“Yeah, okay.”
Part of me couldn’t believe I’d agreed, but there wasn’t only me to think about now. There was Harleigh too. I wanted to be the kind of guy she could be proud of. The kind of guy she could depend on. How the fuck was I going to do that if I was homeless with no prospects after graduation?
“I’m real glad to hear that,” Coach said. “Now get out of here, and Nix?”
“Yeah?” I stood.
“Try to stay out of trouble.”
I gave him an imperceptible nod because I didn’t want to make a promise I couldn’t keep.
Me: What are you up to?
B: Studying.
Me: Boring.
B: But necessary. What are you doing?
The corner of my mouth tipped as I texted Harleigh back. I was heading to Buster’s to meet the guys. I had a ton of restless energy to burn, and since Harleigh had blown me off when I’d asked her to meet me later, a few rounds with the punch bag and a cold shower would have to suffice.
My thumb hovered over the call button, and I hesitated. I didn’t want to get her into trouble, to make things difficult, but I also really wanted to hear her voice.
I hit call and waited as I headed for the gym.
“Hello?”
“Can you talk?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m in my room, studying.”
“How very studious of you.”
“We can’t all be hotshot football players like you.” I heard the smile in her voice.
“I can’t believe you blew me off for homework.”
“I’ve got a lot of work to do if I want to catch up.”
“Because of last year?”
“Something like that,” she whispered. “Where are you?”
“Just heading to the gym.”
“Buster’s, you still go there?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
There was a beat of silence and then Harleigh said, “Do you still fight?”
“Not as much as I used to.”
“Nix…”
“It’s not something I do regularly. There was an incident last year, right after… Anyway, Coach made me promise I wouldn’t fight anymore.”
“Good,” she huffed.