He shakes his head. “I told him not to do it. But you know how they’ve been their whole lives.”

He takes my hand in his, and I mindlessly stare at his intricate black tattoo covering his arm.

“This will pass, Piper. There’s no way your ex has enough on Tanner. Not to mention, he never actually failed a drug test.”

Then, it dawns on me. Dylan’s right. Unless they have the actual confession, which only really came from Tanner’s mouth verbally to Coach, there’s no proof anywhere. The only proof is Brad’s positive drug test. Excitement churns inside of me and I think I’ll save the day.

“You’re right. But then what does Curtis have on him? I doubt he’d say something he couldn’t back up.”

I bite my lip and eye my mom in the kitchen, fussing over the dishwasher.

“Should I call Curtis and sweet talk him?” I ask.

Dylan shakes his head. “Negative. Plus, he’ll see right through you. It was clear last night, Piper. You love Tanner.”

My shoulders slump. Tanner has been there for me so many times. I want to solve this for him.

“That’s it. I’m talking to the only one besides Tanner who knows exactly what happened that day.” I stand up and march over to the stairs. I run up them before knocking on the door.

“Go away.”

I hear a thud against the door, assuming a pillow was thrown.

“Open the damn door, Brad.” Dylan’s fist slams on the wood above my head.

I peer back.

“He’s my brother. I can’t be known as the cheater’s brother.” He laughs.

How he finds humor at a time like this tells me that he’s perfect for Bea.

Dylan’s hand searches on top of the bathroom door, and he hands me the key. “Here.”

“Thank you.” I insert the key into the lock.

We open the door, and Brad’s staring up at the ceiling, tossing a football up in the air.

“Why are you here?” he asks.

The two of us file in.

“Because we aren’t going to just sit down there and wait for the shit to pile up higher, After ESPN reported it, all the other news shows are chiming in,” I say, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

“If you morons had come to us when it first happened, we wouldn’t be here,” Dylan mentions.

Brad throws the football at him. Dylan swiftly catches it before placing it on the dresser.

“You need to tell us, Brad, what happened when Tanner confessed. What did Coach do?” I ask.

Brad looks over at me, and I pin him with a glare, raising my eyebrows.

“He said that he’d bury it. He was pissed as hell at us, but he covered Tanner to make sure it protected him.”

“Did Tanner sign anything?” I ask.

He sits up straighter. “He didn’t have to. The test was positive.” He tucks one leg under the other one and grabs a baseball to toss.

He’s never been able to stop moving.

“What do you mean? I thought he just took the blame for your positive test?” I ask, cocking my head to the side. I’m frustrated at the fact that I’ve been lied to once again.

“Coach made Tanner take the test to make sure the story was true.”

Brad’s nonchalant behavior is pissing me off more.

“If Tanner wasn’t using, how did he test positive?” Dylan is intrigued by this newfound information.

“He used mine.” Brad shrugs.

I grab the baseball midair and throw it across the room.

“You are both idiots!” Dylan yells. “What the hell is wrong with you? You both were Olympic-bound at the time. How did you think this wouldn’t come back?” He runs his hands through his hair, pacing the floor.

“How was Tanner able to go to Colorado with a positive test?” I ask Brad.

“Because Coach got rid of the test. It was a school-initiated test, so Colorado never got the records. Plus, Tanner tested for them when he arrived and passed.”

I stand up, unable to sit any longer. Joining Dylan in pacing back and forth, I nibble at my fingernails. “We’re screwed. Just screwed. A positive drug test is going to shatter his dreams.” I shake my head, shocked that it all came out.

“No, it’s not.” Tanner’s voice comes from the doorway.

My feet stop moving, and I look up at his determined eyes. “Tan.”

I inch toward him, and he opens his arms for me.

“I’m going to confess,” he says to everyone, “and ask for forgiveness. My representation assures me that my two years of negative tests afterward is enough proof that I don’t use. Testing positive in college has no bearing on my Olympic standing.”

I peek up at him. “Your representation?” I ask.

“We’re good. Your ex-boyfriend is going to have to try a lot harder to break me.”

With his words, my heart stings because I caused the drama. “I’m sorry,” I mumble.

“Stop being sorry.” He inches down until his lips are only millimeters from mine. “He’d only hurt me if he took you away from me. I told you, you’re all I need to breathe. Everything else is a bonus in my mind.”

Resting his lips to mine, I melt into his embrace.

twenty-two

THE LAWYERS WASTE NO TIME. It’s only been three hours, and here we sit, in a room at the university, while every press person files into the private room across the hall.

Tanner’s leg bounces, his black dress shoes clicking along the linoleum floor. I reach for his hand, and he willingly gives it.

He glances over, and his shoulders slump. “Don’t give me that look. This isn’t your fault. I did this.”

He squeezes my hand, and I nod.

I fight the urge to scream, Brad did this, too.

I look over at Brad. He’s relaxed in a chair, fiddling with his phone. I’m beginning to loathe him the longer he sits back, acting indifferent. He has to care, right? How can he continually let his best friend take his fall?

“Don’t, Piper,” Tanner warns under his breath.

My head flips to his direction. “What?”

“Don’t look at him like you’re so disappointed. I see it across your face. You’re mad that he’s not confessing, but I would never allow him to.”

“He should at least try,” I argue.

Tanner shakes his head and looks around. “Don’t you get it? I made it. He didn’t.”

“So?”

I know Brad was depressed when he never got the call to go to Colorado, but he should have been happy for his best friend.

“I hate it. I hate that I got the call, and he didn’t. He worked his ass off, even before trying the performance drugs. Do you know how badly I’ve wished that he could have been only a millisecond faster?” he whispers.

The scowl across Brad’s face as he texts does nothing to make me feel better about this.

“He just didn’t have it. I didn’t either, but it doesn’t mean I should have tried to cheat.” I fight whatever Tanner is trying to persuade me to accept.

“Oh, Piper. You’re different. You know that, right? You’re not the average athlete. You are competitive, but if Bea would have made the Olympics and you didn’t, you still would have been happy for her. You might have envied her and wished you could have been faster, but you would have moved on. Look at him, Piper. Does he look happy?” Tanner nods in Brad’s direction.

When I study my twin, I realize how blind I’ve been to his silent suffering. It doesn’t make up for what he’s done to Tanner though.

“Still?” I shrug.

“Was I mad this morning when I saw the news calling me a cheater and a violent scumbag? Of course, but I agreed two years ago, and Brad did try to convince me otherwise. But he’s my brother, and I had no problem taking the blame, so he could have a chance at the Olympics. Do I wish it had paid off? That Brad would be swimming in the next lane with me? Yeah.” He nods his head, blowing a breath out. “But he’s not, and there’s nothing either one of us can do to change it. This”—he points to the hallway—“is a consequence of my own doing. So, please, Piper, don’t get mad at him or give him the cold shoulder.” He leans forward and smiles. “Okay?” he asks dipping his head down to see me.