“I’m not,” I cut him off firmly. “But it’s also none of your business. Understand?”
“Fine. Whatever,” Felix mutters, clearly disappointed.
Julio’s voice breaks through the chatter, his tone serious. “This is going to end badly,” he says, his words casting a shadow over the lighthearted atmosphere.
I shoot him a warning look, shaking my head slightly. “Don’t,” I say firmly, holding up a hand. “Let me enjoy this.” I’ve been waiting for things to fall into place, and now that they finally are, I refuse to let anyone spoil it.
He grunts in response, wisely choosing to drop the subject.
“You guys about wrapped up?” I ask, eager to change the subject and move on from Julio’s ominous comment.
On top of a great night with Cecilia, Holt didn’t show up to train this morning. Guy must still be pissed about Coach giving me his spot on the field. Sucks to be him.
But as relieved as I am about that, my mind can’t help but drift to the photographs we gave Deacon the other day.
“Did Jameia tell you her plan?” I ask him, my voice pitched low with concern as we collectively head for the door.
He shakes his head, his expression troubled. “No. She was taken off guard by the whole thing and wanted a few days to go over it, I think.” He shrugs. “She was pretty upset when she saw them, though. I can’t see her sitting on the pictures for long.”
A knot forms in my stomach at the thought. “Ok. Good,” I murmur, trying to push aside my uneasy feeling.
If she doesn’t give them to Coach, it’s not the end of the world. We made copies.
But the anticipation of not knowing when the other shoe is going to drop is enough to stress all of us out. Or at least it’s stressful for me.
Deacon claps me on the shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. “Hey, we did what we had to do,” he says. “Whatever happens next, we’ll deal with it. And you, my friend, should enjoy your girl before all this shit hits the fan.”
He’s right—we’ve done what we can, and now it’s time to savor the calm before the storm. “Thanks, man.” I can’t seem to shake the knot of unease in my stomach. When Coach finally finds out what Holt’s been up to with his daughter, things are going to get messy.
So long as Cecilia doesn’t come into the line of fire when it all goes down, we’ll be good. But there’s this nagging feeling I can’t seem to shake that has me worried. What happens if Holt comes after her? If he blames her yet again for something I did?
I don’t like the possibilities my mind throws at me, and worse, I don’t like the fear I feel wondering whether Cecilia will forgive me if she learns I’m fighting her battles again.
It’s too late to change my mind now. What’s done is done.
Now, we wait.
Walkingup to the door of my first class, my eyes scan the room, zeroing in on the back of Cecilia already in her seat. I take a step toward her when a hushed call of my name breaks through the quiet hum of the hallway.
Turning, I spot Adriana waiting for me, her presence unexpected.
She waves me over, and with a reluctant sigh, I pivot and make my way toward her.
“What’s up?” I ask, stealing a glance at the clock on the wall. Time is ticking, and my class is about to start. She’s going to have to make this quick.
“Here.” Holding her hand out, she offers her phone to me.
I accept it, puzzled. “Why are you giving me this?”
Fidgeting with the straps of her backpack, she shrugs. “Figured you wouldn’t believe me unless I offered you proof.”
With a furrowed brow, I swipe my thumb over the screen, finding an already open text conversation.
Adriana: I don’t really know how to start. A lot of time has passed but I wanted to apologize for what I did in high school. It was never my intention to hurt you, and I’m sorry that I did. I don’t need your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it. But I thought you should know I truly am sorry for my part in everything. I fucked up, and I hate what I did to you. xx A
My eyes widen at the words, and I glance up at her in disbelief. “You really sent this?”
She purses her lips and nods. “Keep scrolling.”
