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“What made you come looking for me in the first place?”
“Well, some guy claiming to be your teammate said that you took off looking like the world was ending. Said Zane wasn’t much better, but apparently drank so much that he was packing him into his house as he spoke to me. I could hear him mumbling in the background. Sounded pretty drunk.”
“He was when I left them. Didn’t want to come with me, so Anao’I said he’d take care of him. Just didn’t realize he’d be taking care of me too.”
“Sounds like a good friend.”
“I think he is, Dad. I really think he is.”
“So, enough guilt and blame? Time for fighting?”
“Yeah, Dad. It’s time to fight.”
Jax
Holy hell I’m nervous. Like palms sweaty, head spinning, maybe I need to make a trip to the bathroom nervous. I know it’s ridiculous, but I can’t seem to turn it off. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this fucking nervous. Not the first game of college. Not my first pro-game. I wasn’t even this nervous for my first tv interview. I bend over to put my head between my bouncing knees because I’m pretty sure I’m having a panic attack.
“Calm the fuck down, Jay,” Zane tells me for the hundredth time.
“I’m trying,” I grit out between panted breaths.
The car stops moving making everything seem so much worse. My stomach feels like it’s on a free fall. I honestly think I might puke.
“What’s up with you, man?” Zane eyes me while opening my door. I never even heard him get out through the roaring in my ears.
“I don’t know why but I’m so nervous I think I might pass out,” I finally admit.
“I can see that,” he rolls his eyes with a mental duh. “I meant why?”
I tip one shoulder up slightly while turning to climb out of the car.
“Well, come on. They’re waiting on us.”
He turns away from me heading straight for the front door. On wobbly legs, I follow. We make our way through the boring lobby for the elevators. A few others climb on with us giving us looks as if they can’t decide if we are who we are, but don’t say anything as everyone calls out floors to the person closest to the panel of buttons.
The ascent feels like it has to be the slowest in the history of elevator rides. I swear with each person climbing off, two more climb on and the space gets smaller. My heart feels like it might literally take off running out of my chest. If I were a cartoon character, there would be a huge heart shaped boom flying out every millisecond.
By the time the elevator stops on our floor, I feel frozen to the wall. Zane notices when he turns and I’m still holding on to the rail at the back wall. He gives me a concerned what the fuck look before coming back to me.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this fucking nervous, Jay,” he ponders while the elevator doors close back on us.
I bend over slightly at the waist, placing my hands on my knees. “I’ve never been this nervous. Ever.”
“Why are you nervous?” he puts a hand to my back and starts rubbing.
“I don’t know, Zee. I can’t figure it out myself,” I rasp out on a shaky breath, but each breath is getting easier.
He continues to rub. I feel like this should be weird or something but, strangely, not only is it not weird, it’s helping. After several more seconds, I can breathe again, and the nerves have lessened. I give him a curious look. “How’d you do that?”
With slight embarrassment, he grins. “I did it for Zoey all the time. It always worked for her.”
“Zoey had panic attacks. Why didn’t I know this?”
“They were mostly when we were really young. Especially on our way to school before we met you. She had a few after we met you too, though. They were always about you, so she didn’t want you to find out.”
“She had panic attacks over me?” I’m stunned that I never knew that.
He nods, his grin spreading wider. “In high school a few times. She’d see you go off with some random girl, and all of a sudden, she’d be on the floor. Then the time you got hurt at the Auburn game. Most of the time she -,” he stops suddenly with his sentence. His brows drop into a V. He has just realized something he hadn’t before.
