m not always the bad guy? Damn.” I took another gulp from my diet coke.

“Do you even give a shit?”

“That she’s crying? Sure. But she and Eileen both ordered me out when I offered to kick the guy’s ass.”