Free Bad Traveler by Lola Karns

his plan to move the other point to shooting guard, and the team got on board. The whistle blew, and the players regrouped. Don’t blow this .
     
     
    The game became a lot more nerve-racking and less fun once Kyle took over. The crowd’s initial reaction seemed mean, but he appeared unfazed, looking only at the court. She leaned forward in her seat, covering her ears with her hands.
    Mom muttered how it was a good thing James wasn’t here to see this. He would not have approved. Gwen didn’t understand why people were upset or why they took out their anger on Kyle. They booed, but he was an oasis of calm. He kept his shoulders squared and his gaze even, looking every inch like the elite soldier he once was. She was nervous enough for both of them. Her leg bounced as the Ravens fell further and further behind. The shortest player on the court, number fifty-seven, turned to the bench, eyes wide. Kyle nodded his head, a stark contrast to the screaming, stomping Coach Meyer.
    She couldn’t watch, but she couldn’t look away. The action shifted, players moved about the floor, whistles blew, and balls went through hoops. Fifty-seven started sinking shots, drawing a crowd of defenders. The Ravens appeared to be everywhere at once. Mom told her this was a good sign because options opened up for other players as the Redhawks struggled with who to guard.
    The final buzzer sounded: Ravens 76, Redhawks 64.
    When the game ended, fans crowded toward the bench, shouting encouragement and congratulations for the players and the coach. If she joined them, to congratulate Kyle in person, her family would have to wait. Mom nudged her as she tugged her hat over her hair.
    “Go on, dear. He’s your friend. I’m in no hurry.”
    As she neared the floor, the sound of her name broke through the din as Kyle called to her and asked the crowd to make way. The attention embarrassed her, as the mostly male crowd parted.
    He leaned in so close, his light perspiration made her swoon, or at least want to take a long, deep breath, so she did.
    “I’m glad you came. Can you stay a little longer, or do you need to hurry back?”
    “I came with my mom and sister….”
    “I’ll take you home, if you’re able to wait a little bit.”
    She glanced back at her family, but Mom waved her hand in a go-on gesture. Something had shifted in the way he looked at her tonight and, maybe if she stayed, she’d figure out what. “Sure.”
    Waiting in the empty corridor where the security guard directed her seemed like the closest she’d ever come to being a rock-and-roll groupie. Motherhood had brought an end to her late nights. The clock on her phone proved only fifteen minutes had passed since Mom and Keira said good-bye. Her foot drummed against the floor. The little game on her phone failed to amuse her. She was about to check the time when his footsteps, with their distinctive uneven thuds, echoed. Robotic? No way .
    Kyle in a suit should be against the law. And if it were a crime, she would have to do her duty and make a citizen’s arrest, and he might even resist. She forced her mind to stop playing out this scenario. It was far too dangerous and stupid to think such thoughts. Then again, maybe something mutual existed since he’d asked her to stay, or maybe he was being the same good friend he’d always been. He met her gaze. There was nothing casual in the way he looked at her. And she liked it.
     
     
    His cheeks hurt from grinning like an idiot. The substitution strategy had worked. He’d gotten the right personnel on the court at the right time. The players did the hard work, and they chalked up another victory. That was his excuse, but Gwen was the real reason. Leaning against the tiled wall, she oozed sex appeal in her dark jeans and the snug-fit Ravens T-shirt he’d given her for Christmas. The letters curved around the edges of her breasts, inviting a second look. Her glossy hair fanned out over the collar of her pale pink parka,