Aced (Blocked #2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Alejandro asked.
    “Yeah.” When he kept staring at me, I said, “Just thinking about life after school.” He nodded, and I tried to brighten my mood. “So, what do you like to do for exercise?”
    “Oh, you know, run and lift. But the best workout is pickup basketball with the guys. It’s pretty cut-throat.”
    I’d wondered about a purple mark near his temple. “That’s where you got that bruise?”
    “Yeah.” His eye closed. “Took an elbow to the head. But I freaking snagged that rebound, baby.”
    I laughed.
    Lucia surprised me by piping in. “I didn’t know you’d picked up basketball again, Alex.” Her voice had lost its edge.
    He leaned forward to look at her. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”
    “You played in high school?” I asked.
    “Yes.” He cocked his head. “You too?”
    “You can’t be six-one and get away with not playing. My high school coach would’ve killed me.”
    “ My high school basketball coach guilt-tripped me every day for quitting the team after ninth grade,” Lucia said. “But I didn’t have time with club volleyball. How’d you find time for two sports, Maddie?”
    I’d actually played three sports in high school, including running track, but I didn’t want to boast. “I just made it work, I guess. I didn’t like the break between high school and club seasons.” I glanced at Alejandro to find him looking at me again.
    “You love to compete,” he said with a hint of admiration. “So does Lucy. Too bad she stopped basketball, because she and Dad made a killer team against Jake and me for two-on-two.”
    “President Ramirez plays basketball too?” I asked. When Alejandro nodded, I added, “Who’s Jake?”
    “My high school buddy.” His jaw clenched.
    He didn’t say more, so I looked at Lucia.
    “Jake’s a marine,” she said, then lowered her voice. “He’s deployed in Afghanistan. Alex won’t admit it, but he’s worried about him.”
    I looked back and noticed him staring over Lucia’s shoulder. Frank was approaching.
    “Lucia,” he said. She tensed next to me. “We’d like you to return to your seat.” He gestured to the stands, where Allison patted the seat in front of her. “We don’t want you or your brother out in the open like this.”
    Lucia’s hold on the railing tightened. “So you can overhear more of my secrets and broadcast them to the world?”
    My phone buzzed in my vest pocket, and I looked down to see an incoming call from my brother.
    “C’mon, Luce,” Brad said. “I was thinking the same thing about exposure—that’s why I kept getting closer. Back to the stands, Ramirez niños .”
    To my surprise, Alejandro didn’t hesitate. He cupped Lucia’s elbow and nudged her toward the stands as he looked over his shoulder at me. “Coming, Maddie?”
    Lucia shirked away from his hold. “Get off me, control freak!”
    With Alejandro’s eye-rolling grin, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and followed them. It was fun to see that my brother and I weren’t the only ones who antagonized each other. And it was too loud in the arena to answer Braxton’s call, anyway.
    I ended up sitting between the squabbling niños. We watched the game in silence for a few points, and I marveled at Dane’s perfect set to Josh. Too bad Josh hit the ball into the net. I expected to see Dane explode, but instead he shrugged and bumped fists with his best friend. Then he said something to Josh that made him laugh. Whoa . Apparently Dane’s counseling had helped him manage his anger. Lucia told me both she and Dane had continued to meet with Dr. Valentine, the school’s sport psychologist.
    I watched Alejandro scan the crowd, looking more like a protector than a protectee. “You seem to listen to the agents better than Lucia does,” I said.
    “Probably because it was Brad, not China.” He tilted his chin up in her direction. China scowled as she kept watch over her charge. She was one tough chick. “But I’m not