Read Online For the Game by Amber Garza - Free Book Online

she was underestimating how well I’d paid attention to her. I knew her better than she thought. I could read her like a book. Like those damn books her nose was always pressed in. I’d studied her just as carefully, and I sure as hell knew when she was lying.
    There was one other time when she behaved like this, and that knowledge sickened me. It had been both times she’d gotten sick. Twice when she found out she had cancer she’d pulled away from me. Even though she promised she would keep me in the loop when it came to her health, I had the sneaking suspicion she wasn’t. It would be just like her to hide this information from me. She was like that, always trying to protect everyone else, to shield them from her illness. As if it only needed to affect her. As if she could shoulder it alone.
    God, she was so damn stubborn.
    Sometimes I found it endearing, but not right now. Right now I wanted to know the goddamn truth.
    And frankly, I deserved it. This didn’t only affect her, it affected me too. Hell, it was my bone marrow that saved her. And I was her boyfriend, the guy who loved her more than anything. I shouldn’t be kept in the dark. It wasn’t fair.
    For the millionth time I wished I was back home. Wished I wasn’t so far away. It didn’t help that Ace was still giving me shit and Justin was still kicking me out of my own dorm room several nights a week. Sometimes I felt like an intruder here. And what London was doing sure as hell didn’t help matters.
    Angry, I groaned, slamming my hand into the wall. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure who I was upset with anymore. There were so many suspects – the cancer, London, Ace, Justin, myself, this college, my circumstances.
    “Whoa. What’s up with you?”
    I stiffened, not having heard Justin come in.
    When I spun around, I saw that he wasn’t alone.
    Charlotte’s eyebrows shot up. “You okay?”
    Nodding, I ran a hand over my head. When Justin’s arm looped around Charlotte’s shoulders, jealousy filled me. If only London were here. I was convinced if she were, everything would be right in my world again. “Yeah,” I breathed out. “Fine.”
    “You don’t seem fine, bro,” Justin said. “You look like you’re ready to burst a blood vessel.”
    Yeah, right in the middle of Justin’s forehead. Looking at Justin’s smug expression, I thought I might just lose it if I stayed in here with him. “I just need some fresh air.” Snatching up my jacket, I headed out the front door.
    Once I was out in the hallway, I exhaled, allowing my breath to expand. After throwing on my jacket, I started heading toward the exit while simultaneously dialing London’s number. It was time to get to the bottom of this. Tonight I wouldn’t let her skirt my questions. Irritation bubbled inside of me with each ring. If I was back home, I’d just show up at her house and make her talk. That was the thing about London. Her expressions gave everything away, so there was no way she could lie when we were face to face.
    As I stepped outside, I recalled the first time I declared my feelings for London. I had a shitty practice that night too, and just like tonight, it had been London’s fault. Of course, the circumstances were completely different. I had been trying to deny my feelings for London. A lot of good it did. Once I’d looked into that girl’s eyes she’d cast a spell on me. I didn’t have a chance. She’d gotten a hold of my heart. It was hers.
    “Hey, Cooper,” London answered, interrupting my thoughts. 
    “Hey.” My tone was softer than I had anticipated. Her voice alone had tempered my anger a bit. I left the cement walkway, my feet sinking into the newly-watered grass as I inhaled the scent of damp earth. “How’s it going?” Finding a nearby tree, I leaned against it, shoving my left hand deep into the pocket of my jeans. My hair was still a little wet from the shower I’d taken after practice, and a chill ran down my spine.
    “Good. What about