For the Win Read Online Free

defense so that makes him work harder than he’d like.” I chuckle, thinking of Jeremy.
    “How’s your blood sugar?”
    “Just tested—my sugar was a little low today. Nothing unusual though.”
    “Keep an eye on it.”
    “I will, Ma.” I roll my eyes in the foggy mirror. When she starts detailing her upcoming week — and what she needs to do before Allie leaves the country — I put the phone on speaker so I can finish getting dressed. Combing my hands through my long, shaggy hair I smile, thinking about how much my mom hates it. Sure enough, I’m walking out the door when she says, “Have you cut your hair yet?”
    “Not yet.”
    I wait for the other questions. Are you sleeping okay? Yes. Are you taking your vitamins? Yes. Have you been drinking? No. Are you seeing anyone? Sigh . No.
    I walk down the hallway from the locker room to the back entrance—the one Edgar lets me use to access my van. Stepping outside into the bright North Carolina sunlight, I shield my eyes with my hand. There, right beside my van, is a flash of Carolina light blue. I blink, almost stopping.
    Mom’s in mid-sentence, lamenting my choice of hairstyle, when I cut her off. “Crap, Ma, did you know about this?”
    “About what?” she asks, her voice betraying nothing.
    I stare at the pale blue VW bug and the two figures sitting inside. “I gotta go. Talk to you later.”
    “Julian? What’s going on?”
    “Love you,” I say, disconnecting.
    Before anything else, I take a breath and toss my stuff in the van. I grab an elastic from the door knob and twist it into my hair, securing it at the back of my head.
    “Jules.” I hear from the car.
    Something in me twists when I hear Allie’s voice. It’s the feeling of home. Comfort. We’ve always been this way, but I also know in my gut that her arrival today is not just about us.
    It’s about those phone calls.
    “What are you doing here?” I ask, taking her in. She looks good. Healthy. Tan skin and sun-streaked hair. I notice a bandaged wrapped around her ankle, the one that she had surgery on two years ago. The doctor gave her the OK to play, but the bandage makes me nervous.
     Her light blue eyes, identical to mine, skim over me as well, her nose wrinkling when she gets to the beard and hair.
    “Just wanted to see you before all the craziness starts.”
    The craziness. Also known as the fucking Olympics. Just that.
    “Thought maybe we’d drive down to the beach and relax for a day or two,” she continues.
    I look past her, through the dark windshield, to see the person inside lift her hand in a hesitant wave.
    “Who’s we?” On cue the door opens, and a familiar head of dark brown hair appears. The feeling in my stomach ratchets up a notch. “Melina?”
    “Hey, Julian.”
    I feel for the van behind me and lower myself on the edge to sit. I haven’t seen Melina since sophomore year, when Berry came up to play Clemson. I haven’t seen that hair, or her smile, or her long, strong legs. I haven’t heard her laugh or seen the face she makes when she’s angry at me. It’s been years, but seeing her now I realize nothing’s changed. Not for me, anyway. Not the way I feel.
    I left her behind just like everything else. On purpose...although leaving Melina wasn’t my call. It was hers.
    Not that I blame her.

 
     
    Reporter : What’s it like being a twin?
    Julian : Lame.
    Allie : Exhausting.
    Reporter : Really, do you not get along?
    Allie : We shared a womb, we have to get along.
    Julian : * wraps a large hand around Allie’s neck and pretends to throttle her * We’re best friends.
    Reporter : Have you always gotten along?
    Julian : * doesn’t respond but lifts an eyebrow *
    Allie : We’ve always supported one another.
    Reporter : Always?

 
     
    Chapter 6
    (2005)
    We went back to the fields every day, rain or shine. Once we even went in the snow. Allie sat on the sidelines…chasing balls, hoping for an in, but the men ignored her much as they had since day one.