“On the plane?” Jack shrugged.
“You’re funny.” Peter clearly hadn’t caught the sarcasm in Jack’s voice. “We’re going to grab a burger for lunch. You coming?”
Jack could say he wasn’t hungry, but everyone would notice he was acting weird. He’d better keep up at least a tiny bit of appearances. Ice already seemed suspicious. She was standing next to Peter, and from the way she was eyeing Jack, it was clear she wasn’t happy with him. “A burger sounds great,” he lied. He’d rather eat paper. “I skipped breakfast; I could eat an elephant.”
“Didn’t you eat on the plane?” Peter asked.
“Nah, I was sleeping when they served breakfast.”
Alice scoffed.
Jack ignored her.
“A lady keep you up until the small hours?” Peter asked.
Jack shrugged, neither denying nor admitting to anything. But he accompanied the shrug with a wicked smile that let everyone assume Peter had nailed him.
“Oooh,” Peter hollered. “Good for you, man.”
Alice didn’t comment, scoffing or otherwise.
***
Their motel in Honolulu had a two-story horseshoe layout with a rectangular pool in the middle. Jack’s room was on the second floor on the right side of the U; he was sharing with Matt. After an early dinner, Coach Morrison had sent them to bed to rest before their first game the next day. Jack was ready to follow the instructions and hoped Peter would too.
Matt came into the room and collapsed onto his queen bed. “I’m toasted, man,” Matt said. “Do you mind if I turn off the lights?”
“No, go ahead. I’m taking a breath of fresh air.”
Jack opened the French doors and walked out onto the small patio outside. It was night, but the temperature was still well above seventy degrees. Compared to frigid Boston, this was heaven. Jack stared across the pool. Half the rooms on the other side were dark. Of the illuminated ones, many had their curtains closed. Not Alice’s room.
It felt a bit stalkerish to spy on her as she sat chatting on the bed with Haley. But Jack couldn’t stop staring. He was so relieved she wasn’t with Peter, he could hula dance.
His joy didn’t last long. Haley and Alice both turned their heads toward the door at the same time. They giggled, hugged, and Haley jumped off the bed. Two seconds later, Peter appeared inside the room. He pulled Alice up from the bed and started kissing her.
Acid rose in Jack’s throat. He continued to watch, unable to avert his eyes as Alice pulled Peter back on the bed, where he landed on top of her, never breaking the kiss. Jack felt numb; his body refused to work. The only parts still functioning were his eyes, which were inexorably trained on the gruesome scene before him.
When Peter got to his feet to close the curtains and turn off the lights, Jack gripped the metal rail so hard his knuckles turned white. Jack had no air in his lungs. His skin was on fire. His entire body seemed to burn. This tropical paradise was his personal hell. Jack wanted to scream. He wanted to drag Peter off the bed and beat him into a pulp. But most of all, Jack wanted to be the one on top of Alice. Instead, all he could do was swallow bile.
A loud crash brought him back from his haze. Two windows down from Alice’s room, the curtains of another room were shaking, and loud shouts mixed with banging noises were audible even from outside. Someone was fighting.
Jack wasn’t the only one who’d heard the noise. In a matter of seconds, Alice’s lights switched on and Peter opened the French doors and hopped out on the patio, struggling to get back into his jeans. His head shook left and right as he tried to determine what was going on. A surge of pure joy ran through Jack’s veins at the perfectly timed interruption.
“What’s going on?” Matt appeared on the patio next to him, his hair tousled and his face still sleepy. “I heard a crash.”
Jack pointed at the room with the shaking curtains. “I think it came from there.”
“Damn right,” Matt said.
At that moment, the curtains collapsed and Matt and Jack had a clear view of what was happening inside. Two guys were wrestling on the floor while a terrified Haley was begging them to stop.
“Who’s that?” Jack asked.
Matt squinted his eyes. “Looks like the Williams brothers are at it again.”
A wolf whistle came from the other side of the motel. It was Peter. Matt and Jack turned to look at him.
“Guys,” Peter shout-whispered. “Can you see what’s happening?”
“David and Scott Williams, Captain,” Matt shout-whispered back. “Two doors down from yours.”
More lights were popping on in other rooms. If they wanted to avoid trouble, they had to pacify the two Williamses before the rumor of a fight reached Coach Morrison.
“I’ll go check.” Peter gestured toward the room. “Can you guys back me up?”
“We’re on it,” Matt said.
From their respective patios, Matt, Jack, and Peter all rushed in and out their rooms to go stop the Williamses. Jack knew he shouldn’t be happy two of his teammates were fighting. But as he ran down the motel hall, he couldn’t help but feel grateful the Williams brothers hated each other.
Twenty
Haley
Today had been the best day of Haley’s life, and it was about to get better. Since bumping into Scott that morning, Haley couldn’t stop smiling. They’d sat next to each other on both flights and had spent the whole journey talking. And Haley had discovered Scott wasn’t just a pretty face. He was the most amazing guy she’d ever met, and she could see herself falling in love with him in the blink of an eye.
“Are you sure you’re okay with swapping rooms?” Alice asked.
They were chatting on the bed in their room.
“Yeah.” Haley beamed at her over-concerned friend. “More than okay.”
“Isn’t it a bit… mmm… quick?”
“Alice, we’re going to sleep in the same room.” Haley rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t mean we have to have sex.”
Alice put her hands forward in a defensive gesture. “I’m just saying that if you’re not sure, or if you change your mind at any point, you don’t have to switch with Peter.” She dropped her arms. “I can see him any other night.”
Peter and Scott were sharing a room and Peter, playing matchmaker, had asked for a roommate swap. Both Haley and Scott had said yes. Haley was waiting with Alice for the guys to come back from their mandatory team dinner.
“Alice, I’m sure,” Haley insisted. “I haven’t been this excited about a guy in forever.”
“I’m just saying you can take it slow if you want to.”
“And I already told you I don’t plan to sleep sleep with Scott,” Haley said. “Just sleep in the same room.”
Alice looked at her skeptically.
Haley smiled wickedly. “I’m not saying it’s a total hands-off situation. I sure hope there will be some kissing involved.”
“Okay,” Alice conceded. “Because Peter will be here soon.”
Haley giggled. “Hey,” she said. “You know what room they’re in?”
“No. Peter’s coming here, so I didn’t ask,” Alice said. “Didn’t Scott tell you?”
“Yeah. But you know me, I forgot.” Haley leaned to one side of the bed to grab the room’s phone and dialed nine.
The line connected after two rings.
“Reception, how may I assist you?”
“Hello,” Haley said. “Could you please tell me what room Scott Williams is in? I’m here with the Harvard Crimson.”
“Mr. Williams is in room 226,” the efficient voice replied. “Anything else I can do for you tonight?”
“No thanks, that’ll be all.” Haley hung up.
As if on cue, they heard someone knock on their door.
“This must be your prince charming,” Haley said, getting up to open the door.
She let Peter in, grabbed her overnight duffel bag from the floor,
and left Alice and Peter alone.
Haley walked down the hall, staring at the doors. She was in room 230, so room 226 wasn’t far. Haley reached it and stared, undecided. She’d been cocky with Alice, but truthfully she was super nervous. She liked Scott so much, and she was afraid he didn’t like her back with the same enthusiasm. He’d been wonderful all day, but what if he’d said yes to the room swap only to do Peter a solid? Well, it was too late to change her mind now.
Haley knocked.
A tall guy—presumably another basketball player—came to open the door. He was shirtless with only a pair of fleece pants on. His dark hair was wet as if he’d just come out of the shower. Piercing blue eyes dilated in surprise at finding Haley on his doorstep. Yet, quickly, his gaze shifted in a way that could be described only as… predatory.
Haley was struck silent.
“Hello, again,” the guy said.
Again? Had he noticed her on the plane?
“What can I do for you?” His tone and lopsided smirk were suggestive.
“Oh, I’m s-sorry,” Haley stammered. “I asked the reception for Scott Williams’s room and they sent me here.”
“Ah, I see.” Blue eyes flashed. “They had the sense to direct you to the better Williams brother.”
“You-you’re Scott’s b-brother?”
Why was she stuttering? This guy made her nervous.
He nodded. “David.”
Haley was tempted to turn and run. “D-do you know which room Scott’s staying in?”
“Were you on the plane with us today?” David asked, ignoring her question.
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t catch your name.”
“Haley.”
David casually leaned against the threshold, arms crossed on his bare chest. “So who are you? His girlfriend?”
“No, we met today.”
David raised both eyebrows.
“I mean.” Haley tried to think how she could make him understand the situation. “I’m here with my best friend. She’s dating Peter, your captain. They wanted to share a room, so we swapped. I’m supposed to be bunking with Scott.”
The smirk was back on David’s face. “Interesting.”
“Nothing is going on.” Haley didn’t know why she felt the need to explain herself to this guy. “I’m just going to sleep in Scott’s room, not sleep with Scott.”
“Well,” David said, gently grabbing her hand and locking eyes with her. “If you’re ever interested in doing something more exciting than sleeping…” He suddenly pulled her in closer. “You know where to find me.”
“David,” Scott’s voice came from behind her. “Let her go.”
Haley tried to free herself, but David held her firmly against his chest.
“And why would I do that?” David asked.
“Can’t you see you’re scaring her? I won’t just stand here and let you intimidate her.”
David’s jaw tensed. “I don’t recall needing your permission to do anything.”
Haley was still struggling to push him away from her, but he was not giving an inch.
“David, back off,” Scott ordered between gritted teeth.
“Or what?” David asked. He made some sort of weird move and spun Haley around so that now she had her back pressed against him as he hugged her from behind. David bent his head ever so slightly. As he kept taunting Scott, his lips almost brushed against Haley’s neck. “What are you going to do, little brother?”
Scott was breathing hard. “Leave. Her. Alone,” he repeated, closing his hands into tight fists.
“She’s all yours,” David said.
He pushed Haley toward Scott, who grabbed her shoulders to steady her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Haley lied. She wasn’t digging the family drama one bit.
Scott let her go and, before she had a chance to realize what he was doing, he threw himself at his brother. Fury twisted his handsome face in an unrecognizable mask.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Scott screamed, grabbing David by the throat and nailing him against the wall.
David threw his brother back with equal force, and the two started beating the hell out of each other. They barreled around the room, knocking over furniture as they careened toward the back of the room. They ended up crashing against the French windows with a loud bang.
Haley was crying. She was yelling at them to stop, but she was too scared to go anywhere near them. So she looked on as they kept fighting. At one point, the curtains collapsed, covering their struggling bodies so only a shaking blob of fabric was visible.
Peter came into the room, pausing briefly next to Haley. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Relief washed over her. “I’m fine. Please, just make them stop.”
“I’m on it.” Peter darted forward and started pulling at the curtains entangled around both brothers’ limbs.
“Haley, I’m here,” Alice said.
Haley turned around and launched herself at her best friend, hugging her tight.
“What happened?” Alice asked.
Haley tried to reply, but instead of words, she started sobbing so hard against Alice’s shoulder she no longer could talk.
Twenty-one
Alice
Alice was trying to soothe a sobbing Haley when Jack and another guy—Matt, Alice thought was his name—flooded into the room to help Peter. Working together, the trio were finally able to pull the two struggling bodies apart. As Matt and Jack forced the wrestlers to their feet, Alice recognized one of them as Scott. He didn’t look as if he was ready to stop the brawl, and neither did the other contender. Jack and Matt had to restrain them while Peter planted himself in the middle, arms spread wide to keep them apart.
“Shut the door,” Peter told her. “We don’t need anyone else involved.”
Alice let go of Haley, who finally seemed less agitated, and went to close the door.
Scott and the other dude were still struggling to break free of their teammates, but Jack and Matt were fighting back just as hard. Scott’s opponent was bare-chested, and his otherwise pale skin was blotched with red patches. He didn’t seem to care or notice, being too busy glowering at Scott, whose nose was trickling blood on the carpet.
“You two calm down,” Peter ordered. “We can’t have Coach Morrison come in here and see you like this.”
The mention of the coach seemed to calm down the two hot heads. They stopped struggling. Peter lowered his arms, still standing between them.
“Are you cool?” Peter asked.
They both nodded grudgingly, and Matt and Jack let them go.
As soon as Matt loosened his grip on Scott, he jerked his elbow up to get free. He touched his hand to his nose to keep the bleeding in check, still glowering at the other guy. He looked ready to start fighting again. Instead, Scott turned around and left the room without saying a word.
Haley watched him go with a dismayed look on her face.
“What happened here, man?” Peter asked.
The remaining amateur boxer flattened his wet, disheveled hair back, unconcerned. He was another looker for the team, but something about his face read “mean.”
“My little brother must have some anger issues,” mean-good-looking guy said.
Brother? This was Scott’s brother?
“And you wouldn’t know anything about provoking him?” Matt said.
Scott’s brother wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s not my fault if he can’t control himself.”
The door opened again, and another player walked in, presumably the missing roommate.
“Whoa,” he said, taking in the devastation inside his room. “What happened here?”
“Scott and David decided to play real-life Mortal Combat,” Jack explained.
He had not looked at Alice once since he’d walked in.
“We’d better clean t
his up,” Peter said, looking around the room. “Luckily, it looks like nothing’s broken.”
“Peter,” Alice said.
He paused mid-motion to look at her. “Yeah, baby?”
“It’s best if I stay with Haley tonight.”
Was that a satisfied smirk on Jack’s face? Jack bent to straighten a capsized coffee table before Alice could be sure.
Peter walked toward her. “Sure, baby, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
“Good night everyone,” Alice said, purposely avoiding Jack’s gaze.
Alice and Haley left the guys to clear up the mess and walked back to their room.
Inside, Haley slumped on her bed and covered her face with her hands.
“Care to tell me what the hell happened?” Alice asked.
“I honestly have no clue,” Haley moaned.
“Were they already fighting when you got there?”
“No. Reception gave me the wrong room number.” Haley hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. “They gave me David Williams instead of Scott Williams.”
Alice was shocked. “That really was Scott’s brother?”
“Apparently. So I knock on the wrong room and David opens the door. Then he starts acting all cocky and smug.” Haley imitated a dude’s voice. “Oh, they’ve sent you to the better brother.”
“Was he hitting on you?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Did he get physical?”
“He sort of force-hugged me. But then Scott arrived, and they started arguing and… Well, you saw.”
“Yeah, heard, too. Scary.”
“It was. It looked as if they wanted to kill each other.” Haley scrunched her face. “How can you hate your brother that much?”
“So Scott has some family issues, huh?” Alice tried to lighten the mood.
“Mm-hmm. I wonder what the real story is.”
“Rivalry?”
“Some competition is normal between siblings,” Haley said. “But those two acted as if they completely, utterly loathed each other.”
“They were pretty intense,” Alice admitted.