A bunch of younger guys hung around near the bulletin board just inside the doorway. “Don’t even think about it, bro,” Brad said, clapping Jason on the back. Jason jumped. He hadn’t noticed Brad in the throng of guys. But what was Brad talking about? Had he seen Jason flirting with Sienna by her car yesterday? Was he pissed? “No need to check the list. You definitely made the team,” Brad continued, steering Jason away from the group. Oh, that. Right. Jason’s heart rate returned to something around its usual beats per minute. “Great,” he said. “So listen, I’m having a party this weekend,” Brad told him as they joined the crowd of students making their way across the sunny courtyard to the next period. “I stuck an invite in your swim locker with the info. The whole team will be there.” “Sounds good,” Jason replied. “Is it just a guys’ night? Team bonding?” Brad laughed. “No way. It’s a house party—my parents’ place on the beach. Bonfire, barbecue, bikini-clad chiquitas, absent mother and father, the whole deal.”
