Page 45 of The Switched-Up Playbook
“Heneededthis!”
“He needed to what, fuck with my head? What the hell are you talking about?!” It’s genuinely making my head swim. There’s no good explanation why Van der Hoff would have to live Nate’s life, why he’d have to sleep in our room, be at that damn party—and play on our team!
“He’s my brother! I had to help him! He lost his starting spot! And you saw how down he was.”
I shake my head, refusing to believe what I’m hearing. Running my hands through my hair seems to get the thoughts to seep into my brain that it hasn’t been my best friend I’ve been clicking so well with on the ice but his asshole twin brother.
“Fuck Nate, you broke the rules! To...to make your brotherfeelbetter? You...I can’t believe you did this!“ I can’t help but shake my head again. My earlier upset stomach has made room for the angry heat rising in my chest, clawing at the back of my throat. “And behind my back too? What the fuck!” It’s starting to really sink in that I’ve been living with essentially a stranger for two weeks. I thought I was going crazy because “Nate” behaved so oddly toward me. No wonder now, since his brother hates my guts. A mutual feeling really.
“You– I’m sorry, but…Nicko wouldn’t even have done it if I hadn’t told him there’d be scouts at the game and–”
“Scouts? What scouts?”
Nate is standing right next to me now, looking up at me—and stupidly all I can think of is that his eyes aren’t as green as his brother’s. I also notice that there actually is a bit of swelling around his left eye. The skin has the yellow-green tint of a still healing bruise.
Reflexively I want to ask what the hell happened, but then I lock the thought away. He made me look like an idiot and lied to me for two weeks, all because his brother was being an entitled brat.
“I told Nicko there’d be scouts at the game against the Grizzlies, that they had to see me play,” Nate’s words barely make it through the blood pounding in my ears. I can’t decide if it’s anger or shame.
“But there weren’t any.”
“I know! I just– and I was right! It was all in his head! He played insanely well! Hell, he scored three goals in two games!”
“For the wrong fucking team! Christ, Nate!” I throw up my hands and then rake them through my hair once more, turning my back on my best friend as I pace over to the window and then back again.
I still barely manage to face him. It’s all swirling together, the hurt over our fight, the anger at the realization of what he has done, the confusion over the sudden attraction, and the kiss last night. I don’t know what to do with any of it.
It’s safest to focus on the anger.
“If anyone ever finds out you’ll both get thrown off the team! Maybe even banned from the NHL!”
“Then don’t fuckingtellanyone!” Nate grabs for my arm. His eyes are glinting with fury.
I pull myself free, growling. “Don’t make it sound likeI’mthe crazy one for being upset that you broke the damn rules! And made me live with your brother!”
Nate lets his hands sink, looking me over with raised brows.
“Apparently it wasn’tthatterrible for you.”
I can only stare at him in disbelief. Even shaking my head a few times doesn’t make his words fall into place. I had always thought he was the reasonable one. The sane one. Not just between us, but between the twins too. But apparently, they do share the asshole gene.
It’s a hard thing to find out about my best friend.
Almost as hard as coming to terms with the fact that I kissed fucking Nicholas van der Hoff. My stomach lurches again, and I clasp a hand over my mouth. The slight bruise of whereNickobit my lip pulses softly.
“What thefuck, Nate.”
“I’m just saying! Don’t act like this is some terrible thing that I did!”
“Itis!You– I was honestly freaking out for a week and a half! When we...I mean he and I fought– And– and this morning too! Not to mention last night!” I just barely manage to keep my voice down. My hands shake when I pull a hoodie out of the wardrobe. “And that’s entirely besides the rules you broke!”
“Oh, forget about the fucking rules! It’s not like it was the Frozen Four. It’ll be fine, and next week I’ll play again.”
I stop on my way out the door, Nate’s words hitting me like shards, bringing the entire confusing mix of feelings to boil over.Fuckhim for making me go through all of that.
“Oh, this is all just so easy for you Van der Hoffs, isn’t it?” I grab the doorknob so tightly I’m half expecting my fingers to squeeze the metal together and leave my handprint behind.
“Come on, that’s not what I–”
