“Only, I don’t think she’s going to change for you.”
Fuck! Luke said the same thing, but it went in one ear and out the other, because I didn’t want to believe him and, well…it’s Luke. But if Joel’s saying it, after all the time he’s spent with Summer and me, then I should probably pay attention. There’s just something stopping me.
“You might be right, but I need to know for sure.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, man. Try to woo her, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll be there for her in any way I can. If that’s only friendship, so be it. But I need to take a shot first.”
Joel sits back and thinks about that for a minute, a contemplative look on his face. “Aren’t you worried taking the shot might backfire, and then you’ll lose the friendship too?”
“Terrified,” I say, running a hand through my hair again. God, it must look awful right now, but I’m beyond caring. “The thing is, I think there’s something real between us, and I know she feels it.”
“Well, I hope it works out. I love having Summer around, and she deserves a great guy like you.”
“Thanks, man.”
“I mean it. She’s been through so much crap already, and I’m worried we don’t even know the half of it.” His lips pull into a frown and mine follows.
“Of that, I’m sure. But since she’s not likely to tell us, all I can do is be there for her and make sure the bad in her life is a thing of the past.”
My phone vibrates again, and I almost drop it in surprise. Joel and I laugh. Thankfully, something broke the seriousness of our conversation. We need something uplifting after that.
Summer: Tuesday sounds great.
And there it is. I don’t bother hiding the smile on my face now that the cat’s out of the bag. Instead, I pass my phone over so Joel can read our exchange and sit back for his response.
“I’m team Dylan and Summer all the way,” he says with a genuine smile, big enough to rival my own.
The weekend arrives quickly, and before I know it, we’re at our away game. True to her word, Summer spent the week at home studying, so I haven’t seen her, but we have at least spoken on the phone.
Seconds remain on the clock. It’s a close game and tensions are high. We’ve already had two on-field brawls, and we’re all skating on thin ice. Our quarterback launches the ball into the air toward our other receiver. I watch, on guard, as it plays out in slow motion. Their defense is good, probably the best of any side, but today, our offense is better. Peters secures the ball in his hands, fakes left and then runs right, sprinting to the end zone.
The crowd roars. Despite being an away game, we still have lots of support. Luke jumps on my back, seconds before we’re flattened to the ground in celebration. We beat our biggest rivals. It’s been a long time coming, and honestly, something I didn’t think would happen during my time on the team. Even Coach is smiling. He’s always happy when we win, but he usually waits until the locker room to show any emotion.
A hand appears in my face, and I grip it to pull myself up. Nate slaps me on the back in a hug. “We did it, man,” he says.
“Feels like a championship.” I laugh.
“That it does. We deserve several days of celebrations.”
“You can have tomorrow. Then it’s back to training,” Coach interrupts sternly, but his smirk gives him away. He’s wanted this as much as we have, probably even more.
After another celebration in the locker room and a speech from the coaches, we’re on the bus headed home. Spirits are high; there’s talk of championships. We all feel invincible.I feel invincible.
Bouncing in my seat, I sing along to our pump-up playlist as it blares through the bus. My smile’s big, my heart’s full, life is good.
And then I get the call I’ve always feared would come.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Summer
I’minarushto get ready for the night when my phone buzzes on the nightstand.Shit! This better not be Joel saying he’s early.Joel, Cory, and I, and a few of Joel’s friends, are heading to Reilly’s to watch Dylan’s game. I’m willing to admit he’s got me hooked on football again, and I’m not complaining.
I crawl across the bed and reach for my phone to see it’s Rob calling. I don’t have time to answer, but since I still haven’t called him after seeing him at the game, and Cory and I postponed our planned dinner, I can’t let it go to voicemail.
“Hi, Rob.”