Read Score: A Stepbrother Sports Romance for Free Online

makes me say dumb shit, sort of like what comes out of my mouth next.
    “A hundred bucks?” I snort as I kick back in my chair and throw my feet up on the table. “What if we made it interesting?”
    The group of guys around me goes quiet and collectively starts to grin
    “Let’s make it a grand.”
    There are low whistles around the backyard before Jason cracks ups and throws his hand up to high-five me. “Well damn , boy! There’s the Big Ten I was hearing about!”
    Ramirez is cackling like I’m the funniest dude in the world. “That’s filthy bro, I like it!”
    What the fuck am I doing?
    Henderson nods. “You’re crazy, but you better start saving, golden boy. Nerd-girl’s ass is mine .”
    I very quietly resist the urge to put my fist into his mouth.
    I’m acting like a complete fucking idiot here, but I know I’m in too deep now to say shit. And as dumb as I know it sounds, I’ve got a reputation to uphold, however sordid.
    Besides, it’s just a stupid bet.

7
Hailey
    “ S o , settling in okay, Hailey?”
    Heather smiles at me as she passes the salad across the table.
    Okay, this is nice. I mean, I love my dad, but family dinners for the majority of the past ten years have mainly consisted of takeout or weird frozen dinners and - yep, you guessed it - football on the t.v.
    Real conversation, homemade food, and a table that doesn’t start with the word “coffee” is a wonderful improvement.
    The fact that dickhead Dalton won’t be gracing us with is presence tonight makes things that much more enjoyable.
    I nod and swallow the pasta in my mouth. “Yeah, actually,” I smile back at Heather. “It’s going fine.”
    I’ve been on campus for four days now, with classes starting Monday. Yeah, it might not be Columbia, and Dixon might not be New York City, but I’m slowly making peace with that. After all, it’s just one semester, and then I can move on with my plans.
    One semester without any more annoying visits to my dorm room by Dalton and his football goons would be preferable.
    Something soft brushes quickly against my leg, followed by a rusty, wailing meowing sound under the table.
    “Oop, here you go, buddy.” Dad starts to pass a piece of bow-tie pasta under the table to his cat Beasley. I say “his cat”, because the snaggletoothed Maine Coon is no one’s but Dad’s. Heck, I’ve known Beasley for close to nine years, and he want’s nothing to do with me.
    “Jim-”
    My dad looks up sheepishly from feeding his beggar of a cat as Heather rolls her eyes at him. “Should I have set a place for him?”
    “Please don’t?” I mumble out.
    Heather laughs.
    “Aww, he just loves himself some pasta, that’s all,” Dad says, giving me a wink.
    “Dad, Beasley loves himself food - like, as a general concept.”
    “He’s a growing boy!” Dad says with a grin. “I’m gonna work on his blocking drills this season and maybe stick him on the defensive line, what do you think?”
    I sigh as I shake my head at Heather. “You had no idea what you were getting into, did you?”
    Heather laughs again as she reaches over to hold my dad’s hand. “Oh, I’m in for the whole deal - Beasley and all.” She flashes a smile at my dad before turning it my way. “By the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I took a look at your schedule today.” Her eyebrows go up. “You’ve got a pretty hefty first semester, you know.”
    I nod. “I know, I just want to knock out as many general ed classes as possible before Columbia.” I shrug. “I figured they’d be easier to do here.”
    Crap.
    I cringe the second I say it, realizing how shitty it sounds out loud. “God, sorry, that came out wrong.”
    “Hailey,” my dad frowns and shakes his head, but Heather just smiles and pats his arm.
    “No-no, that’s okay.”
    “Heather, I really didn’t mean-”
    “Hailey, really, it’s okay,” she waves her hand dismissively and smiles at me.
    God I’m an asshole .
    Heather’s really trying here,