Chapter 21

They bristled around each other like two alley cats circling for a fight. Energy arced between them, so palpable at times that Vic was surprised they didn’t both spontaneously combust. He stayed in the living room while Matt cleaned up in the kitchen; when Matt came in to sit on the couch, Vic found something to do in the bedroom. They were two magnets, drawn together and repelled at the same time.

The dance exhausted Vic—he’d be in no shape to play that evening if he didn’t get out of the house, away from Matt, and soon. Packing his gym bag, he hefted it over one shoulder on his way to the front door. >From the living room, Matt snapped, “Where are you going?”

“To practice,” Vic replied.

He was halfway out the door before Matt said, “You can’t go. How will I get to the Diamond?” When Vic stopped and turned, confused, Matt explained, “My car’s at the gym, remember?”