He exits, followed by the silent assistant coach, leaving us all to wash up and change. I’m waiting for Caleb outside the locker room when my phone buzzes. My parents reach out after games, but they usually give me time to get home. So, when I see the name and the short text attached I’m left staring at the screen in surprise.
Chaos: Heard it was a good game
I reread the text, then snort when a new one vibrates my phone.
Chaos: Still not wearing your jersey
A small grin curls half my lips and I only wipe it away when Caleb smacks my arm to indicate he’s ready. His eyebrows raise as he looks at me, his eyes narrowing slowly before he snorts in amusement. “Let me guess. That look has to do with a blue-haired girl.”
I say nothing, but I don’t need to.
He shoves me.
I shove him back. “Let’s grab some food before we head back.”
After grabbing subs from our favorite deli in town, we go home to the girl in question where I find her studying on the couch. Her papers and books are scattered everywhere, and the laptop I told her she could use is sitting open on the coffee table in front of her playing music.
Ivy may not say a lot to me when I’m home, but her roaming eyes tell me all I need to know when they linger in my direction.
I’m in serious fucking trouble.
“Whatever Coach told you today—”
“Don’t, Aiden.”
“Hear me out,” I tell her anyway. “I don’t know what Coach told you today but ignore him. He’s got his own problems and experiences that get in the way sometimes. He means well.”
Her eyes stay on her paper for a full minute before she sighs and lifts her gaze, her face clear of makeup and her hair pulled back. “I realized something after he left the bakery.”
I sit down next to her, picking up her legs and dropping them on my lap. “What?”
Her smile takes me by surprise. “That I’m worth more than some washed-up former football player’s opinion. He doesn’t know anything about me, and he never will.”
“Ivy—”
“No, listen. What he said sucked and I won’t lie, I wanted to throw something at him. But he knows nothing about me, so why should I let him dictate who I talk to? I can respect him for caring enough about you to warn me off, especially because Elena told me he used to be a pro player and probably has a lot of connections you can utilize.”
“That shit doesn’t matter to me.”
A shoulder lifts casually. “It should though. You’ve wanted this for so long, so why not play by his rules? I’m not saying I’m going to run away because some middle-aged man with a serious attitude problem told me to. I’m trying to make something of myself for once. I’m done running, Aiden.”
My throat bobs at her words. “And what about us?”
“What about us?” she returns.
I look down at her bare legs, smooth and soft and slightly scarred from who knows what. I trace one of the white lines on her calf and wonder how she got it. “Are we okay?”
She barely pauses this time. “As okay as we can be. I’m far from perfect, Aiden. I’m going to say stupid shit and shut down. It’s what I do. But I wouldn’t mind…” Her lips rub together in hesitation. “I wouldn’t mind a friend, even if you’re only going to be around for another month.”
My jaw ticks. “Coach told you?”
“Some of your teammates have loose lips,” she murmurs.
“I was going to tell you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Friends tell each other everything.”