Chapter 4
Justin
“What was that back there?” Luke demands as the basketball makes a satisfying swish through the hoop over my garage.
“That’s called a beat-down!” I slam as I retrieve the ball and toss it back to Luke.
Luke lets the ball drop to the concrete and keeps it from rolling away with his NikeAir. “I mean with Tara,” he says pointedly.
I can’t see his face because we’re playing by the light of the street lamps.
“It’s no big deal. Tara and I go way back.”
Luke doesn’t pick up the ball.
“I invited the girl who saved my life to go swim with us, no big deal,” I defend, but the hairs on the back of my neck prick up a little, as if to say, Nope, that’s not all it was.
“You were trying to get to Amanda.”
I shrug. Luke never cuts me any slack. Not even two days after a near-death experience.
“Whatever, even if that was a reason—and I’m not saying it was—Tara saved my life. It was crazy messed up for Amanda to be so cold. And then I realized, you know, Amanda’s always cold. At least to outsiders. It’s not cool.”
“Doesn’t make it okay, bro. All you did was put Tara in the middle of it.” Luke picks up the ball again and dunks it easily.
“Tara held her own, ” I counter.
“You’re not out on the field. Tara’s not a soccer ball for you and Amanda to kick around in whatever game it is that you two have going.” He scoops the ball back up and begins to dribble it.
“Since when did you have the hots for Tara?” I ask, with a laugh.
“I barely know her. But I know she deserves better than this,” Luke says a little too quickly. “Why do you care?”
I don’t answer. I steal the ball from him and the game starts again.
YOU ARE READING
The In Between
Teen FictionTara Jenkins and Justin Westcroft used to be childhood BFFs. Now in high school, Justin’s a popular, all-star athlete, and Tara spends her days admiring him from afar. But when Tara saves Justin from nearly drowning in a freak accident, he’s unable...
