Page 2 of Striking Range

Turning at the sound of Everett’s voice, I do nothing as he takes my drink and swallows a large pull. He’s in a pair of swim trunks—the pink ones with little sailboats—his hair wet with what could be ocean water or could be sweat.

I sound bored as I say, “Hey, where’d you just come from?”

He hands my bottle back, his blond hair bright in the glaring sun. “I was surfing with Kelly. She’s in the stands with Henry.” He stares at me for a moment, having caught his breath, then looks over at the guys from Clermont. “Man, they fucking hate you guys. Won’t stop glaring.”

I shrug. “Sore losers, I suppose.”

“Want me to deck ‘em?”

Glaring at him, I shove his shoulder, making him chuckle as I reply, “You know perfectly well that I’m capable of fighting my own battles.”

“Come on! You never let me help. I’m so strong!” Everett is always doing this, trying to play macho man to stroke his own ego, even when he’s only two inches taller than me.

“You’re so damn annoying. Get off my sand; we’re starting soon.”

He grins even wider and reaches out a hand, tugging at my ear affectionately. “Fine, fine. Let’s go to the diner after your win, yeah?”

“Yeah—whatever. Go, Evie.” I push him away, hearing his laughter trail behind him as he jogs off to meet up with our friends.

Only a moment later, Dante comes up behind me. “Everett is as energetic as ever.”

“Annoyingly so. Come on, let’s play.”

Following Dante back onto the sand, I take a moment to search the rickety, collapsible bleachers. Everett is easy to find with his bright hair and wide shoulders, and he’s smiling right at me.

Idiot.

Everett has been my best friend since I moved to Sinclair when I was ten. My family came from Texas, and as Sinclair is a smaller town, the kids didn’t take to new people at first. Evie, on the other hand, had no issues with me from the very beginning. And from then on—after attempting to rescue me from a bully who found out the hard way that I am far more than all bark—we’ve been linked at the hip.

He’s a golden retriever in every aspect of the term; from his golden hair to his vibrant, sweet nature. I’ve come to love him the way I love all people close to me, even if he drives me nuts half the time. He’s my biggest supporter outside of my mother—and my closest confidant.

I can’t imagine my life without Everett, even if I frequently pretend that he makes daily life a lot harder than it should be. But if I were to tell him this, I’d never hear the end of it.

Dante and I win against Clermont. We secure the first set, and when they almost steal the second, Dante gives Sinclair a beautiful ace serve that throws everyone on their asses. Clermont is not happy; I wish I gave a fuck.

We’re the third duo representing SPC to win today, which means we’ve come out the victors of today’s team match.

“Those are my boys!” Heidi yells, grabbing Dante and me into a crushing hug as soon as we’re done shaking hands with Clermont under the net.

“Thanks, Granny.” Dante grins, earning himself a particularly hard smack on the back of his head.

“Now, do it again on Tuesday," Coach Myers huffs, giving us a wide smile, all teeth. His obsession with winning can be quite terrifying sometimes.

I break away, packing my duffel as beads of sweat trail down my bare back and into my shorts. Luckily, our team shorts only fall mid-thigh, and we don’t wear shoes in the sand, so I’m not overheating too badly in this damn sun.

Dante appears out of thin air, throwing a sweaty arm over my shoulders. “Let’s go eat to celebrate!”

“I told Evie we’d go to the diner.”

He groans dramatically, tightening his hold on me. “Man, can’t you hang out with me for once?!”

Rolling my eyes at him, I grab the handles of my duffel and the sneakers that are resting next to it. “Just come with us.”

“But Kelly doesn’t like me, dude. Not since I fucked that girl in her art club. They’ve started a Dante hate club, I swear.”

This makes me laugh, because I don’t think he’s that far off base with this one. “But—”

“Sky! You were great out there,” says the just-mentioned hate club president, skipping up to us with Henry and Everett in tow. She sends a glare in Dante’s direction.